Get your market research right and you’re halfway to developing a successful marketing campaign. In this second article on qualitative research, Alison Ive, director of marketing consultancy Treehouse, weighs up the pros and cons of different qualitative research methods and lists some handy dos and don'ts to help you get the most from your chosen research method.
Which qualitative research method?
Focus groups
Pros
You have the opportunity to show product samples, or creative executions and interpret non-verbal reactions while group discussions can open up and take debates in all sorts of surprising and illuminating directions. This format is the best for doing workshop type activities – for example, ask the group to draw a picture or create a mood board of their perceptions of the brand.
Cons
The moderator must ensure that one person doesn’t dominate or lead the others and while groups are great for stimulating discussions they can create a social pressure where people aren't always honest in their opinions. Therefore, it’s not the ideal place to cover sensitive or private topics such as drinking habits, sex, money and bereavement.
Individual depth interviews (IDIs)
Pros
This private format provides the right environment for honest conversations about sensitive topics or brands. It also lets you trace the decision-making process in more detail, which can be laborious to do in a group setting.
Cons
It’s the most time-intensive format for the researcher and consequently the most expensive. It also relies heavily on the quality of the respondent, which is why it’s so important for the recruiter to find someone who’s articulate.
Online focus groups
Pros
As well as being cost and time-efficient, this method is the best way to deal with hard-to-reach or geographically dispersed samples, such as parents of premature babies. It’s particularly effective for online communities, whose preferred method of communication is via the web. For example, parents of premature babies have a shared experience they want to talk about but probably don’t live sufficiently near each other to make a physical meeting practical.
Cons
Non-verbal or body language, which can be so rich and revealing, largely goes unseen even if webcams are used. And if the discussion is written, the emphasis and tone of comment can also be lost.
Tip Try to use a mix of methodologies on one project. For example, conduct a few focus groups, but top up the sample with phone interviews. Or start with IDIs to understand a sensitive topic, using it to provide the discussion guide or topic. Then, move on to a focus group format to get a broader opinion on it.
Which qualitative research technique?
The aim of qualitative research is to uncover the deepest motivations, feelings and attitudes of the target audience or customer. The one you choose depends on a variety of factors including the aim of your research, the method you’re using and budget considerations. The following two work particularly well in face-to-face interviews and group discussions:
Memory storytelling
This accesses people’s subconscious ramblings rather than their current surface rational thought and opinion. For example, a researcher may ask potential Royal National Lifeboat Institution members to talk about the sea, such as early childhood trips to the seaside, memories, fears of drowning, and other associations that may come to mind.
Photo collages
Respondents build mood boards, selecting photographs that best capture their feelings about a particular brand, product or emotion.
Tip These exploration techniques are best done early in the group discussions or interviews – before respondents are too exposed to, or influenced by others’ opinions.
How the qualitative research process works
The client starts the process off by setting the research objectives and coming up with a brief for the research company. The researcher responds with a research proposal, which normally includes headings such as: Overall research aim and specific objectives; sample; methodology; stimuli; budget; timing; and outputs.
After the client and researcher have agreed the proposal, the following can happen in parallel: recruitment of sample (see above for tips on getting the right sample), development of the discussion guide and stimuli. Once these are done, next comes the actual fieldwork (focus groups, IDIs etc), analysis of fieldwork, and finally the debrief, which should contain a level of interpretation and summary, rather than just a description of everything that was said. Similarly, the final report should contain actual customer quotes to illustrate points, and show the language and expressions the target audience uses.
Dos and don’ts of qualitative research
- Do have clear, succinct objectives, not a rambling list of random ‘nice to know’ objectives.
- Do make sure the researcher probes enough on the ‘why’.
- Do cover the discussion guide, but don’t stick to it so rigidly that it interrupts the flow of discussion, or ignores the group’s interest.
- Do listen hard to verbal and non-verbal communication – notice body language and what emotions or thoughts it might suggest.
- Do find lateral ways to broach difficult topics. For instance, some people might say: ‘It’s pointless for me to recycle/drive less, it’s down to businesses to be greener.’ Do you think they have a point? If so, give them permission to comment on an attitude they may think it’s socially unacceptable to admit to.
- Do challenge any inconsistencies of opinion stated to explore the thought process fully.
- Do ensure the research operates within the MRS code of conduct – it’s honest, confidential, and doesn’t try to sell anything.
- Don’t select samples that are too ambitious or broad, where groups don’t even have one point of homogeneity.
- Don’t make discussion guides too long or try to cover too many topics in insufficient depth.
- Don’t make stimuli too detailed or complex – it will take people too long to digest the information before they start commenting.