Ethnographic Research Tactics that Helped General Mills Launch a Wildly Popular New Product

What if you could understand every thought and decision that goes
into whether consumers purchase your product or not?

Unfortunately, both focus groups and consumer feedback can be
artificial in nature, and neither can completely reveal the
reality of how products and services are purchased and used.

That’s where ethnographic consumer shopping research becomes an
excellent tool. We contacted Ken Erickson, PhD., President of
Ethnographic Research, Inc., for a quick guide:

First off, Erickson says you need to know how ethnographic
research is different from traditional research.

In traditional focus groups people are placed in a sterilized
environment and asked predetermined questions to find out how
they use a product. By it’s very nature, a focus group
interferes with complete honesty from the consumer by placing
them in an artificial setting.

Instead ethnographic research occurs at the point of purchase and
then the point of use.

The research process begins in a supermarket or grocery store at
the point of decision. That’s when the researcher can ask for an
honest opinion about the product without revealing the nature of
his or her curiosity. Then, if the consumer seems willing to
share information, the researcher can pursue deeper conversation
at the point of use - usually the consumer's home.

This is called following the product itinerary, and Erickson says
that as long as researchers are honest about what they’re doing,
they usually don’t find it too difficult to find consumers
willing to cooperate.

Example: General Mills

General Mills wanted to learn how breakfast time was
changing for American consumers. So, the company sent
ethnographic researchers into the people’s homes during
breakfast time, to learn what their needs were.

The result is the wildly popular product, Gogurt—yogurt in a
tube that can be eaten on the run without making a mess.
The product is so popular that in just over two years
General Mills has captured 7% of the $2 billion yogurt
market and is expanding the product line.

Ethnographers realize that while one person might do the
purchasing within a household, usually there is more than one
person involved in the decision making process. By getting into
the living room or kitchen, and interacting with the family, an
ethnographer can learn more about the context in which the
decision to buy is made, as well as the context in which the
product is used.

Erickson points out that knowing which questions to ask is
important. It’s not enough ask the consumer why they buy a
product. Using techniques that anthropologists use,
ethnographers observe the environment and delve into the
psychology about why a product is used.

Successful ethnographic research studies rely on two factors:

Factor #1: Sample accuracy

Is the sample you’re using accurate? Erickson says, “The sample
you know is sometimes better than the sample you don’t know.”
Meaning that targeting a particular consumer-type that you
already have some knowledge about is better than simply taking a
random sample of all the people that have used your product.

Factor #2: Putting collected data to use

What to do with all of the data that is collected? This gets
tricky, because mountains of information are gathered and
recorded on videotape. Erickson says that unless you’re trained
to understand what you’re looking for, the information can be
overwhelming.

Conclusions should be drawn about how consumers thought patterns
and daily habits influence certain decisions not only from
conversations, but also from external environment factors, such
as the amount of a product that has been used compared to the
amount of another product in the same category.

Finally, Erickson points out that once data is turned into usable
knowledge, it’s then sometimes difficult to get the group or
department that could make the most use of that information to
actually do that. Often, manufacturing groups find the
information interesting, but the changes it suggests too
overwhelming to make.

At that point, you might consider a second ethnographic research
project -- this one within your own company to learn how your
internal customers currently use the data you produce, and what
would make data more useful for them.

Want to meet Erickson in person? He’ll be speaking at IIR’s
“Hands on Ethnography” conference, January 13 - 14 2003, at the
Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Info at:
http://www.iir-usa.com/ethnography