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Chapter 5
Exploratory Research: Qualitative
Research
Focus
• Qualitative vs quantitative research
• rationale for using qualitative research
• types of qualitative procedures
– direct
• focus groups
• depth interviews
– indirect
• projective techniques
Qualitative Research
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unstructured
exploratory research methodology
based on small samples
provides insights and understanding of the
problem setting
• focus on reasons and motivations
Quantitative Research
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structured
descriptive/causal research methodology
based on large samples
quantifies the data and generalizes sample
results to the population
Rationale for Qualitative
Research
• people may be unwilling to answer certain
questions
• people may be unable to provide accurate
answers to questions that tap their
unconscious
• researcher may not know enough about the
problem setting to design structured survey
instruments
Focus Group Interviews
• is an unstructured interview of a group of
respondents by a trained moderator
• value - comes from unexpected findings
obtained from a free-flowing group
discussion
• extremely popular
• many companies make major decisions
using the interview findings
Characteristics
• group size: 8-12
• group composition: homogeneous;
prescreened
• physical setting: relaxed
• time duration: 1-3 hours
• video transmission
• moderator: establish rapport, keep the
discussion moving forward, and probe when
needed
Advantages
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synergism - wider range
snowballing - chain reaction
stimulation - in a group setting
spontaneity - more accurate responses
flexibility
Disadvantages
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misuse - not conclusive
misjudge - biased evaluation
moderator quality
misrepresentation
Applications of focus groups
• understanding consumers’
attitudes/preferences in a product category
• testing new product ideas
• developing creative ideas for advertising
• obtaining consumer reactions to marketing
program ideas
Depth Interviews
• direct, personal interview
• single respondent is probed by a skilled
interviewer
• unstructured
• to uncover underlying motivations, beliefs,
attitudes, and feelings
• time duration - 30 to 60 minutes
Techniques
• laddering
– line of questioning: product characteristics =>
use characteristics
• hidden issue questioning
– focus on personal issues (sore spots, concerns)
• symbolic analysis
– analyze symbolic meaning of objects by
comparing them with their opposites
Advantages
• can uncover greater depth of insights
• no group pressure - hence more free flow of
responses
• easier to administer
• can meet for longer time
Disadvantages
• need skilled interviewers
• quality and completeness a function of the
interviewer
• data are difficult to code and analyze
• ‘n’ will be small - time + cost
• infrequently used in marketing research
Applications
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detailed probing of the respondent
discussion of sensitive issues
situations in which social norms are strong
complex behaviors
interviewing professional people
if product consumption experience is
sensory in nature
Projective Techniques
• encourage respondents to project their
underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes or
feelings regarding the issue of concern
• by interpreting the behavior of others rather
than one’s own behavior
• is related to the level of ambiguity of the
scenario that is interpreted
Association Techniques
• a stimulus is presented and the respondent
has to answer with the first thing that comes
to mind
• e.g. word association - list of words
• test words are interspersed throughout the
list
• response latency data is also collected
• logic: association allows respondents to
reveal their inner feeling about the topic of
continued
• analyses
– frequency with which any word is given as a
response
– amount of time before a response is given
– number of respondents who do not respond to a
word at all
– # of positive, negative, neutral associations
Completion Techniques
• respondent is asked to complete an
incomplete stimulus situation
• sentence completion and story completion
• allows capturing of subjects’ feelings better
than word association tests
• is not as well disguised however
• story completion more difficult to interpret
Construction Techniques
• respondent constructs a response in the
form of a story, dialogue, or description
• researcher provides less initial structure
than in a completion technique
• picture response
– response to a picture reflects the respondent’s
personality
– can measure people’s attitude toward a brand
• cartoon test
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
• third-person
Advantages
• can elicit responses that subjects may be
unwilling or unable to give if they knew the
purpose of the study
• personal, sensitive, or subject to social
norms
• when underlying motivations and attitudes
are operating at the sub-conscious level
Disadvantages
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require personal interviews
with highly-skilled interviewers
also need highly-skilled interpreters
serious risk of interpretation bias
analyses are difficult and subjective