Five people sit down to discuss the results of a focus group. Two being the ideas behind a new product that has not yet gone to market, three being department heads of brashCreative, The Art Institute of Portland’s student-run advertising agency.
As the students run through the research breakdown offering their own input and advice it was remarkable how easy it was to read the thoughts of the client. The majority of the conversation focused around the functional requirements of the new product. Every time a new idea or insight came up it was evident in the client’s face that the wheels were turning inside his head. It was actually quite amazing to see how fast he was thinking of how to develop a product that featured some of the suggestions taken from the focus group.
Inspiration was strong among this group. Everyone was building off each other’s ideas. It left us all with a great feeling; a feeling that things were starting to take shape and that this pet project was going to turn into a reality.
I have never been one who enjoyed the process of market research because of its daunting demand for patience, but after this meeting, I have a new desire to explore different research techniques. Ethnographic Research is the method I will begin to explore more thoroughly. Ethnographic research uses fieldwork to understand cultural societies.
The idea of understanding the target audience is important, actually crucial to any marketing/design project. I now have a more dimensional view of market research because I saw exactly how excited the client got when they realized the potential for their product in the eyes of the consumer.
Tags: account planning, advertising, BrashCreative, client, ethnography, insights, Inspiration, market research
