New markets - new ways: Qual Research in North Africa (page 2 of 2)

This kind of qual research recognizes the value of a consumer-led experience rather than a process-led one ; and can jump-start better understanding in new emergent markets.

Such approaches open the door for more effective NPD (new product development) work, bring more genuine, authentic insights, and are capable of generating the kind of empathetic scenarios on which to build bonding advertising platforms. After all, often in the artificial environment of the group discussion, or even the one-on-one depth interview, consumers have a difficult time articulating what really takes place. Much everyday consumer behaviour happens passively i.e. without a conscious knowledge of what they are doing. Much belongs to the taken-for-granted space of the subconscious - and so genuinely cannot be recalled spontaneously in an interview. Working alongside the consumer as they go about their tasks in daily life brings the researcher the opportunity to observe these habitual behaviours and put them into context.

Increasingly we use these methods to compliment information gained in the more traditional way through group discussions and depth interviews. After all every marketer knows that what people say isn't always what they do or even mean.

In recent studies by TNS in North Africa we have simply spent days with consumers, in their world, on their terms, and immersed ourselves in their lives. And through this, we have uncovered many invaluable insights.

In the new and emergent markets, amongst the lower class and less articulate consumers, those living in remote and rural areas, all such consumers naturally have more difficulty expressing and articulating their feelings or describing behaviour in any kind of detail. Anyone who has traveled to Upper Egypt or rural Morocco will understand this. A wide variety of clients have already benefited from these innovative and tailor made methods to get that extra insight and edge.

We must always be aware of changes in methodology which might be applied in our markets too. These ethnographic approaches and consumer-led experiences are now commonplace in qual research elsewhere in the world. And for good reasons - they have been shown to bring better consumer insight. Just because we are only starting to explore new emergent markets does not mean we should always revert to the traditional and basic ways of qual research. Where more customized, more creative approaches can apply, our field network has the capability to deliver these research opportunities even across these new borders in North Africa.