Abstract:

The world of research is undergoing a process of change characterised by the emergence of increasingly sophisticated techniques that depart from traditional market research to embrace other methods drawing from psychology, ethnography, semiotics, etc. This change is due to the realisation that market and society are intimately intertwined and that these two elements need to be studied in a holistic rather than segment-related way. As research expands, intersecting other fields of knowledge and realms of existence (moods, emotions, instinct), the authors claim that it is necessary to design an innovative analysis tool that helps transform the many 'signs coming from the market into new 'food for thought'. Through the use of a case study related to a recent ethnographic research on happiness, we suggest that the use of the digital matrix and Semiometrie techniques enable development of a dynamic and creative relationship with consumer research by interactively accessing data at different levels of depth. The combination of the interactive matrix with Semiometrie provides not only product-related results but also a wider scenario that describes the cultural reasons behind consumer behaviour.