Ethnography in Market Research

An article in the Globe and Mail nails down the power of Ethnography as a popular topic in market research.  Ethnography is the recording and study of human culture.  However, in the research world it is used, often incorrectly, to describe all kinds of qualitative research.

The column quotes a Marshall Professor who claims it is much more than traditional research, saying ethnography must be more observational, comparative and must use a “cultural frame to provide a deep ‘insider’s point of view.’”

The article follows a case study of a distiller with an ethnographic study of male millennials in the suburbs, their target market.  Previous research attempts had failed to find anything meaningful about the market.  After discussing the limits of previous research the column explains that by focusing on the human behaviour of the target audience and “not on product attributes,” they found “insights on social interactions, norms, (and) habits” that a survey or focus groups would never have revealed.

This approach uncovered a “place” for the product in the lives of those young males.

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