Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research

Citation

Barone, M. (2008), "Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 25 No. 7, pp. 481-482. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760810915699

When you first pick up Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research, you might feel like you are about to plod through a dense, academic tome that would work well as a sleep aid. Luckily, this is far from the truth. The book is both an informative and entertaining overview of the importance of using anthropology and ethnography in research, as well as a guide to the perils and pitfalls that comprise its use – the archaic notions still used by many so‐called marketing gurus.

The text is divided into nine chapters. The first three are grouped together into the “introduction,” the next four into “research approaches,” the next three into “possible entanglements,” and the final chapter, on “engaging one another,” serves as the book's conclusion. In between these sections are short forewords written by other academics and marketing researchers. These forewords serve to frame the chapters in each subsequent section and, incidentally, sing the praises of the book. They tend to interrupt the natural flow of the text, but understanding the overview of later sections will help to build an understanding of the chapters that follow.

Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research does not explicitly tell you how to use specific anthropological methods in consumer research. There are no bullet points, no lists of terms to memorize. The book's purpose, through examples and case studies, is to give the reader a broad understanding of the process. When you finally put the book down you will find yourself with a better overall understanding and respect for the topics discussed, if not perhaps with a list of notes to be put on a PowerPoint slide.

The introductory chapters, especially the first two, serve to give the uninformed reader a general understanding of what anthropology and ethnography are and how they should be used in consumer research. The authors' examples make it clear that many people still do not understand this, and instead use a pop‐ethnography which gets passed off as legitimate anthropological research. Chapter 3 deviates from this by showing some of the methodological considerations that are involved with the research. An exercise based on the question “what is coffee?” is given to numerous office training groups. The trainees are paired together to discuss topics such as when and where they drink coffee, what sensations they experience, and their general feelings about the drink. Other training groups venture out into the world and observe different coffee cultures in Thailand and other Asian countries. The goal of this exercise, as well as the overall chapter, is to show how cultural analysis can be used to create new product, positioning and design ideas.

Chapters 4 through 7 focus on different approaches used in ethnographic research, and the authors bring their experience into play here. These three chapters (in addition to chapters eight through ten) are essentially reflections on their firsthand experiences presented in the form of case study narratives. Chapter 4 explores cultural analysis through the use of everyday metaphors and the way in which language concerning technology has crept into our daily speech. The authors look specifically at how metaphors involving computers and technology have subtly changed from the mid‐90's, during which technology was seen as a dehumanizing force, to current times, when technological metaphors are seen in a much more positive light. This chapter gives you an understanding of metaphor's ability to reflect values in a society.

Chapter 5's goal is to show the use of semiotic analysis in consumer research practice. The authors' experience with this comes through in their research of photographs and print advertisements to understand what it means to be an Australian and New Zealander. It shows how advertising, beyond even a product and brand discourse, is really a cultural discourse and can be used to mine cultural insights. Chapter 6 examines the authors' research on the differences in emotional states among varying cultures and, in turn, the subtle effect that those differences have on advertising efforts. The three groups examined are young adults from the United States, Britain, and New Zealand. These Anglophone countries, you could argue, should have similar outlooks with regards to emotion. However, the differences shone through in the context of advertising, wherein the different groups of young adults, looking at print ads from different countries, viewed them in noticeably different lights. This chapter conveys the idea that even societies that are thought of as culturally similar can have very profound differences, and the need to have advertising reflect that.

Chapter 7 examines a focus group comprised of electric company customers being asked the question “What is the electric company is doing with our money?” The findings show the importance of looking at the meaning of words in the overall context of conversation, not just a respondent's surface language.

Chapters 8, 9, and 10 explore the possible problems and entanglements that come into play during even the most well‐thought‐out anthropological research. This section is arguably the most interesting (not to mention the most useful). Earlier sections of the text essentially showcase the way good, sound anthropological research can be used to enhance your research. These later case studies demonstrate numerous situations the authors have been involved in where their own views and methods of research have run up against the views and beliefs of their clients. The authors' narratives give an understanding of how both sides, looking at research issues from their own perspectives, can come to very different conclusions.

Chapter 8 follows an experience the authors had in conducting research for a company where the concepts of race and ethnicity came prominently into play during a Hispanic marketing conference and later with a separate research endeavor. The chapter conveys an understanding of how these concepts affect the conduct and viewing of research by both the researchers and clients.

Chapter 9 addresses the entanglements that have arisen with the increased use of moving images as a medium of ethnographic research and representation. Specifically, how video recordings are seen by some as all there is to “doing” ethnography research as well as the bias held by some of video not being serious, useful research.

Chapter 10, using Cuba as a focus, shows the difficulties that mediums such as photography pose in skewing the portrayal of a culture. As the book's conclusion, Chapter 11 reiterates the authors' belief in the importance of combining both academic and applied techniques to make for better research as well as the importance of re‐injecting the significance of culture as well.

Overall, Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research is a worthwhile read, or, if you feel you do not have the time to delve into 300‐odd pages, is worth a targeted skim. The first three chapters, while they did set the foundation for the rest of the book, were not completely necessary for someone with time constraints. You should take a look at the last half of the book, where the authors' narratives and personal experiences come through and give you great first‐hand accounts of the way in which ethnographic research can benefit an ad campaign and the problems and misconceptions that go along with it. The sheer number of references in the book is also impressive. While authoritative, the writing style is by no means dense or difficult to read through, yet the number of footnotes found throughout the pages and end of chapters gives readers ample opportunity to dive into further research if they are so inclined. I certainly recommend the book to marketing researchers, students, and executives and employees at advertising firms.