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A technique is projective when it indirectly encourages the
expression of psychologically motivating material (imagery)
of which the respondent is otherwise unaware. Most
projective techniques do this by presenting the question so
that the consumer believes her response is part of a game
which could not possibly reflect on her personality.
Projectives allow research participants to sit back, relax,
and to view their responses as if they were watching a movie
screen, unaware, for the moment, that they wrote the film
and that they hold the projector. Instead of simply
asking the respondent "If this
soda can were a person, what kind of person might it be?"
the moderator positions the question as an experience. She
tells respondents they are about to engage in a fun
exercise, uses a relaxation technique, helps them
imagine the soda can in their mind (as opposed to directly
looking at it) and then says something like "Now imagine you
see a hand reaching for the Diet Sunkist . . . what does the
hand look like? Describe it in detail. Now, what about its
owner? Their occupation? etc." (She continues to get a rich
description of the image).
While on the surface, this question may seem similar
to the more direct question asked above, there are some
important differences in the way it was presented. The
primary differences are
- The degree of intellectualization required of the respondent, and
- The emotional state the respondent is in when the question is posed.
A projective technique doesn't require intellectual
reasoning. For example, the respondent is instructed to
imagine a hand, then to imagine the rest of the person.
Properly presented, projectives are experienced like a
game -- like playing make-believe as a child. This is
markedly different from the direct, rational question "If
this soda were a person, what type of person would it be?"
To answer that question, most respondents feel they need a
rationale to support their conclusions, which severely
restricts their ability to respond. Projectives remove the
need for rationale and make it much easier to elicit potent
imagery which the respondent might not really understand
(and therefore cannot rationalize).
The above example is the simplest form of a projective
technique. Below are several proprietary methods we have
evolved for use in focus groups and individual interviews
(the examples shown are for use in the fashion industry):
BRAND PERSONIFICATION/IMAGERY
The following two lines of questioning are geared to unearth
participants perceptions and are more evocative in eliciting
beliefs about brands than a direct question like, "How would
you describe Elizabeth Arden?" The information obtained in
this manner will be much richer and thorough.
- Talking Racks
- The customer walks by different cosmetic counters
boutiques or supplement racks and hears the product talking
to them. What would each say; in what kind of tone; how
fast or slowly does it speak; what is its attitude; what
points does it stress about itself, notice types of
garments, colors, styles, how does the customer respond to each,
and why?
- Image Association
- Use all 5 senses to describe each product
USER IMAGERY
The next exercises speak to the actual user of the various
lines of products. Once again, the more game-like approach
invites the participant to go beyond what he thinks is
expected as a response and answer more fully and sincerely.
- High School Reunion
- Classmates from high school reunite. Specific conversations
about who uses which cosmetic or supplement are noted. Who
is using each; describe user today, lifestyle, personality,
car she came in, drink she orders at the bar; what she was
like in high school; how has she changed; who's talking with
whom at the reunion; who, if anyone, did she marry/does
she live with, describe spouse; what does he see in her; who
do you wish you had gotten to know better and why?
- Outer Appearance/Inner Voice
- Participants imagine persons wearing various cosmetics. For
each, ask what does her appearance communicate about her to
the world; if we could read her mind what, how does she
really feel about herself; others? How does her outfit in
anyway enhance her life; what does it do for her?
ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION
This exercise builds on a psychological technique called the
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to assess personality. The
modification made is in using a print ad as the stimulus to
more fully understand what is being communicated by the ad
about the brand.
- Modified TAT
- Participant is shown an unbranded print ad and asked
to tell a story about what is happening in the picture now,
describing people and lifestyles; what happened before; what
will happen next and in the future. A second branded board
is shown. Ask what, if anything, changes now; why? How does
that in any way affect your opinion of the brand?
An additional qualitative approach which has become popular
in the last few years is called Ethnography -- which by the
way is totally unrelated to ethnic cultures.
In an ethnographic interview, we interview participants on
site. A skilled interviewer might accompany a customer on a
shopping trip, observe and ask questions as our shopper
looked and made choices. Sometimes that might entail
spending two or to three days with the same person to
track their experiences. Sometimes it makes sense to video
tape, other times Polaroids and audio tapes are sufficient.
Participants rather quickly become comfortable with an
experienced, relaxing interviewer and the camera, tend to
make normal decisions and to tell all. Very often this format
reveals interesting patterns, wants, needs and perceptions
that go far beyond even the best focus group or in-depth
interview.
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