Marketing Research:: An Applied Orientation

Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation
Seventh Edition
Chapter 5
Exploratory Research
Design: Qualitative Research
Copyright © 2019, 2010, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter Outline (1 of 4)
1) Overview
2) Primary Data: Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research
3) Rationale for Using Qualitative Research Procedures
4) A Classification of Qualitative Research Procedures
5) Focus Group (FG) Interviews
i. Characteristics
ii. Planning and Conducting Focus Groups
iii. Telesessions and Other Variations
iv. Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups
v. Applications of Focus Groups
vi. Online Focus Group Interviews
vii. Advantages and Disadvantages of Online FGs
6) Depth Interviews
i. Characteristics
ii. Techniques
iii. Advantages and Disadvantages of Depth Interviews
iv. Applications of Depth Interviews
7) Projective Techniques
i. Association Techniques
ii. Completion Techniques
a. Sentence Completion
b. Story Completion
iii. Construction Techniques
a. Picture Response
b. Cartoon Tests
iv. Expressive Techniques
a. Role Playing
b. Third-Person Technique
v. Advantages and Disadvantages of Projective
Techniques
vi. Applications of Projective Techniques
8) Analysis of Qualitative Data
9) International Marketing Research
10) Marketing Research & Social Media
11) Mobile Marketing Research
12) Ethics in Marketing Research
13) Summary
A Classification of Marketing Research
Data
Figure 5.1 A Classification of Marketing Research Data
Qualitative Vs. Quantitative Research
Table 5.1 Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research
Blank Qualitative Research Quantitative Research

Objective To gain a qualitative To quantify the data and
understanding of the generalize the results from
underlying reasons and the sample to the population
motivations of interest
Sample Small number of Large number of
nonrepresentative cases representative cases
Data collection Unstructured Structured
Data analysis Nonstatistical Statistical
Outcome Develop an initial Recommend a final course of
understanding action
A Classification of Qualitative Research
Procedures
Figure 5.2 A Classification of Qualitative Research
Procedures
Characteristics of Focus Groups
Table 5.2 Characteristics of Focus Groups
Group size 8 to 12
Group composition Homogeneous; respondents prescreened
Physical setting Relaxed, informal atmosphere
Time duration 1 to 3 hours
Recording Use of audiocassettes and videotapes
Moderator Observational, interpersonal, and communication skills
of the moderator
Viewing Room Looking into the Focus
Group Room Through One-Way Mirror
Key Qualifications of Focus Group
Moderators (1 of 2)
1. Kindness with firmness: The moderator must combine
a disciplined detachment with understanding empathy so
as to generate the necessary interaction.
2. Permissiveness: The moderator must be permissive yet
alert to signs that the group’s cordiality or purpose is
disintegrating.
3. Involvement: The moderator must encourage and
stimulate intense personal involvement.
4. Incomplete understanding: The moderator must
encourage respondents to be more specific about
generalized comments by exhibiting incomplete
understanding.
Key Qualifications of Focus Group
Moderators (2 of 2)
5. Encouragement: The moderator must encourage
unresponsive members to participate.
6. Flexibility: The moderator must be able to improvise and
alter the planned outline amid the distractions of the
group process.
7. Sensitivity: The moderator must be sensitive enough to
guide the group discussion at an intellectual as well as
emotional level.
Procedure for Planning and Conducting
Focus Groups
Figure 5.3 Procedure for Planning and Conducting Focus
Groups
Variations in Focus Groups (1 of 2)
• Two-way focus group. This allows one target group to
listen to and learn from a related group. For example, a
focus group of physicians viewed a focus group of arthritis
patients discussing the treatment they desired.
• Dual-moderator group. A focus group conducted by two
moderators: One moderator is responsible for the smooth
flow of the session, and the other ensures that specific
issues are discussed.
• Dueling-moderator group. There are two moderators, but
they deliberately take opposite positions on the issues to
be discussed.
Variations in Focus Groups (2 of 2)
• Respondent-moderator group. The moderator asks
selected participants to play the role of moderator
temporarily to improve group dynamics.
• Client-participant groups. Client personnel are identified
and made part of the discussion group.
• Mini groups. These groups consist of a moderator and
only 4 or 5 respondents.
• Telesession groups. Focus group sessions by phone
using the conference call technique.
• Online focus groups. Focus groups conducted online
over the Internet.
Advantages of Focus Groups
1. Synergism
2. Snowballing
3. Stimulation
4. Security
5. Spontaneity
6. Serendipity
7. Specialization
8. Scientific scrutiny
9. Structure
10. Speed
Disadvantages of Focus Groups
1. Misuse
2. Misjudge
3. Moderation
4. Messy
5. Misrepresentation
Online Versus Traditional Focus Groups (1 of 3)
Table 5.3 Online Versus Traditional Focus Groups
Characteristic Online Focus Groups Traditional Focus Groups
Group size 4 to 6 participants 8 to 12 participants
Group composition Anywhere in the world Drawn from the local area
Time duration 1 to 1.5 hours 1 to 3 hours
Physical setting Researcher has little control Under the control of the
researcher
Respondent identity Difficult to verify Can be easily verified
Respondent Respondents can engage in Attentiveness can be
attentiveness other tasks monitored
Respondent recruiting Easier. Can be recruited Recruited by traditional means
online, by email, by panel, or (telephone, mail, mail panel)
by traditional means
Group dynamics Limited Synergistic, snowballing
(bandwagon) effect
[Table 5.3 Continued]
Openness of Respondents are more Respondents are candid,
respondents candid due to lack of face-to- except for sensitive topics
face contact
Nonverbal Body language cannot be Easy to observe body language
communication observed and emotions
Emotions expressed by
using symbols
Use of physical stimuli Limited to those that can be A variety of stimuli (products,
displayed on the Internet advertising, demonstrations,
and so on) can be used
Transcripts Available immediately Time-consuming and expensive
to obtain
Observers’ Observers can communicate Observers can manually send
communication with with the moderator on a split- notes to the focus-group room
moderator screen
Unique moderator skills Typing, computer usage, Observational
familiarity with chat-room
slang
Turnaround time Can be set up and Takes many days for setup and
completed in a few days completion
Client travel costs None Can be expensive
Client involvement Limited High
Basic focus-group costs Much less expensive More expensive due to facility
rental, food, video/audio taping,
and transcript preparation
Advantages of Online Focus Groups
• Geographical constraints are removed and time
constraints are lessened.
• Unique opportunity to re-contact group participants at a
later date.
• Can recruit people not interested in traditional focus
groups: doctors, lawyers, etc.
• Moderators can carry on side conversations with individual
respondents.
• There is no travel, videotaping, or facilities to arrange so
the cost is much lower.
Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups
• Only people that have access to the Internet can
participate.
• Verifying that a respondent is a member of a target group
is difficult.
• There is lack of general control over the respondent's
environment.
• Only audio and visual stimuli can be tested. Products can
not be touched (e.g., clothing) or smelled (e.g., perfumes).
Depth Interview Techniques: Laddering
In laddering, the line of questioning proceeds from product
characteristics to user characteristics. This technique allows the
researcher to tap into the consumer's network of meanings.
Wide body aircrafts (product characteristic)
↓
I can get more work done
↓
I accomplish more
↓
I feel good about myself (user characteristic)
Advertising theme: You will feel good about yourself when flying
our airline. “You're The Boss.”
Depth Interview: Hidden Issue Questioning
In hidden issue questioning,
the focus is not on socially
shared values but rather on
personal “sore spots;” not on
general lifestyles but on
deeply felt personal concerns.
fantasies, work lives, and social lives

↓
historic, elite, “masculine-camaraderie,” competitive activities
Advertising theme: communicate aggressiveness, high
status, and competitive heritage of the airline.
Depth Interview Techniques: Symbolic
Analysis
Symbolic analysis attempts to analyze the symbolic meaning of
objects by comparing them with their opposites. The logical
opposites of a product that are investigated are: non-usage of the
product, attributes of an imaginary “non-product,” and opposite
types of products.
“What would it be like if you could no longer use airplanes?”

↓
“Without planes, I would have to rely on emails, letters, and long-
distance calls.”
Airlines sell to the managers face-to-face communication.

Advertising theme: The airline will do the same thing for a
manager as Federal Express does for a package.
Focus Groups Versus Depth Interviews (1 of 2)
Table 5.4 Focus Groups Versus Depth Interviews
Characteristic Focus Groups Depth Interviews

Group synergy and dynamics + −
Peer pressure/group influence − +
Client involvement + −
Generation of innovative ideas + −
In-depth probing of individuals − +
Uncovering hidden motives − +
Discussion of sensitive topics − +
Focus Groups Versus Depth Interviews (2 of 2)
Characteristic Focus Groups Depth Interviews
Interviewing respondents who are − +
competitors
Interviewing respondents who are − +
professionals
Scheduling of respondents − +
Amount of information + −
Bias in moderation and interpretation + −
Cost per respondent + −
Time (interviewing and analysis) + −
Note: A + indicates a relative advantage over the other procedure, a − indicates a relative
disadvantage.
Definition of Projective Techniques
• An unstructured, indirect form of questioning that
encourages respondents to project their underlying
motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings regarding the
issues of concern.
• In projective techniques, respondents are asked to
interpret the behavior of others.
• In interpreting the behavior of others, respondents
indirectly project their own motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or
feelings into the situation.
Word Association (1 of 2)
In word association, respondents are presented with a list of
words, one at a time, and asked to respond to each with the first
word that comes to mind. The words of interest, called test words,
are interspersed throughout the list which also contains some
neutral, or filler words to disguise the purpose of the study.
Responses are analyzed by calculating:
(1) the frequency with which any word is given as a response;
(2) the amount of time that elapses before a response is given;

and
(3) the number of respondents who do not respond at all to a test

word within a reasonable period of time.
Word Association (2 of 2)
EXAMPLE
Stimulus Mrs. M Mrs. C

washday everyday ironing
fresh and sweet clean
pure air soiled
scrub don’t; husband does clean
filth this neighborhood dirt
bubbles bath soap and water
family squabbles children
towels dirty wash
Completion Techniques (1 of 2)
In sentence completion, respondents are given incomplete sentences
and asked to complete them. Generally, they are asked to use the first
word or phrase that comes to mind.
A person who shops at Sears is ______________________
A person who receives a gift certificate good for Saks Fifth Avenue would
be __________________________________
J. C. Penney is most liked by ________________________
When I think of shopping in a department store, I ________
A variation of sentence completion is paragraph completion, in which the

respondent completes a paragraph beginning with the stimulus phrase.
Completion Techniques (2 of 2)
In story completion, respondents are given part of a story –
enough to direct attention to a particular topic but not to hint
at the ending. They are required to give the conclusion in
their own words.
Construction Techniques
With a picture response, the respondents are asked to
describe a series of pictures of ordinary as well as unusual
events. The respondent's interpretation of the pictures gives
indications of that individual's personality.
In cartoon tests, cartoon characters are shown in a specific

situation related to the problem. The respondents are asked
to indicate what one cartoon character might say in response
to the comments of another character. Cartoon tests are
simpler to administer and analyze than picture response
techniques.
A Cartoon Test
Figure 5.4 A Cartoon Test
Expressive Techniques
In 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. Respondents are asked to play the role or

assume the behavior of someone else.
Third-person technique. The respondent is presented with

a verbal or visual situation and the respondent is asked to
relate the beliefs and attitudes of a third person rather than
directly expressing personal beliefs and attitudes. This third
person may be a friend, neighbor, colleague, or a “typical”
person.
Advantages of Projective Techniques
• They may elicit responses that subjects would be unwilling
or unable to give if they knew the purpose of the study.
• Helpful when the issues to be addressed are personal,

sensitive, or subject to strong social norms.
• Helpful when underlying motivations, beliefs, and attitudes

are operating at a subconscious level.
Disadvantages of Projective Techniques
• Suffer from many of the disadvantages of unstructured
direct techniques, but to a greater extent.
• Require highly-trained interviewers.
• Skilled interpreters are also required to analyze the
responses.
• There is a serious risk of interpretation bias.
• They tend to be expensive.
• May require respondents to engage in unusual behavior.
Guidelines for Using Projective Techniques
• Projective techniques should be used because the
required information cannot be accurately obtained by
direct methods.
• Projective techniques should be used for exploratory
research to gain initial insights and understanding.
• Given their complexity, projective techniques should not be
used naively.
Comparison of Focus Groups, Depth
Interviews, and Projective Techniques
Table 5.5 A Comparison of Focus Groups, Depth Interviews,
and Projective Techniques
Projective
Criteria Focus Groups Depth Interviews Techniques
Degree of structure Relatively high Relatively medium Relatively low
Probing of individual respondents Low High Medium
Moderator bias Relatively medium Relatively high Low to high
Interpretation bias Relatively low Relatively medium Relatively high
Uncovering subconscious information Low Medium to high High
Discovering innovative information High Medium Low
Obtaining sensitive information Low Medium High
Involve unusual behavior/questioning No To a limited extent Yes
Overall usefulness Highly useful Useful Somewhat useful
Analysis of Qualitative Data (1 of 2)
1) Data reduction – Select which aspects of the data are to
be emphasized, minimized, or set aside for the project at
hand.
2) Data display – Develop a visual interpretation of the data
with the use of such tools as a diagram, chart, or matrix.
The display helps to illuminate patterns and
interrelationships in the data.
3) Conclusion drawing and verification – Consider the
meaning of analyzed data and assess its implications for
the research question at hand.
Analysis of Qualitative Data (2 of 2)
Respondent: (a) Past Communications (b) Most Effective (c) Why
A  Email  Email  News is
communicated in
almost “real time”
Blank  Informal interchanges Blank Blank
 Telephone Blank Blank
B  Email  Email  Easy to keep a
record of the news
for future reference
Blank  Student newspaper  Campus Web page Blank
Blank  Campus Web page Blank
C  Informal interchanges  Campus mail  Work on campus
Blank  Telephone Blank  Not an Email person
Blank  Campus mail Blank Blank
International Marketing Research (1 of 2)
• Qualitative research is crucial.
• The moderator should be familiar with the language,
culture, and patterns of social interaction.
• Nonverbal cues (voice intonations, inflections, gestures)
are important.
• The size of the focus group could vary across cultures.
• Focus groups may not be appropriate in some cultures.
International Marketing Research (2 of 2)
• Equivalence of meaning of stimuli across cultures should
be established.
• Line drawings subject to fewer problems of interpretation
than photographs.
Marketing Research & Social Media (1 of 4)
Focus Groups and Depth Interviews (1 of 2)
• Just being a part of different types of social media and
analyzing what people are talking about can yield a basic
understanding of customers.
• Companies are creating
private online communities,
which can play the role of
extended focus groups. The
members are carefully
recruited and membership
is only by invitation.
Focus Groups and Depth Interviews (2 of 2)
• Another way to conduct focus group type of research
involves participant blogs. The general approach is to
define a specific topic and then recruit participants to blog
about that topic. Each participant is given his/her own blog
to maintain. The number of participants typically range
from 8 to 60. Blog projects tend to last from one to four
weeks.
• Depth interviews can be conducted by engaging individual
respondents in one-on-one conversations.
Projective Techniques (1 of 2)
• The unstructured and indirect form of questioning on social
media has consumers willing to project their underlying
thoughts, motivations, and feelings regarding the issues of
concern.
• Sentence Completion can be implemented by asking
community members to complete sentences like, “When
you talk to yourself, you refer to yourself as ………”
Projective Techniques (2 of 2)
• Picture-Response Technique can be implemented by
analyzing photos posted on photo sharing sites including
Flickr, a leader in this category, PhotoBucket, Shutterfly,
Smugmug, and Snapfish. When analyzing these photos,
look for tags, descriptive labels applied by photographers
to their own work as well as the work of others.
• Role Playing can be implemented by asking consumers to
play various roles, e.g., to play the role of a TV commercial
producer and post the commercials they have created.
Mobile Marketing Research
• Mobile market research (MMR) can be appropriate for
certain types of qualitative research including focus
groups, depth interviews, and many of the projective
techniques. The online versions of these techniques can,
in a similar manner, be implemented on the mobile web.
• Respondents can be invited to become research
collaborators by using their phone or other mobile device
to record and send photos, audio recordings, and videos of
interest.
• Mobile qualitative research does lead to challenges in the
area of analysis, as it generates great amounts of data
than can be time consuming and difficult to process and
analyze.
Ethical Issues (1 of 2)
• Ethical issues related to the respondents and the general
public are of primary concern.
• Disguise can violate the respondents' right to know and
result in psychological harm.
• In debriefing sessions, respondents should be informed
about the true purpose and given opportunities to ask
questions.
• The use of qualitative research results for questionable
purposes raises ethical concerns.
Ethical Issues (2 of 2)
• Deceptive procedures that violate respondents’ right to
privacy and informed consent should be avoided.
• Video- or audio-taping the respondents without their prior
knowledge or consent raises ethical concerns.
• The comfort level of the respondents should be addressed.
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Blank Qualitative Research Quantitative Research

fantasies, work lives, and social lives

“What would it be like if you could no longer use airplanes?”

Airlines sell to the managers face-to-face communication.

Characteristic Focus Groups Depth Interviews

(1) the frequency with which any word is given as a response;

(2) the amount of time that elapses before a response is given;

(3) the number of respondents who do not respond at all to a test

Stimulus Mrs. M Mrs. C

A person who shops at Sears is ______________________

J. C. Penney is most liked by ________________________

When I think of shopping in a department store, I ________

A variation of sentence completion is paragraph completion, in which the

In cartoon tests, cartoon characters are shown in a specific

Role playing. Respondents are asked to play the role or

Third-person technique. The respondent is presented with

• Helpful when the issues to be addressed are personal,

• Helpful when underlying motivations, beliefs, and attitudes

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