Market Research: A deeper look at everyday life

Nick Black: Vice-President of Strategic Insight Web: http://www.concertomarketing.com Blog: http://nickblackonblack.blogspot.com Market Research A deeper look at everyday life and morphological research

Everyday life isn't grey PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris247/30083980

or black and white PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris247/30083980

everyday life is full of color PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris247/30083980

and contradiction PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aheram/283162678

Addiction & control

Freedom & support

Below the surface of everyday life, PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coxsj/3478358941

exist the motivations behind everyday behaviour PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodama/414470215

Unconscious motivations, that can represent up to 95% of thought according to cognitive science 1

"The world has changed, but our methods for understanding consumers have not. We keep relying on familiar but ineffective research techniques and consequently misread consumer’s actions and thoughts.” Prof. Gerald Zaltman (2003) Harvard Business School

We used to believe that human motivations could be neatly split apart

Emotional / Rational PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/civisi/2611679744

We used to believe that human thought was mainly logical and linear 1 2 3 4

Think Feel Do Attribute Benefit Emotion

But science has shown that rational and emotional thoughts are deeply intertwined cannot be separated 2 and

PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/moxups/324949318 And that our mind works holistically like a concert of thought 3

So how can we better understand this concert of mental motivation ?

“ Everyday life treats the everyday ; this is why everyday actions are so dramatic…We cannot understand [these] mental and emotional events if we look only at logical and rational interconnections .” Prof. Wilhelm Salber (2001) University of Cologne

There are many ways to understand customer & consumer motivations

PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/practicalowl/349046546 Anthropology Ethnography Psychology Sociology Morphology?

Morphological psychology was developed by Professor Wilhelm Salber, from the University of Cologne. It’s based on three psychological tensions that drive everyday human behaviour 4 Morphological research is the practical application of this psychological theory 5

Through morphological research we can uncover motivational tensions that drive everyday human behaviour Acquisition Transformation Impact Structure Growth / Ideals Support / Limits

PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hober/482319781 “ I pay all my bills with the grey visa . It’s a good card for decision making, it makes me feel like I’m managing it all.” Hard & bold Serious & adult PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet/2939194490

“ I have a pink shopping card . No seriously, look!! Whenever I’m out shopping, or having fun, I use my pink card.” Soft & frivolous (pink) Can’t hurt (cut corner)

Through morphological research we’ve found that people use products, services & brands to deal with these motivational tensions PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/genkigecko/3104310584

“ I’m tired but I’m not quite sleepy yet. I cant be bothered reading, so I put on a DVD I’ve seen before , settle in, then fall asleep on the couch.” Unwinding Known stories PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7930204@N04/2104911740

“ I like being totally immersed in the DVD …I always have the volume up pretty loud, if the walls aren’t shaking it’s not working.” Thrill seeking New stories PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lintmachine/2356584947

Through morphological research we can build models of human motivation ,

that explain behaviour in everyday life PHOTO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodama/414470215

References 1:

Lakoff, G., Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the Flesh: The embodied Mind and Its Challenges to Western Thought , New York: Basic Books.

Zaltman, G. (2003). How customers think: Essential insights into the mind of the market, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

References 2:

Damasio, A. (2005). Descartes’ Error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain , New York: Penguin Books.

Zaltman, G. (2003). How customers think: Essential insights into the mind of the market, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

References 3:

Damasio, A. (2000). The Feeling of What Happens: Body and emotion in the making of consciousness , New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

References 4:

Salber, W. (1989). Der Alltag ist nicht grau. Bonn: Bouvier.

Salber, W. (2001). The Everyday Cure: Everyday Life and Therapy. In W. Schirmacher, & S. Nebelung (Eds), German essays on psychology (pp. 272-308). London: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Salber, W. (2007). WirkungsEinheiten. 3rd ed. Bonn: Bouveir.

References 5:

Frank, D., Riedl, P. (2004). Theoretical Foundations of Contemporary Qualitative Market Research. Forum: Qualitative Social Research , 5(2), Art. 30.

Kühn, T. (2005). Qualitative Forschung: ein Nibelungenschatz, den es zu bergen gilt. Tagungsbericht. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(3), Art. 5.

Ziems, D. (2004). The Morphological Approach for Unconscious Consumer Motivation Research. Journal of Advertising Research , 44, pp. 210-215.

Nick Black: Vice-President of Strategic Insight Web: http://www.concertomarketing.com Blog: http://nickblackonblack.blogspot.com Market Research A deeper look at everyday life and morphological research