Where the object is the subject

Objectivity in consumer research helps maintain impartiality, relying on facts and data. Subjectivity, on the other hand, considers personal experiences and feelings. Both are crucial: objectivity ensures reliability, while subjectivity captures the nuanced human perspective, providing a holistic understanding of consumer behaviour. Balancing both enhances the effectiveness of consumer research.

Qualitative research involves exploring and understanding underlying motivations, attitudes, and behaviours through non-numeric data such as interviews, focus groups, and observations. It provides in-depth insights, allowing researchers to uncover complex patterns and subjective experiences, complementing the quantitative aspects of research for a comprehensive understanding.

Consumer research behaviours encompass the actions individuals take when seeking information, evaluating products, and making purchasing decisions. These behaviours are influenced by factors like personal preferences, social influences, and marketing stimuli. Studying these behaviours helps businesses tailor strategies to meet consumer needs and expectations.

But do we see, listen and observe well? Do we genuinely get into consumer shoes? Do we cultivate empathy? Is there an immersion?

We may have our eyes open but be blind to what we see. We may never codify whatever is the research equivalent of reading between the lines but we can describe the pro empathy research mindset I call amplifier mindset and reductionist, fit to stereotypes modality which is the Attenuation mindset

I am aware of the impossibility of research neutrality. We all come with predispositions that either amplify or diminish/attenuate our reading of the subject/situation.

It has been my observation that more often, in one way or another, more folks end up acting like attenuators.

The 5-10 seconds when you first meet someone: You check out their look, and you immediately start making judgments about them.

We make some generalisations and riff on the cultural trends.

Making generalisations about groups is important. It is a core skill in consumer marketing. But at this stage, I feel the clustering exercise has known boundaries. It’s a great start but by no means the end. I want to see people deeply, one by one. The collective shapes the individual and the individual shapes the collective.

So what’s the big deal about seeing things as they are? You’d think it ought to be easy. Open your eyes, focus, and see.

Alas it is not so. We have biases and inborn shortcuts that prevent us from seeing, perceiving and remembering well.

The tendency to do an instant, snap judgement is just one of the attenuations. This is deep coded into our brains from our evolutionary past.

Here are a few others:

People are self-centered, task focused or plain busy to try genuine external orientation. Such a person cannot see you because he is just into himself. My opinion, my experience, my frame of reference. I, me, myself. They don’t want to step outside of their mind world. Being curious about others needs you to be less besotted with yourself.

The multiple inputs coming in can get scrambled. Urgency, anxiety and biases can defeat open communication. If your mind is buzzing, you will not hear the voice of an individual. Noise will defeat the weaker messages.

We hear only what consumers speak out loud. This leads to the perception that they aren’t interested. The deeper, more nuanced, more fundamental pieces are often not known to researchers. It’s seductive and superficially logical to think that other people have lesser motivations and lesser minds.

This is what market researchers, pollsters, and academicians often do. They adopt a plain, detached, boring, and objective stance. But you know - for your own lives-that parts that matter the most in making the person you are her unique subjective—confidence, tenacity, imagination, emotions, creativity, intuitions, ethics and faith. This is very much the inner world. And we rarely wear it on our sleeve.

A human life is far more astounding and story like than any of the generalisations we make about a group.

If you want to understand humanity, you have to focus on the human.

There’s a natural human tendency to make generalisations about them: the Indians are good at Math, Chinese are thrifty, Americans love life King size. These generalisations occasionally have some basis in reality. But they are all false to some degree.

Reductionists don’t recognize or celebrate complexity. They are quick to use stereotypes to categorize vast swaths of people. Theirs is the belief that certain groups actually have a core and immutable nature.

They imagine that people in one group are more alike than they really are. They imagine that people in other groups are more different from “us” than they really are. Reductionists do stacking by learning one thing about a person, then making a whole series of further assumptions about that person.

If this person supported Donald Trump, then this person must also be like this and do that.

People change and social norms change. Often, the change is profound. So to understand you I need to meet who you really are.

I have elaborated on these areas to emphasize that seeing another person well is the hardest of all hard problems. Each person is a deep mystery, and you have only an outside view of who they are. “Research is formalized curiosity, it is poking and prying with a purpose.” Said Zora Neale Hurston. Seeing another person well is even harder than taking a CT scan. You won’t do that without being trained. So, experience and training matters. I was lucky to be at HLL in my formative years and even as a management training there was strong emphasis on market research and visiting consumer homes. I remember doing three research pieces: a roll on deodorant, herbs infused tea and a market assesment for a yogurt based drink for Egypt. Then, on the job almost every day there was some research briefed, decoded and discussed.

We’ll do well to think of empathy as the key to not only research but relationships. Else, we will lead our lives walking blind in ignorance, enmeshed in relationships of mutual blindness. This ignorance pervades other relationships based on understanding as well. So, husbands and wives, parents and children, colleagues at work, neighbours in a community and so on.

I believe the Japanese have worked out the best micro observation methodologies.

Gemba is a Japanese term that translates to "the real place" or "the actual place." In business and manufacturing contexts, it often refers to the location where value is created, such as a factory floor or workspace. The concept emphasizes the importance of direct observation and understanding of processes in their actual environment to improve efficiency and solve problems.

Gemba behaviours involve actions and practices associated with the principle of "gemba" or observing the actual workplace. Key behaviours include:

Observation: Actively watching and understanding processes in the real work environment.

Engagement: Direct involvement with the work being done, interacting with workers and understanding their experiences.

Problem-Solving: Identifying and addressing issues on the spot, promoting continuous improvement.

Collaboration: Encouraging teamwork and communication to enhance overall efficiency and quality.

Data Collection: Gathering relevant information from the actual work site to inform decision-making.

Incorporating these behaviours supports a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

A marketer has a triple responsibility to see well: see for oneself as an individual, see for the brand you manage and see as a social influencer.

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- David Ogilvy