The research landscape has never been richer in techniques and technology, nor has there been such a bewildering choice of methods in the history of Consumer Research. For most of the past 50 years or so, the debate about alternative methods has centred largely on a choice between Qualitative Research (with its Focus Groups, Individual interviews, Co-creation sessions) and Quantitative surveys (and their sophisticated, multivariate or regression techniques for analysing data). This sometimes gave rise to fierce debates about their legitimacy, validity, depth and their respective pros and cons (Eg: Cooper- Branthwaite, 1977, Cooper- Patterson, 2008).
Recently we examined the characteristics and emotional values in British pharmaceutical ads targeted at doctors. Through the images, symbols and messages, ads address readers values, needs and ideology (or outlook on their job and work). They influence Physicians by managing their impressions of the brand and their associations with it, differentiating their choices in terms of brand values and benefits, and so motivating and reinforcing prescribing. Ads seek to transform negative values and self-images of the prescriber into positive ones, operating through covert/implicit impressions as well as explicit statements or messages.
Current concepts of brands pay full attention to the rational and symbolic but often overlook their sensory, experiential or synaesthetic aspects. This paper helps open up this complex and fascinating topic by identifying the principles of Synaesthesia which are integral to experience of brands. A number of qualitative methods are described for accessing Synaesthesia in brands and consumer experience, together with a range of case studies to amplify and illustrate the effects. What the paper demonstrates is first, an enriched view of what brands are in everyday life; second, very practical conclusions for positioning, communication, NPD; and third, a rich addition to qualitative techniques and practice, which leads to new views of the holistic, inter-connected world in which brands and consumers live.
Marketing and consumers have changed since Projective and other Elicitation techniques were introduced into market research half a century ago. The objectives and rationale for employing them then maybe less valid now. Equally, the wholesale, systematic application of these standard techniques may mean we are not achieving their full potential in their interpretation or application to contemporary marketing issues. On the other hand, there are new pressures and competitive forces operating that require a different insight into consumers. This paper looks at the new methods and skills needed in the pantheon of Elicitation techniques and raises questions for discussion about improving research practice.
This paper is based on the results of a global qualitative project covering 14 countries across North and South America, East and West Europe,Asia and Australia. Advertising clearly plays a substantial role in the construction and support of a brand's image in the mind of the consumer. Yet what do we understand about the media that carry these ideas, images and messages, their role in creating a relationship between consumer and brand, or how these vehicles may affect consumers' willingness to engage with the advertising and the interpretation of their message?
This paper examines the creativity of music and its effectiveness in advertising using information from a large database of ad pre-testing as well as case histories to illustrate the effects in more detaU. Music works episodically to engage the viewer, increase the enjoyment of the ad and improve memorability, but it was not as effective in conveying semantic knowledge from the ad about product claims and benefits. Creative use of music can enrich the brand personality by associating mood, tone, and images to become part of the brand image (emotional enhancement).
This paper is concerned with finding appropriate ways in which qualitative research can examine how advertising is perceived so that we can extrapolate accurately from the research situation to reactions while watching ads on-air. An American Sociologist, Michael Schudson (1984), captures the task for advertising research somewhat graphically. He argues that advertising is increasingly using more Rococo means of manipulation, becoming more visual, and that this underlines the need to understand the processing of images - ie. what consumers actually do with advertising. The process of turning sensory experiences into meaningful perceptions involves multiple stages of processing, and various mechanisms. According to Gregory -1972 perceptions are actively constructed from "floating fragmentary scraps of data signalled by the senses and drawn down from the brain memory banks, themselves constructions from the snippets of the past. " In the search for better techniques, we need to know more about the way in which perception works and the way advertising images are processed. Qualitative research can be enhanced through contact with cognitive sciences to give a better understanding of advertising perceptions and improve the methods used for capturing the impressions created.
Individualism in Western countries has come about through psychological and socio-cultural factors: human needs for a separate, distinctive identity in comparison with others. This requires secure attachments and core group affiliations, on top of which individuality can be superimposed; cultural values for self reliance and individual responsibility (e.g. Thatcherism). Distinctive identities are derived from social categories, group memberships, and roles. Individualism has thrived in response to consumer choice and brand segmentation which has permitted diversified identities. Pan European marketing and advertising strategies are largely irrelevant to consumer identity, providing there is choice within markets. Foreign brands contribute to the diversity within a market and foster individual identities based on national stereotypes. Cultural (and national) identities may however become a salient issue through perceived imposition of 'foreign' brands (replacing local products), or consumer awareness of homogeneity across markets as a marketing strategy. Cultural differentiation could become a key dimension for social comparisons in the search for a distinctive identity. Individualism may not be a permanent feature of Western society, in so far as it is a cultural phenomenon based on contemporary social values, and it relies on individual feelings of security and optimism to give it motive power. Loss of confidence would result in a return to group solidarity and identities derived from conformity to fashion.
This paper describes the results of an experiment which examines the reliability and validity of qualitative research. Two studies of the same marketing problem (a pack test) were conducted and compared: one a qualitative study (6 group discussions), and the other a hall test (550 respondents interviewed by questionnaire). The costs of the qualitative research were approximately half of the quantitative research. The background to the experiment is the tendency in several countries to use more qualitative research, sometimes at the expense of quantitative research. Data on the losses or gams in quality by using qualitative research is limited, however, and this research was done to provide a basis for evaluating it.