in-person immersion

Exploratory research from a fresh perspective.

The best way—sometimes the only way—to get to the heart of what people are about is to go out and immerse yourself in their lives. Perhaps sit down around a table and hash things out. Perhaps go see what cooking dinner looks like at the end of real work days, in real kitchens, with real hungry kids and a dog who hasn’t been walked.

We have been conducting qualitative research since day one— tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of focus groups, and who knows how many one-on-ones and ethnographies? But that only scratches the surface.

How about a day at a zoo with a bunch of kids for bringing your team up to speed on how they interact? Would watching someone shop from the point of view of a video camera mounted on their glasses help clarify what they’re seeing on the shelf? Maybe your team could begin to get up to speed on the fast-growing Hispanic market by spending a day touring a Hispanic neighborhood with stops at some neighborhood businesses and a few households?

Recommended for | state-of-the-marketplace, competitive landscape, consumer profiling, concept optimization, message development, brand identity + equity assessment, needs assessment, all segments