Volume 18, Number 4 Article by Manu Parashar December, 2006
Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion : Hy Mariampolski, 2006, Sage Publications, pp 252, Price: $34.95. :
Van Maanen1 describes ethnographies as ‘documents that pose questions at the margins between two cultures, they necessarily decode one culture while recoding it for another’. Ethnographic studies had their origin in anthropology and later extended to sociology. They have then been extended to the study of organisations which are essentially social units. This book looks at a specific application of this method. Market research has seen increasing application of this technique, suitably modified to match its needs, in the past couple of decades, especially when it comes to exploratory research or generation of new insights and ideas. Ethnographies in market research have been happening for a long time without being named as such. There are several related methods such as participant-observer studies, unobtrusive observation, phenomenology and hermeneutics that can be loosely classified as part of ethnography.
The book is clearly targeted at an audience comprising market research professionals who want to expand their repertoire of research methods, people working in research agencies, consultancies and client organisations. As a result it has a practical ‘how to’ approach rather than a theoretical bent.
The book is divided into four sections. The first section titled ‘Background’ builds a case for ethnography. The role of ethnography would be in areas where exploration rather than validation is required. While large scale quantitative surveys are good for testing pre-developed hypothesis, they are usually found wanting when it comes to uncovering new insights and new ideas. Ethnography fills this gap. The author develops a strong case for deploying ethnography for a range of applications including new product discovery, corporate culture, regional subcultures and the retail environment. The second section, on project management, is quite detailed and is like a handbook on project execution. A variety of studies are discussed that can occur in private or public settings. Observed product usage, structured product usage, cultural studies, day in the life studies etc are enumerated as examples of ethnographic studies that can be done. The dimensions used are task driven-open ended and public-private. The rest of the section gets down to the brass tacks of planning an ethnographic study from design issues to respondent recruitment and logistics in the field.
The third section of the book is about conducting site visits, and provides a good mix of issues that confront ethnography and practical tips on conducting site visits. Ethnographic study is based on understanding a social group culturally. This is the overriding objective that this method pursues. Context is of great importance and its role is not sought to be minimised. This section stresses the need to deal with ethical issues on invasion of privacy and disclosure of information. It also deals with issues like collecting data. Today data can be recorded in multiple ways from old fashioned field notebooks to video cameras. Each brings its own issues and benefits. The role of the respondent is key to an ethnographic exercise, and it is necessary to make the respondent feel comfortable and motivated enough to let the researcher get a glimpse of his\her life. Reflexivity is an attribute that the researcher needs to possess to be successful at deploying this method. The last section is on analysis and presentation. The interpretation of data collected during an ethnographic study is of probably the greatest importance. The researcher is a part of the data collected and may never be able to view it completely objectively. Hence triangulation techniques become important. In market research, where the findings have to have a material impact on the client rather than being just of academic interest, imaginative interpretations may be called for to generate insights that are extendable in the marketplace.
Market research is dominated by quantitative methods that generate the hard numbers required to back decisions. Organisations are usually uncomfortable with research output that is not based on large sample size and hard numbers. However, deep consumer knowledge coupled with technical expertise is required for any breakthrough innovation, and large scale consumer surveys very seldom uncover insights or emerging consumer trends. There has been a dearth of techniques to uncover deep and unique consumer insights, leading to large organisations groping for input material to fuel innovation. Ethnography fills the gap. This book establishes the rigour behind ethnography in its own context. The author’s considerable field experience in doing ethnographic market research comes through in the comprehensiveness with which the subject matter has been dealt with. Apart from providing the theoretical basis for ethnography, this is also a great handbook for designing an ethnographic study. Sections are logically laid out and if followed a fairly rigorous study can be conducted.
The one danger that such application of ethnography poses is that its original purpose could be diluted. Ethnography is about decoding cultures. What the author describes as ethnography in this book is already a truncated version of ethnography. Once the nature of the study becomes task focused rather than open ended the focus on context reduces. In understanding cultures context is very important. No insight can be completely context free. Learning about context itself could constitute a source of competitive advantage. The other area where ethnography could suffer is in conservative interpretations forced by corporate exigencies. The method could then go the way of the focus group where it gets used for a range of issues without caring enough about what it is best suited for.
Overall, the book is excellent in its coverage of both the reasons behind the need to use ethnography and the ‘how to’ of the ethnographic process. Professionals with some prior exposure may find the very detailed treatment a bit tedious. On the other hand people being exposed to this method for the first time will appreciate the comprehensiveness of the book. It might even make a good text book for an introductory course in qualitative market research.
References
1. Van Maanen, J, 1988. Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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