“Do As I Do, Not As I say": Why Advanced Implicit Methods are the Future of Market Research
By Faith James
April 2, 2012
The “Do as I say not as I do” paradigm may work for Moms and their kids, but when it comes to consumers and marketers, the exact opposite holds true. Marketers should in fact, follow what consumers do rather than what they say.
“I never gorge on ice cream.”
In the behavioral science community we have long known that self-reported data, whether it be about behavior, preference, or attitudes, are limited in their ability to meaningfully impact business and marketing strategies. The main reason is based on a human truth that most people either can’t say what they are really thinking/feeling because they can’t correctly articulate their sentiments or, even more problematic, that they actually won’t say what they are thinking/feeling as a self-preservation tactic, if they deemed their responses might cause them to be judged negatively (e.g. Do you gorge yourself on ice cream? Do you throw litter in the public parks? Have you ever cheated on a spouse? Have you ever worn a dress and then returned it to the store?)
So if we can’t solely rely on self-reported data where does that leave us? It actually leads us to a host of advance methods found in the behavioral science literature that, for several decades, have detailed proven implicit methods that further the understanding of human behavior and their latent sentiments and tendencies.
And yet, given this rich reservoir of knowledge, most brands and marketers have yet to fully take advantage of these methods, primarily because most implicit findings – stop at findings. Marketers look for proof of concept, ROI and metrics before they implement their strategies and tactics and most market research firms have yet to build a knowledge base to help marketers actually quantify these implicit findings.
At Sentient, we understand this basic need and have developed several advanced implicit methods and products to help marketers move with confidence that they can quantify emotions – as we like to say at Sentient “Quantifying the Gut Feeling.”
One of those products that does just that is the Sentient Product Pulse Study, which was recognized as a BEST of ESOMAR Case Study in Barcelona, 2010 where our market success forecasts accounted for 94% of actual in-market sales performance across the product suite for a major retailer. Our implicit method tested both the buyer judgment on inventory selection, as well as self-reported data from consumers on what they would buy. It is a tried and proven methodology that can help marketers not only understand consumer sentiment but actually predicts product performance and impact in-market sales. We will be presenting this Paper in Boston, on May 22nd at the Best of ESOMAR event. For more information on the event and/or for a copy of our Sentient Product Pulse Best of ESOMAR white paper –email me at fjames@sentientdecisionscience.com
“I never gorge on ice cream.”
In the behavioral science community we have long known that self-reported data, whether it be about behavior, preference, or attitudes, are limited in their ability to meaningfully impact business and marketing strategies. The main reason is based on a human truth that most people either can’t say what they are really thinking/feeling because they can’t correctly articulate their sentiments or, even more problematic, that they actually won’t say what they are thinking/feeling as a self-preservation tactic, if they deemed their responses might cause them to be judged negatively (e.g. Do you gorge yourself on ice cream? Do you throw litter in the public parks? Have you ever cheated on a spouse? Have you ever worn a dress and then returned it to the store?)
So if we can’t solely rely on self-reported data where does that leave us? It actually leads us to a host of advance methods found in the behavioral science literature that, for several decades, have detailed proven implicit methods that further the understanding of human behavior and their latent sentiments and tendencies.
And yet, given this rich reservoir of knowledge, most brands and marketers have yet to fully take advantage of these methods, primarily because most implicit findings – stop at findings. Marketers look for proof of concept, ROI and metrics before they implement their strategies and tactics and most market research firms have yet to build a knowledge base to help marketers actually quantify these implicit findings.
At Sentient, we understand this basic need and have developed several advanced implicit methods and products to help marketers move with confidence that they can quantify emotions – as we like to say at Sentient “Quantifying the Gut Feeling.”
One of those products that does just that is the Sentient Product Pulse Study, which was recognized as a BEST of ESOMAR Case Study in Barcelona, 2010 where our market success forecasts accounted for 94% of actual in-market sales performance across the product suite for a major retailer. Our implicit method tested both the buyer judgment on inventory selection, as well as self-reported data from consumers on what they would buy. It is a tried and proven methodology that can help marketers not only understand consumer sentiment but actually predicts product performance and impact in-market sales. We will be presenting this Paper in Boston, on May 22nd at the Best of ESOMAR event. For more information on the event and/or for a copy of our Sentient Product Pulse Best of ESOMAR white paper –email me at fjames@sentientdecisionscience.com
