Views From The Hills of Kentucky :: Exploratory Segmentation Research

Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com

Exploratory Segmentation Research

A couple of weeks ago there were three search hits in one week on the Views web site looking for something on Mapping. I have not written a Views on Mapping since these methods are usually mathematical models of which I do not share a great interest. I thought that my only contribution would be in the areas of sampling and environment. However, the hits did stir my memory concerning an exploratory method I utilized in preparation for designing Mapping studies.

Usually in preparation for designing a study, peers sit around in a conference room and decide what attributes should be included in the study. That's fine but we must remember that if an attriculate is not included in the study, the related segment does not have a chance of appearing. Therefore it is in our best interest to be all-inclusive in our attribute list. To achieve this, I would use that I call an "Exploratory Segmentation Study."

The Exploratory Segmentation Study involves the consumer as opposed to peers. The study involves meeting with a group of homemakers in one of the homemaker's homes. I would have a stack of 5 by 8-inch pictures. Each picture features one of the brands in the category we are studying. The protocol is as follows:

I sit in the middle of the floor with the deck of pictures and a tape recorder and:

Select the #1 brand in the category and ask the homemakers to describe the brand (I would record their comments).
Next select another brand and ask the respondents to describe it and how it differs from the first brand.
Place the second brand a few feet from the first brand and tell the participants that the distance signifies how different the two are from each other.
Select a third brand and ask how the third brand differs from the first and second brands.
Have the participants tell you how far away the third brand should be from both the first and second brand.
Continue with the remaining brands obtaining how they differ, if at all, from the brands on the floor.

The end result is the photographed. This photograph is a spatial representative of a two-dimensional market. The verbal differences and descriptions give you the attributes that need to be included in your study.

Whenever I conducted one of these exploratory studies, I tried to have the person from marketing and the person from R&D present. It is a great learning experience not only for the study you are planning but also about how the consumer can add to your effectiveness. I also consider this approach to be a great training tool for the learning and understanding of a category.