To help companies gain truer insight into consumer behavior, marketing communications agency Richardson, Myers & Donofrio (RM&D) has tapped into the field of anthropology to form Context-Based Research Group. Employing proven ethnographic research techniques such as participant observation, photo and video diaries, and structured interviews, Context will enable marketers, product designers and consultants alike to place consumers' interactions with products and services in the proper context and uncover their true needs. RM&D established Context in partnership with two Rutgers University cultural anthropologists.
"When you watch people, you see them doing things they don't think to tell you about when you ask them," says RM&D President Chuck Donofrio. "While traditional research methods like focus groups can still have a role, this marriage of anthropology and business is an innovative approach that promises to fuel innovation and redefine how companies manage their brands, develop products and services, and communicate with their customers."
"Anthropologists are trained in observing people and understanding and interpreting their actions," says Robbie Blinkoff, one of Context's principal anthropologists. "It's a perfect complement to marketers that are keen on matching products and services with consumer needs, and are expert at translating these needs into effective communications."
Guided by two principal anthropologists and an on-staff ethnographer, as well as veteran advertising and marketing executives, Context carries out its research utilizing a proprietary global database of hundreds of trained anthropologists. This database enables Context to execute fieldwork quickly and in multiple geographic areas.
"What we've found is that observational research in people's own environments, combined with analysis by both anthropologists and marketers, provides insight and a richness of information simply not available with traditional methods," Donofrio says. "When we studied the relationship between women and the outdoors, for example, photo diaries helped us uncover several important connections between dogs and women's participation in outdoor activities. This phenomenon -- which one participant termed the "Fellowship of the Big Dog" -- is unlikely to have come across in a focus group or one-on-one interview."
"For the outdoor marketer, this discovery suggests that they would do well to think about the opportunities to reach customers through the activities and products they engage in because of their dogs, even perhaps to the point of co-promotion," Donofrio adds.
Another feature of the Context process is the use of the Internet in a way that enables clients to participate in the research as it progresses. Through a secure web area, clients are encouraged to view – and comment on – the findings as they are posted and updated in real time by the field researchers and project managers. This participatory, reflexive nature enables studies to evolve as information is gathered and understood, allows clients to participate in the sense of discovery and generates meaningful insight even while the research is still under way. |
