“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”- Albert Einstein (1879-1955).
Most of the really big inventions, creations, paradigm shifting ideas, etc, were not the result of overnight answering questions. It is also true that there have been many new products and ideas that did very well in research and then bombed afterwards and vice versa. Research is merely a tool. Just like any tool it can be marvelously effective or horribly wrong depending on how it is used and the intent behind it.
Also just like any tool it works within a system. This system comprises individual human minds interacting with each other and the world around them in myriad ways. Others however are driven by factors that lie far deeper and are much more complex. Within each of us there are conflicting imperatives, needs and desires. Different categories create different interactions amongst these.
Research helps you understand what people say they think about something. If you use research properly, it understands how people deal with the contradictions of life and how they in brands to resolve these contradictions or challenges then insightful analysis research can be a blessing. However the basis for research sometimes lies elsewhere and that can be a problem. There are four major errors that often happen in research:
1. Key objective: One key objective is for a particular piece of research or there are multiple reasons.
2. The methodology.
3. Focus.
4. Research itself.
The research is being done either to pass judgment or protect or demolish a project in other words the research is motivated. Sometimes the most revealing information comes from pure observation and not intrusive questioning. Often responses when understood against a larger social context become far more meaningful.
So if you asked most people how important safety is when buying a car they are most likely to give it a fairly high rating. We are fascinated by the excitement of new technologies, we are excited by all the opportunities and options that increasing incomes are beginning to allow us. We are, not surprisingly, one of the most optimistic countries on earth. So we seek things that excite us. Every piece of research is like a precision component in a highly complex organic machine. It cannot describe the machine itself and if viewed in isolation it could be very confusing at the very least. Research resolves around the four deficiencies are factored in. Understand what people really seek from the category and your brand. Understand what role it plays in their lives. Define very sharply what it is that you seek from the research that you intend to do. Do not get people to judge your concepts, communication or positioning.
Don’t interpret the findings in isolation. Set them against what you understand is happening around you what the category dynamics are, where your brand is at and most of all what the research expert’s experience has been when addressing similar categories or talking to similar people. Research is very helpful and in most cases can play a critical role and ignoring it is truly dangerous.