Chapter 5

• Contrast qualitative research with quantitative research
• Qualitative research is interested more in qualities than quantities, often extending beyond the obvious
• Qualitative Marketing Research is research that addresses marketing objectives through techniques that allow the researcher to provide elaborate interpretations of market phenomena without depending on numerical measurement; its focus is on discovering true inner meanings and new insights
• Recognize common qualitative research tools and know the advantages and limitations of their use
• Prepare a focus group interview outline
• Recognize technological advances in the application of qualitative research approaches
• Appreciate the role of exploratory qualitative research in scientific decision making
• Qualitative research techniques allow a researcher to obtain elaborate interpretations of market phenomena without depending on numerical measurements
• Qualitative research is useful when it is difficult to develop specific and actionable decision statements or research objectives
• Qualitative research is useful when the research objective is to develop a detailed and in-depth understanding of some phenomena
• Qualitative research is useful when the research objective is to learn how consumers use a product in its natural setting or to learn how to express some concept in colloquial terms
• Qualitative research is useful when the behavior being studied is particularly context-dependent
• Qualitative research is useful when a fresh approach to studying the problem is needed
• Qualitative research can accomplish research objectives that quantitative research cannot and vice versa
• Quantitative marketing research addresses research objectives through empirical assessments that involve numerical measurement and statistical analysis
• Many good research projects combine both qualitative and quantitative research
• Qualitative research results are researcher-dependent, or subjective
• Qualitative research usually involves smaller samples than the typical quantitative study
• Qualitative research is acceptable in discovery-oriented research
• Qualitative data are not characterized by numbers but rather are textual, visual, or oral
• Qualitative data focus on stories, visual portrayals, meaningful characterizations, interpretations, and other expressive descriptions
• Qualitative research is useful when researchers have limited experience or knowledge about an issue
• Exploratory research plays a key role in developing ideas that lead to research hypotheses
• Most exploratory research designs produce qualitative data
• Qualitative research focuses on stories, visual portrayals, meaningful characterizations, interpretations, and other expressive descriptions
• Quantitative data represents phenomena by assigning numbers in an ordered and meaningful way and is useful in testing hypotheses
• Qualitative research can generate ideas for new products, advertising copy, promotional ideas, and product improvements
• Concept Testing is a frequently performed type of exploratory research to screen new, revised, or repositioned ideas
• Checklist for a creative mindset:

  • Quantity leads to quality
  • Wilder is better
  • Do not judge
  • Question assumptions
• Concept Testing processes work best when they identify ideas with the most potential and lead to important refinements
• Concept Testing allows an initial evaluation prior to committing additional resources and works best when it points out critical flaws and leads to important refinements
• Experience Surveys involve asking knowledgeable individuals about a particular research problem
• Secondary Data Analysis involves using data collected for a purpose other than the project at hand, which is economical and a quick source for background information
• Common Qualitative Research Tools include:

  • Phenomenology
  • Ethnography
  • Grounded theory
  • Case studies
• Phenomenology is a philosophical approach to studying human experiences based on the idea that human experience is subjective and determined by the context in which people live
• Phenomenology focuses on how relationships between a person and the physical environment shape behavior and relies on conversational interview tools
• Hermeneutics is an approach to understanding phenomenology that relies on analysis of texts through which a person tells a story about themselves
• A Hermeneutic Unit is a text passage from a respondent's story linked with a key theme from within the story
• Ethnography involves studying cultures by becoming highly active in the culture and typically uses observation as a data collection tool
• Ethnography represents ways of studying cultures through methods that involve becoming highly active within that culture