Marketing Research:Course 3 Qualitative Research Why and when Various approaches Costs Validity © Jacques Nantel et HEC Montréal Hiver 2005

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Why ? People are unwilling to give truthful answers to questions that invade their privacy, embarrass them or have a negative impact on their ego or status; People may be unable to provide accurate answers to question that tap their subconscious; A questionnaire doesn’t allow enough details to be obtained from the respondent.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Classification Qualitative Methods Indirect (Disguised) Direct (Nondisguised) Focus Group In depth Interview Projective Techniques Expressive Techniques Construction Techniques Completion Techniques Association Techniques

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Focus Group - Uses Understanding consumers’ perceptions, preferences, and behaviour concerning a product category; Obtaining impressions of new product concepts; Generating new ideas about older products; Developing creative concepts and copy material for advertisements; Securing price impressions; Obtaining preliminary consumer reaction to specific marketing programs. The methodological applications include: Defining a problem more precisely; Generating alternative course of action; Developing an approach to a problem; Obtaining information helpful in structuring consumer questionnaires; Generating hypotheses that can be tested quantitatively; Interpreting previously obtained quantitative results.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Focus Group – characteristics

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Focus Group – procedure Define the decision problem Define the MktResearch problem Specify the objectives of Qualitative Research State the objectives of the Focus Group Write a screening questionnaire Apply the questionnaire Develop a moderator’s outline Select a moderator Conduct the Focus Group Review tapes and analyse data Plan follow-up research actions

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Focus Group vs Focus Group Some Advantages: Synergism – wide range of information, insight and ideas; Snowballing – chain reaction; Stimulation; Security; Spontaneity; Flexibility; Speed.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Focus Group vs Focus Group Some possible Disadvantages: Misused – focus group can be misused and abused by considering the results as conclusive rather than exploratory; Misjudge – focus group are particularly susceptible to client and researcher biases; Moderation – the quality of the results depends heavily on the skills of the moderator; Messy – difficult to code, analyse and interpret; Misrepresentation

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Some other types of Focus Group Two-way focus group – A target group listen and learn from a related group; Dual-moderator focus group – One moderator is responsible for the smooth flow of the session, and the other ensures that specific issues are discussed; Duelling-moderator focus group – The moderators deliberately take opposite positions; Respondent-moderator focus group – participants play temporarily the role of the moderator; Client-participant focus group – client personnel take part of the discussion group; Mini focus group – 4,5 respondents only.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods In depth interview - uses Detailed probing of the respondents (automobile purchase..); Discussion of confidential, sensitive, or embarrassing topics (personal finances …); Situations where strong social norms exist and where the respondent may be easily swayed by group response (attitude toward sexual minorities); Detailed understanding of complicated behaviour (shopping); Interviews with professional people (industrial marketing research); Interviews with competitors who are unlikely to reveal the information in a group setting (travel agents’ perceptions of airline package travel programs); Situations where the product consumption experience is sensory in nature, affecting mood states and emotions (perfumes).

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods In depth interview – characteristics

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods In Depth Interview vs In Depth Interview Some Advantages: Greater depth and insight than a focus group; No social pressure; Disadvantages: the same as in focus group.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Projective techniques - uses In situation where the required information is not accurately obtained by direct methods; In measuring attitude about particular products, brands, packages, advertisements; 3. Image analysis; 4. In situation where direct methods cannot accurately obtain the information.

“A man is least himself when he talks in his own person; when given a mask he will tell the truth.” --Oscar Wilde

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Projective techniques – short description Association techniques – respondents are presented with a stimulus and are asked to respond with the first thing they have in mind; Word association – respondents are presented with a list of words, one at a time. After each word they are asked to give the first word that comes to mind; Completion techniques – respondents are required to fill in an incomplete stimulus situation; Sentence completion – respondents are presented with a number of incomplete sentences and are asked to complete them; Story completion – respondents are provided with a part of the story and are required to give the conclusion in their own words.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Projective techniques – short description Construction techniques – respondents are required to construct a response in the form of a story, dialogue, or description; Picture response techniques – respondents are shown a picture and are asked to tell a story describing it; Cartoon tests – cartoon characters are shown in a specific situation related to the problem. Respondents are asked to indicate the response that one of the character gives to the others’ comment;

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Projective techniques – short description Expressive techniques – respondents are presented with a verbal or visual situation and asked to relate the feelings and attitudes of other people to the situation; Role playing – respondents are asked to play the role or to assume the behaviour of someone else; Third person technique – respondents are presented with a situation and to express the belief and attitudes of a third person.

Sentence Completion People who drink beer are _____________________ A man who drinks light beer is ___________________ Imported beer is most liked by ___________________ A woman will drink beer when____________________

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Projective Techniques vs Projective Techniques Some Advantages: They may elicit responses that subjects would be unwilling to give if they knew the purpose of the study; They are helpful when underlying motivations, beliefs and attitudes are operating at a subconscious level. Disadvantages: the same as in focus group.

Exploratory Research: Qualitative Methods Summary