Comments on: Hit Rate and Anthropology

By: chihiro M

chihiro M — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:53:31 +0000

This topic is very interesting. I did not think about that anthology and business are closely relating each other. After I read this article, I realized that business comprises by seller and consumer, so a company borrows the knowledge from the anthologist is inevitable. A company wants to know what consumer want and need now or near the future. But some countries want different thing, so a company need to make such produce to suit each country. Therefore, getting a successful company is essential to help the anthologist. I think hit rate is very good way to research what consumer is interested in right now and the company use this date for how much they need to produce the product and how they can increase sales. That means a company do not need to produce waste product. Therefore, a company has a greater chance to succeed without big risk.

By: ChristopherP

ChristopherP — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:04:10 +0000

good point Cary, i agree when you say that marketing groups can be overrated. Many of these Marketers do lie and send a very misleading and manipulated message in order to help in any possible gain/sell the product. But I believe that is the point of marketing, it is not utilized for the consumer but for the retailer/producer. Marketing is a strategy used to try and entice society into purchasing “their” product…attempt to convince you that you should/need “this.” Statistically, this approach has proven to be successful and strategic which is why so much money is spent. Yet, to what extent (in terms of success) varies greatly from one product to another (and how it is marketed). Although, applying anthropology is gaining more and more attention. Business’ and corporations that incorporate this essential aspect in combination with marketing, ethnography, surveys, will work the best and optimize profit success.

By: Sally S

Sally S — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:33:24 +0000

It seems natural to me that the secret to a successful product is design anthropology and ethnographic user experience research. To know what the consumer wants, one must know the consumer. A good idea can only take one so far. The idea must fill some desire of the consumer, it must be marketable and it must appeal to a broad audience. The consumer often does not know exactly what they want as they work around what’s missing. When my family had a VHS player, I was unable to fathom a DVD player as an upgrade until it had come out and now I only watch DVDs. The average consumer just cannot see future products like that. The researcher would have to observe what the average person does in everyday life. A hit product would be something that fulfills a need or desire in the consumer’s daily routine that may or may not be something that they would remember to mention if asked what they desired. Often times if I have a new product or an improvement to a product that I desire, I will only remember it when I am doing the task it would be for.

The clothing available on the market now seems to me to be an example of disconnect between retailers and consumers. The fabric is thin and of inferior quality, often times falling apart far before it should. The cut of the garments fit hardly anyone, and they are overpriced. When I go shopping it takes me hours to find anything halfway decent, if I find anything at all. If a marketing person asked me what I wanted in clothing, I would not be able to directly tell him or her. I know what I want, but it’s difficult to put into words. The marketing person would be far more successful if he or she actually observed what I looked at, rejected and purchased. The researcher would then not only see what I was purchasing, but what I was rejecting and could theoretically learn why the items were rejected. If this research were done on a larger scale, the products available would be much closer to what the consumer actually wants. If an anthropologist were involved, he or she could provide further insight to the consumer’s needs or desires that may not be evident even to the consumer. Consumers are only human after all and sometimes what they say and what the really want are completely different.

By: Andrew Liddle

Andrew Liddle — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:27:02 +0000

One of the big problems that people have with articulating their desires is that they often know when they are dissatisfied with a product, but don’t really understand why. In the early days of the automobile, I’ll bet that there were a lot of drivers who didn’t like taking long trips in cars, but didn’t have the thought of: “Hey, I’d like to be able to take my foot off of the accelerator and have the car still keep going.” Yet cruise control (renamed from autopilot after some disastrous misunderstandings) is now standard on most new cars. So, I absolutely agree that getting ideas from marketing (from consumers themselves in a roundabout way) for new products is generally a bad idea. They generally don’t have an objective perspective about what they’re trying to sell, and that’s one reason they tend to be good at selling it. One of my dad’s old Air Force buddies once told me how frustrating it was to have a group of people working on a problem and to have my dad walk up and within a matter of minutes have a working solution. Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to get things going in the right direction.

By: KenB

KenB — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:06:04 +0000

This article clearly shows how effective anthropology can be when used in the right situations. By apply it to find out what exactly consumers want, companies can dramatically increase their “hit rates”. I don’t see why companies wouldn’t invest in using ethnographic research. It seems that they money they could save from financing inaffective products could be put towards improving the products consumers truely desire. When presented with the overwellmingf evidence that using ethographic research cut costs, I would believe the choice for businesses would be easy. Companies are all about making money and anything that decreases profit margin is possibly cut. Wasting money, especially in today’s economy, would seem like the most important reason to cut a program. Hopefully, companies such as the Doblin Group will continue to evolve and be used by producers, and companies will be able to spend their money on more important issues and products and not waste it on inaffective ideas.

By: KrumeichP

KrumeichP — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:29:48 +0000

Well, I am a Communication major, but I’ve always been interested in the marketing side of business. I often think of new ways to present a product to people, or a product itself, so that they’ll instantly want to buy it. I do think there is a great difference between “fad” items and products; the example about the Snuggie was good, but I don’t know how long that one will last, its like the pet rock or the alarm clock you throw at the wall to turn off, they make good fun items, but not ones that will most likely withstand the long hall of the business cycle. I personally love the “little treasures” (or fad items) because there just so darn cool, however, I think that as far as product placement and ethnographic studies for the purposes of selling something consistently should be more applied to the Lexus example. The auto industry is such a massive machine with so much competition I wonder how companies stay in business. There really isn’t one car manufacturer that has a corner on the market; GM owns a big chunk, but then so do the Japanese brands. Maybe its just a big conglomerate, its sort of a monopoly, just a collaborated one. Anyways, I have learned over the last few years about ethnographies and the benefits that they can have in many areas of business, education, and society. The idea is to really understand, not just observe or take some notes on, but to truly understand what people outside a particular circle are like. I specifically liked the statistics, because numbers are everything in business, the bottom line is the only line, and when it was noted that through the use of anthropologists a business could expect some significant increases in overall performance, I was impressed. But it makes sense, if you can employ the talents of people with an eye for the unseen, then you’ll be able to offer the people something they really want (and will pay for) rather than something they don’t want, and will only buy sometimes.

By: Cary Reents

Cary Reents — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:31:14 +0000

I think that marketing groups can be overrated. Many people lie when it comes to marketing programs that allow people to test products and then reply about what they do and do not like about them. Even though thousands or millions of dollars is spent on marketing research for certain products, their is still a huge possiblility that the product will fail the expectations of the company. But I guess it goes back to the saying “you got to spend money to make money”.

By: Paul Mabry

Paul Mabry — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:18:47 +0000

I think this post makes some good points about the effectiveness of using first-hand ethnographic research and observation to improve innovation and “hit-rates.” Observing the end-user of an intended product/service, and having an opportunity to interact and ask questions would have to be more effective than relying on market research, and findings. I almost see this approach as being similar to putting a puzzle together. When we put a puzzle together, we look at the picture, of what the puzzle is supposed to look like, and we use that as our guide to put the pieces together. We don’t ask other people what the puzzle looks like, or read a description of what the puzzle looks like – we simply look at the picture on the front of the box. Observing and interacting with consumers/end users, is a company’s way of “looking at the picture on the front of the box” (metaphorically speaking). Doing this, gets the business right to the heart of what it is trying to accomplish in its product or innovation. I would think that this method would also be effective for improving workplace efficiencies, especially in large corporations. My wife works for a very large corporation and she is routinely frustrated by the red tape, and policies and procedures that don’t make any sense. Unfortunately, the decision makers are so far removed from the people in the trenches, and they makes decisions based on 2nd and 3rd hand feedback from committees and managers, that they really don’t have a complete understanding of what those in the trenches are going through. Wouldn’t it be nice if decision makers took the time to observe the activities and frustrations of front-line workers and had the chance to interact with them to hear what their needs/concerns are? I have to wonder if this would lead to a more productive and efficient workplace environment.

By: Raul Lopez

Raul Lopez — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:42:50 +0000

Very interesting, prior from reading this post, I never would have imagined that anthropology can be used in marketing. I think, the combination of designed anthropology with ethnography, is what makes Jenssan’s argument strong. As stated, enthnography, welcomes a deeper understanding of the client needs. In contrast to marketing advisors, ethnography gets inside the trenches of the clients and ‘walks in the shoes’ of the client- in doing so, you become aware of their needs. Although, I agree that consumers are predicable, companies are competing to identify your needs. More so, with the current economic meltdown, companies are eager for the innovative edge to compete. This type of research is very personal, in that it allows the researcher to view the world from the client’s lens. If the needs are not met, people will not buy the product. Also, the consumer’s needs are always changing, and does the providers need to change their product. I am reminded of the famous Super Bowl commercials, in how they are so popular because of the commercials. More than half of commercials don’t apply to me and yet I look forward in watching them- mainly because of the humor in them. Based in the high hit rate and success, I wonder why corporations have not jumped on the van wagon. It makes sense to hire anthropologist to conduct this value and money-saving concept. I am interested in how the design and ethnographic research is conducted. What type of questions they ask, etc. In all, as society is rapidly changin so will marketing. Perhaps, this is the beginning of a new best-practice in identifying the needs of the clients.

By: Marlene Ortiz

Marlene Ortiz — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:02:52 +0000

This is too funny. I admit that the saying, “But wait, there’s more…” gets me every time! Even the most simplistic and cheesy commercials have an affect on people. Even though people hate them, they somehow become a topic of discussion since everyone has seen them at one point or another. You might think of it as a gimmick, but if it grabs people’s attention then they have done their job. I have personally never bought any products from infomercials, but I have been tempted to want to make an impulse buy. Especially when I see that commercial where there is an older lady cooking so many different types of food within minutes in this little machine that resembles a waffle iron (if you know which commercial I am talking about then their advertising gimmick worked).