“If you could do only one type of research, would it be qualitative or quantitative?”

I was once asked this question in an interview for a corporate job. I paused at this question for two reasons. First, because it was a bit ludicrous.  Second, it made me think about the role of each of these and how they’re applied.

Human interaction counts

Every few years we hear predictions that hard data (quantitative) is going to replace qualitative. In fact, we’ve heard those predictions for many, many years now. The 2014 ESOMAR Global Market Research Industry report, and prior waves of the GRIT report suggest that these predictions are a bit exaggerated. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, and online qualitative are all either flat or growing slightly, depending on which numbers you choose. It’s easy to understand why these predictions are made, but it’s more than a bit short-sighted because human interaction counts for more than it’s often credited for.

Digging into the “why” of behavior

Qualitative research provides the nuance to the “how” of consumer behaviors, and much more importantly, the power to the “why.” While things like Big Data, passive measurement, geo-location, and data synthesis are grabbing many of the headlines in our industry, qualitative research goes on doing what it has always done: getting to the deeper understanding of the consumer.

Connects with people

The interactive conversation about the “why” of behavior is the essential benefit of qualitative and has yet to be surpassed for its depth, sensitivity, and flexibility. Topics that are difficult to cover otherwise, such as finances, health, relationships, sex, etc., can all be handled with a certain connection that is made between people instead of a survey.

And these qualities of qualitative research go a long way to meet the basic needs of a business’s deep understanding of consumers. As one respondent in this publication of the GRIT report said, the biggest challenge of marketing research is to “understand and deepen knowledge of consumer behavior. The consumer [should be] viewed in all mindsets, perspectives and through his or her side.”  And much of this is the purview of qualitative research.

The effect of mobile technology

Today, one area of qualitative is growing substantially. This is the area facilitated by mobile technology. Currently, about 20-25% of corporate researchers and about 50% of research suppliers are using mobile for at least some of their qualitative/ethnography research. And another 35% of corporate researchers say it’s under consideration.

Mobile qualitative has several unique benefits. First, it is real-time “in the moment” and consequentially allows an even deeper understanding of consumers because of the timing of an event and the understanding. Second, it can be non-intrusive as the tool is both available and comfortable for consumers. Lastly, it can be pretty fast, which is always good.  In many cases, the mobile component of qualitative is simply that: one component. The mobile tool is often integrated with more traditional tools, such as in-depth interviews, for an even more substantive outcome.

There’s a human gap in big data

No commentary on research would be complete without at least mentioning Big Data. We all have our favorite statistics about the proliferation of information. “It doubles every two years” is mine. However, there is long distance between the implication of data and the human understanding that brings that data to a level where most of us can understand, empathize, and act.

Respondents to the current GRIT report talk about this as well. One respondent noted, “Market Research needs to remain relevant by providing consultative resources and also helping to answer ‘why’ when big data seems to be revealing hard to understand insights.” You simply can’t (and shouldn’t) get away from the importance of “why.”

Brett Watkins
President
L&E Research

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Call them Generation Z, iGen, or Digital Natives, today’s kids are the first generation born into the Internet-connected world. How they use technology to interact with brands, and how marketers use technology to reach them, makes them uniquely different from any previous generation. And yet, there are timeless truths associated with how kids develop, what they need, and how they learn, think and behave.

With buying power of $1.2 trillion annually, kids have a three-way impact on our economy: as influencers in family decisions, as direct purchasers, and as consumers of the future. Consider:

• More than 65% of parents take kids’ views into consideration when they are making family purchases.
• More than 25% of parents ask kids for advice when they are buying for themselves.
• Kids are interacting with media more often and for longer periods of time than their predecessors.
• Kids spend much of that time with social media that didn’t even exist a decade ago.

Getting and keeping traction with kids requires an understanding of how they think and act, and what they respond to in product development, marketing, and communications. On May 15, 2015, Megan Nerz and Rebecca Presler of MLN Research led a workshop on marketing to kids at L&E Research’s Raleigh facility. This workshop will help you:

• Understand the similarities and differences between today’s kids and generations before them.
• Explore key consumer insights across gender, developmental stage, age, and product category.
• Investigate how some of today’s leading marketers are applying these insights to engage and retain these youngest consumers.

Watch the workshop video today!

About Megan Nerz

Megan Loughlin Nerz is a cofounder of MLN Research, which opened its qualitative doors in 1987. She started her career as the Director of Children’s Research at the Gene Reilly Group in 1979, but her involvement with kids and research goes back to the 1978 Federal Trade Commission hearings on the effects of TV Advertising on Children. She has an academic background in marketing and communications research and child development and extensive experience in working with kids and teens and in all types of qualitative research settings.

Megan’s approach to qualitative research with children was profiled in an article appearing in the textbook, Business Research Methods, by Donald R. Cooper and Pamela S. Schindler (McGraw Hill, Eight edition, 2003) and was featured in the 2013 book, Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry, (David C. Robertson and Bill Breen). Megan has authored and co-authored papers published in leading journals, and delivered speeches to numerous associations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a concentration in child psychology; and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Communications Research from the University of Hartford.

About Rebecca Presler

Rebecca Presler joined MLN Research in 2012 to plan, implement, and analyze qualitative research projects, especially those with children and teens. Rebecca cites the creative and surprising nature of research as the fuel to her qualitative fire. She is continual impressed by the depth and insights of the consumers with whom she speaks and the impact those understandings have for her clients and the business decision-making process.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and recently completed a post baccalaureate certificate program in Marketing Strategy from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. She has trained at RIVA Training Institute and is a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA).