Our beliefs
Many years’ research experience led us to the conclusion that the answers that people give when questioned can sometimes be inaccurate or even deliberately obtuse, yet it is not usually possible to validate these doubts, or to comment that the stated results may not tell the whole picture.
There are many good reasons why respondents do not give entirely straight forward answers. Sometimes they provide haphazard answers on the spur of the moment because they do not really know what they think. Sometimes they want to present themselves in a more socially acceptable light, and sometimes respondents can even lie outright to cover their real views.
Over the years, various techniques have been developed to try to overcome this problem. However, they suffer from being a little subjective themselves and therefore difficult to validate.
By offering a quantitative measure to a qualitative question, implicit measures overcome this – measuring the true strength of feeling that a respondent has towards a subject by detecting implicit associations that elude conscious control, they are a true guide to their views.
Applications for implicit research tools
Implicit research is a valuable addition to your current research techniques.
1: Brand preference tests prior to qualitative discussions
Using an Implicit test before beginning a qualitative interview transforms the discussion with a respondent. The interviewer can have an open discussion with the respondent about the views and why they might hold them, thereby elucidating the true of the choice, decision and the subsequent marketing task in hand.
2: Pre and post brand preference testing – see how effective your new communications really are before they run
By running a test which checks views towards the brand before and after seeing promotional materials, allow, for the first time, completely accurate data to be collected on the effectiveness of new materials in changing opinions.
3: Brand tracking transformed
Implicit testing adds hugely to current tracking studies as it can measure true brand preferences and attitude changes over time. Going beyond traditional questioning methodologies, it gives marketeers unprecedented accuracy in measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns.
4: Product development strategy
Implicit testing can help to guide new product development or product strategy by illustrating how product or brand features, including price, really impact on choice. This can be done using Implicit’s IAT (Implicit Association Testing) or TPI (Tipping Point Indicator) methodologies.