Qualitative Ethnographic Research Methods and Approaches

Ethnographies have proven to be a very effective research method for understanding how people live their lives. It’s a fundamental practice in qualitative market research (just one of our specialties) and it can seriously help brands better connect with the people who use their products and services everyday.

What You Can Gain From Ethnographic Marketing Research With IIM

By using proven qualitative ethnographic research methods, our approach to non-facility observations allow brands to glean key information about their consumers. Insights in Marketing helps research teams build an ethnographic study backed with decades of in-field experience and an endless supply of creativity. Find out more about our one-of-a-kind approach to qualitative ethnographic research.

Lifestyle Immersion

IIM brings ethnographic marketing research to life through lifestyle immersion. How? Well, to start, we set the stage for research with a lifestyle event, such as a family gathering or a party. Then we give researchers an uninterrupted view of their consumer audience’s attitudes and behaviors. This creates an environment in which participants can be themselves and companies can get to know the people that make up their target audience.

Friendship Networks

No one wants to conduct qualitative observation studies in a stuffy setting — that goes for both participants and researchers. IIM’s ingenious friendship network approach to qualitative ethnographic research creates a comfortable environment in which participants are able to hold a natural dialogue between friends to produce more candid insight.

In-Home Videos

In-home videos are another fundamental of ethnographic research in marketing. Where Insights in Marketing can make a difference is the ability to catch all of those unseen moments and consumer commentary on user behavior with task interruption. This approach not only uncovers more natural behaviors, it also enables researchers partnering with IIM to glance into “cupboards”, so to speak, and ask more probing questions.

What Type of Study Benefits from Ethnographic Research?

Whether it is for ad campaign development and testing, new product development, or website development, ethnographic research in marketing locks into the subtle motives and attitudes that shape product and package testing, attitudes and usage research, and more. Ethnographic approaches are ideal for:

  • Understanding your target’s needs, wants and desires
  • Uncovering consumer attitudes and behavior
  • Product and package testing (short and long-term use)
  • Ad campaign development and testing
  • New product development
  • Website development

When it comes to ethnographic research methods, we never stray too far from what works – but, of course, we always find a way to put our creative spin on classic research methodology!