The Hindu Business Line : Customers teach, simply by being themselves

ETHNOGRAPHY (from the Greek ethnos = nation and graphein = writing) refers to the qualitative description of human social phenomena, based on fieldwork, says Wikipedia. Thus, taking research out of the lab and into "the homes, offices, stores, and streets where people live, eat, shop, work, and play," here is Ethnography for Marketers, by Hy Mariampolski, from Sage (www.sagepublications.com) . "Also referred to as on-site, naturalistic, observational, or contextual research, ethnographic methods allow marketers to delve into the actual occasions and situations in which products are used, services are received, and benefits are conferred."

And the `corporate voyeur,' as the author is described, should know; for, he has "led Fortune 500 executives into kitchens to watch consumers cook family meals ... gone into people's bathrooms to watch them clean toilets, and, in a well-known study for Moen Corporation even videotaped people while they were showering to help his client develop a new shower fixture."

Ethnography is effectively used when little is known about a target market or when fresh insights are desired, explains Mariampolski. "Received facts about the marketplace have a very short effective life," he writes, to emphasise why there can't be irrelevance in settled truths, even as the dynamics require that you frequently reintroduce yourself to your customers.

Move from focus groups to ethnography, exhorts the author. "The immediacy of the smells, textures, tastes, heat, sounds, movements, and muscular strain all stimulate an enriched level of understanding." Your job now is to - "move from unstructured observations to discover the underlying meanings behind behaviour."

Ethnography uses observation in two ways, explains Mariampolski. "First, to document precise behaviours and to overcome the limitations of flawed recollection and selective attention; and, second, to check the consistencies between verbal and non-verbal communication, to act as a truth serum."

As a marketer, you need to watch how consumers leave numerous clues and hints to new opportunities, says the author. "Consumers exhibit their expertise by using products and reacting to their features and benefits in natural ways," as in, for instance, "mixing liquid dish soap and laundry bleach to create a cleaner for light linoleum floors." Among the many examples that Mariampolski cites is this one about insect management with useful insight. "Baits operate by poisoning a token number of ants, which enter the plastic container when the device is placed close to an ant trail. The poisoned ants remain viable long enough for them to return to their nests and proceed to contaminate the entire nest, including its queen."

But the consumers were buying spray too, it was found. Why so? Because they thought the baits were ineffective, seeing "many ants darting out or avoiding the trap altogether."

Toxic spray was not suitable long-term extermination, and it repelled ants from the bait. "The conclusion reached by the customer after ants reappear in a few days is that both products are not working, and he or she needs to switch brands."

The author guides you through project design, respondent recruitment, logistics, site visit, ways of looking, collecting data, and so on. He calls for attention to what may be dismissed as minor details, such as closing the visit, because "it can be hard for the respondent to let go of a sympathetic listener," as in the following case. "After a day of observation at her Northern California home, an 87-year-old cancer survivor sharply admitted: `This is the longest amount of time that anyone has listened to me in years. Can you please come back again?'"

Valuable read, because the book can make you realise that respondents are "special people who teach marketers a great deal simply by being themselves."

BookMark@TheHindu.co.in

D. Murali

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