In today’s marketing world of confined budgets, the costly option of consumer ethnography research may seem a luxury of more prosperous times. However, Ramey has recently conducted two projects in which ethnography provided invaluable insights that averted costly missteps and perhaps disastrous results. Arguably, the “costly” ethnography investment could actually generate a return on investment by reducing mistakes and providing more effective consumer messaging.
Ethnography stems from anthropological practices in which scientists observe behavior in a natural setting, as opposed to a laboratory or controlled environment. Marketers have adapted the practice to observe consumers in their every day life and gain insights into behavior as it relates to product consumption. This method of study provides a rich source of visual data, as opposed to mere statistics, and reveals needs the consumer may be unable to articulate.
Kathy Potts, VP/Director of Account Management at The Ramey Agency
