Ethnographic Research Methods for Localizing Marketing Communication
Our colleague at mct, Wenxin shared her thought about Ethnographic Research for localizing marketing communication. The original article was published at our LinkedIn page.
The concept of ‘localization’ is certainly not new, and many companies have skillfully embraced the importance of localization when selling their products globally. But even then, success is not guaranteed. And there are also the cases of localization missteps where it seems like localization was a new concept.
Whether adapting products to a local market, or launching a localized marketing campaign, a deep understanding of the target consumers and the social/cultural environment of the local market is fundamental. Without a good understanding, the challenge of achieving market fit becomes that much harder.
In a case from “Stories That Deliver Business Insights”, there is the story of a global toy manufacturer using ethnographic research to articulate insights around a more effective marketing strategy. They found that the Chinese children they were marketing to typically have far fewer toys compared to markets such as US or Europe, and they spent most of their time on education and activities which could help them be good at studies with an aim of finding a better job in the future. Based on this, the company changed the product positioning for the China market and started to emphasize the educational aspects of their products, highlighting the benefits of their toys to enhance kids’ creativity and collaborating with schools to combine their toys with the teaching (Cayla & Beers & Arnould, 2014).
Having roots in anthropology, ethnographic research looks at the way people behave in their own environments. Beyond just uncovering insights about people’s consumer behaviors, it is also an effective tool for insights that can be applied to marketing communications.
We live in a digitalized and connected world where communications and interactions are crisscrossing each other everywhere in every direction all the time. It’s not enough to simply focus on tailoring products or services to a local market. Delivering the right message to target people and coordinating this within a well-crafted localization strategy across various regions, is essential for today’s global marketing. This is true whether the target customers are in the company’s own backyard, or if they are half-way around the world.
For instance, there is another case from “Stories That Deliver Business Insights” involving Ford’s application of ethnographic research for their domestic Mustang customers. Ford was put face to face with just how strong Mustang car buyers’ desires are for the irresponsibility and assertiveness of youth, which are uniquely delivered by the original Mustang. Further, Mustang is often framed as ‘the one irresponsible pleasure’ which its core segment baby boomers felt they allowed themselves. Ford then decided not to try brand modernization, but to embrace Mustang’s legacy and nostalgia. As a result, the marketing team’s brand strategy became more directly connected to Baby Boomer’s nostalgia for their youth, and the team used images of famous star of that age (Cayla & Beers & Arnould, 2014).
Ethnographic research plays the same role when companies want to compete locally in other markets, but with even more cultural unfamiliarity.
In this instance, the localization mistakes are the cases that usually stick out for being tone deaf or actively offensive.
For example, in 2016, BMW rolled out a commercial which sparked outrage on social media. In the commercial, it showed Al Ain Football Club players singing the country’s national anthem before a match, but instead rushing to BMWs halfway through upon hearing the engine sound of the car (Dajani, 2016).
And in 2018, Dolce & Gabbana published short videos which featured an Asian lady in a fancy dress, but eating Italian food using chopsticks in an awkward way. The videos aroused tremendous criticism from Chinese accusing them of pushing racist stereotypes (Pan, 2018).
To help avoid such examples, companies should pursue localized marketing communication which focuses on the messages and channels being used to reach the local market, using ethnography as an effective tool. It can take a holistic approach such as Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and the merits of ethnography for IMC were highlighted in a research paper titled “Anthropology and Ethnography: Contributions to Integrated Marketing Communications” where the author mentioned “For IMC the benefits gained from ethnographical research are not only a way to know why consumers might use certain kind of products, but also as a way of facilitating and sharpening communication messages (advertising planning), communication channels (media planning), sales and promotions (marketing strategies), and distribution channels (point of purchase strategies)” (Méndez, 2009).
In other words, the benefits to localized marketing communication could include:
· Identifying the media or social media frequently used by the target audience for marketers to make a proper media plan.
· Identifying the KOLs in special fields which can become influencers used in advertisements, promotional campaigns or PR activities.
· Identifying the habits of consumers, including daily routines or purchase preferences which could improve the business plan or sales strategy.
For example, people from different regions may have different shopping preferences, from physical stores to e-commerce sites like Amazon. There may also be other channels gaining ground which resonate with local lifestyles and beliefs. (e.g., Many Chinese consumers are commonly buying products through livestream channels now).
· Identifying consumers’ needs, beliefs, cultural or social factors which can help fine-tune marketing messages or even avoid inappropriate messaging which might offend consumers. In India, for example, marketers should be especially careful with marketing content related to religion, as religion is a sensitive topic in this multi-religious country.
To achieve the kind of benefits mentioned above, there is a variety of techniques can be used by ethnographic researchers. Some key techniques can include:
· Participant Observation
· Contextual Inquiry
· Archival Analysis
Participant Observation: Ethnographic research depends heavily on participant observation. Participant observation is a research method which can be used to observe a group of people and their daily lives.
To conduct participant observation, the researcher can be fully immersed in life of the study group and becomes a member of it, or the researcher can be a complete bystander. Field notes which can be in the format of written, audio or visual, and diaries are the most common methods of data collection.
Contextual Inquiry: Contextual inquiry as part of ethnographic fieldwork typically involves asking participants questions during observation. This method can be used to understand why the participants act a certain way and why did they act like that.
One obvious advantage of this method is that this kind of interview is done during the observation, so researchers can ask questions directly related to the actions they observed.
Archival Research: Archival research, in its literal sense, is research conducted on archives, including related documents, manuscripts, and digital copies or records.
Usually, archival research refers to the study of historical documents, but it can also be used by researchers to study some non-historical documents and texts, often in conjunction with other methods such as fieldwork or surveys (Mohr & Ventresca, 2002).
Anthropologist Margaret Mead famously said, “What people say, what people do, and what people say they do are entirely different things.” Compared to other research methods such as surveys or focus groups, ethnographic research looks at the gap between “what people say” and “what people do” by observing people in their natural environment.
As with any research approach, ethnographic research has its own pros and cons. Some common concerns of ethnographic research are that it may lead overly subjective research and that it is also relatively time-consuming. But there are ways to mitigate these limitations with careful planning by experienced designers and their guidance on how to conduct the research.
Overall, ethnographic research has undoubtedly been integrated into corporate market research activities — no matter how familiar, or unfamiliar, the market in question. From Ford and Airbnb to IKEA and Miele, ethnographic research helps companies deeply understand users and shape relevant, resonant marketing communications.
References:
1. Cayla, Julien & Beers, Robin & Arnould, Eric. (2014). Stories That Deliver Business Insights. MIT Sloan Management Review. 55. 91–92.
2. Dajani, H. (2016, June). BMW pulls commercial featuring UAE anthem after outcry. The National. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/bmw-pulls-commercial-featuring-uae-anthem-after-outcry-1.192616
3. Pan, Y. (2018). Is it Racist?: Dolce & Gabbana’s New Ad Campaign Sparks Uproar in China. Jing Daily. https://jingdaily.com/dolce-gabbana-racism/
4. Mendez, Claudia. (2009). Anthropology and ethnography: Contributions to integrated marketing communications. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 27. 633–648. 10.1108/02634500910977863.
5. Mohr, John & Ventresca, Marc. (2002). Archival Research Methods. 10.1002/9781405164061.ch35.
6. From the Ground Up. (n.d.). Airbnb.Design. https://airbnb.design/from-the-ground-up/
7. Ethnographic research drives IKEA’s global success. (2015, March 24). https://blog.experientia.com/ethnographic-research-drives-ikeas-global-success/
8. The human experience: Making the most of ethnographic research. (n.d.). Deloitte United Kingdom. https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/blog/future-of-experience/2021/the-human-experience.html
