Popular market research techniques like surveys are fantastic for generating masses of data, and they play an incredibly important part in developing meaningful marketing strategies.
However, how do you dig down a little further to generate the kind of more intense, personal insight that can often provide a “light bulb” moment with the potential to ignite a marketing campaign?
Here at Spark, one of our favourite market research techniques that has proved time and again it has the potential to inspire a campaign, and take it in new exciting directions, is the depth or in-depth interview.
A professionally moderated interview feels like a chat between friends. The trick is in knowing when to follow the tangent and when to shut it down. We have conducted thousands of in-depths with everyone from 6-year-olds to 86-year-olds. Once people are made to feel at ease they love to talk, and we love to listen actively to generate the type of insight we are renowned for.
“Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have.” – Jonah Sachs
The depth interview (also known as the in-depth interview) is a highly focused qualitative research technique used to conduct intensive person-to-person interviews. The aim is to focus on a specific product, situation or objective, and gain a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour.
While this all sounds very serious, at Spark we like to try and inject an element of fun into just about any market research technique we use. A relaxed interviewee is usually a more forthcoming one.
Our trained interviewers are experts at delving beneath the surface of superficial responses to uncover and assign meaning to a range of complex attitudes, behaviours and experiences. The focus is on finding out what is happening and why, rather than how many times it has happened.
Depth interviews fall into 3 main formats:
For the budget-conscious, depth interviews may involve fewer participants and can be made to work hard. Of course, the more specific we get in terms of participant and objectives the more impact it has on budget, but we will always spend your money as if it were our own – promise.
A significant part of what we communicate is non-verbal. Not 92% as you may have heard from a social experiment conducted donkeys ago, but it is very high, higher than you might expect. A face-to-face interview brings body language like gestures, voice tone, and facial expression back into focus. As a result, the interviewer gets a much fuller understanding of what it is the respondent is trying to convey. By the way, arms folded? They may be actually comfortable as opposed to “closed off” – context is key.
One of the main advantages of in-depth interviews in research is that they allow the researcher to develop an informal rapport with the participant. This often means that the insight gained is richer and more varied. It allows the interviewer more scope to probe deeper into areas of particular interest and also to redirect the interview when necessary. Often, we sit down for a 60 min chat, and we end up there a lot longer – we like talking and listening to people!
Depth interviews lend themselves to being adapted so that they can be conducted remotely. Modern online communications technology like Zoom, may not present an opportunity to inspire the same levels of trust as a personal interview, but they can still produce meaningful consumer insight. And they are very handy when conducting multi-region depths so a participant in London quickly followed by one in Leeds? Done.
For the depth interview to be a truly successful market research technique, the interviewer must have the right level of training, skills, and experience. It looks like it’s “just a chat” but the trust is there is a lot more taking place. Think about driving a car – it looks like “you’re just driving” but the reality is you have mastered the gears, speed, observation, radio – you make it look easy. Conducting an open-ended interview while at the same time maintaining a structure and sharp focus on the desired outcome, is a special skill.
Results are based on a small sample and are not quantifiable. Analysing them is best undertaken by independent specialists like Spark. Objectivity rather than bias is the key to analysing results, examining new ideas, and producing inspired marketing strategies. For this reason, we often conduct In-depths in a project alongside or before quantitative measurement.
Research shouldn’t be boring. We believe that fun breeds creativity, which in turn, delivers better results. And that’s why collaboration is core to Spark projects. We work in partnership with our clients, creating the insight which turns customer understanding into strategy.
Hilton Foods Ireland wanted to understand the Irish meat buyer’s journey and experiences to re-invigorate the consumer experience. Spark put together a meaty plan that included mealtime diaries to understand …
Learn more about Hilton FoodsSpark is an award-winning market research company with an impressive portfolio of high-profile clients. We employ creative and innovative approaches to secure meaningful consumer insight for our clients.
Sometimes, the most productive marketing campaigns are inspired not just by mass data collection, but by getting out in the real world to meet real people in real environments. Our researchers and interviewers are highly trained and very experienced in doing just that.
We understand the complexities of depth interviews, the potential pitfalls, and how to avoid them. We understand the value of new ideas and innovative approaches, and how to collaborate with our clients to bring results that drive fruitful marketing strategies.
For more insight into how Spark can inspire your marketing strategy and help you build and develop brilliant brands, why not head on over to our blog. Watch out for new additions to this series of posts where we pull apart a different market research technique and explain the Spark way of doing it.
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