Qualitative came of age in '95

Moderators report on trends in qualitative research

Editor's Note: Dr. Leslie M. Harris is chairman emeritus of Focus on Boston and founder of the International Network of Focus Group Research Centers.

This article summarizes trends during 1995 in the qualitative research industry identified through conversations with a representative group of qualitative research companies.

One researcher we spoke with perhaps summarized qualitative's progress in '95 best. Pat Sabena, owner of Patricia Sabena Research Services, Westport, Conn., and the 1995-96 president of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, feels that qualitative research has achieved a new maturity. Focus groups have come of age, Sabena says, in the sense that they are increasingly and correctly seen as a respected methodology that complements quantitative research rather than competes with it.

Broader use. Sabena notes that qualitative research is now widely used outside of the consumer packaged goods industry. It is frequently conducted as part of customer satisfaction studies, car clinics, mock jury trials, political research, social issues, telecommunication, high-tech, medical research and a diverse group of non-profit and cultural organizations.

Richard Feder, president of The Marketing Group in Stamford, Conn., says that gaming, financial services, motion pictures, pharmaceutical, publishing, sports, telecommunications and business-to-business companies are using more qualitative research.

Moderators continue to report an increase in focus groups in a wide range of product and service areas including, more recently, fashion oriented products such as shoes, clothing, sunglasses, accessories and legwear.

Feder says that clients are making greater use of individual depth interviews to learn about concept and copy communications and persuasion without the influence of the comments of other respondents.

Technology. The researchers we spoke to report that the fax has accelerated the movement of screeners to and from clients and to the recruiting facility. Laptop modems are being used to fax revised discussion guides or concepts to moderators at their hotels.

Karen Forcade, principal of The Youth Research Company in Danbury, Conn., is excited about the possibilities of incorporating computer graphics into children's research studies. For example, computerized research can test children's perception of products and children's behavior in different situations by creating different realistic environments.

More variety in group structure. Cost concerns have reduced the size of groups from 10 to eight respondents. There is also the greater use of two-and-a-half and three-hour groups covering both the gathering of background information and the evaluation of concepts - things that used to be covered in separate waves of two-hour groups.

There is increasing reliance on other qualitative configurations such as dyads, triads, one-hour, five-person mini-groups, and couples research, as well as larger car clinics and mock jury trials.

Teamwork. Many corporations now use a team approach that combines brand management with market research, research and development personnel, and ad agency account planners in a group effort at building the brand. This approach makes oral presentation of qualitative research results especially important in order to give the team the opportunity to debrief together and to plan the next course of action.

Indirect approaches. Irv Merson, past president of QRCA, and a principal in Merson/Greener Associates, Tarrytown, N.Y., notes the increased use of indirect approaches to elicit reactions from respondents, including visualization exercises, collages, storytelling, art, and symbols and metaphors.

Merson says there are several reasons these approaches have been developed. First, there are fewer and fewer respondents who have not participated in prior focus groups and in some cases repeat respondents have developed response sets that have to be overcome. Second, respondents cannot always access deeper emotional feelings or experiences when asked directly. Indirect approaches that utilize pictures or symbols are more likely to overcome these barriers.

In response to the growing number of companies seeking a deeper understanding of product and brand imagery, including the underlying motivations for product interest and purchase, Dr. Sharon Livingston, a partner in Executive Solutions, a New York City research firm, reports that most of her qualitative projects now incorporate collages, benefit chains, photo sorts, and drawings.

This trend was also noted by Richard Feder, who says that he has seen greater use of facilitation techniques that get at emotional issues and motivation, and those that involve physical movement and challenges between groups of respondents to increase group energy levels and involvement.

Only a topline report. Even within the formal report, the emphasis is on a one- to three-page executive summary, not the detail, says Terry Pranses, president of T. Pranses Consulting Services, Hoboken, N.J. And many clients just want a few quotes that best represent a specific idea.

More rating exercises. Although they understand that qualitative is not statistically representative, clients are looking for specific reactions, such as relative rankings, price ranges, scales of agree/disagree. In part, this reflects a need for hard answers when reporting back to management.

Decision-making models. Many purchase decisions, particularly those in business to-business, have multiple decision makers with many influences. Increasingly, qualitative is used to analyze the impact of these different participants. Pranses says that in roughly half of his projects, he speaks with influencers, to allow him to identify the complete decision making model.

Accelerating pace. According to Jim Bryson, president of 20/20 Research in Nashville, the accelerating pace of business has had a profound impact on the field. The compressed time available to make marketing decisions is the driving force behind many decisions on research methodology. A lack of time forces an increasing reliance on smaller projects with shorter turnaround times, the rationale being that some information is better than none. Specifically, short lead times have forced faster recruiting schedules, more in-home market research, and a reliance on technology such as videoconferencing, teleconferencing, and even on-line recruiting and interviewing.

Focus group facilities, in response to the growing needs of the industry, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and larger. The number of clients that are attending groups often approaches 15 or even 20. Client comfort levels are considered to be extremely important as is the quality of the video and audio recording equipment. Recruiting efforts are greatly assisted by the Sigma Validation system.

In-depths. Richard Dorr, chairman of Dorr Research Corporation in Boston, notes that in-depth one-on-ones are being employed in an increasing proportion of qualitative research studies. IDIs, or "intensive interviews," as they are sometimes called, are particularly appropriate when the research objectives contain a heavy evaluation component. For example, testing the viability of positioning themes. Compared with focus groups, the absence of peer influence greatly enhances the validity of IDI studies, and gradual accumulation of independently obtained "evidence" makes clients quite comfortable with the actionability of the findings.

Going global. One of the biggest trends in qualitative research over the past year, reports Tom Greenbaum, president of Groups Plus in Wilton, Conn., is the desire of clients to confirm the findings from U.S. qualitative research studies in overseas markets. While international research has been implemented from the U.S. for many years, the practice of confirming the findings from U.S. qualitative studies in foreign markets seems to be an emerging trend in the current global marketplace.

For focus groups in Latin cultures, where respondent introductions follow different cultural conventions by country, Strategy Research Corporation, Miami, uses a technique called "immediate immersion," reports Richard Tobin, SRC's president, and Belkist Padilla, the company's qualitative research director. In essence, Strategy moderators forego the warm-up period, to avoid pre-conditioning respondents. Respondents are seated, and without any introductions, are immediately subjected to stimuli (such as a television commercial, slides, a concept statement or print advertisement) or several stimuli which lead to the primary focus of the session. These stimuli are shown for a short period and respondents are immediately administered a test on recall, comprehension and/or opinion. This immediate immersion into the subject helps respondents become quickly interested in the subject at hand and participate with greater involvement. The technique has also eliminated country-by-country variations in respondent pre-conditioning.

Insight and information

During the past year, qualitative researchers have continued to search for new techniques to provide the insight and information that clients need. Videoconferencing, teleconferencing and new software products have helped to reach respondents that are widely dispersed and/or to create dynamic presentations or assist in backroom notetaking.

Client involvement throughout the course of qualitative research projects also seems to be much stronger and more constructive than it was a few years ago. Clients are enriching the final product by not only observing the research but also adding valuable industry insight during discussions of research implications. More and more clients are providing an interesting perspective by visiting with respondents toward the end of interview sessions in order to exchange questions and answers.

Based on our discussions with research practitioners, it appears 1995 has been a growth year for the qualitative research industry. We are happy to report that qualitative research has indeed achieved a new maturity.