Written by Our industry thinks a lot about qualitative vs. quantitative, but is that the right focus? More often, it is more important to focus on the quality of the methods. Quality that reflects validity should be table stakes in our industry, but it isn’t. Moving quickly in the wrong direction doesn’t build brands or unlock growth.
So what does quality even look like?
It starts with context. Context includes environment and mindset and plays a massive role in decision making. Any data collected out of context for the business question is less reliable.
Human brain activity is 98% non-conscious, so quality approaches need to capture behavior and System 1 reactions in addition to conscious thoughts and preferences.
Enough of the right sample is critical. It takes enough sample to separate the outliers from the core themes, but sample build from real people who are engaged with the process is also needed. Go to where YOUR real people are and clarity you can trust will emerge, even without statistical significance.
So what next?
I know all marketers and insights leads have a desire to do exclusively high quality research, but that is impossible given the time and cost realities of today. That said, there are decisions where high quality should be the only consideration. These are the decisions that risk the health of your brand or business. Out-of-context qual is unreliable and quant seems increasingly “inconclusive”, so invest in quality approaches you can trust that actually brings the clarity you seek. The reward for doing this will be growth.