Lecture 2.

Sources of information (I).

Qualitative methods

Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.

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 Learning objectives

• A survey of qualitative methods and

their characteristics.
• To show some researches using
qualitative methods.
• To provide some guidelines to select
the appropiate one in every case.

Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.

I. Grande y E. Abascal
 Lecture 2. Sources of information (I).
Qualitative sources.

Please select,
Please select,

1. Sources of information. Concepts and classes.

2. Characteristics of the sources of information.
3. Qualitative sources of information.

Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.

I. Grande y E. Abascal
 Data collection sources

• Bibliography and the

Internet.
• Observation methods.
• Pseudopurchase.
• Creativity.
• Focus group.
• Interview
• Projective techniques.
• Databases.
• Panels.
• Surveys: mail, telephone, face
to face.

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 Primary and secondary data

• Secundary data are available when

the research is being planned. The
existing data at the present time.

• Primary data is the information

generated by the researcher for the
purpose of the investigation.

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 Primary data

Primary data

Static Dynamic

Survey Observation Pseudopurchase Omnibus

At home Structured Unstructured

In-store Human

Telephone Mechanical

Conventional C.A.T.I Hints or cues

Mail, e-mail

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 Secondary data

Secondary

Databases Panels GIS

Bibliographycal Electronical Consumer Retailer Audience

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 Which is preferable ... ?
Secondary data are very attractive because ...

• It is yet available.

• Collecting secondary data means lower costs in

many ways; time, money, efforts, procedures,
and so on.

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 Some additional arguments for using secondary
data
• Economical
• Cost and time economies.
• Informatics helps to identify information and to collect free
data in many cases.
• Methodological.
• SD helps to plan the researches.
• SD helps to valuate the feasibility of the research.
• SD helps to formulate hipotheses and to test them.
• Enviroment
• Markets are expanding dramatically.
• New consumers in new markets are more difficult to know.

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 3. Qualitative sources of information.
Some characteristics

• They are tipically useful for

exploratory research.
• No statistical techniques are needed.
• They are useful at early stages of the
research.

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 Some cases of qualitative researches

• Their aim were to recover fame, to reinforce the

brands or their attributes, brand repositioning.

• Strategies are mainly changes in packaging: shape,

designs, colours, logotype, written information.

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 Clam de Panasonic
Discman accidental openng
protection system

• Refinement, delicacy.
• Flattened shape is elegant.
• Makes security tangible.

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 Air Europe
Elengancy and
distinctiviness for
Business Class (Air
Europe) are achived
through feather,
caligraphyc writing style
and a portrait evoking the
Italian Renaissance.

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 Energizer alcaline cells
• Metallic (golden paint)
design looks luxurious.
• Red colour suggests life
in Far East (blood is
necessary to be alive)
• Cat means agility,
flexibility and longevity
(7 or 9 lifes)
• The aestethics is well
accepted in many asiatic
countries. (gold + red)
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 High tech cells

• Metallic colours suggest a

high tech product.
• The uncommon asimetric
package attracs the
consumer attention.
• Batteries are flattened for
differentiation.

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 Science, future …

• The brand name

suggest a scientific
background.

• The sigma symbol

reinforces the
perception.

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 Lu biscuits for coffe time

• The new biscuit

package looks like
coffe packages.

Old package New package

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 LU biscuits

• Black colour evokes

elegancy.
• Handwriting suggests a
traditional homemade
product.

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 Danone Petit Suisse
• Side writing was neither
visible nor readble. The
package was poorly seen on the
shelves.
• Green field evokes vitality,
growth and health.
• Writen information reveals the
nutritional facts.
• Side writing shows the brand
name so consumers can
identify the product on
shelves.

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 Gallo pasta
• Green in this package
calls up freshness,
nature and life.
• The right half
transparent cover let
the consumers to see
the product.
• Badges reveal the
ingredients.
• The new package is
visually atractive.

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 Lila Pause chocolate bars
The new design shows the ingredients and bar edge.

After
Before
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 Bonsi cheese in segments

Before

The milk squirt

reinforces the main
ingredient of the
cheese.
After
The new package
stresses rich in
calcium.
The new brand name,
Bonsi, is a low calories
cheese Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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 Côte d´Or chocolate new package

• The new elephant is bigger Before

and white coloured.
• Elephant is the symbol of
longevity, experience and
knowledge. The brand remains
in the marketplace after 125
years.
• White letters are now better
readable.
• The package is now designed
to stand vertically.
• In the new package the
hazelnut and almonds are
enlarged. Oversize fruits
suggest more flavour.
After
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 Evian Before

• Label diminishes pink

tones. By doing so
“feminine apearence”
perception by men
decreases.
After
• Modern style letters
are more attractive.
• Mountains size
increase to reinforce
the image of natural
and healthy product.
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 Ferrari

Before
• Red is meant as pasion.
• Horse means dynamics.
• Black means strengh.
• Gold is a masculine metal
and a symbol of value. After
• This ad is men focused

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 Kodak in China

• Yellow has many meanings

in Far East contries.
• Some meanings are nor
appropiate and they can
damage the product
image.
• Red and gold together are
perceivd as an elegant
combination of colours.

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 Futurist brand name.

• Advantix was a new film

cartridge in late 90´s.
• This name suggests
something technologically
advanced.

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 VISA

• Platinum is meant as
technology and worth.

• Black is meant as
elegance, distinction and
luxury.

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Always sanitary pads for underage girls
• Younger girls like the package.
• Green is meant as efficacy, a very
important feature in this product.
• Girls don´t feel embarrassed if someone
see them carrying the package.

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What information sources are used
to conduct qualitative researches ?

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 Qualitative sources

Direct Indirect

Creativity Focus group Interview Proyective techniques

Unformal Structured Association

Formal Unstructured Complementation

In-depth Construction

Expression

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Creativity techniques

• Unformal: brainstorming.

• Formal: sinéctics and

morfological box

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 Creativity assesment

• Uselful to find out product

features.
• Useful to find out
problems and to provide
solutions.

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 Focus group

• Concept
• Usefulness
• Design
• Assesment

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 Some focus group purposes …

• Questionnaires wording.
• New product generation (Indo glasses).
• Concept test (multigrade oil).
• To identify relevant atributes (conditioning products).
• Product test (new sauce).
• To secure impressions on new product concepts (non
cutting edges of glass in the case it breaks).
• Product usage or consumption (who drinks Coke and
where).
• Competitiveness valuation (furniture, photo cameras).
• Marketing mix planning: product, pacakage, prices,
advertising.

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Spanish words sounding unpolite in
Southamerica

• Vago = lazy = son of a bitch

• Concha = shell = vagina (very, very unpolite),
• Goma = rubber = condom
• Coger = take, grasp = to fuck
• Fresca = fresh = lesbian

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Wording

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 Brand names adaptation
Brasil Greece

Spain France

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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Errors

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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Words meaning

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 Mazda Laputa = Whore, prostitute
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Nissan Moco = snot, mucus

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Ford Matador = Ford killer

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Lanborgini Reventón = Blasting tyre

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Kia Borrego = Kia Sheep (stupid)
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Ford Pinto = Phallus (Pinto is very unpolite word.)

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Chevy Nova = Chevy “it do es not go”

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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Honda Fitta = Honda Vagina

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VW Nardo = VW spikenard

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AMC Gremlin

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New products generation ideas

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Fundamentos y Técnicas. 10 ª Ed.
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Concept test

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Product features identification

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Product test

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Assesing product features

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 Focus group design

Moderator might be,

• Accepted
• Sensitive
• Good memory
• Neutral
• Good conductor
• Good listener

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Do women accept him as moderator ?

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Moderator ?

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Moderator ?

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Moderator ?

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 Focus group design

Participants might be
• Encouraged
• Under control.
• Experts or motivated

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 Focus group assesment
Pros Cons

• Speed. • Subjetive.
• Flexibility. • Artificial.
• Empathy. • Parcialidad.
• Dinamyc. • Results are not be
inferable.
• Affordable.

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 Interview

• Concept.
• Clases.
• Process.
• Factors afecting it
• Purposes.

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 Clases

• Structured.
• Partly structured
• In depth.

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 Interview process

• Writen script about the information to be

collected
• Introduction. Explain the purpose of the
interview.
• Interview evolution.
• Avoid straight questions.
• Avoid to be waiting for a particular or definite
answer.
• Avoid sensitive questions.
• Order the questions secuentially from more to
less relevant.
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 Some factors affecting the interview process

• Interview lenght.

• Age of the participant.

• Cultural level.

• Intelligence level.

• Interviewer influence.

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 Interview is extremly useful whenever the
information is …

• Complex.

• Confidential.

• Given by profesionals.

• Focused for questionnaire building.

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 Observation

• Concept.
• Uses.
• Conditions to be used.
• Settings.
• Methods of observation.

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 Reason to use observation methods

• When people do not intend to

collaborate.
• When people are no able to supply
information.
• In case of unconscious beheviour.
• When the researcher affects the
behaviour unless disguised.

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 Conditions

• Facts or behaviors must be public.

• Only repeat behaviour can be
observed.
• Observation must developed within
short periods of time.

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 Settings

• Natural.

• Sceneries.

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 Observation can supply the answer in many cases

• Which way do students go to enter into the class rooms

building?
• What ear ring design wear the Loewe women customers ?
• What snack do people eat in bars ?
• How many car drivers or fasten seat belt ?
• How many cars have upholstery in leather ?
• How many flats have conditioned air ?
• How clean come back to kitchen the dishes in restaurant ?
• How many students are sleeping now in this class room ?

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 Mechanical observatios

• Photoelectric cells
• Transit counters
• Hidden cameras
• Tachitoscope
• Galvanometer
• Eye camera
• Voice pitch analysis
• Brain waves

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 Observation assesment

• Observation do not let to know the consumer

motivations
• Observed behavior could be affected by enviromental
condictions.
• Observation is a static technique
• The perception is up to the observer.
• The observed sample is not a random one.
• Conclusions are no inferable.
• When setting is not familiar strange reactions can
occur.
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 Observation studies in shop - NIELSEN COMPANY.

Key account causal

Monitors the relevant merchandising variables in main
hypermarkets chains. Analyzes,

• Product categories or references.

• Presence of:
• - Display.
• - Boooklets.
• - Bonus pack.
• - Price promotions.
• - Gifts.
• - Multipurchase (3 x 2, 2 x 1…).
• Facings and their lenghts or surface.

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 Price monitor

• Fortnightly controls prices and promotion

practices in the more relevant spanish outlets.

• Presence of brands in the outlet.

• Prices.
• Presence in visible areas.
• Booklets.
• Promotions; price, Bonus Pack, 3x2, Gifts

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 Other observations

• Space monitor. Monthly monitors facings.

• Spacetrack. Links sales with space or

lenght in shelves to study profitability
and productivity.

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 Pseudopurchase

• Concept.

• When to use it.

• How to perform it.

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 Useful for ...

• Measuring service quality.

• Measuring the retailers knowlegde of the products
they sell.
• Measuring skills and habilities of the retailers from
a broad scope.
• Detecting lacks or problems.
• Measuring relailers attitudes.
• Measuring retailers preferences about brands

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 ESOMAR guidelines

• Don´t let the retailer waste time or loose

sales.
• Never identify persons.
• Never damage their image.
• Data collection will be based on short visits,
interviews or rapid purchases.
• Researchers may use telephone.

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 Proyective techniques

• Concepts.
• Types.
• Asociation
• Construction
• Phrase finishing
• Expression or role
playing

• Usefulness.
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Technique Concept Usefulness
• Brand naming
• Product features finding
Call words expontaneouslly
Asociation • Brand positioning
after hearing another one • Imagen measuring

• Propose product uses

• Product features assesment
Construction Build a story based on
• Attitudes towards product
TPT stimuli • To find out affecting consumer behaviour
• To find out consumer motivations

• Measuring attitudes, motivations and consumer

Phrase behaviour
Finish incomplete phrases
finishing • Product usage
• Product features assesment

• Role playing
Expression • Link people with • Measuring, attitudes, images, perceptions
animals or things
 Asociation
Link brands with numbers …

2
1
• Volvo.
• Seat.
• Porsche.
• Mercedes. 3

4
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Construction
Tell your story.

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 Phrase finishing

• Diesel car drivers are ...

• Microwave useres are ...

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 Expression
If the lecturer were a dog he would be …

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Role playing

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 Proyective tecniques assesment

+ -
• Provide information
easily. • Interpretation is
• Participants do not get
subjective.
tired. • Conclusions are
• Participants can not not inferable.
guess the research • Expensive.
purposes.

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