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Different approaches to marketing research
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- Collection of qualitative data
- Focus group methodology
Different approaches to marketing researchAccording to (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders and Wong 1996), research can be done by one of the following three types of approaches. Observational research is a method where you by observing the actions of relevant individuals try to find the primary data needed for the research. The observational research in that sense that it can obtain information from people are unwilling to provide, although you should have in mind that some things are impossible to observe like hidden feelings, motives or private behaviour. Because of these limitations, researchers often use observations together with other types of data collection methods. Experimental research is a method used where causal information is gathered. Experiments involve selecting matched groups of subjects, giving them different treatment, controlling unrelated factors and checking for differences in group responses. Survey research is a broad research technique, which can be done in person, by mail or by telephone. It is widely used and well-known method acquiring marketing information. Through communicating with a group of respondents, who have knowledge of the problem at hand. The information is collected for example through personal interviews and focus groups. The questions can be structured, using formal lists of questions, and unstructured, when the interview is guided by the answers of the respondents. (Green et al 1988) Survey study is usually the main source of primary data and is often used in a research study. The advantage of this method is its flexibility. It can obtain different kinds of data in different marketing situations. Questioning if respondents is a necessity if one wants to obtain information about for example attitudes, opinions or intended behaviour. The biggest problem with survey research is that it can be hard to find the right people to answer the questions and to get people return the answers, or when it comes to interviewing people that may be hard to get hold of. In this study we will use the survey study method. This is because we are confident that people will be able to talk freely about our research problem and also because what we want to study something that is very much hidden in the minds of people and will be hard finding out simply observing them. Although we will display some pictures and movie clips during the data collection, this should not be considered as an experimental ingredient of the study, but simply as examples of what we want the subjects to discuss. Collection of qualitative dataThere are a lot of different qualitative methods available. We will now proceed by presenting some methods of data collection and then finally present the one that fits our research more thoroughly. Qualitative data, needed in a marketing research, can be either secondary, primary or both. Secondary data consists of information that already exists somewhere. This is the kind of data researcher starts searching for, usually because this kind of data is easier and cheaper to find than primary data. When using secondary data it is important to make sure that it is relevant and fits the needs of the research and also that it is accurate, current and finally impartial, which means that it should be impartially collected and reported. In most cases secondary data must be combined with primary data, which is information collected for the specific research. It is needed in situations where it is hard to obtain information about how consumers feel about newly introduced products or services. Primary data can either be qualitative or quantitative, depending upon the purpose of the research. (Kotler 1997) Since, as earlier mentioned, our research will be proceeded with a qualitative approach we will only put focus upon the qualitative methods of collecting data. (Hamilton 1991) names three qualitative methods used in marketing research: Projective techniques, in-depth interviews and focus groups. We will below present the two first mentioned briefly and the last one, focus groups, more thoroughly, since we find this method to best fulfil our needs. Projective techniques let the respondent complete only half-made drawings, lists, sentences etc. The objective is to reach the hidden emotions and attitudes toward products and services. Personal in-depth interviews are aimed at encouraging the respondent to associate and talk more freely about the product or service. The interviewer is passive and asks questions that do not demand direct answers. There is no questionnaire, but an interview guide including subjects of interest for the researcher. The interview is tape-recorded and a summary with quotes is written. The respondent should have a chance to see the summary and confirm that it is correct. Focus groups The focus group technique is common in marketing research and is often used in a pre-study to get a grip of the problem area so that one are able to decide on how to purse the research project. But it can also be quite effective in research areas where the proper approach is not a large quantitative study and the problem area is especially fitted to the less intimate group discussion tool. This can be the case when the area of research is a social product that people use in some way in there relationship with others. For example, fashion clothing is a more social product than paper towels. It is easy to see how the use of certain clothes may inflict on the social relationships between people, while it is hard to see, for example, paper towels doing the same thing. (Green et al 1988) We are going to use the focus group as our research method in this study. The main reasons behind this is that we want to do a collection of qualitative data in a manner that catches the social aspect of consumption. Focus group methodologyAreas in marketing research that are well suited to the focus group approach are: When the researcher wishes to identify and understand consumer language as it relates to the product category in question. What terms do they use? What do they say? When the researcher wishes to identify the range of consumer concerns. How much variability is there among consumers in how they view the product and in the considerations which lead them to accept or reject the product? When the researcher wishes to identify the complexity of consumer concerns. Are there a few simple attitudes which govern consumer reaction toward the product, or is the structure complex, involving many contingencies? When the researcher wishes to identify specific methodological or logical problems which are likely to affect either the cost of the subsequent research, or one's own ability to generate meaningful, actionable findings at all. (Green et al 1988) Different kinds of focus group studies There are several different kinds of focus group studies that can be conducted, depending on the research question that one wants to shed some light on. Firstly, there is the exploratory focus group. This one is used to get ideas about what, for example, the audience is thinking of a certain advertising campaign or product. This type of focus group can be conducted in a neutral environment like in a conference room at the research company or university. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) Secondly, there is the clinical focus group. This focus group aims to plot the underlying psychological drives and motives of the subject. The person leading the group has to be a trained psychologist or social scientist. Lately, the clinical focus group has seen decreased popularity, mostly due to the complicated work of analysing the results and to the lack of skilled people to lead an analyse the sessions. The clinical focus group can be conducted in the same neutral environment like the exploratory focus group. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) Thirdly, there is also the experiencing focus group. In this kind of focus group study one wishes to be with the subjects while they are experiencing a product. For example, the focus group can be conducted at a shopping mall among consumers in the cafeteria. The point is to penetrate the emotional framework in which the product is being used. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) In this study we are going to use the exploratory focus group because we want to further explore the subjects opinions about the pre-selected advertising, and how they are reasoning when defending their opinions; what language or examples do the use to illustrate their point of views. We do not wish to conduct any further psychological study on what is behind this, nor do we feel that it is appropriate to do an experiencing focus group study, since we are not studying the use of a product that has its " natural environment" . This means that the consumption environment is not essential in order to answer the research questions. Strengths and weaknesses As a method of qualitative data collection, the focus group has been very popular. The alternative is to use in depth interviews. There is no guide that tells what method to use in each and every case - it is a subject open to debate. The following comparison aims to explain some of the differences between the methods so that we will be able to judge on what approach is best suitable for this study.
Table 3.1 source: (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) Having evaluated the pro and cons of the two techniques above, we have decided to use the focus group technique. This is primarily because we want to take advantage of group interaction present in a focus group, but not in depth interviews. We also want to study whether group pressure seem to have an impact on the results. Furthermore we would like to avoid interviewer fatigue and make the collection of information in a short period of time with a few sessions, and not 15-20 in depth interviews which would have been hard to schedule and recruit to. When using the focus group method, there are four key factors for success.
The agenda The agenda is the schedule of the session. Its function is to drive forward the discussion and keep in on track. The primary question is how to decide what questions should be included in the agenda. At this stage one has to look at the purpose of the study and design questions that fully explore the research question. There is necessary that the agenda is productive in this sense so that you don not end up with data that is in reality not in congruence with the aim of the study. It is advisable to have both generally questions and questions that goes more into detail. When presenting the questions to the focus group it is best do begin with the broader questions since the purpose of these are to put the respondents in the mental framework of the subject that is being discussed. After this is done it is time to get more in to details. If, after one or two sessions, a questions does not seem productive one can drop it, or one can add questions in areas that where not fully covered. The questions should be open in order to allow discussion and follow up questions. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) Recruitment In marketing research and statistics one of the most important aspects is to have a selection that is conducted in a manner that make statistical theory applicable. In qualitative focus group studies the selection of the test population is somewhat less complicated this is due to the fact that one do not intend to make any calculations, but mainly to get an idea of how the respondents are reasoning. Therefore selection is limited to people who has knowledge about the phenomena in question,. There are no rule of thumb to how many respondents has to be included in a qualitative study, like when using quantitative method. Nor is there any need for tests of significance. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) What researches instead speak of when using focus groups are recruitment. How to recruit the participants and get a productive mix in the focus group. When recruiting for a focus group one has to take into account the following aspects. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) Contrast and similarity. It is productive to mix people that are alike and different in the same group. Differences work as to challenge thinking and arguing in the group. Similarities may clarify the standpoints of group members, since some may be better at formulating their opinions than others. For example, it can be productive to mix users and non users of a product to get a devils advocate effect within the respondents. It is not advisable to mix people of different age, cultural background or social class to a great extent. This is because differences in experience and verbal skill may harm a productive discussion. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) Moderation The person leading the session is called the moderator. He or she will pose the questions in a manner that is as smooth as possible. It is not a good idea to ask formal questions or not to reflect on what a respondent is saying. It is crucial that the moderator follow up statements and try to find out what is behind. The moderator should dress neutral and use a normal language with no jargon of any kind. The moderator must be flexible, able to sense when the group is done with a question and able to allocate time between participants. It may be productive to make provocative statements to get the discussion going and it may also be fruitful to work as the devils advocate. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995) In this study we will be two moderators present to better control the situation and grasp what is being said. Analysis When analysing focus groups there is necessary to understand the importance of context. The results in the form of quotes from participants is of limited use presented simply as they are. Qualitative data of this kind needs to be presented in its context, with an explanation and, if possible, with a link to a theory. In this way the results and the theory is used to enhance each others value. When immediately linked to theory the quotes make much more sense and the theory is exemplified. It is further important to include the whole range of opinions in the analysis. It can be easy to forget what some people said if they where in minority. Focus group have due the group pressure effect a tendency to favour conservative opinions and to compensate strong negative opinions on one subject ( product), with more positive on the next. (Aaker, Kumar, Day 1995). We will use the findings from the focus group and relate them to the theory of the post-modern consumer to see how well this picture fits with the results. Since we are using focus groups we want to apply a technique that binds theory together with quotes and conclusions in an attempt to shed some light on both the theory and the findings. This is the approach recommended in the literature of qualitative analysis and we feel that using it will serve our purpose. ( Lantz 1993). Using our table of comparison between interviews and focus group we decided that we wanted to conduct a focus group study and not a series of interviews. We are aware of the problem of peer pressure in the focus group, especially when it comes to image loaded advertising. ( Branthwaite, Swindells 1997) Despite this we still want to use the focus group since we feel the social interaction between consumers is a very important variable when opinions of what is cool, and what is not, in the age-group 20-30 years of age are formed. Download 201.4 Kb. Share with your friends:
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