Ethnographic research

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Ethnographic research comes to marketing from the field of anthropology. The popularity of the technique in commercial marketing research is increasing. Ethnographic research, or the study of human behavior in its natural context, involves observation of behavior and physical settings. Ethnographers directly observe the population they are studying. As “participant observers,” ethnographers can use their intimacy with the people they are studying to gain richer, deeper insights into culture and behavior in short, what makes people do what they do. Over $450 million annually is spent on ethnographic research.2 Today, corporations, such as Procter & Gamble and Microsoft, have their own in-house ethnographers. Procter & Gamble conducted ethnographic research in Mexico City among lower-middleclass families. The research led to Downy Single Rinse, a fabric softener that removed a step from the less mechanized laundry process there. Ethnographic studies can cost anywhere from $5,000 to as much as $800,000, depending on how deeply a company wants to delve into its customers’ lives.

Advantages of Ethnographic Research Both focus groups and individual depth interviews rely on retrospection. That is, they ask respondents to recall their behavior and the behavior of others. Human memory, of course, can sometimes be faulty. In addition, respondents sometimes reply in a socially desirable manner. A man may be reading adult magazines but claims to be reading Fortune and BusinessWeek. Ethnographic research offers a number of advantages. These include the following:

• Ethnography is reality-based. It can show exactly how consumers live with a product, not just what they say about it or how they remember using it.
•  It can reveal unexpressed needs and wants.
•  It can discover unexploited consumer benefits
•  It can reveal product problems.
•  It can show how, when, why, and where people shop for brands and how they perceive it compared to competitive products.
•  It can show who in the family actually uses a product and perhaps uncover a whole new potential demographic target
•  It takes advantage of consumers’ experience with the category and their hands-on creativity as they demonstrate their ideas for new products and product improvements.
• It can test new products in a real context.
• It can reveal advertising execution ideas that derive directly from consumer experience
•  It can help form a better relationship with your consumers, based on an intimate knowledge of their lifestyles.

Because individuals generally acclimate to an observer’s presence over time (often quickly), their behavior becomes relatively unbiased by the observer resulting in a more accurate characterization of behavior. Although the ethnographic researcher’s principal activity is observing behavior, active interviews or discussion with respondents is a key component. Getting respondents’ perspectives on actions, through dialogue, is informative. Furthermore, the ethnographic data can be utilized in mixed method studies, for comparing and contrasting it with data from other sources. For example, a research manager could leverage observational data of the sales reps interacting with customers and prospects, and compare it with information from indepth district and regional sales manager interviews identifying any disconnects between what’s being done and what’s expected.

Conducting Ethnographic Research The first step is to find participants. Afterward, the observation process can begin. A highly skilled ethnographer is typically trained in anthropology. The research begins with systematic observation and inquiry. The ethnographer is trained to examine human culture: symbols, codes, myths, rituals, beliefs, values,  rules for social interaction, and conceptual categories and perceptions. Many so-called ethnographists’ interviews occur over a 90-minute period, too brief for close environmental observation and questioning. (Three to four hours per ethnographic observation and interview is far more productive.) In a study on how consumers think about and use home printers, a highly trained ethnographer would ask:

•  What are the meanings and processes of printing in their most elemental senses, as if the ethnographer had never seen a printer?
• Can we understand the symbolism of printing by exploring how respondents classify nonprinted versus printed matter?
• Anthropologists use a construct called binary opposition:
• What are the consumer myths, stories, and beliefs about printing versus not printing and about different brands of printers?
• How do printing rituals serve as rites of passage that transform consumers from one state of being into another?
• Are people who print and save hard copies different in a “tribal” way from people who see printing as antiquated and wasteful?Are there social or business situations that demand or deny printing choices, and, if so, why? 

These questions and observations would undoubtedly enrich new-product development and marketing communications, helping shape product design, brand positioning, and advertising content. In contrast to the above, ethnography-lite would consist of limited observations (under an hour) and a few individual depth interviews. This form of research is often conducted by people who do not have advanced training in anthropology or sociology. Unfortunately, a number of studies are conducted in this manner, which often yield very few insights.

The next step is to analyze and interpret all of the data collected to find themes and patterns of meaning. This is no simple task. Hours and hours of audio and video must be transcribed and restudied. Even for the well-trained and experienced ethnographer, the amount of data can at times be overwhelming. But through careful and thorough analysis of the data, themes and categories emerge and applicable findings become clear. It often helps to bring in a second ethnographer who was not present during the field work to give his or her own objective appraisal.6 Ethnographers usually create frameworks to help companies think about their consumers and understand what it all means.

Triangulation the process of checking findings against what other people say and against similar research already conducted is a way to verify the accuracy of collected data. While traditional ethnography stops with the description of the group studies, this is not sufficient for businesses. They need actionable guidelines, recommendations, and an outline of strategy. The findings must be presented in a fashion that will enable companies to create innovative and successful solutions. For managers at Cambridge SoundWorks, it was a perplexing problem: In retail outlets across the country, men stood wide-eyed when sales reps showed off the company’s hi-fi, “blow-your-hair-back” stereo speakers. So why didn’t such unabashed enthusiasm for the product translate into larger and bigger ticket sales?

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