Have you ever had the nagging feeling that a research project collected data that was simply not very good? That the respondents weren’t adequately engaged when supplying answers? Or that the method didn’t gather enough meaningful context?
In market research, our convention is to conduct studies that employ imposed calibration. Our studies often capture and measure attitudes and behaviors, as if they could all be sorted into neat packages. We carefully structure our questions, and in the case of survey research, even our answers. We use quotas, we use weighting. But are we creating the functional equivalent of genetically modified food?
For some research needs (some, not all), it is time to think about options other than surveys, IDIs and focus groups. New methods such as webcam research, idea voting sites and online projective methods, to name just a few.
But newer market research methods are unpredictable and can compromise on demographic profiling—just like organic produce sometimes has a few more blemishes or less consistent coloring. And these differences can make us research types uncomfortable. Heck, it makes me uncomfortable. But now that I have had the opportunity to test some of these new methods, I am also excited about their value.
My experiences have also let me to author a short white paper, “Organic Market Research: Avoiding Overly Contrived Data.” Please click here to download it.
