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Content Analysis was invented by the intelligence
community to study Germany during W.W.II. Today, it is harder... the multimedia
thing... but it is just as effective. We have recently conducted content analysis on
subjects like humor and the role of sports in our lives. It takes more time today
than it did 50 years ago, but it is worth the effort.
Ethnographics is the study of icons and their
transference across groups of people. If bipedalness was the greatest moment in
humanity... the fact that we "collect things" is the second greatest. Our
ancestors didn't just keep rocks around to smack their neighbors, and therefore steal
their food... it always had to be a pretty rock!!
FirstMatter knows about Motives. Our Values and
Lifestyles program catalogues three meta-motives. A decision is driven by (1)
principle, (2) status quests or (3) the need for action. Looking at the world for
these cues is extremely revealing and very helpful to assessing people's future
directions.
Observational Research is not done well in America, but it is done
really well in other places. Japanese car manufacturers never asked anybody if they
wanted a cup holder in their car. They simply observed people looking for a place to
put their cup!! They didn't ask one question. One has to get out of one's own
views. This tool helps you do that.
Scenario Planning is the study of "givens" to
the future and the critical uncertainties against those givens. It is a given that
we will have 6 billion people in less than 10 years. When we reach that level of
population, 1/3 of the world will be teenagers... this, too, is a given. What is
uncertain is... will teens be the same? will they be treated the same?
Trends work because psychographic research works.
People consistently overstate, but they overstate with consistency... so we can
evaluate people's dreams, goals and aspirations, fears, anxieties and concerns. And,
then we can see what directions they are headed by tracking those social trends.
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