Marketing Research

Marketing Research

Aaker, Kumar, Day and Leone

Ninth Edition

Instructor’s Presentation Slides

Chapter Eight

Information Collection:

Qualitative and

Observational Methods

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Marketing Research 10th Edition http://www.drvkumar.com/mr10/

Marketing Research

Marketing Research

Primary Secondary

Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative

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Marketing Research 10th Edition

Information Collection :

Qualitative and Observational Methods

• Recommended to capture the basic feel of a problem prior to conducting more analytical study

Qualitative

Methods

• Limited to providing information on current behavior

Observational

Methods

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Qualitative Research Methods

Exploratory

• Conducted primarily to explicitly define the problem and formulate hypotheses

Orientation

• To learn more about target customer (e.g. Culture, language)

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Clinical

• To gain insights into topics that are difficult in a structured research


Qualitative Research Methods (Contd.)

• Four major constraints:

▫ Volume of data

▫ Complexity of analysis

▫ Detail of clarification record

▫ Time-consuming nature of the clerical efforts required

• Computer technology helps alleviate these problems and increase the use of qualitative research

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Use of Computers in Qualitative Research

Transmitting

Storing

Coding

Searching and Retrieving

Building Relationships

Matrix Building


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Individual In-depth Interviews

• Nondirective interviews

▫ Respondent given maximum freedom to respond

• Semi-structured or focused individual interviews

▫ Covers a specific list of topics or sub-areas

Individual in-depth interview techniques

• Laddering

• Hidden-issue

• Symbolic Analysis


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Focus Group Discussions

• Offers participants more stimulation than an interview; makes new ideas and meaningful comments more likely

• Issues to be addressed:

▫ Outlining the intended direction of the group

▫ Explaining how participants were recruited

▫ Re-educating observers on the concepts of random selection, statistical reliability, and projectability of research results http://www.drvkumar.com/mr10/ Marketing Research 10th Edition

Types of Focus Groups

Exploratory Focus

Groups

• Used in the exploratory phase of the market research process

• Used for generating the hypotheses for testing

Clinical Focus

Groups

• Based on the premise that an individual's true feelings and motivations are subconscious in nature

Experiencing

Focus Groups

• Allows the researcher to experience the emotional framework in which the product is being used

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Key Factors for Focus Group Success

 Planning the Agenda

 Recruitment

 Moderator

 Analysis and

Interpretation of the

Results http://www.drvkumar.com/mr10/ Marketing Research 10th Edition

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Ten Tips for Running a Successful Focus Group

1.

You can never do too much planning for a focus group

2.

Manage the recruitment process actively to get the right people in the groups

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Most client organizations conduct more focus groups than are necessary to achieve the research objective

3.

Don’t prejudge the participants based on physical appearance

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One of the most important services a moderator can provide is a fast report turnaround

4.

The best focus group moderators bring objectivity and expertise to a project

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Client observers should be thoroughly briefed about research objectives before the sessions start

5.

Achieving research objectives does not guarantee a successful group project

6.

The moderator and client should coordinate their efforts at all stages of the process for the research to achieve its objectives

10.

The most valuable service a moderator can provide is objective conclusions based on the interpretations of the research, without regard for what the client wants to hear


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Trends in Focus Groups

• Telephone Focus Groups

• Video Conference

• Two-way focus groups

• Online focus groups http://www.drvkumar.com/mr10/ Marketing Research 10th Edition

Projective Techniques

• Presentation of an ambiguous, unstructured object, activity, or person that a respondent is asked to interpret and explain.

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Categories of Projective Techniques

• Word Association

• Completion Test

• Picture Interpretation

• Third Person Techniques

• Role Playing

• Case Studies


Limitations of Qualitative Methods

• Potential susceptibility of the results to get misused or misinterpreted

• Results not necessarily representative of the whole population

• Moderator or interviewer's role is extremely critical and can lead to ambiguous or misleading results

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Observational Methods

 Casual Observation  Content Analysis

 Systematic Observation  Physical Trace Measures

 Direct Observation

 Contrived Observation





Humanistic Inquiry

Behavior Recording Devices


Limitations of Observational Methods

• Cannot be used to observe motives, attitudes or intentions

• More costly and time consuming

• May yield biased results if there are sampling problems or if significant observant subjectivity is involved

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Recent Applications of Qualitative and

Observational Methods

• Talking Shopper program by Pathfinder Research Group

• Virtual Customers system for evaluating service quality

• On-site observation to observe and learn customer purchase decisions as they are being made


Marketing Research

Marketing Research

Chapter Eight

Information Collection:

Qualitative and

Observational Methods