Qualitative Research & Social Media

Qualitative research is executed to gain insights into people’s motivations and behaviors. Focus groups are a great way to understand people’s lives, and social media platforms have created the opportunity for the largest focus groups in the world! The social web has re-shaped how people communicate, both personally and professionally, with others. One great advantage of observing online social interactions is that they are automatically and permanently archived while traditional interactions are lost in a fleeting moment; these permanent data records make in-depth data collection and data analysis a lot easier!

Nowadays, consumers are highly involved with online mediums which allow them to express their opinions and learn more about products and services. This is why we have seen a drastic increase in online advertising over traditional print adverting. Virtual communities provide forums for consumers to deliberate with other consumers the worth of brands, products and services. No wonder companies are tapping into these forums that are rich with ideas which could improve their products, reveal emerging trends, enhance marketing strategies and discover new product ideas.

Recently the DelMonte Foods group has harnessed this rich social media data community by creating an online community called ‘I Love My Dog’ which consisted of 400 individuals they chose to collect input from about their preferences for breakfast treats for their dogs. The consensus was that people wanted to give their dogs a breakfast treat that had a bacon and egg flavor which was enriched with vitamins and minerals – and so Del Monte’s Snausages Breakfast Bites were born! Del Monte's senior manager of consumer insights, Gala Amoroso, told The Wall Street Journal, "It is not just a focus group that you see for three hours; you are developing a relationship with these pet parents."

While traditional focus groups might not yet be dead, online social communities are showing a tremendous amount of value in cultivating rich commercially valuable ideas.