chapter seven qualitative research. copyright © houghton mifflin company. all rights reserved.7 | 2...

Chapter Seven

Qualitative Research

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7 | 2

Chapter Objectives

• Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative research and explain the relationship between the two

• Identify the three major determinants of focus group effectiveness

• Explain the major advantages and drawbacks of focus groups


Chapter Objectives (Cont’d)

• Identify potential applications of focus groups• Discuss the impact of technology on focus

group research• Describe other qualitative research

techniques and identify situations under which one would use them


Focus Groups Help Gap Determine What Customers Want

• Gap wanted to know what customers would find attractive and fresh enough that they would feel compelled to visit the store more often

• Focus groups helped Gap understand what customers want, including preferred colors and the most popular styles

• The focus groups also helped Gap create a more localized strategy


Qualitative Research

• Qualitative research involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data that cannot be meaningfully quantified, that is, summarized in the form of numbers


Qualitative Research (Cont’d)

• Qualitative Research– Typically involves relatively few respondents

or units– Uses non-structured questioning or

observation techniques– More structure and by larger, more

representative respondent samples


Quantitative Research (Cont’d)

• Quantitative Research– Techniques are most appropriate in situations

calling for exploratory research

– Logical place is in conclusive research projects

– Calls for very specific data, capable of suggesting a final course of action

– Primary role is to test hunches or hypotheses


Applications of Qualitative and Quantitative Research


Applications of Qualitative and Qualitative Research – Pennzoil-Quaker State

• Advertising– Scenario: Pennzoil-Quaker State Company, marketer

of Total Shine, wants to come up with ideas for creatively communicating the cleaner/polisher’s benefits through a television commercial

– Two different commercials for Total Shine have been developed

• Management wants to know which of the two will be more effective in favorably influencing target customers’ preferences for Total Shine

• What Type of Research Should They Conduct?


Applications of Qualitative and Qualitative Research – Kitchen Aid Small Appliances

• Product Planning and Promotion– Scenario: Brand manager in charge of

KitchenAid small appliances wishes to develop an understanding of how, when, where, and why consumers use KitchenAid

– Decided to conduct a large-scale segmentation study to identify heavy users of kitchen appliances



Applications of Qualitative and Qualitative Research – Ford Explorer

• Personal Selling – Scenario: The sales of Ford Explorer have been

dropping steadily; the sales manager wants to identify possible reasons for this decline

– From discussions with several dealers, the sales manager suspects that the customer satisfaction with Ford Explorer is low and wants to confirm it by using a customer satisfaction questionnaire



Applications of Qualitative and Qualitative Research – Jackson Memorial Hospital

• Services Marketing– Scenario:The administrators of Jackson Memorial

Hospital, Miami, wants to develop a feel for the nature and the extent of apprehension experienced by patients when they are in the hospital

– Goal is to ascertain patients’ ratings of specific attributes of such things as patient care, food service, and medical treatment



Applications of Qualitative and Qualitative Research – President Bush

• Politics – Scenario: President Bush wants to understand

the environmental concerns of U.S. citizens before privatizing Social Security

– President Bush wants to determine the degree of support for “social security privatization” among young workers

– What Type of Research Should the U.S. Conduct?


Importance of Qualitative Research

• More flexible than other types of research • More easily captures information crucial to

forming effective strategies• Aids in analyzing open-ended questions


Importance of Qualitative Research (Cont’d)

• Needed to verify the accuracy of quantitative research results

• Works better if the purpose of the research is to understand a problem or to develop “new product concepts”

• Can be viewed as generating just the right type of raw material needed to produce a finished product in the form of a relevant quantitative research project


individuals

moderator

discussion

Focus Group Interviews

• 8 to 12 individuals• Moderator (a well-trained researcher)• Informal discussion about research topic


Group Composition

• Generally, focus groups conducted by marketing research practitioners involve between 6 and 12 participants

• To be effective, a focus group must be as homogeneous as possible with respect to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics


Moderator Tasks

• Guide discussion• Ensure key aspects of the topic are

discussed• Observe interactions• Record dialogue and reactions


Desirable Focus Group Moderator Skills

• Kind but firm• Permissive• Involved• Incomplete understanding• Encouragement• Flexibility• Sensitivity


Conducting Focus Groups

• Focus group sessions typically last 1 1/2 to 2 hours

• Focus group interviews are often recorded using audio tapes or videotapes


Advantages of Focus Groups

• Richness of data• Versatility• Ability to study special respondents


Disadvantages of Focus Groups

• Lack of Generalizability– Results cannot be viewed as conclusive

• Opportunity for Misuse– Occurs when managers yield to a temptation to

generalize a few key remarks made by participants

• Cost– On a cost-per-respondent basis, focus groups are

extremely expensive


Focus Group Applications

• Understanding Consumers• Product Planning• Advertising


Understanding Consumers

• Pillsbury, a manufacturer of cake mixes, is always interested in questions such as: – What do consumers like about baking? – What do they dislike? – Why do they bake? – How do they bake? – What words/terms do they use in

describing baking products and their use? • Focus groups will be helpful in this situation to get a

feeling for consumers' perceptions, opinions, and behavior concerning cake mixes


Product Planning

• Yao Ming, Inc.: Building the Yao Ming Brand • Focus groups, marketing polls and dozens of

street interviews were conducted in China to determine how to market the Yao Ming brand

• This research revealed that the Yao brand reflected the newer generation in China


Advertising

• The most frequent application of focus groups is in developing creative concepts and copy material for advertisements

• Christmas with the Kranks was an anti-holiday movie designed as a satire on the holiday. The movie used the phrase “No, ho, ho”

• Focus groups revealed that this phrase was viewed negatively by consumers and it was pulled


Research Techniques – Dual Moderator Group

• A focus group interview conducted by two moderators

• Useful in focus groups involving discussion of a highly technical topic

• Example: A group of electronic engineers discussing new concepts for computer memory chips


Other Qualitative Research Techniques

• Respondent-Moderator Groups – The real moderator may ask selected

participants to temporarily play the role of moderator to improve group dynamics and productivity

• Client-Participant Groups – Client personnel are introduced to

respondents and made part of the group


Impact of Technology on Focus Groups

• Electronic Group Interviewing (EGI)• Videoconferencing Focus Groups• Online Focus Groups


Electronic Group Interviewing (EGI)

• Participants simply express their feelings using their keypads and the results are instantly tabulated and displayed in the form of a histogram on the video screen

• EGI offers the potential benefits of greater speed, real-time feedback, better quality, more precise data and flexibility while reducing unproductive discussion time


Videoconference Focus Groups

• Focus groups are videotaped and broadcasted live for large companies with an international base

• Allows clients at multiple sites to view focus groups from remote locations

• Focus group proceedings that take place in foreign locations allow executives to get an immediate impression of the proceedings

• Cuts cost and time of travel to focus groups sessions


Online Focus Groups

• America Online (AOL) popularized chat rooms allowing people who are online at the same time to exchange live messages

• Businesses use e-mail, chat rooms, message boards to connect with customers


Online Focus Groups (Cont’d)

• Online focus groups– Popular marketing research tool– Faster turnaround – More convenience – Greater cost effectiveness

• Online focus groups are ideal for– Hard-to-reach markets– Low incidence groups– Online/Internet audiences – Geographically dispersed groups


Online Focus Group Examples

• Pennzoil-Quaker State Company used online focus groups to evaluate its new product Total Shine, a liquid cleaner/polisher that can be used for detailing all of a car except the glass

• IPnetwork.com, an online marketplace for patents, licenses, and other forms of intellectual property, was receiving very few hits. Pressed for time and money, IPnetwork decided to conduct a pair of online focus groups to understand the reasons for the lack of traffic to the site


Online Focus Group Examples (Cont’d)

• WP-Studio, a NewYork-based web developing company, wanted to gauge reaction to the company’s web site, Total New York, an information guide to the city

• Results of online focus group research:– “People are a heck of a lot more honest on-

line than they are in out traditional groups”• Do you think this is true?


In-Depth Interviews (IDIs)

• In in-depth interviews, interviewers can probe each respondent in much greater detail

• One respondent’s viewpoint does not influence others

• Deliver more of a quantity of information and more depth of information than in a typical focus group


In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) (Cont’d)

• Researchers probed Infiniti customers about other brands considered, what existing options they would most prefer, new options they would consider buying, and level of driving comfort

• In-depth interviews gave enough information for a new car idea

• Infiniti engineers created new designs based on the interviews


How to Keep in Touch with Kids around the Globe? Cartoon Network Knows the Answer

• Marketing research plays a central role in the company’s quest to become a global expert on children

• Cartoon Network conducts research with a brainstorming session with adults, teens, and children


Face-to-Face Interview Results: Mexico

• Influences & Information Sources– Parents/Grandparents, Siblings, Other Adults (Teachers)

• Aspirations– Get Good Grades, Go to College, Look Good

• Pester Power– Clothing, Shoes,Toys

• Source of Computer & Internet Usage:– Computer : 59% Internet Usage: 35%

• Ways Kids Use the Internet– Playing games, Help with homework, Surfing,e-mail, Chat,

Read e-newspapers• Sample Size: 1000


Face-to-Face Interview Results: Argentina



• Pester Power– Candy, School Supplies, Soda

• Source of Computer & Internet Usage– Computer : 80% Internet Usage: 26%

• Ways Kids Use the Internet– Playing games, Help with homework, Surfing, e-mail, Chat,

Read e-newspapers• Sample Size: 1000


Face-to-Face Interview Results: Chile



• Pester Power– Candy, School Supplies, Clothing


• Ways Kids Use the Internet– Playing games, Help with homework, Surfing,e-mail, Read

e-newspapers• Sample Size: 1000


Face-to-Face Interview Results: Brazil

• Influences & Information Sources– Parents/Grandparents, Friends, Other Adults (Teachers), Friends

• Aspirations– Get Good Grades, Be Considered, Cool with Friends, Be an

Individual • Pester Power

– Candy, Shoes, Toys• Source of Computer & Internet Usage

– Computer : 62% Internet Usage: 29%• Ways Kids Use the Internet

– Playing games, Help with homework, Surfing, e-mail, Chat, Read e-newspapers

• Sample Size: 1000


Face-to-Face Interview Results: USA

• Influences & Information Sources– Parents/Grandparents, Friends, Other Adults (Teachers)

• Aspirations– Get Good Grades, Go to College, Be an individual

• Pester Power– Candy, Shoes, Toys


• Ways Kids Use the Internet– Playing games, Help with homework, Surfing, e-mail, Chat,

Read e-newspapers • Sample Size: N/A


Face-to-Face Interview Results: Asia Pacific

• Influences & Information Sources– N/A

• Aspirations– N/A

• Pester Power– School Supplies, Ice Cream, Movies


• Ways Kids Use the Internet– Playing games, Help with homework, Surfing,e-mail, Chat,

Read e-newspapers • Sample Size: N/A


Table 7.3 Which One to Choose? – In-Depth Interview or Focus Group


Projective Techniques – Common Features

• A fairly ambiguous stimulus is presented to respondents in reacting to or describing the stimulus, the respondents will indirectly reveal their own inner feelings


Projective Techniques

• Word Association Test• The Sentence Completion Test• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)• Cartoon Test


Word Association Test

• A list of words, both relevant and irrelevant, used to understand people’s feelings towards different words– Used to examine the effectiveness of brand

names, new products and services, and key advertising words


Sentence Completion Test

• Respondents are asked to finish a set of incomplete sentences, often related or neutral to the topic of interest

• To uncover feelings about “buying American”– American automobiles– Restrictions on imports– Every U.S. citizen– Foreign-made products– Unemployment in the U.S


Thematic Apperception Test

• Respondents are asked to write a story about one or a series of picture(s) they are shown for a short period of time– Especially useful when dealing with special

groups, such as children


Zaltman’s Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET)

• ZMET tries to bring to the surface the mental models that drive consumer thinking by analyzing metaphors that consumers might use

• Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh– Wanted to convey a warm, healthy image rather than a

cold, scary one• Children’s used the ZMET

– Zaltman interviewed patients, parents, employees and physicians to elicit images and metaphors

– Deeper probing was then used to understand the metaphors


ZMET

• The results revealed that patients wanted to see designs and unconventional color schemes

• These changes would distract them from their medical conditions as well as relieve stress


Exhibit 7.2 Cartoon Test

• Respondents are asked to examine a picture and fill in empty balloons – Similar to TAT but the response is far more

limited and therefore easier to analyze

chapter seven qualitative research. copyright © houghton mifflin company. all rights reserved.7 | 2...

Documents

qualitative research

quantitative research

type of research

focus group research

applications of qualitative

conclusive research

drawbacks of focus groups

localized strategy slide