How do you drive innovation? Through insights uncovered by new ways of looking at the world. Data, testing, and looking at the middle of the bell curve can only get you so far. So how do you break through the innovation barrier? By working with anthropologists. Anthropology looks at the world, and how it relates to your business, in a different way than traditional methods of business research. It is grounded in the principle that to understand the world; you have to engage with it in an up-close, context-sensitive, experimental way. Customers are complex human beings, and it takes a deep understanding of the social sciences to delve into what drives their behavior, beliefs, and desires. It takes that same deep understanding to translate those insights into actionable strategies and tactics. The result? A stronger, more relevant brand that resonates with your customers. Brands that rise to capture their share of culture become fixtures in the hearts and minds of those customers. This webcast will take you through the basics of what anthropologists can do to grow your business, what to look for when hiring them, and how to harness their skills for your strategic advantage. Join us as our AIPMM Anthropologist, Paula Gray presents Gavin Johnston; a working Business Anthropologist who will share some of his past projects, how he goes about studying a business’ customers and what innovations he has seen resulting from his work and the work of his colleagues.

1. Breakthrough Innovation
Through Anthropology
AIPMM WEBINAR SERIES

2. Our Speaker
Gavin Johnston

3. Introduction
3
Anthropological research has been
used widely by companies such as
Google, Kellogg’s, Microsoft,
Frito Lay, Coca Cola, Pizza Hut,
and others to provide insight into
customers’ true needs and wants.
These insights go far beyond
standard quantitative work like
surveys.
Here’s why…
christina@people-path.com

4. Qualitative Research
4
• Involves an in-depth, inductive
understanding of human behavior.
• Categorizes data into patterns as the
primary basis for organizing and
reporting results.
• The need is for smaller but focused
samples rather than large random
samples.
Qualitative research is one of the two major
approaches to research; the other is
quantitative research, which relies on surveys
and statistics. Qualitative work provides
more:
christina@people-path.com

5. Anthropological Research
5
• Investigates the why, how, what,
where, and when of decision
making. Quantitative research
cannot address “why” and “how,”
yet “why” and “how” provide
the actionable results and the
reasons behind people’s actions.
• Anthropological methods are
the most powerful of the
qualitative techniques.
christina@people-path.com

6. Anthropological Research
6
• Innovation and new ways of thinking:
• Looking at parallel industries
• Putting cultural and shared interactions
• Finding emerging trends in outliers
• Looking at cultures of practice (e.g. engineering culture)
• Uncovering the problem behind the problem:
• Defining the real problem
• Defining the variables
• Identifying cultural trends that are impacting your business
• Putting findings to use
christina@people-path.com

7. Anthropological Research
7
• No one is an island; we are part of
a larger social system that is
complex.
• Culture drives everything we do.
• An interview isn’t enough when
doing good ethnographically
informed research because people
are more than what they tell you.
christina@people-path.com

8. Anthropological Research
8
Why training matters, it’s not just a good idea:
• Cultural theory
• Behavioral observation
• Breadth and depth of techniques
• Methodological and analytical rigor
• Research design
• Efficiency
christina@people-path.com

9. Anthropological Research
9
• Participant observation
• Open-ended interview
• Process mapping
• Mind mapping
• Metaphors and symbol systems
• Proxemics
• Resource cataloging
• Affinity group facilitation
• Linguistic analysis
• Narrative analysis
christina@people-path.com

10. Anthropological Research
10
It is about uncovering meaning…
christina@people-path.com
…inside and outside the store.

11. The Curious Case of Sparks
11
• Shopping is as much about the
experience as it is the product.
• Color, cultural cues, location in the
store.
• Knowing the neighborhood,
knowing the subcultures.
• Proximity to other products.
• Underlying drivers.
christina@people-path.com

12. The Curious Case of Sparks
12
• How do you make it stand out
when all things are basically
equal?
• How do you use brand equity
at the point of sale?
• How do you reflect a larger
strategy?
• How do you reflect the
functional and the symbolic?
christina@people-path.com

13. The Curious Case of Sparks
13
• Pre-party rituals.
• Storage (or the lack thereof).
• Product meaning and how we buy.
• Identity and where people buy.
• Age and shopping behavior.
christina@people-path.com

14. The Curious Case of Sparks
14
• Package design that reflects use.
• Singles vs. six packs.
• Music, drinking and the facilitating
being the center of attention.
• Promotions tied to unstated needs.
• Bodegas and convenience stores.
• Playing up the symbolic purpose of
the product.
christina@people-path.com

15. The Curious Case of Sparks
15
• Partnerships and pairings.
• Relocation in the store.
• Out-of-store promotion.
• Promotions tied to time and out-of-
store patterns of behavior.
christina@people-path.com

16. The Curious Case of Sparks
16
• Influencers and new markets.
• New points of sale.
• Sales increase of 20% year one.
• The dangers of success.
christina@people-path.com

17. Benefits of Anthropological Work…
17
• Avoid costly mistakes by addressing real
needs and wants before you take action.
• Know what the people you serve want before
they do.
• Improve speed to market for products and
services.
• Realize greater innovation potential.
christina@people-path.com

18. Working with You
18
• More than the interview.
• Uncovering the unexpected.
• Not just interesting information, but
actionable findings.
• Research and analysis grounded in
30 years of experience.
• Research grounded in actual social
science training.
Everyone does “ethnography” these days. So
the reasonable question is, how does this
approach differ?
christina@people-path.com

19. christina@people-path.com
ThankYou
Gavin@hingeinnovation.com

20. Upcoming Webinars
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