4. overview of research methods

8/3/2019 4. OVerview of Research Methods

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Confidential & Proprietary Copyright 2010 The Nielsen Company

An overview of ConsumerAn overview of Consumer

researchresearch-- MethodsMethods

Rajiv Bagayatkar


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Confidential & Proprietary

Copyright 2010 The Nielsen Company

Topic: Consumer Research Overview

Learning objective:

At the end of this training course,

participants will have a sound application

understanding of the commonquantitative and

qualitative research techniques/tools.


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Topics Covered

1. Role of Consumer Research2. Overview of Consumer Research Techniques

3. Qualitative Techniques Focus Group Discussions

In-depth Interviews

Projective techniques

Observation

Ethnography

4. Quantitative Techniques F2F

Telephone Online

Mobile

Observation


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Confidential & Proprietary Copyright 2010 The Nielsen Company

Role of research in differentstages of a brand


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Stages of a brand

Prior to launch

During /immediately after launch

Post launch

Revival/restage


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Pre launch

Industry/market scanning

to narrow down options

To study the short listed

options

Secondary data search

Retail panel data

Consumer panel data

Syndicated studies

Demand estimation and

forecasting studies

U&A / H&A

Market mapping exercise

Delta Qual


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Pre launch

New Product development

Idea generation & concept

development

Brain storming

Creativity groups(Synectics)

General consumer studies

(U&A, Qualitative)

Ethnography/observation


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Pre launch

New Product development

Idea/concept screening Concept tests

(Qualitative&/quantitative) (Concepts@work)

Pre Bases


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Pre launch

Developing the marketing mix

Product

Packaging

Sensory panels

Consumer product tests

Pack tests (packs@work)

Pseudo product tests

Semiotics &qualitative research


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Pre launch


Pricing Pricing research (BPCM,CBC,

PIR)

Pricing information collected

with other studies viz concept

tests, product tests

Sabine


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Pre launch

Developing the marketing mix Distribution

Retail census

Retail audit data

M&A services


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Pre launch


Communication development Segmentation and positioning

Creative development

U&A, Segmentation studies

Qualitative research



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Pre launch


Communication developmentAdvertising testing

Media Planning


ads@work

Pressure test

NRS

TAM

Radio listenership studies

/panels

Hoarding effectiveness


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Pre launch

Evaluating the total offer

Total offer tests

BASES

ACN forecasting Test Marketing


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Post launch

Post launch monitoring Overall in market performance

Campaign effectiveness

Retail panel data (special short

term panels & regular panel

data)

Consumer panel data

Dipstick studies

Brand tracking

DAR

Ad tracking

TAM


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Post launch

Maintenance

Monitoring brand health and

performance

Customer satisfaction

Trade satisfaction

Brand health studies (WB)

Ad tracking and modeling

(ARM)

Retail panel data

Consumer panel data

Product test and Pricing studies Customer eQ

Mystery shopping

Trade eQ


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Post launch

Revival/ Repositioning/

Restaging U&A

Segmentation and positioning

research

BASES Re-stager


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Overview of ConsumerResearch

Techniques


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Consumer Research

Primary

A research project may needone or both of these.Secondary


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Consumer Research

Primary

Data that have been collected

by researcher for the specificpurpose of a research project.

Secondary


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Data that have been collected

by someone else.

Important criteria: relevance,

reliability, recency.


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Consumer Research

Primary

Internal

Data that are already available

within the client organisation.

Sales data, database of

customer transactions

Secondary


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Consumer Research

Primary

Internal External

Data that are readily available

from MR/ consultancy

organisation. Newspapers, business journals,

the Internet,

Secondary


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External

Observation

Examples: Path followed in a

supermarket, behaviour inrespect of reading pack labels.


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External

Interviewing Observation

Involves seeking information by

asking questions, as per theinformation needed


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External


Qualitative

Provides important insights in

understanding why consumers

behave or feel the way they do

Allow us to identify andunderstand relevant behaviour

patterns, opinions, and

motivations

Helps us formulate hypotheses

for further exploration or

quantification Enable us add richness to the

findings of quantitative research

Examples:

Generation of ideas to search for

suitable positioning platform Short-listing communication

concepts from among a very large

number of alternatives, to reject

utterly bad options


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External


Qualitative Quantitative

Produces results that are

projectable We are able to add the

dimension of how many we are

talking about

Is based on a scientifically

drawn sample of the universe

population Able to attach statistical rigidity

to the findings

Examples:

Which of these two alternative

product concepts is the better one

to launch? How does our product compare

against that of the competitor?


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

survey

When the universe is of infinite

size


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

surveyCensus

When the universe size is a

small finite number


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Administered by interviewer;

door-to-door survey/ central

location/ mall intercept

Pen-and-paper or CAPI

(computer-assisted personal

interviewing).


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Onlinesurvey

Self-completion

Sample drawn from a panel ofonline respondents


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Confidential & ProprietaryCopyright 2010 The Nielsen Company

Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

TelephonicOnlinesurvey

Interviewer administered

May or may not use CATI

(computer-assisted telephonic

interviewing)


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Telephonic Postalsurvey

Onlinesurvey

Self-completion

Examples: Survey questionnaire

inserted in a magazine;

customer feedback forms.


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary

Internal External



Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Telephonic

Fax survey

Postalsurvey

Onlinesurvey

Self-completion

Limited to business-to-business

research or other surveysinvolving corporate

respondents


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary



Internal External

Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Telephonic

Fax survey

Onlinesurvey

IVR (Interactive

Voice Response)

Self-completion

Pre-recorded questions.

Responses through pressing

appropriate keys.

Postalsurvey


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary



Internal External

Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Telephonic

Fax survey

Onlinesurvey

Mobile

survey

Limited to very short, quick

surveys very small number of

questions Sample maybe from panel of

respondents

Postalsurvey

IVR InteractiveVoice Response


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary



Group

discussion

Internal External

Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Telephonic

Fax survey

Onlinesurvey


Mobile

survey

Discussion among around eight

respondents conducted by

moderator.

Use of projective techniques to

get responses indirectly.

Postalsurvey


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Consumer Research

Primary Secondary



Group

discussion

In-depth

interview

Internal External

Sample

surveyCensus

Face-to-face

Telephonic

Fax survey

Onlinesurvey


Mobile

survey

Discussion with one or small set

of related respondents

conducted by experienced

researcher

Unstructured format, flexible

(unlike in quantitative research)

Postalsurvey


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2. Qualitative Techniques


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Qualitative Techniques

1. Focus Group Discussions

2. In-depth Interviews

3. Projective techniques

4. Observation

5. Ethnography


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A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is a technique forobtaining ideas or solutions to a marketing issue by

conducting a discussion with a group of consumers.

The classic FGD involves one group leader

(moderator) and eight participants (respondents).

However, it is also quite common to conduct FGDs

with two moderators and anywhere from four to

twelve respondents.

FGDs are used to identify and explore behaviour,

attitudes and processes, and address the why,

what and how questions.

FGDs are used when the topic is not sensitive andrespondents are happy to share their views publicly.

FGDs are used when the objective is to cover a

breadth rather than a depth of information.

What is it?

When is it used?


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Respondents are recruited using experiencedrecruiters, who identify respondents who fit a

particular demographic profile e.g., 19-25 year old

males & females who have consumed cola

flavoured beverages in the past 7 days.

A FGD will normally last between 1-3 hours and

works on the interaction and synergy between themoderator and the respondents. The moderator/s

guide the discussion using a Discussion Guide a

list of topics that address the research objectives.

A global financial institution wishes to launch a

credit card into a developing Asian market where

credit card penetration is less than 2%. They

commission a series of FGDs with affluent 25-39

year olds to determine the level of understanding of

how credit cards work and top level reactions to a

number of different credit card concepts.

How does it work?

Example?


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In-depth Interviews (IDIs) are also referred to as

Depth Interviews.

IDIs are a qualitative research method designed to

generate in-depth information through a face-to-face

interview between a researcher and a respondent.

IDIs are typically employed when the target

respondents are difficult to assemble in a central

location (e.g., Senior Executives), are

geographically dispersed or the topic is confidentialor sensitive.

What is it?

When is it used?


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Respondents can be recruited from the generalpopulation, but quite commonly the respondents forIDIs are recruited from client lists (i.e., made up ofmembers, clients, users etc).

Like FGDs, the IDI is structured around aDiscussion Guide and usually take place in alocation that is convenient for the respondent.

A large national company has a contract to supplyIT services to a large national airline company. Theend users of the IT service are interviewed using aquantitative methodology; however, the SeniorExecutives are recruited from a list provided by theclient and interviewed for their impressions of the

service; strengths, weaknesses and areas fordevelopment using IDIs. The interviews lasted forup to 1-hour and were conducted at a time andlocation of their choosing (usually in their ownoffice).

How does it work?

Examples?


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Techniques used in conjunction with FGDs & IDIs

Focus Groups

&

In-depth

Interviews

Projective

Techniques

Qualitative

Observation

Ethnographic

Techniques

While conducting Focus Group Discussions or In-depth Interviews, it

can be advantageous to ask questions indirectly; using Projective

Techniques, Observation or Ethnographic Techniques.


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3. Projective Techniques

Projective techniques typically ask a respondent tointerpret or explain an ambiguous object, activity or

person.

The more ambiguous the stimulus, the more

respondents have to project themselves onto the

task, thereby revealing hidden feelings and

opinions. Projective techniques are typically used during a

FGD or IDI when it is believed that the respondent

will not or cannot respond meaningfully to a direct

question about the reason for certain behaviours or

attitudes.

Respondents may be (1) unaware of their feelingsor opinions, (2) unwilling to admit to something that

may reflect badly on them or (3) too polite to

respond in a negative fashion.

What is it?

When is it used?

Source: Aaker, Kumar, Day & Lawley (2005). Marketing Research.


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3. Projective Techniques

Projective Techniques were popularised byFreudian Psychoanalysts with the use of theRorscharch Inkblot Test and Thematic ApperceptionTest (TAT) which required people to interpret theinkblot or create a story about people in a range ofambiguous situations.

Modern projective techniques therefore require

respondents to react to ambiguous stimuli andproject their feelings and attitudes rather thanbeing asked directly.

More commonly used Projective Techniquesinclude: Personification (e.g., if this brand was a person, what

would they be like?)

Creating Analogies (e.g., if this brand were a car, whatkind of car would it be?) Word Association (e.g., respondents provide a word or

phrase in response to the moderators word or phrase) Role Play (e.g., imagine you are the CEOhow would

you promote this product to people like yourself?)

How does it work?

Example?


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4. Qualitative Observation

Sometimes consumers intended behaviour (suchas purchase intention) or recollections of their

behaviour (e.g., all of the steps involved in preparing

a certain meal) do not completely match with their

actual behaviour.

Qualitative Observation is when a small number of

consumers are observed doing something such asshopping or preparing a meal rather than being

asked about the same behaviour.

Qualitative Observation is typically used to explore a

topic that is not well understood or where the

behaviour may have become habitual.

Qualitative Observation may also be used in

conjunction with other Qualitative techniques or as

an exploratory exercise prior to a Quantitative

project.

What is it?

When is it used?


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4. Qualitative Observation

Qualitative Observation works in a number ofdifferent ways including:

Observing someone shopping without them knowing

they are being observed.

Sitting quietly in the background while someone

prepares a meal or washes the clothes.

Sitting behind the 2-way mirror while a mother and child

interact with a new toy.

Nielsens SmartShelf Shopper Module uses

Qualitative Observation:

How do shoppers navigate through the store? Do they

have a list and are they heading to specific sections or

do they follow the aisles / browse through the store?

Which categories do they begin with? How do they

move from category to category?

Do they look at the signage for each aisle or are they

looking for specific brands within the aisle?

How does it work?

Example?


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5. Ethnographic Techniques

Ethnographic Techniques were originally developedby anthropologists and sociologists to describe a

society, group or culture.

In an Ethnographic study the researcher is

immersed in the respondents environment to

understand and describe a group of interacting

people.

Ethnographic Techniques are typically used when

the researcher wishes to understand and observe

behaviour in a real-life situation such as interacting

with colleagues at work, interacting with family

members at home or when the respondent is

socialising with peers in a particular social setting.

What is it?

When is it used?

Source: Aaker, Kumar, Day & Lawley (2005). Marketing Research.


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5. Ethnographic Techniques

Ethnographic Techniques involve a researcherbeing immersed into a respondents setting toobserve their interactions with a group ofindividuals. Ethnographic Techniques may also beused in conjunction with self-completion diaries,observation or informal interviews.

An international beer maker wishes to launch a new

beer into a developing market. Experiencedresearchers were immersed in a real-life drinkingsession at a local bar with the respondent and a fewof his friends.

The researcher was able to observe a number ofkey behaviours that may not have been accessibleby regular interviewing such as who purchased the

first round of drinks, who decided which brand todrink, whether the group stayed with the one brandall night, how much and what type of food wasconsumed while drinking etc. The researcher canfollow-up the observation with informal questioning.

How does it work?

Example?


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3. Quantitative Techniques


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Quantitative Techniques

1. F2F

2. Telephone

3. Online

4. Mobile

5. Observation


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1. Face-to-Face Interviewing

Face-to-face interviewing is typically conductedbetween an interviewer and person either in the

persons home or in a central location such as a

market or shopping centre.

Face-to-face interviewing is ideal when there is a

need to explain complicated issues as the

respondent is able to ask questions and providefeedback. It is also suitable when visual stimuli are

used to evaluate a new product or advertising

execution.

If the interview is conducted door-to-door, there is

also the advantage of the respondent feeling more

comfortable in their own environment.

Shopping Centre interviewing (sometimes referred

to as intercepts) is common when it is necessary

for the respondent to see, feel or taste something.

What is it?

When is it used?


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1. Face-to-Face Interviewing

Both door-to-door and intercept interviewing areconducted according to a pre-determined sampling

frame. That is, interviewers may approach, say,

every fourth house in a particular street or area, or

intercept, say, every third person walking through a

certain part of a shopping centre. If the person

agrees, the interviewer then administers thequestionnaire.

Participation in face-to-face interviewing can be

made more appealing by providing the respondent

with an incentive (such as a small gift or cash).

Face-to-face interviewing is quite expensive in

developed markets and is therefore no longer verycommon. However, in developing markets, face-to-

face interviewing (particularly door-to-door) is still

the most common methodology for all types of

quantitative studies.

How does it work?

Example?


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2. Telephone Interviewing

Telephone Interviewing, also referred to as CATI(Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing),

typically involves the interviewing of respondents

over the phone from a central location under

supervision from fieldwork supervisors.

As the cost of face-to-face interviewing increased indeveloped markets, CATI became the fieldwork

technique of choice for the following reasons:

No time required for travel so more interviews can be

conducted in the same time period.

High penetration of telephones in most markets.

Better access to people in apartments or propertieswith external security (preventing interviewers from

reaching them).

Better access to working people who may not be at

home during the day.

What is it?

When is it used?


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2. Telephone Interviewing

After the questionnaire is developed by the researchers

and programmed into the computer software, phone

numbers are automatically dialed using either a

database (such as the White Pages) or using random

sequences of phone numbers.

People who answer the phone are provided with a brief

introduction about the study and then invited to participate.

If the person agrees to participate, the interviewer enterthe respondents answers directly into the computer

software.

In developed markets, telephone interviewing virtually

replaced face-to-face interviewing and was therefore used

across the full spectrum of project types (e.g., ad hoc,

tracking, syndicated etc.) and across all industries,categories and demographic groups.

How does it work?

Example?


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3. Online Interviewing

Online interviewing involves the completion of aquestionnaire over the internet (or intranet) by

respondents who:

Are members of an online panel (e.g., Nielsens Your

Voice Panel).

Are contained on a membership or customer list

provided by a Client. Click on a banner ad inviting them to participate in a

survey.

Respond to an intercept invitation while they are

viewing a particular website.

Online interviewing is commonly used in markets

where internet penetration amongst the target

respondents is sufficiently high to be considered

representative.

What is it?

When is it used?


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3. Online Interviewing

When using a Nielsen Online Panel or Client List,the questionnaire is created in the local market and

sent to one of the online programming teams.

After the questionnaire has been programmed, a

link to the questionnaire is sent back to the local

market for testing.

Email invitations are then sent to the respondentswith a link to the online questionnaire (which are

hosted on Nielsen servers in Australia).

Nielsen recently won a pitch for a continuous online

brand & advertising tracker with modules for

evaluating awareness & perceptions of a range of

marketing activities for major Retailer in Australia. The study is conducted amongst main grocery

buyers who are members of Nielsens Your Voice

Panel. Invitations are sent daily with topline weekly

reporting and detailed monthly reporting.

How does it work?

Example?


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4. Mobile Interviewing

Mobile Interviewing involves the use of SMStechnology to ask users survey questions via their

mobile phone.

Mobile Interviewing is most effective when the

potential respondent is a customer or member of a

panel so that it is possible to link the persons

responses to other demographic and usage data

(captured via a longer online or telephone

interview).

Nielsen Mobile outlines that Mobile Interviewing is

used for real-time mobile phone usage (e.g., usageof applications, pre-paid top-up behaviour,

downloading of games etc) or for short specific topic

surveys (e.g., awareness of special offers).

What is it?

When is it used?


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4. Mobile Interviewing

Potential respondents who are part of a customer

list or a member of a panel are either: Sent an SMS to which they reply with responses to a

short survey (ideally up to three questions), or

Called on their mobile with an automated message

inviting them to participate in a survey. If they agree

they are typically asked up to 10 questions by entering

their answers via their mobile phone keypad.

A major mobile provider in a developing Country

(where the majority of mobile users are pre-paid) is

keen to measure the impact of a marketing

campaign. They commission Nielsen to SMS

interview n=200 mobile users per day (from

Nielsens Your Voice Panel) to measure awareness

of the campaign and intention to take-up the offer.

Nielsen provides fast turn-around results to enable

the provider to measure the effectiveness of

different channels throughout the campaign.

How does it work?

Example?


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5. Quantitative Observation

As mentioned previously in relation to QualitativeObservation, sometimes consumers intended

behaviour or recollections of their behaviour do not

completely match with their actual behaviour.

Quantitative Observation is when a larger sample of

consumers are systematically observed doing

something (such as shopping) by trained observers

who record specific characteristics and behaviours.

Quantitative Observation is typically used to explore

a topic where respondents behaviour may have

become habitual, or where a basic measure of

behaviour may be of interest (e.g., traffic flow in a

supermarket or bank).

Like Qualitative Observation, QuantitativeObservation may be used in conjunction with other

methodologies / techniques as part of a broader

research agenda.

What is it?

When is it used?


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5. Quantitative Observation

Quantitative Observation can be Direct or Indirect: Direct Observation involves the researcher observing

a person engaging in some kind of behaviour (such as

shopping) OR where the researcher plays the role of a

consumer in a shop or other service exchange (e.g.,

bank - This kind of observation is commonly referred to

as Mystery Shopping).

Indirect Observation is where behaviour is implied; for

example, the incidence of alcohol consumption may be

estimated by the presence of empty bottle in the

garbage.

The SmartShelf Shopper Module uses Quantitative

Observation to investigate issues such as:

How do shoppers respond to activation activities?

What are the implications of shopping habits for POS?

Where should POS be positioned to take advantage of

maximum traffic flow?

How does it work?

Example?


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Thank you

4. overview of research methods

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