The Qualitative-Quantitative Divide

MRIA Ottawa held a fascinating panel discussion on qualitative-quantitative research approaches. The discussion explored combined focus group and survey methodology but touched only lightly on other methods of marketing research.

In my view the following merit consideration:

• Marketing research is not merely doing focus groups and surveys. It includes the full gamut of research activities that contribute to better decision-making: from literature reviews to know what is already known, to web reviews to find out what others are doing and how, to communications audits and semiotic analysis, to customer data mining/behaviour modelling, to competitive branding assessments.
• Opinion bias comes from ones own experience. A Survey house invariably discusses the marketing research business based on what they are so very good at. Other practitioners who offer another range of services will have a point of view that is informed by that. As a consultant I am not tied to a call centre or focus group facilities and I do not need to achieve any particular scale to amortize my hardware or infrastructure investments. I am free to build research methodologies to any budget and I can make sure that better information is used to make decisions.
• Computers count, people measure. I heard this at a recent Third Tuesday meeting and was struck by how much it resonated with the audience. Technology is simply a tool, decisions are made by people supported by tools. As a researcher part of my job is to interpret data points relative to a business decision. That requires me to know enough about my clients' business - without that I am liable to misinterpret data points and my recommendations may or may not be all that relevant. 
• Budget is important but it's not everything. I can use research methods that fit nearly any budget and improve the situation. A marketing/communications materials audit may take as little as 1 or 2 days and can result in major transformative decisions that improve effective communications. An intelligent review of web traffic statistics can reveal important insights to improve a web site.
• There is no qualitative-quantitative divide. What we call research (primary or secondary, qualitative or quantitative, statistically valid and reliable or directional), is not all that important. What is important is to choose the most effective methods possible within time and budget constraints that allow for a better decision.