Methods And Philosophy
Culture Connections and Culture Analogies: A Brief Gloss on Our Research Philosophy
We combine ethnographic field techniques gleaned from academic studies, with a deep understanding of cultural trends and the evolving symbolic value of products and services in current American society.
Our approach to qualitative consumer research is unique from several perspectives:
Our basic approach is to use the theories and observational techniques of cultural anthropology to interpret consumer behavior and preference. Our creative and insightful interpretations of consumer behavior have led to compelling advertising and business strategies for our clients. We seek culture connections on two different levels. First, we seek connections between the consumer product and the American cultural system. Consumers assign meaning to products according to the values and ideas of American culture. By illuminating the cultural meanings of a product we provide the advertiser and marketer with a wealth of analogies and metaphors to use in communications strategies.
The second culture connection we make is between a particular product, or service, and what anthropology has learned about human behavior and culture across the globe and historically. We are always searching anthropological theory and the ethnographic record for creative analogies and metaphors to apply to our case studies of consumer behavior. For example, an anthropologist has used ideas drawn from interpretations of the famous New Guinea exchange system known as the Kula to help a company design an online picture exchange system. We have used ideas drawn from the anthropology of ritual to understand womenıs relationship to their hair care products and we have used ideas drawn from the anthropological study of magic to understand aspects of the experience of credit card and other financial transactions. Communications strategies based on cross cultural knowledge, as interpreted by anthropological theory, can powerfully connect a product or service or brand to consumer needs and desires.
ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEWING: We ferret out these connections and analogies during the ethnographic interview. This is a unique method of getting into the minds of consumers to discover the unarticulated, often symbolic relationship to the product or service studied. The ethnographic interview takes place in a consumerıs home or place of work. These interviews are conducted either on a one-to-one basis or in small groups, such as couples, friends and neighbors. They tend to be structured as informal discussions rather than a series of questions and answers. Our goal is to understand the relationship between a consumer's lifestyle and the product. Anthropological researchers specialize in putting behavior in larger cultural contexts - by determining key meanings of goods and services in everyday life.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION is the practice of observing people actually using and interacting with products or services. Observation allows us to understand exactly how people are living their lives on a daily basis and to locate the position and use of a product within every dimension of that life.
VIDEO AND ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM is a methodology that has proven particularly useful in adding depth and breath to the ethnographic portraits of our respondents, showing the client who their customers are and what truly animates and moves them. Most importantly, video powerfully illustrates the major themes of ethnographic research, adding further depth to the ethnographic presentation. We have also used consumer videos (videos created by consumers) to help us understand the role the product or service plays in the consumerıs life.
ANALYSIS : We use various anthropological and other theoretical approaches to frame our analyses. Our team has training in symbolic anthropology and also in linguistic anthropology. We have also used approaches drawn from aesthetic theory and theories in the culture of design to help our clients with branding and product development and even logo design. We have used approaches drawn from the anthropology of religion and ritual to help clients understand some of the most compelling meanings of consumer routines.
Our approach to qualitative consumer research is unique from several perspectives:
Our basic approach is to use the theories and observational techniques of cultural anthropology to interpret consumer behavior and preference. Our creative and insightful interpretations of consumer behavior have led to compelling advertising and business strategies for our clients. We seek culture connections on two different levels. First, we seek connections between the consumer product and the American cultural system. Consumers assign meaning to products according to the values and ideas of American culture. By illuminating the cultural meanings of a product we provide the advertiser and marketer with a wealth of analogies and metaphors to use in communications strategies.
The second culture connection we make is between a particular product, or service, and what anthropology has learned about human behavior and culture across the globe and historically. We are always searching anthropological theory and the ethnographic record for creative analogies and metaphors to apply to our case studies of consumer behavior. For example, an anthropologist has used ideas drawn from interpretations of the famous New Guinea exchange system known as the Kula to help a company design an online picture exchange system. We have used ideas drawn from the anthropology of ritual to understand womenıs relationship to their hair care products and we have used ideas drawn from the anthropological study of magic to understand aspects of the experience of credit card and other financial transactions. Communications strategies based on cross cultural knowledge, as interpreted by anthropological theory, can powerfully connect a product or service or brand to consumer needs and desires.
ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEWING: We ferret out these connections and analogies during the ethnographic interview. This is a unique method of getting into the minds of consumers to discover the unarticulated, often symbolic relationship to the product or service studied. The ethnographic interview takes place in a consumerıs home or place of work. These interviews are conducted either on a one-to-one basis or in small groups, such as couples, friends and neighbors. They tend to be structured as informal discussions rather than a series of questions and answers. Our goal is to understand the relationship between a consumer's lifestyle and the product. Anthropological researchers specialize in putting behavior in larger cultural contexts - by determining key meanings of goods and services in everyday life.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION is the practice of observing people actually using and interacting with products or services. Observation allows us to understand exactly how people are living their lives on a daily basis and to locate the position and use of a product within every dimension of that life.
VIDEO AND ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM is a methodology that has proven particularly useful in adding depth and breath to the ethnographic portraits of our respondents, showing the client who their customers are and what truly animates and moves them. Most importantly, video powerfully illustrates the major themes of ethnographic research, adding further depth to the ethnographic presentation. We have also used consumer videos (videos created by consumers) to help us understand the role the product or service plays in the consumerıs life.
ANALYSIS : We use various anthropological and other theoretical approaches to frame our analyses. Our team has training in symbolic anthropology and also in linguistic anthropology. We have also used approaches drawn from aesthetic theory and theories in the culture of design to help our clients with branding and product development and even logo design. We have used approaches drawn from the anthropology of religion and ritual to help clients understand some of the most compelling meanings of consumer routines.