This authors of this paper argue that brand leadership is not about reacting but about anticipating and taking risks. The imperative for change and innovation is particularly evident when national brands embrace the challenge to become global players. How is a brand to create a global identity that is relevant meaningful and appealing? It is inevitable that when a new visual identity is developed to reflect a change in strategy particularly when dealing with a service brand going global and the new design offers a revolutionary solution it will be placed under the market research spotlight. The challenge for research is to ensure that potentially effective and novel design solutions are not rejected due to an insensitive research process. The British Airways decision to change its visual identity has been controversial. The challenge facing the initial stage of qualitative research was how to present and explore the response to a visionary visual identity which represented a significant change in direction to a much loved and respected national brand (albeit with an existing global awareness and presence).
The premise of this paper is that the use of a single qualitative research methodology - especially one which searches for understanding and insights away from the context in which behaviour is taking place - can result in misleading recommendations and is therefore professionally irresponsible. The paper will argue that the nature of the window through which human behaviour can be interpreted differs depending on which methodology is used.
This paper questions whether the introduction of high technology as a tool for qualitative research can be viewed as an attempt to provide the qualitative output with a spurious quasi-scientific validity. We argue that the introduction of technology into the qualitative arena must be handled with care. On the one hand it can be employed as a welcome enabler which aids a deeper understanding of human beings and how they interact with and respond to their environment. On the other hand it can be used to obscure the highly subjective and impressionistic nature of the qualitative research process. Clarity of objectives and honesty concerning the likely effects on human responses (and the interpretation of these) are essential if we are to employ technology meaningfully.