Quality market research relies on gaining authentic insights into how your target audience truly feels about a brand or product. While quantitative techniques such as surveys can be a great source of data, they don’t always give respondents the ability to express how they truly feel. Creative market research can be a great way to encourage an open discourse and prompt more genuine or specific reactions that can lead to deeper insights.
How to Use Creative Research in Discussions
Brand Personification
Brand personification is a creative market research technique in which you encourage respondents to think about a brand as if it were a real person. You would ask them to imagine how the brand would think, feel, or behave in a specific scenario.
For instance, say you wanted to learn how consumers feel about acne brands. You might ask them to imagine Neutrogena and Clearasil as two different people hosting a party. You would then ask them questions about each party, such as:
- Who are they inviting to the party?
- What kind of party is it?
- What kind of music is playing?
- What kind of food is being served?
- What types of cars are the guests driving?
Respondents may not answer every question, but this can be an effective way to understand the general perception of a brand.
Image Selection
Image selection is another powerful creative market research method that allows respondents to choose from an array of images to express their feelings.
Say you were doing research for a brand of cat litter. You might ask participants how they felt about having to clean it up. Provide them with a collage of images that evoke different feelings, such as clean and refreshing or smelly and dirty, and ask which photo best reflects their experience.
Depending on which image or set of images they choose, you can determine whether the experience was positive or negative. You can also use it as a way to get them talking about why they chose a particular image and what emotions influenced their response.
The Blob Tree Method
The Blob Tree Method is an additional technique that combines aspects of both personification and image selection to unearth even deeper insights. Developed by psychologist Pip Wilson, the methodology uses a visual representation of a tree supporting blob-like figures engaging in various tasks that represent different feelings and emotions.
Participants are then asked to choose which figure best reflects their feelings or how they view a brand. The Blob Tree method is used across many fields of psychology and marketing as it uncovers the deeper, more complex emotions participants feel but may have trouble articulating with words alone.
How Creative Exercises Can Strengthen Your Research
- Deeper insights into emotional motivations: According to a Gallup Poll on customer brand preferences and buying decisions, 70% of decisions are based on emotion, while 30% are based on rational factors. Creative market research can help unpack some of those emotional cues that influence customer behavior.
- Increased engagement among participants: Creative techniques can also make the research process more fun and engaging for participants, encouraging them to put more energy into the discussion. As a result, it can often lead to more detailed and complex responses that can strengthen your data.
- Flexible applications: You can use creative techniques in whatever way you see fit to help supplement your current research methods, whether it’s a simple icebreaker or a full workshop.
When to Use Creative Market Research Methods
How you choose to implement these creative exercises into your discussions largely depends on your research goals. In some cases, it may make sense to begin with a creative exercise to loosen things up and get people talking.
In other instances, it may be best to take care of the more rational questions first before diving into the creative techniques. You might also decide to sprinkle the creative exercises in between more logical discussions to keep participants engaged throughout the process.
Creative exercises are a great way to discover how consumers truly feel about a brand, not just what they think about it. Quantitative methods are equally important and remain an essential part of the research process. However, strategically balancing these different methods in your discussions can lead to deeper insights into the full range of emotions that influence customer decisions.
Enrich Your Market Research Strategy
Successfully implementing creative exercises into your research methods requires skill and careful planning. At New Perspectives, our expert market researchers are committed to helping businesses unlock deeper consumer insights using creative techniques.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you better understand your customers.
