Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research Methods

Week 1: Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

• Qualitative research provides rich insights, understanding, explanations, and in-depth information.
• Qualitative research cannot be statistically supported and typically involves a small base size.
• Qualitative research offers flexibility and can be adjusted during the research process.
• Qualitative research follows a loosely structured guideline and results in a narrative summary with verbatims.
• Qualitative research answers the questions of "WHAT?" and "WHY?".
• Quantitative research can predict outcomes with statistical accuracy for an entire group.
• Quantitative research is often conducted online using evaluative, validated methods.
• Quantitative research is # based and typically does not allow for changes mid-course.
• Quantitative research uses structured questionnaires to verify hypotheses.
• Quantitative research answers the question "HOW MANY?".
• Consumer research explores consumers' beliefs, wants, problems, dreams, and desires, which can be translated into business actions.

Iceberg Model

• Iceberg model, the "Tip" represents what people say they do, based on rational logic and reasoning.
• The "Middle" refers to what people actually do, influenced by emotions, beliefs, feelings, and memories.
• The "Bottom" represents why people do what they do, driven by instinct, fight or flight, or survival.
• Consumer inspiration and new perspectives on a product; it also provides cultural understanding and new approaches to old problems
• Consumers cannot articulate what they don't know, consumer unable to predict future.
• Consumer research can be used to learn about a target audience, understand motivations, acquire consumer language, optimize messaging and communication, and develop/refine concepts.
• The traditional 4 Ps of marketing are becoming less effective due to increasingly demanding and complex consumers and heightened competition.

Week 2: Consumer Research

• Consumer Research involves systematically gathering, recording, and analyzing data related to marketing goods and services.
• Consumer Research helps understand consumer characteristics, behaviors, attitudes, and opinions.
• Consumer research helps solve problems, identify opportunities, and mitigate risk.
• Consumer research Ultimately bridges the gap between producers and consumers
• Consumer Research questions can originate from the marketing organization or key stakeholders peers, focusing on tactical and targeting initiatives.
• Consumer Research questions can originate from C-suite executives, focusing on macro, strategic, and investment decisions.
• Consumer research is not the only source sub for judgement/experience/know-how; however, it centers the business on consumers.
• Consumer research keeps you focused, allows for the pursuit of lucrative opportunities, maintains relevance, and improves decision-making.
• Common pitfalls in consumer research include a lack of purpose, poor research, bias, wrong samples, and improper analysis.
• Qualitative research is valuable for understanding the 'why' behind people's behavior.

Reframing Questions

• Reframing questions can provide new strategies and directions
• For example, "How can CostCo sell more shampoo?" can be reframed as "How does shampoo fit into the consumer's life?".

CULTURE

• Culture includes behaviors, beliefs, values and symbols
• Culture that is learned is from social environment, not genetics
• X-Cultural Values include; Contentment v. max. Income, Togetherness v. individuality, Cooperation v. comp, Modesty v. assertiveness, Savings v. spending, Chastity v. sexual fulfillment, Self effacement v. self actualization
• Japan is a Collectivist culture, where; Cultural artifacts reflect + re-create/generate cultural norms

Week 3: Ethnographic and Emic Research

• Emic research seeks to reframe business challenges from a humanisticperspective.
• Consumer Learning Objectives detail what insights are desired from consumer research
• Research questions should be understood from key stakeholders, collect additional background/relevant context information, conduct stakeholder interviews (where possible), and review previous relevant research.

Steps to Defining a Research Plan

• A research plan should include a defined business challenge researched with consumers and stakeholder interviews.
• The process should be done with an open mind without drawing conclusions.

Whats diff About Qual

• Qualitative data is richly detailed and contextualized, focusing on naturalism over control.
• The researcher serves as the instrument in qualitative research, exploring social interactions.
• Qualitative examples include; exploration of category motivations, product testing
• Consumer Segmentation is typically done with both qual and quant
• Hofstede's Five Major Dimensions of Cultural Values are uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity/femininity, long-term vs. short-term, and individualism/collectivism.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

• Individualism emphasizes the worth and dignity of the individual over the group.
• Collectivism encourages prioritizing group interests, maintaining strong ties, and valuing long-term relationships.

Individual-Collective Case Study: Hyatt Place

• The Culture of American traveler is; corporate business traveler v. leisure traveler, as American culture (individualism, self-sufficiency, freedom) direct brand & marketing ideas
• The Objectives are; understand consumer attitudes, motivations, & behaviors around Hyatt Place guest loyalty and understand what drives brand appeal - learning will help w/ optimal positioning.
• Hyatt was looking for POVs on; Food & beverage (diagnose lower than expected sales), design considerations (what elements define Hyatt Place), and Staff / Training (do guests notice/appreciate hosts trained in art of conversation, how does that help define HP)
• Expression of “Hyatt-ness” is unique, alternating open space w/ enclosures in lobby,gallery and guest rooms invite customers to explore which contributes to sense of individuality that doesn't happen at other hotels, where; Rooms unlock individual self
• To provide value guests don't expect; menu screen & food options go largely unnoticed bc ppl assume the screen is for staff/service people

Stereotypes of Business and Leisure Travelers

• Both modes need special spaces and there is a transformation between the two that the design of HP helps with
• Road Warrior: business travelers appreciate the obvious - workout room, free wireless internet, HDTV, self-service continental breakfast where allows business person to be fully individualized & self-sufficient
• Leisure: also speak out HP in home-like way; thoughtfulness

Week 4: Framing Cultural Questions

• Cultural Analysis :goal is to discern what it all means and implies and to use every bit of cultural knowledge to help interpret the matter at hand.
• Captures detail to discover connections
• Always an ongoing analysis: constant + iterative while continuing to be open & surprised
• Making meaning together via active listening

Week 4 :Rituals

• Regarding Shaving in US vs in India : Gillette initially incorrectly assumed its products would be equally valuable to all customers globally => which resulted in reverse innovation
• Created the Gillette Guard for lower income families

Week 7: Meaning of Money (Vietnam)

• Vietnamese gov't wanted to shift from cash payments to digital payments with accessing money via ATM machines
• Influences on System: created new forms of exclusion and hierarchy based on ability to reach it
• Digital and mobility can work against cultural systems in place

Week 7: Meaning of Money (US)

• In US : VISA ; Money re-made in different forms: food stamps, coupons, credit cards
• Money creates & maintains social relations empowing those relationships to assume subjective value
• Money can be compartmentalized where Distinct stashes reflect & create social relations
• Categories preserve, build, create family relations & express them + Work off invisible boundaries - often w/ special language, particular values
• Creates tensions & builds interactions + distinguished by social, personal and ritual actions
• Boundary marker: economic realities blur boundaries of living

Marketing Research

• Marketing research brief is a document for sponsorship, defining; As a general rule a research study is only as good as the brief, it educates and influences the choice of method and gives the objectives to which the project is geared and helps; Allows for everyone to be on the same page
• Components of a brief: Background, Business challenge, Research objective, research design, sample specifications/criteria, detailed timeline

In the Field

• Important components are; qual screening, tie sample to business challenge, consumer groups, research preparation & planning

Sensory Levels & Consumer Behavior

• Sensory Level: awareness increased, senses intensified, emotions heightened
• Symbolic Level: enliven memories, evoke stories, create bonds to brands, foster communities of 'like' users

Conduction of Ritual

• Need to idenitfy meaningful behavior and then locate the brand's role in said behavior
• Then one must seek pivotal moments for the brand to enter

Conducting Interview

• Goal is for knowledge construction but abt meaning-making
• Lengthy + intensive contact w/ ppl to learn life patterns & patterns of thought.

OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH

• Ethnography to study ppl in their own enviro through methods such as participants and face-to-face
• Inductive Ethnography looks at patterns of meaning where our "self" is our instrument

Ethnographic Mindset

• Its important to view the subjects as unfamiliar and unstructured
• It is important to commit to ppl being studied while being open and protecting the dignity of all participants

Analyzing Insights

• Insights: noticing things in attempt to explain, documenting social life, make interpretations of what it means, conducted in context
• Important to see consumer's idenitity + its social context
• Holistic = not seperate behavior or motivation from its context; conveys multiple layers of meaning; compares with other behaviors

Conducting Interviews

• Structured = with general guidance
• Conversations = build to better understand cosnumers and their world
• Quantitative = Quantify responses
• Improntant to frame the study properly and keep a good flow

SURVEYS

• Define a clear goal, know your sample and ensure bias is minimal
• Load the questions accordingly, while thinking of time

Chp. 1: Cultural Anthropology & Global Business

• Culture: everything that ppl have think + do : patterns of behavior is a process
• Slippery Culture cultures traditionily have a fixed mentality or emergent culture is shifitng

Chp 2: Applying Lenses to Understand Culture

• There need to be understood through; reach, transformation, stability and metaphor
• Context; change + contrasting values also importnant (indivudal v collectif)

###Chp 3: communicating non-verbally across cultures

• Its a highly important skill to acquire and be sensitvie to for global business
• Key point; its highly personal and requires lots of context

Chp 4: Communicating Across Cultures With Language

• Linguistic Competence + Cultural Competence needs to be understood

Chp 5: Negotiations

• Need to avoid clueelessness and stereotypes and be sensitive