It is long since psychological research, intended to decode the unconscious drivers, has just been limited to qualitative methods. concept m integrates in-depth interviews and focus groups with quantitative research and implicit measurement to convert the findings of depth psychology into concrete numbers.

A one-stop-shop for qual and quant research

It is common to imagine that in-depth psychological market research is based solely on qualitative methods, in-depth interviews and special forms of group discussions. The consumer is believed to take his place on the psychoanalyst’s couch so to speak.

In practice, this has often led to parallel research activities and related difficulties: qualitative psychological market researchers are called in when it is necessary to “probe deep” into the consumer’s soul. Otherwise, standardised quantitative research goes ahead. The two approaches are often just loosely linked. Problematic consequence: the potential of deeper integration is not fully exploited.

By contrast, both the qualitative and quantitative research offered by concept m has a sound in-depth psychological basis. More specifically, this has the following advantages:

• Integrated work of the research team: Our qualitative, morphological research consultants are also trained in quantitative methods while our quantitative researchers have solid practical knowledge of depth-psychological methods. Interdisciplinary cooperation at the outset thus guarantees an integrated approach to the projects. From the start, the input of quantitative research is included in the design of the qualitative study. The transfer of know-how from qual to quant remains in one hand.

• Psychologically well-designed quantitative research: The psychological learnings and market-psychological concepts resulting from qualitative research supply valuable input for the quantitative study design. This is evident e.g. in complex segmentation studies: based on a morphological study it is possible to establish new links between topics which may not have been considered in a standard segmentation study.

• Higher quality of the items and better stimulus material: All quantitative research can only be as good as the input of hypotheses, statements and stimuli measured in it. Badly differentiating or misleading items often cloud the quantitative results. At concept m, on the other hand, the interviewers and moderators responsible for the qualitative research are also involved in questionnaire development. They know exactly how to get the tone of voice right for consumers in the questionnaire statements or which verbal/visual stimuli transport the core of an idea as seen by consumers. This ensures that the really relevant categories are validly measured in the quantitative interviews.

• Capture consumers’ ambivalences in numbers: To get to the bottom of contradictions and ambivalences consumers display in quantitative research, qualitative psychological research is again decisive. We frequently construct our questionnaires so that contradictory statements turn up in various places. By comparing the response pattern we can understand which groups of respondents hold particularly conflicting motives.

• In-Depth Implicit Measurement: The new techniques of implicit measurement can be used very productively in integrated psychological qual-quant research designs. In the measurement of response times, defensiveness is evident when the test person takes longer to answer. Psychological mechanisms can be directly measured and depth psychology expressed in figures here.

• Integrated psychological qual-quant research as innovation motor: Corroborating the research in numbers is known to considerably increase acceptance of the findings with the decision-makers. The ground-breaking impulses of qualitative psychological research are sometimes ignored in the decision process for lack of numerical support. Conversely, qualitative research can be far more persuasive when it is designed and conducted along with quantitative research from the beginning. This allows integrated psychological qual-quant research to become the innovation motor for businesses.

• Integrated consulting: As a company positioned across qualitative research, quantitative research and consulting, we give our clients advice on the ideal study setting (techniques, methods) as well as on how the results can be profitably implemented in the business by looking beyond the actual research. We provide our clients with highly experienced consultants for this purpose.

For further information please contact:
thorsten.heuer@test.local, dirk.ziems@test.local, rochus.winkler@test.local, thomas.ebenfeld@test.local