Projective Techniques

Shubhangi Singh
ADMA
BATCH-A
Understanding projective techniques

Qualitative research aims to understand the ‘why’. Researchers, are often trying
to delve deep into the attitudes, behaviours and opinions of an individual or
organisation and uncover the reasons behind these. However, people don’t tend
to have a firm understanding of their behaviours, and may not be consciously
aware of the reasons behind them. Projective techniques, also known as
enabling techniques, are methods that can be used by skilled researchers to tap
into participants’ deep motivations and attitudes.

The phrase ‘emotional verses rational’ has been used frequently within market
research. We know that a lot of what drives behaviour, even within B2B, can be
irrational and driven by emotion. Understanding and identifying these emotional
drivers is a difficult and inexact science. However, it can be aided by using a
variety of projective techniques. Partnered with direct questioning, these tools
are best placed within focus groups and depth interviews.

A Projective technique gets the answers to those questions whose answers are
difficult to put into words. For example, a participant might find difficult to
express his views about a certain brand, therefore, the participant can be asked
to choose a product that they would relate with the brand. Emotions play an
important role even in business. people make decisions based on emotions and
their decisions are far from being rational. This behaviour is not only limited to
consumers.

Even in Business-2-Business transactions decisions are more emotion-driven

and irrational. Therefore, projective techniques along with direct questioning
are used in marketing research to get deep insights into human behaviour.
What are projective techniques?

Projective Techniques are indirect and unstructured methods of investigation

which have been developed by the psychologists and use projection of
respondents for inferring about underline motives, urges or intentions which
cannot be secure through direct questioning as the respondent either resists to
reveal them or is unable to figure out himself. These techniques are useful in
giving respondents opportunities to express their attitudes without personal
embarrassment. These techniques helps the respondents to project his own
attitude and feelings unconsciously on the subject under study. Thus Projective
Techniques play an important role in motivational researches or in attitude
surveys.
Initially projective techniques were used in clinical psychology and later many
were modified to be introduced in marketing research to understand the
preference and views of people better. One popular psychological test is
Rorschach Ink Blot Test, where a participant is shown pictures of ink blot, and
asked to describe what they see and their perception is analysed to understand
their personalities and state of mind. Many Projective techniques same as
Rorschach Ink Blot Test are modified to use in market research.
Projective Techniques used in Market Research
1. Planets

In this type of projective technique, participants are asked to close their eyes
and try to imagine and follow the space journey guided by the moderator.
They are asked to imagine their journey from earth to a “planet brand X”
and they are asked questions like what does it look like? How do its people
look? How does its building look like? What sounds do you hear? What do
you smell? How do you feel about being there? Who do you talk with? What
do you talk about? How are they responding? Do you want to live there
forever? How would you feel if you are asked to leave this planet?

It requires creative dictating skills on the part of a moderator. With the help

of this “guided fantasy”, they can elaborate better what they feel about a
certain brand and they can also visit other competitor brand planet and can
compare their feelings about it. At the end of the process, the moderator asks
them to write their answers on paper. In this way, they can understand the
relationship of their customers with the brand.

2. Bring an item

This type of projective technique is coupled with “Focus Group” interviews

where each participant is asked to bring an item with them which they
associate with the brand or in some way reminds them of the brand and
before the interview starts, they are asked to talk about or explain why do
they choose that item to associate with the brand. In this way, they are asked
to use their creative side.

This technique is quite successful to understand what people think about their
brand and also reveals their emotional attachment with the brand.

3. The Treeman

This is another interesting projective technique. In this technique, stimulus

material is shown to the participant to know about their emotions and
feelings. In this technique different pictures or drawings presenting various
creatures or interacting or living within a tree environment and doing various
activities like hugging, climbing, falling, sleeping, hanging etc. participants are
asked to choose one of these characters to represent how they will feel in the
same scenario.

Later, a participant is asked questions about their choice and even they can
also be asked to explain why they choose that character. On the basis of that
explanation, the moderator can draw a conclusion about what the participant
feels about the brand.

4. Psycho-drawing

This projective technique is used to understand a participant’s view or

feelings about a brand with the help of drawing abstract forms on blank
paper. Sometimes they are also given figures of man or woman already drawn
on the page with a blank thought bubble and are asked to fill that bubble with
their own views about the brand.

This technique is useful to draw information from those participants who are
shy or reluctant to express their feelings in verbal form. In addition to this,
they present their views as a third person. People usually find comfortable to
express their views as a third person.

5) Role Play

This is a fun and effective projective technique to get to know about the views
of the participants. This technique can be collaborated with “Focus Group”.
People who are shy in nature or have performance anxiety might be reluctant
to participate in this activity.

In this technique, the participant is asked to play the role of either a very
good customer service or a very bad customer service. While one participant
will enact their experience and other participants should be asked to respond
or react to the role play.

A moderator should observe the word and expression used by the participant
while their role play to understand their satisfaction level with the service of
the brand. This technique will get you quite honest views of people.

6) Courtroom Drama
This projective technique is usually used at the end of the Focus Group
session. In this technique, participants are divided into two groups and are
asked to use the previous discussion along with their opinions to form a “case
for” or a “case against” the brand. They are asked to use various concepts and
service improvements to defend or attack the brand. The situation can be
made more interesting by adding various twists such as asking them to defend
the indefensible.

7) Time Machine

This projective technique is used to kindle future thinking in the participant

of the Focus Group. For example, a group of participants will be asked how
much pocket money children used to get 20 years ago and how much do they
get at the present time and how much they will get in the future?

In this way, participants are stimulated to think and express that how do they
perceive that trend has changed. Similarly, questions can be asked to
participants on the subject of discussion and you can get insights on the
expectations of participants from the brand in the future.

8) Brand Personification or Brand obituary

This is also another fun projective technique which is used by the moderator
to express their feelings and views about a brand in a fun way. For example,
you can tell them that if brand X grew arms and legs and turn into a human,
who would be it looks like? You can ask people to provide their answer with
the names of celebrities or famous spokesperson etc.

In this way, we can know about the personality of the brand in the eyes of its
customers. similarly, using brand obituary technique people are asked to
assume if the brand has died and they have to write an obituary about the
brand on the basis of things that they will remember about the brand, will
they miss it or not? Who will miss it more? Using this method, you can know
about the views of participants about your brand.
9) Withdrawal Technique

This is a unique projective technique where we ask a participant to imagine

their life without the brand or certain product and ask them to explain how
will this affect their life? or how much difference will this make in their life?

You can also go a one step ahead and recruit loyal customers or brand
advocates of your product and ask them to deliberately live for few days
without that product and ask them to express their views using by recording a
video or by voice recording or writing a diary. In this way, you can
understand the relationship of people with that product and how deeper it has
penetrated the life of your customers? this information can help you to
approach potential customers better and you can also work to improve the
quality of the product.

10) Mood Boards

In this projective technique you will ask your participant do design the mood
board using products like magazines, newspapers, colour-pens, glitter-pens,
and fabrics etc. give them a specific time duration within which they should
design their mood board. You can understand their feelings or emotions
toward your brand by looking at the elements of the mood board. For
example, you can ask women what elements do they require for an “ideal
kitchen”?

11) Construction test

This type of projective technique is very commonly used to conduct research.

In this projective technique, participants are given a picture and ask them to
think and write a story on it. For example, a picture of a cartoon is given to
kids and they are asked to fill in dialogues. Using this technique, you can
interpret how they expect from a certain product. You can use this technique
if you want to know about kids’ preference for the flavour of an energy drink.

12) Word Association Test

In this test, a participant is given a word and is asked to speak the first
thought that comes into his mind after hearing the word. A picture can also be
used at the place of a word. The responses of participants are recorded and
are used to know about the inner feelings of the participants. The time is
taken and thoughts given before speaking is also important to note for a
researcher. For example, 20 out of 50 people will associate the word fair with
complexion.

13) Completion Test

In this projective technique, people are given an incomplete story or line and
are asked to provide an end to it. This technique is mostly used to understand
the mental health of a person, but it can also be effectively used in research to
know about the satisfaction level or their relationship with a certain brand or
product.

Disadvantages of Projective Techniques

1. Highly trained interviewers and skilled interpreters are needed.

2. Interpreters bias can be there.
3. It is a costly method.
4. The respondent selected may not be representative of the entire population.