McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
CHAPTER 5
Qualitative Research
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To define qualitative research.
3. To learn about focus groups and their tremendous popularity.
5. To learn about other forms of qualitative research.
KEY TERMS
Qualitative research Quantitative research
Focus group Group dynamics
Focus group facility Focus group moderator
Discussion guide Instant analysis
Individual depth interviews Hermeneutic research
CHAPTER SCAN
This chapter discusses the qualitative type of marketing research. Qualitative research describes
research that is not subject to quantification or to quantitative analysis. There has been much
controversy over the choice between qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research
has become popular recently because of its low cost, ability to understand in-depth feelings, and
ability to improve the efficiency of quantitative research. It is limited by its inability to
distinguish small differences in data, by its unrepresentative state, and by a growing number of
unqualified people who claim to be experts in the field.
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1. The Nature of Qualitative Research
I. Research Defined
A. Qualitative Research
B. Quantitative Research
2. The Importance of Focus Groups
I. Focus Groups Defined
A. Focus Groups
B. Group Dynamics
II. Popularity of Focus Groups
III. Conducting Focus Groups
A. Setting
B. Participants
C. Moderator
3. Other Qualitative Methodologies
I. Individual Depth Interviews (IDI)
A. Individual Depth Interviews
B. Cost of Focus Groups versus IDI
C. Using Hermeneutics
D. Using the Delphi Method
II. Projective Tests
A. Word Association
B. Analogies
4. Future of Qualitative Research
5. Summary
CHAPTER SUMMARY
1. NATURE OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
I. Research Defined
1. Giambattista Vico, mid-18th-century historian, is credited with writing that only people can
understand people and they do so through a faculty called intuitive understanding.
B. Quantitative Research–uses mathematical analysis. It could be used to find statistically
significant differences between heavy and light users of a brand of tequila.
II. Qualitative Research versus Quantitative Research
See Exhibit 5.1 Qualitative versus Quantitative Research (p 117)
It summarizes the differences between the two types of research. The basis of this controversy is
D. Complementary use–common for researchers to combine qualitative and quantitative
research into a single study or series of studies.
1. Marketing research is undertaken to increase the effectiveness of decision making
3. Qualitative techniques involve open-ended questioning and probing. The resulting data are
rich, human, subtle, and often very revealing
IV. Limitations of Qualitative Research
A. Drawbacks of Qualitative Research
1. Does not distinguish small differences as well as large-scale quantitative research does
2. THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS GROUPS
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
I. Focus Groups Defined
A. Focus Groups–8 to 12 participants led by a moderator in an in-depth discussion on one
II. Popularity of Focus Groups
A. Focus Groups Are but One Aspect of Qualitative Research–the overwhelming popularity
has overshadowed other qualitative methods
B. How Popular are Focus Groups–majority of marketing research expenditures for qualitative
research is spent on focus groups
1. 750 focus facilities and are directed by over 1,000 moderators
2. 550,000 focus groups and equivalent individual depth interview sessions conducted worldwide
each year.
1. Focus group facility–conference room, with a large one-way mirror built into one wall with
microphones placed in an unobtrusive location. Some research firms offer a living-room setting
as an alternative.
See Exhibit 5.3 A Focus Group in Progress (p 121)
B. Participants
2. Random telephone screening
4. Other focus group recruiters are going to where the target market is to find qualified
respondents
6. Why do people agree to participate in focus groups?
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
a. Money
b. Topic is interesting
See Figure 5.4 Sample of Screening Questions for Identifying Professional Focus Group
Participants (p 123)
C. Moderator
1. Focus group moderator needs two sets of skills
a. Conduct a group properly–skills needed:
2) Acceptance and appreciation for the differences in people
4) Good observation skills
6) Good oral and written communication skills
8) Sound knowledge of the basic principles, foundations, and applications of research,
marketing, and advertising
10) Good attention to detail
a. Rapport–medium that makes research work. Techniques for building rapport:
2) It helps for the moderator to include personal information in the first round of introductions
4) Lighten things up with humor.
b. Good business skills in order to effectively interact with the client–client-focused skills are:
2) To provide the strategic leadership in both the planning and the execution phases of a project
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
4) To have reliability, responsiveness, trustworthiness, independence, and a dogged
determination to remove obstacles
5) To have a personal style that is a comfortable match with the client
See Practicing Marketing Research: Building a Strong Bond with Focus Group Participants (p
124)
1. Smile
3. Turn on the charm
5. Be real
7. Come to complete closure
Discussion Questions:
1. Is it necessary to have rapport in order to have an effective focus group?
2. What other techniques might a moderator use to create rapport?
D. Discussion Guide
See Exhibit 5.5 Decision Analyst, Inc. Discussion Outline Diet Breads (p 127)
2. Discussion goes through three stages
a. Rapport is established
E. Focus Group Length
1. Managers–prefer shorter (around an hour)
2. Average group–90 minutes
a. Longer groups (2 hours or longer)–get more things done in a single session
3. Length is intertwined with a second key factor–number of questions in the discussion guide
See Exhibit 5.6 Response Time per Question per Respondent (p 128)
F. The Client’s Role—the client selects the markets where the groups will be held and specifies
the characteristics of the group respondents. The client should go over not only the discussion
guide with the moderator but the product or service being discussed as well.
G. Focus Group Report
1. Instant analysis–Moderator debriefing, offering a forum for brain storming by the moderator
2) An initial hearing of and reaction to the moderator’s top–of-mind perceptions
3) A heightened awareness and excitement to generate new ideas.
b. Disadvantages of instant analysis
1) Biasing future analysis
3) Recency, selective recall, and other factors associated with limited memory capabilities
2. PowerPoint presentation is usually the formal focus groups report
IV. Focus Group Trends
A. Video Transmission of Focus Groups
1. Live video transmission of focus groups has been used for 20 years.
2. Twenty-two percent of all U.S. focus groups involve video transmissions; users are generally
pleased.
B. Focus Group Panels
Establish a group of about 8 to 12 qualified respondents who agree to participate in a series of
C. Adding Marketing Professionals as Respondents
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
V. Benefits and Drawbacks of Focus Groups
A. Advantages of Focus Groups
2. Offers the opportunity to observe customers or prospects from behind a one-way mirror
1. Immediacy and apparent understandability of focus groups may mislead (tiny sample, may be
atypical)
3. Setting may make participants uncomfortable
5. Some participants may try to dominate discussions while others do not like to speak out in
group settings
See Global Research: Planning Global Focus Groups (p 129)
Consistency is best achieved by building a well-defined research template but still allows each
moderator to adapt the process to fit local culture and individual style. Some simple suggestions:
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
• France – Paris is famous for strikes so check with the recruiter to see if there are any strikes on
the horizon. If a strike is expected, have the recruiter check with each respondent about his or
her ability to get to the facility. Make sure your hotel is within walking distance of the facility.
Discussion questions:
1. Can focus groups be conducted the same all over the world?
2. How might culture impact a focus group?
3. OTHER QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGIES
Individual Depth Interviews
A. Individual Depth Interviews–relatively unstructured one-on-one interview. The interviewer
is thoroughly trained in the skill of probing and eliciting detailed answers
1) Advantages of Depth Interviews
a. Group pressure is eliminated
b. Personal one-on-one situation gives the respondent the feeling of being the focus of attention
c. Respondent attains a heightened state of awareness because he or she has constant interaction
2. Disadvantages of Depth Interviews
a. More expensive than focus groups
3. Determinates of Depth Interviews–proper interpretation–classic applications of depth
interviews include
4. Customer Care Research (CCR)–use depth interviewing to understand the dynamics of the
purchase process–seven question are the basis for CCR
a. What started you on the road to making this purchase?
b. Why did you make this purchase now?
c. What was the hardest part of this process? Was there any point where you got stuck?
d. When and how did you decide the price was acceptable?
e. Is there someone else with whom I should talk to get more of the story behind this purchase?
B. Cost of Focus Groups versus IDI
Average focus group costs $6,000 (8 participants, 1 moderator, 90 minutes, incentives, facility,
write-up). Average in-depth interview costs $400 to $500 (recruiting, interviewing, participant,
30 minutes, reporting). Thus, on a cost/minute basis, IDI is often a greater value.
1) No predetermined questions–questions arise spontaneously as the conversation unfolds
2) Writing an IDI report is quite different from a quantitative report
D. Using the Delphi Method
The Delphi Method is used to inject creativity into new product development. The Greek city of
Delphi was home to the Oracle of Pythia, a woman believed to offer great insight into the future.
The Delphi Method relies on people who are experts in some area (e.g., product development
researchers, marketing managers, MDs, engineers, magazine editors, executives, priests). In the
classical Delphi procedure, the first round is unstructured, in order to allow individual experts
relative freedom to identify and elaborate the pertinent issues from their point of view. These
issues are then consolidated into a structured questionnaire.
This questionnaire is subsequently used to elicit the opinions and judgments of the panel of
The key characteristics of Delphi are anonymity, iteration, feedback, and aggregation of group
responses. The purpose of anonymity is to exclude group interaction, which can cause a number
of problems, such as group conflict and individual dominance. Controlled feedback is presented
back to the panel of experts at the start of the next round. The form of the feedback varies
depending on the topic and, may involve quantitative summaries or the creation of scenarios,
e.g., “How can we create a better customer relationship management (CRM) software that will
enable us to take market share from the two market leaders?”
II. Projective Tests
A. Projective Tests–used to delve below surface response to obtain true feelings, meanings, and
motivations by penetrating a person’s defense mechanisms. They are easy to administer and
often used with open- and closed-ended questions
1) Word association tests–interviewer says a word and the respondent must mention the first
3) Personification – involves drawing a comparison between a product and a person.
4) Sentence and story completion tests–respondents complete sentences or stories in their own
5) Cartoon tests–respondent fills in the dialogue of one of two characters in a cartoon
See Exhibit 5.7 Cartoon Test (p 140)
6) Photo sorts–respondent sort photos of different types of people, identifying those people that
she or he feels would use the specified product or service.
7) Consumer drawings–respondents draw what they are feeling or how they perceive an object.
See Exhibit 5.8 Consumer Drawings That Helped Identify Respondents’ Need for Control
8) Storytelling–respondents are required to tell stories about their experiences with a company
or product
9) Third-person techniques–respondents’ feelings are learned by asking them to answer for a
third party, such as “your neighbor” or “most people”
See Practicing Marketing Research’ Getting Consumers to Tell Their Stories (p 142)
Discussion Questions:
1. When would storytelling be more appropriate than IDIs?
2. Do you think that focus group moderators usually would also be good at conducting
storytelling research? Why?
4. FUTURE OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
1. The criteria employed and the evaluation made in most buying and usage decision has
3. If these tenets remain true, the demand for qualitative applications in marketing research will
continue to exist
5. SUMMARY
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW & CRITICAL THINKING
1. What are the major differences between quantitative and qualitative research?
Qualitative research is performed using small samples. Its findings are not subject to
quantification or quantitative analysis, but are subjectively evaluated. The questions used are
2. What are some of the possible disadvantages of using focus groups?
The immediacy and apparent understandability of focus groups may be misleading. They may be
composed of a small sample that is not representative of the population of interest. The type of
3. Create a story completion test for downloading music from the Internet.
There are scores of Web sites that allow users to download music using the Internet. Some of
these sites are free while others require a subscription and/or payment of a fee which is used to
4. What can the client do to get more out of focus groups?
The client should be totally familiar with the discussion guide before the groups begin. The client
must then decide how to communicate with the moderator during the group session in order to
get any additional questions answered or to clarify a comment. The client should also write down
5. What is the purpose of a projective test? What major factors should be considered in
using a projective technique?
The purpose of projective test is to delve below surface responses to obtain the respondent’s true
feelings, meanings, or motivations. The rationale behind projective tests comes from the
knowledge that people are often reluctant or can’t reveal their deepest feelings. Feelings and
6. Divide the class into groups of four and eight. The groups of four will select a topic below
(or one suggested by your instructor) and create a discussion guide. One of the groups of
eight will then serve as participants in the focus group. The groups should last at least 20
minutes and be observed by the remainder of the class. Suggested topics:
a. new video games
b. buying a hybrid gasoline / electric car
c. student experiences at the student union
d. the quality of existing frozen dinners and snacks and new items that would be desired by
students.
e. How students spend their entertainment dollars and what additional entertainment
opportunities they would like to see offered.
This question asks students to conduct a focus group in class on one of the above topics. It is a
good exercise in planning, conducting, and evaluating a focus group. Results will vary.
7. What are some major issues in conducting international focus groups?
Socio-cultural differences such as the equality or inequality of gender must be addressed. Also,
language must be translated for meaning as well as actually verbiage. Differences in business
8. Take a consumer drawing test – draw a typical Pepsi drinker and a typical Coke
drinker. What do the images suggest about your perceptions of Coke and Pepsi drinkers?
9. Use the metaphor technique to tell a story about going to the supermarket.
This question asks the student to use what was learned in the “Story–telling” section of Other
Qualitative Research Methodologies.
Working the Net
1. Go to http://www.researchconnections.com. Under “Demos” look at the information
available at Virtual Focus Facility. Report your findings to the class.
McDaniel & Gates – Marketing Research, 9th Edition Instructor’s Manual
In another example of the speed of turnover within the on-line community, Research
Connections Inc. (RCI) was purchased by Talk City in December 1999. Research Connections
was a specialist in on-line marketing research with “the Internet’s most advanced tools for online
REAL-LIFE RESEARCH
Case 5.1 – Repositioning Scotland (p 146)
Key Points
• VisitScotland, Scotland’s national tourism agency, commissioned research to determine
consumer wants and current brand perceptions within the three key markets of France,
Germany, and Spain
• Researchers used in-depth, qualitative workshops (focus groups) to uncover unmet tourist
needs such as social engagement/cultural immersion, discovery and learning, and flexibility
and independence.
Questions
1. The rebranding used focus groups and individual depth interviews. What other
qualitative techniques could have been used?
They might have used any of the projective tests (e.g., word association, sentence completion,
photo sorts, personification) to better understand consumers’ existing perceptions, associations,
2. Was the qualitative research done here sufficient to make decisions regarding the
rebranding campaign?
Given the stated success of the campaign, it is difficult to argue otherwise. At the same time,
they might have pursued further the unexpected finding that French, German, and Spanish
3. What else could the researchers have determined if they had done a quantitative study?
Quantitative research could have explored in more detail the generalness of the “insights”
generated by the qualitative research. It could also have provided greater insight on the potential
4. How might one measure the success of the campaign?
Success can be framed in terms of the goals of the campaign. If the goal was to change
perceptions or create new mental associations with Scotland, then replicating the initial
Case 5.2 – Steering Midas in the Right Direction (p 149)
Key Points
1. Midas, Inc. is one of the best-known providers of automotive services, offering brakes,
maintenance, tires, exhaust, steering, and suspension repairs at nearly 2,400 franchised, licensed
2. Enable consumers to do the talking to video cameras in the privacy of their own homes.
4. Three main components of the Midas service model are “greet, explain, and thank”.
Questions
1. We discussed a number of different types of qualitative research in this chapter. What
type of research was conducted by Midas?
2. Could this data have been gathered by other forms of qualitative research? If so, which
ones?
3. How did this form of research facilitate getting “buy–in” from the franchisees?
4. Should quantitative research play a role in the future for Midas? If so, how?