Why Use Cartoon-Pictographs in Depicting a Buying Scenario?

Good question. In terms of theory, Context-Driven Qualitative Research or Cartoon Sequence Research (CSR) is an extension of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), a projective methodology that uses pictures which can be interpreted in a variety of ways. It is most often used to assess personality in the psychoanalytic tradition.

Pictographs seek to understand consumer behavior by providing visual stimuli that is sufficiently contextual yet open to subjective interpretation. Our research shows that respondents tend not to identify with pictures that are too detailed, and cartoon-like pictographs tend to work better.

In practice, twenty to thirty cartoon pictographs are constructed to make a set that shows a buying scenario. For example, one set was developed that showed a couple purchasing an automobile. In this instance, early scenes depicted situations where one would first consider buying a new car. Others showed people looking at car ads in the newspaper, and another showed people driving past a billboard with a dealership ad. Later in the set the remainder of the purchasing process was depicted.

Without going into great detail, it should be noted that there are three types of pictographs that are a part of this process: situational; interactive; and reflective. Situational provide context, such as driving into the dealership or standing in line to purchase something. Interactive show the consumer relating to a salesperson or the product. Reflective show an individual discussing their reaction to a situation.

It is desirable for the respondent to identify with the pictographs, and usually five or six sets are developed. This allows the researcher to match the different sets to the respondents. These include singles, couples, and different age groups.

It is a bit of a challenge to determine the “buying scenario” and to construct the various sets of cartoon pictographs, but the findings are so comprehensive and insightful that the process is well worth it. For more information, e-mail allegianceresearch@gmail.com

“Rational Man” Replaced by “Post-Rational Emotional Man”

I recently read a review, by Gloria McDonough-Taub at CNBC.com, of Geoffrey Miller’s book entitled “SPEND: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior.” Professor Miller “reveals the unseen logic behind the chaos of consumerism . . .” and he argues that “Marketers still don’t understand human nature and that hurts business.”

In short, he argues like many others that the “Rational Man” Model from economics is too limited. This model says that consumers “maximize utility” by rationally comparing and buying products and services that give them the greatest “subjective utility,” i.e. pleasure or happiness.

Enter, “Conspicuous Consumption” (Thorstein Veblen, “The Theory of the Leisure Class”) which says that consumers often buy products that will impress others even if they don’t deliver personal happiness.

Professor Miller points out that this remains true but it must be supplemented by “genetically heritable traits” that can predict a wide range of behavior including consumption. Miller’s traits include intelligence, openness, consciousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability. Each trait falls upon a continuum.

I don’t know about you, but I like to think that I fall on the upper and positive end of each trait. His theory would suggest that I prefer a Lexus Hybrid to a Harley Hog, that I qualify for a low-interest loan, that I am a Green Consumer and that I am interested in new ideas and fashions.

This is probably a great improvement over Rational Man and Conspicuous Consumption but I don’t think that it accounts for a Post-Rational Emotional Man when faced with a specific purchasing decision. Although I agree that it is valuable to construct a psychological model for consumer behavior based upon the most recent findings by evolutionary psychologists, I think that the “context” surrounding the purchase remains important.

I prefer to pictographically duplicate a purchasing scenario for a type of product and then let the potential consumer explain their reactions to each step in the process. Pictographs are similar to story boards and enable the consumer to tell a story, without leading questions from the researcher. Objectively some consumer behavior doesn’t make sense, but subjectively it can be explained. For more information email allegianceresearch@gmail.com

A Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Words

This article is about the limitations of “words” and why pictographs are a good option when it comes to researching consumer behavior. Words tend to reflect, pictures tend to represent. To illustrate this, I need to discuss the nature of words.

Words have denotative, connotative, and emotional elements. A denotation is fairly straight forward. For example, if I say the word “pencil,” most people would have a pretty good idea of what I am talking about. Connotation implies something. For example, if I say “great job” I may be giving you a compliment, but on the other hand I could be insulting you. Finally, words also have emotive elements and there are some words that elicit an emotional response. For example, if you call someone a “bastard” it oftentimes raises that person’s blood pressure.

In addition, words are often related to values, either positive or negative. If you doubt this, think of the two phrases: “Filet Mignon” versus “First-Class Piece of Dead Cow.” Each phrase is accurate but one of the phrases is seldom seen on a menu.

What I am saying is that words can be very imprecise tools when it comes to research. This is one of the reasons that pictographs work so well when it comes to understanding consumer decision-making.

Respondents will describe their reactions as they look at a series of pictographs and will start telling a story. Soon the researcher fades into the background and the respondent will not be reacting to any words or questions from the researcher. This is a real improvement because pictographs provide sufficient context without leading the respondent.
For more information email allegianceresearch@gmail.com

Deciphering the Treasure Map

The “Treasure Map” is the decisional process that people use before they make a purchase. This applies to both products and services and if you understood this decisional process you would indeed have a treasure map.

Like most treasure maps, the “Decisional Calculus Treasure Map” is in code and traditional research will not break it. This is because asking people for their “reasons” is not very effective and “emotion” is an important component.

How do we break the code? First we must assume that asking direct questions “pollutes” the process. Oftentimes, people make purchasing decisions based upon emotions but when asked they likely explain it in rational terms. To truly understand, the researcher should “catch” the emotion as it occurs.

The best way to understand the decisional process is to “re-create” the buying scenario using “pictographs.” Why does someone buy a certain car at a particular dealership? How does one decide to take a cruise with a certain cruise line? How does one choose a bank? Each of these buying scenarios can be understood by using pictographs.

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words but, in truth, words cannot substitute for pictographs. Pictographs tend not to lead the respondent in the way that words do and they do a better job at capturing emotions.

If you want to decipher the decisional calculus treasure map for your product or service consider using a pictographic approach. For more information e-mail me at AllegianceResearch@gmail.com.

“Brick & Mortar: Shopping in the 21st Century”

The above is the title of a book where I contributed a chapter on Cartoon Sequence Research. Tina M. Lowrey, Professor of Marketing at the University of Texas, is the editor of the book and it was published by Taylor and Francis Group, NY, 2008.

Tina saw my research and invited me to make a presentation at the Annual Conference on Advertising and Consumer Psychology in 2006. Essentially, this conference was about the continuing relevance of shopping centers in the face of on-line computer shopping. I wanted to understand what factors are involved when a consumer decides to shop by computer versus going to the shopping mall or vice versa.

There are some obvious differences. Going to the mall is an “experience” filled with a multitude of sensory opportunities. It can be a hassle or an adventure. On-line shopping tends to be a solitary endeavor with a plethora of information but with little hands-on experience plus you must wait to receive the product which may lessen the impact of emotions.

There are so many questions in making the comparisons between the two that it is difficult to know where to start.

My presentation and subsequent chapter in the book simply made the case that Cartoon Sequence Research (CSR) is ideally suited for handling the complexity of this type of research question. There are no leading questions by the researcher and the respondent looks at the pictographs and starts telling a story.

After handling the academic rigors of background theory and such things as validity and reliability, I went on to suggest this straight-forward approach. I worked with a cartoonist to construct a series of pictographs showing individuals shopping in the mall and by computer. It should be noted that there are three types of cartoons: situational; interactive; and reflective. The situational cartoon sets the scene or provides the context. The interactive cartoon shows an individual or group with the product or another person. The reflective cartoon shows an individual, matched to the respondent by age, race and gender, discussing their reaction either in person or on the phone. In other words, we show where they are, what they are doing, and how they describe the experience.

The chapter also describes several settings in which CSR was used the past few years and they include the following industries: homebuilding; banking; education; national and state associations; and auto buying.

If you are involved in on-line marketing or perhaps you want to know more about brick and mortar shopping, e-mail me at AllegianceResearch@gmail.com.

“Oh, I Hate Those Bastards!”

I suppose the first time I realized how insightful and powerful Cartoon Sequence Research really is, was when I was investigating car-purchasing behavior. There I was at a Chrysler dealership on a Sunday morning to do some market research for the dealership.

I decided to do some preliminary research on our twenty-or-so “cartoon-pictographs” to see how they would work. I was there on Sunday morning, when the dealership was closed, because I wanted to interview individuals who desired to look at cars without being approached by a salesperson.

I was giving away boxes of candy to encourage people to look at the pictographs. Along came a well-dressed octogenarian lady. She was carrying a bible and I assumed that she had just come from church. She told me that I didn’t have to give her a box of candy to participate, but being the magnanimous researcher that I am, I insisted. Clutching the candy with here bible, she told me about here attitudes toward car shopping.

When we got to the pictograph showing a car salesman opening her car door, she blurted out, “Oh, I hate those bastards.” Now the whole purpose of this non-directive approach is “not to lead the witness.” Therefore, I simply said “Madam, do you want to go that?’

Needless to say, she provided considerable insight. But I also learned something more important. Cartoon Sequence Research oftentimes elicits strong emotional responses and this is extremely valuable because I believe that most often consumers make decisions on the basis of emotion first and rationality latter. In fact, I believe you learn more about purchasing behavior if you assume that people are emotional creatures who rationalize rather than rational creatures who become emotional.

So to that oft-asked question, “What do I have to do, draw you a picture?” the answer is “Yes you do.”

If you have questions, e-mail me at AllegianceResearch@gmail.com

Non-Directive Research and Nose Prints

It’s hard to believe but it’s been thirty-five years since Eugene J. Webb, Donald T. Campbell, Lee Sechrest wrote their book entitle Unobstrusive Measures. They were interested new and unused methods of obtaining information.

Their approach was to observe without being observed. They knew that research methodology can pollute results. This remains true today. For example, if you ask someone about their opinion of Buicks, they will tell you, and often in great detail. The respondent may not own a car but they will be more than willing to give their opinion.

This is one reason that I like non-directive pictographs because they tend not to presuppose information. The simply provide context and invite the respondent to “tell a story.”

The authors of Unobtrusive Measures used a non-directive means to discover which exhibits were the most popular at a children’s museum. Direct interviews with young children would not have worked. Instead they regularly cleaned the windows of the exhibits and noted the number and position of the nose prints. That way they could gauge both popularity and approximate the age of the children that showed interest.
For more information email allegianceresearch@gmail.com