Qualitative Research

At B2B International we have a number of projective tools and techniques that can be used in focus groups, depth interviewing or tele-depths, which enable us to 'get under the skin' of a respondent's answers.

Qualitative research is used as an exploratory tool where the emphasis is on 'understanding' rather than simple measurement. For instance, Advert A might be recalled better than Advert B (quantitative information), but how does A work as an advert and why is it more effective than B?

Much qualitative research is concerned with empathizing with the customer and establishing the meanings or motivations he or she attaches to products, brands and other marketing objects. In the case of attitudes to brands, for example, qualitative research may determine that there is a specific view held about the brand whereas quantitative research would tell us what proportion holds that view.

Quantitative and qualitative research is often complementary and in a research project both may feature. The qualitative element frequently takes place at the front end of the study, exploring values that need measuring in the subsequent quantitative phase. The “qual” research may offer a diagnostic understanding of what is wrong, while the “quant” research provides hard data across different respondent groups that can lead to specific recommendations with measures that can be used as controls to determine the effectiveness of actions.

B2B International has many tried and tested projective techniques that we use in our qualitative research, and which allow us to get to the heart of a subject and overcome any barriers of communication.