Qualitative 2013 Day 1

“Before you are a leader, it is all about developing yourself.  When you become a leader, it is all about developing others.”  – Quoting Jack Welch, Qualitative Programme Chair Beth Wolff of Leo Pharma gave a personal (and client) perspective on what she believes will be the game changer the future of research. For her it all revolves around the concept of leadership and it may not be in the way you think.

While you may be developing personal leadership, who beyond yourself needs what you are doing and how are you ensuring that it happens?  In this new world that is coming, with all the changes it is presenting such as new methods and new people trying to push themselves into our space – we are all facing challenges . What this means for us is to figure out how to embrace this new world – see the possibilities and be  the leaders and drivers of change –  not only in qualitative research but for research in general.

It is indeed a brave new world, but that doesn’t mean that we must fear the crowd and noise. Big data (and more) can give us better signals of what is happening out of the market – trends, incidents, events  – and in turn can give us a better platform to explore. So don’t fear, but get ready to take it on and make it your own. Qualitative research can make a complex picture become a little bit more simplistic and give it real human value and expression. And that’s want’s clients wants. Are you ready to lead them there?

Although a quantitative researcher by training, Appleton has over the years switched to become a qualitative lover. Not because the pure numbers don’t provide what is needed, but because he has never seen a qual project that didn’t deliver real insights and provide the context that makes a business take the brave steps Beth mentioned. With 80% of all innovations being a flop – new technologies from qual are even more powerful for filtering through the noise, and if Appleton is correct – qualitative research is poised to truly be a powerful leader in research … that is if we make our voice heard, show that less can be more and of course, make our research count!

It’s always good to have the client-side perspective – and Appleton gave some great insight into just how Qualies can take what they do to the next level in the expanding research game.  First and foremost, he suggests that researchers need to be ready to deal with new competitors ( i.e. digital giants like Google ) that may not even be in the business their client is running. With the ability to deliver multiple data streams, these new players are leading the charge. It’s time to wake up and face the truth – the quiet revolution has happened and we have lost our gatekeeper role! It’s time to get it back. So how can we do that? Appleton believes it is by becoming “insights consultants”.

Make sure you are visible to those in the business – that is more than half the battle. Don’t rely on sympathy and believe that if they like you they will come to you. No one has to come to research anymore, it comes to them.  So be sure to lean forward. Make sure you have insightable actions versus actionable insights – because the clients need strategy that works. Collaborate with other disciplines to get the bigger picture – no company is successful from just one department and of course. In short,  be ready to prove your value on a daily basis – participate in board meetings and let others know just what your data can do. They won’t hear you unless you speak.

In the end the value comes from yourself and your leadership role. You ned people listen to you because they want to,  not because they have to.  Show them that qualitative has moved on and without it, real insightable actions will never happen.

If you know Ray Poynter, I think you can agree that if he is one thing, he’s passionate about research and never fails to spread his enthusiasm throughout his audience. But is it really possible  for Qualies to be passionate (in a positive sense) about the rise DIY research – when as one delegate put it – “why should we put ourselves out of business?”

Can we stop DIY qualitative research? The short answer is “No, of course not.”  So, should we be helping people doing DIY research who have no understanding of qualitative do it better? Ray thinks we should and he is right, because as he so clearly put it ” Nothing will damage qualitative research more than really bad research becoming very very common.” So once again it comes down to leadership – if  we take charge and become leaders in the DIY world, we can not only make people more aware of what good qual is, we may also get more buy in from those who see the value first hand.

But isn’t there still a risk that we will put ourselves out of business?  the answer is yes and no. In all aspects of life there are some things we don’t do in a  DIY manner – you refill your windshield wiper fluid, but would you repair your airbag?  The same goes for qualitative research. The simple things will flow into DIY, but we are an industry of talent and training and DIY cannot replace that.

Whilst we don’t have agreement on how qual should work – we have a shared passion and that is the first step. When talking to outsiders we need to ensure we get across the core values of what it is we do and that when there is a discussion, we show that professional qual can deliver insights on cultures, clients and context… in a way that DIY may never be able to.

DIY research companies can and will sell research as a tool. If people can see if it is done well, then they will realise that there is a need for more.  In Australia recently, a project was being conducted with sex workers. When interviewing them- it was found that they really only had trust with other sex workers and thus DIY became necessary. The agency couldn’t very well train researchers to be sex workers, so instead they needed to train the sex workers to be DIY researchers in the field. This is certainly not a one off and we will likely see more of this in the future, especially with hard-to-reach communities. So let’s be prepared and own how our field will be integrated into the hands of non-researchers. The playbook is in your hands.

Terrorism has fundamentally changed the way our world works and through it’s spread has impacted citizens around the world. The use of research in combating this is not new, but Westminster City Council and Opinion Leader have shown that connecting with at-risk individuals with traditional qualitative research could fundamentally reduce or possibly even eliminate that factors that lead to violent extremism and terrorist acts.

By looking at the local drivers of violent extremism, they wanted to to get a real understanding of how the radicalisation process works on local level. They explored the ideologies behind it (literature review)  the individuals likely to be involved and the institutions and community groups which interact with them. The findings were truly insightful.

In examining psycho-social factors versus the more commonly explored demographic factors they found that several elements such as lack of guidance, intergenerational conflict and political exclusion are key drivers in young men being attracted to extremist  groups.  By using face-to-face interviews and taking guided tours with the target group ( young men between ages 18-30), they gained real insight into not just what they had to say but also the environmental cues that influence their lives. Your environment shapes you and without qual, there can be a real gap in understanding just how much impact that may have on a person and the decisions they make.

They also analysed real propaganda ( You can’t be both British and Muslim and serve Allah) and found that there was often a competing discourse within respondents, who found importance in not only to their religion, but also in their identity in being a Londoner. So in the end it’s about understanding the broader social context (impact of unemployment and feeling of exclusion) versus an ethnic or religious classification,  that can give more clues into why radical groups may become attractive.

By engaging social services and community groups much can also be done as they have connections to these youth. Also a real counterweight to extremism can be achieved by focusing on the competing discourse factors, ie. Love of London in this case, which can give a more nuanced approach. Diversity, tolerance and a sense of belonging…i.e My London!  Although digital means of qualitative can also discover some of these findings, they may indeed miss out on the key psycho social issues that more traditional face-to-face research can reveal. They may scratch the service, but the impact of one-on-one and human relationships cannot be overlooked. Without depth qualitative research will lose value and will never provide and show why nuanced insights can bring real ROI.  In some cases, it could mean the difference between extremism and a sense of belonging, and inevitably between life and death.

Have you ever had this question from your client, “How many people said that?” and have you ever let it guide the way you present your research results? Whilst the question may seem somewhat innocuous, failed products which have been been based on this query, i.e  New coke because people mentioned wanting something new, show that managing your clients expectations in relation to it is imperative for credibility on both sides.

It’s obvious that different kinds of questions need to be thought about in different ways and that gather evidence in ways that matter may require the use of different paradigms. But often, when employing paradigms, researchers get stuck in a “New Coke” situation and rely on one paradigm to be a fits all size solution.

So while some may employ a straightforward method of Q&A, others rely on things like unconscious memory mapping, or observational research or even creativity activities to get to the root of what  drives the respondent.

In the end it’s about recognising that different factors affect our rules of evidence and  not focusing on one way being more right than the other. Easier said than done, but fundamentally you must know that not all questions can be answered in the same way  and this may mean divorcing oneself from the tried and true and embracing a more polygamist approach. To be prepared for the future direction of qualitative, you must be be ready to change your rules for judging the evidence in order to get the full picture. Be prepared to switch between the paradigms out there and show the client that you not only know how to, but when to. This will support their strategies and and show how the interpretation of data and insight generation are needed to be a change leader.

 A presentation on the seven sins is never going to be  boring, and Shobha Prasad brilliantly showed how brands can (and are) recognising that we are led by our passions and are connecting with us through them. The 7 deadly sins are passions which drive all that we do and a successful brands understands this and are able to communicate and developed products successfully because of this.

By examining the 7 deadly sins, she found that 4 are psychological by nature. Lust equals an intense yearning for a product (Luxury goods) or animal attraction (Axe body spray). Gluttony is connected to unbridled and excessive consumption (think Double Big Mac or Almeda Marcos and shoes). Sloth, while not really sought after much in our hectic lives, can be found in the Kit Kat (Take a break) and Anger is abound in our culture (musically with Rage Against the Machine, gaming with Angry Birds and movies such as Kill Bill).

The remaining 3 sins are social sins and are unique to humans. Greed (Black Friday in America), Pride  (cosmetics and Harleys) and Envy (anything from Apple). But, we are also moralistic creatures and brand should not forget this. Across cultures many of these sins are considered wrong, so angel behaviours are also drivers. People are seeking balance – health foods versus potato chips, risk products versus safe ones in finance and cosmetics versus long-term skin care.

This is great for category analysis and successful brands have clearly marked their spaces out on both sides. To research with these paradigms in mind, it’s best o always remember that passion lies close to the surface.  Don’t push respondents to rationalise so much.  Sometimes there is no explicit reason for an action.  It just is what it is. i.e. “I want an iPhone because I crave it.”  In fact, it can just be that simple when passions are involved.

Social media has not only changed how we communicate but how we express and see ourselves in terms of identity. Identity, however,  is a tough nut to crack and social media does not make it any easier. Social media has fundamentally changed the context of identify  because it provides a 24/7 avenue for talking about ourselves. To give real value to our clients, we must then understand modern life (and modern perceptions of self).  Are we trying to access peoples’ true selves and what is the impact we have on the offline versus online person. Do we truly understand the relationship between those personas?

First and foremost we must establish relationships with respondents and not only do a shallow dive. This means not only examining the impact of social media on respondent identity, but also tackling myths about how social media impacts the way a person creates perceptions.

Myth 1 – Social media is spontaneous and unfiltered. Research has shown that his is not necessarily true and often greater control is exercised, because committing to something on social media opens one up publicly   and is analysed more harshly.  There is more risk and with that comes greater consequence.
Myth 2 – You can be who you really are on social media. On social media the ideal self is often what the person wants to present. Social media personas are often projected as being witty, social/busy and intellectual. People tend to avoid  becoming the “dreaded self”- the troll/ the over sharer (who lives life through social media) or the attention seeker who posts vague comments to get reactions.
Myth 3 – Social media is more for extraverts – This is not necessarily true. A social media persona is more of an extension of who one really is and for many it allows them to be more vocal and interactive without the anxiety of face-to-face social contact.

So what does this mean for research? Researchers need to realise that social media is like a roller coaster for self-esteem and that what one may observe in face-to-face may likely be very different from an online persona. For example, int heir case they followed a record producer  online and then met him face to face.  Online he was super cool and trendy, whilst in person he was actually a NOrth London business man trying to break into the business. He purposely took on a “cool” persona to sell himself, but admitted that it wasn’t really who he was day to day. Other examples included the offline “modern Man” who was rather sexist online and the outspoken right-wing libertarian who was an introverted IT guy in person.  The skilled Qualie can find this out by balancing the ability to create unconditional positive environments for face-to-face honesty with online spiralling –  greater chance to get to people’s  passions in an online sphere versus in person interviews.

In the end, to be  a good qualitative researcher in the digital world you must embrace human complexity and situations as well as different truths in different personas. Always include a face to face element (has a certain magic to it) . and use mixed methodologies whenever possible. Don’t try to seek a single truth about identity. There is no single methodology and social media is not ready-refined insight (don’t buy into that). Interpretation is always needed, and isn’t that what Qualies do best?

Do you think consumer research can lead to radical innovation? By reshaping the  thinking and tools of qualitative research – Ozkaramanli and Fokkinga believe this will be the best driver for radical innovation.  By looking at the collection of consumer data, analysis of this data and the translation into product solutions, real radical innovation can occur.

With typical data collection there are two big problems with its approach: 1) sessions are often only product focused and frame the person mostly as a consumer and 2) the use of direct questioning often causes people to make up answers or respond in a way that does not reflect a substantial opinion, or even worse, say what you want to hear.  We should not be looking at people as consumers, but  as people with real-life goals…including aspirational and long-term goals. Don’t ask direct questions – use emotions as an entry point, since emotions inevitable have a close relationship to the goals themselves. By shadowing people and observing emotion, the researchers had a concrete event to work from and not an abstract idea of principle. The goals themselves provide the cues needed for product development and innovation by focusing on the human element of emotions.

Prioritisation is key to making sense of all the goals you get from these exercises. Whilst this is usually done by the research on the basis of intuition which is in turn subjective, it causes one to lose the consumer-centric nature of analysis.  A  better way is to focus on individual interesting insights versus focusing on the relationships between them.  In terms of goals – explore the conflicts between them. For example  – I want to cook new dishes, but am afraid of making mistakes and not being a good host. A conflict such as this can be a creative driver of innovation that can go beyond your product. It allows you to find an optimal solution for both goals versus focusing on one and creates great opportunities for  innovation.

Finally, you must ensure that these goals conflicts don’t get lost in translation. Researchers have the urge to bring down insights into tangible product features which in turn makes richness in data get lost.  So try using experience metaphors, which can indicate the kind of experience consumers should have with a product without talking about the product itself.  For example. morning breakfast should be like having a family picnic in the park. All teams within an organisation can then work within a shared vision and create solutions and products that are goal satisfying while innovative and true to what to consumer wants and needs. By being innovative with your methods you can also be innovative with your results.

INSPIRATION, INTEGRATION, INNOVATION

Let’s Go Game! Borders of advantages and gains for gamification compared to in-depth-interviews
Fernando Akira Yagi, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Brazil
Luiz Marcelo Abate de Siqueira, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Brazil
Luzia Celeste Rodrigues, Sinapses Inteligência, Brazil

With so many variables at play in any given study, figuring out which methodology or technique to use to obtain the best results can be daunting. Takeda Pharmaceuticals consequently enlisted the help of Sinapses Inteligência to do just that: determine how to best engage and connect with physicians – a breed of professionals known for their rational thinking and predictable answers. So how could their walls be broken down and insightful answers gained? For their study Luzia Rodrigues compared the use of gamification with in-depth interviews.

Why in-depth interviews instead of focus groups? Rodrigues suggested that since physicians are more sensitive to peer judgment, in-depth interviews provided a more open environment for truthfulness. Overall, respondents still answered in a clinical way, with a lack of spontaneity. In contrast, gamification, though a bit slow on the upstart, really engaged respondents to have fun and be more instinctive. Rodrigues argued that in qualitative research it is often difficult to obtain non-formal, diplomatic responses however, with the qualitative / gamification approach, they succeeded in doing just that.

Both the Rorigues and the client agreed: reliability of rich data is the biggest factor of gamification. And that perhaps gamification is something to consider as a possibility to learn more from consumers, to learn together with society and to improve the overall results.

Brief Encounters
How qualitative research is able to meet the need for efficiency paradigm
Michael Dorsch, forsa, Germany

With increasing digitalisation, our behaviours and attitudes have changed. The internet has made information both quickly and easily available, as well as conditioned us to express ourselves within 80-140 characters. In this presentation, Michael Dorsch explored the efficiency of qualitative methodology and offered an answer on what can be done to better reflect the reality of our digitalisation.

First off, Dorsch posed the question: If you had only 5 minutes with a consumer, to find out as much as you could… What would you do?

By definition, qualitative research is not quick. So in response, forsa came up with Brief Encounters: short interviews (10-15 minutes long) with clear structures, focusing on one clear issue and having a qualitative core to provide depth.

Their pilot study using this technique explored the topic of retirement provision in a low-interest period. Respondents were given quick, context introductions to the interviews. And then exposed to a wall of 100 pictures. For each question, the respondent needed to choose two pictures to reflect their current versus ideal feelings. Every interaction included the three elements mentioned above.

Dorsch thinks Brief Encounters is an open approach with open interpretation, demanding communication, reflexivity and puts the individual at the forefront. With short duration and straightforward recruitment, only 2 days of fieldwork are needed, which saves time and money. It’s also a hybrid approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods, pulling rich insights, and creating a detailed, colourful picture of the research topic.

In the end, it’s the marriage of methodologies that make for a better, richer conclusion. It’s a compromise and not suitable for all research, but answers the need for efficiency paradigm.

Insight Mining with Positive Psychology
Adding richness and increasing engagement for respondents and observers
Andrew Soren, BMO Financial Group, Canada
Stacy Graiko, Firefly Millward Brown, USA

Why are positive emotions so powerful? And how can they be used in research?

Andrew Soren and Stacy Graiko tackled this subject by first asking delegates to think of someone they’d met since arriving in Valencia whom they were extremely grateful for, and then to share that with another delegate. For one minute, the delegates’ engagement and excitement levels soared. As Soren noted, the room came alive and was an example of what researcher Jane Dutton calls “high quality connections” where individuals come alive through sincere and positive engagement.

Applied psychology is the study of what happens when things go right. When people are exposed to something beautiful, they get hopeful, happy, and they just feel good. These reaction, or feel good vibes stem from mammalian neurohypophysial hormone oxytocin. When we’re happy, our heart rates actually slow down. Our hearing becomes more nuanced, and our vision clearer. Barb Fredrickson calls this the glitter dust effect, when neurons are shooting faster, pushing people to be more expressive, better negotiators and more trusting. Bottom line for research: this glitter that happens when respondents are happy, makes them perform at their best and can consequently motivate them to give clearer, more innovative, and overall just better responses.

In regards to the outcomes most wanted in qualitative research, Soren and Graiko say there are 7 key positive emotions that need to come into play and they are: joy, gratitude, hope, amusement / playfulness, pride, inspiration and love. All of these lend themselves to making a person feel good and creating an atmosphere that engages and motivates them to give their best and be happy doing it.

As an example, at Firefly, if morale is dwindling, or respondents are getting tired, a plate of fresh baked cookies can quickly find its way onto a nearby table. The joy of this pleasant surprise incentivises and triggers the brain to engage. At the Bank of Montreal (BMO), when deciding which directions the bank should head they consult with clients and when doing so ask them to bring along a photo of a loved one. Setting it on the table  to glance at every so often during the study creates a different atmosphere, one with positivity. Including these emotions as often as possible has proven to create more innovative results, with a stronger commitment to the brand and not to mention the happiness of the participants, who leave feeling great.

As a final point to drive home the importance and affect of positive psychology in research, Soren and Graiko shared the results of their just-completed paper clip experiment. Using delegates as guinea pigs, they had handed out paper surveys. The control group, given no micro-moments of positivity, gave short 1-2 word answers and fairly standard responses — paper clips are used for: clipping papers together, cleaning nails, opening an iPhone. The experimental group however, who were first inspired to think happy thoughts, gave lengthier and more creative answers– paper clips are used for: unclogging a soap dispenser, starting a paperclip society, and Soren’s favourite, as attachments to a Kinder Surprise toy who is missing a limb.

THE DELEGATE TALK SHOW
A deep dive into the what Qualies truly believe should be done to make sure the business we work in remains vibrant, interesting and exciting was tackled in The Delegate Talk Show. Broad initiatives and big concepts were gathered and 5 groups gave their perspectives on aspects they feel are crucial  to a healthy, effective and valuable qualitative industry

The output from this session will be released by ESOMAR as a guide to how the industry should go forward.  So what did they have to say? See the questions an summaries below:

How could qualitative researchers be leaders in moulding the change going on within the market research industry as a whole?
There needs to be a hybrid approach – not just qual/quant, but one that explores what other science trends/results have to offer. We need more education as a whole to improve our training skills and knowledge. This means taking in new research and quite possible instituting and Academy or University for researchers or clients. It will also require us to better educate

the client, so that he or she knows what qual is about and the benefits that can be delivered. Needs to be less DIY and more DIT ( Do it together) so we indeed become a real partner with the client.

What are the skills that the best qualitative researchers of the future are going to have to exhibit? Will they be the same as now or should we be looking to build different skill sets?
Qualies will need to be cultural consultants and business partners and this will require 3 things: language analysis (semiotics – need to understand what text really means; cultural sensitivities); resilience, because the world won’t stop changing and we will need to bounce back better and faster.  Resilience also means helping clients to avoid the paradox of choice and building up our own emotional intelligence; lastly, we will need to be more assertive with our findings and become sales people as well as researchers.  Ultimately, we must be able to communicate and own the successes of our of findings and show ROI and value change.

How should the qualitative industry be dealing with the cost and time constraints that are being placed upon it?
By working more in partnership with clients, meaning no pitching but a common base of knowledge, we can gain better insight and save on time and money. Also, things like developing a continuous stream of insights, maintaining panels of communities to sate the marketing teams and avoid costly recruiting will also help. We need to make it so we are not constantly losing money on reporting; we should invest time up front by using data visualisation and deliver in workshops. Finally, there needs to be a change in the business model that involves transparency on costs and provides a menu

to the client with the understanding that – quick may cost more…

How should we be ensuring that qualitative research is continuing to be used in the right way in the future?
By keeping close to the client and building the relationship and partnership as well as by getting the training and certification that allows us to speak the language that clients understand – i.e. finances, business ROI and more. Who should certify is the question and organisations like ESOMAR should explore it more. We must ensure that are techniques are innovative and continue to develop to allow us to be on top of what is happening. We must also take a stance and be more assertive; Marketing may prefer quant because they have a lot to sell, but we need to make more assertive recommendations because our work drives the bottom line.  Finally, we should deliver more than expected…element of surprise helps clients to see the value.

What properties are the methods and approaches of the future going to have to encompass, in order to remain relevant and valuable to decision makers? Will they be different from today, and if so, in what way?
Going back to basics. We need to re-connect with our roots in psychology and academia to add more depth. We should also seek to get balance through cross fertilisation by mixing a bit of everything – digital but remain human; individual but with group reference; traditional but innovative.  We should also focus more on creation with consumers versus evaluating; focus on future aspirations rather than past behaviours i.e  feedforward versus feedback research!

A must is client inclusivity – engineer them more into the process. Purposefully bring them into the research and extract their observations and involve in implications sessions. And we need more reality-driven research – losing the artificial things (fake environments; build more authentic relationships with consumers). By using hybrid methodologies we can involve more people as co-researchers in process and through storytelling we can gain more authenticity because it is amore natural way of communicating.

The Flow of Enthusiasm in Music
How Musicians create fans and lessons for qualitative  research
Jamie Whelligan, Whelligan, UK
Rijn Vogelaar, The Superpromoter Academy, Netherlands

Spoken word and music… now that is a new one for an ESOMAR Event…and Rijn Vogelaar and Jamie Whelligan rocked the start of their presentation with it.  Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm, noted Ralph Waldo Emerson and through musical examples, Vogelaar and Whelligan showed us that Qualies can help people to find it, build it and spread it for greater success.

Companies often suffer from enthusiasm blindness. Qual can help peel layer by layer to get to the enthusiasm of employees, consumers and customers. In current qual research the bell curve is only about the average customer – but qual, by nature can not only delve deeper, but can extract the emotions and drivers behind enthusiasm.  It is by nature poised to be the part of research to take command of this area. Music is a great to way to show how this can be done. Musicians get inspired and then find others who share their enthusiasm and then the crowd takes it on. It’s about the Flame, flow, flood..

The flame is the spark – it can come from employees, or consumers or communities. It can be strong and take off immediately, or in some instances fragile and take time to find it’s spark.  Think singer Nick Cave, who found more fame after he died than before. The flame may arise later and sometimes one must comb through the noise to get to the real flame of the person.

The flow is about how the spark moves past its origin. A great example is exploring why teams are working and feeling excellent versus what they do wrong or not well. Qualies often study the flow to understand the why and by aligning this with enthusiasm research can drive employee satisfaction higher.

The flood is the spread of enthusiasm and can be forecast. Be it at a concert where the crowd takes over or a viral campaign, the flow is authentic because it is spread by the people. Our respondents have the voice – so let’s grab that enthusiasm and share it in our work and for our clients and for the world.

Foundation for the Future
Finn Raben, ESOMAR Director General

Launched at the ESOMAR member Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, the ESOMAR Foundation was introduced to qualitative delegates by Director General Finn Raben.

Noting that, researchers in many countries often face troubles or difficulties such as lack of training and support, threats or even death, the foundation hopes to harnesses the power of market, social and opinion research to contribute to furthering social equality, creating sustainable global human development and helping those in need.  The areas of focus include:

• Emergency Support to Researchers
• The Giving Spirit of Researchers
• Developing Aspiring Researchers
• Supporting Social Action
• Measuring CSR Initiatives