Pursuant Offers Market Researchers Inside Scoop on Conducting Research with Tweens, Younger Children
DC firm's researchers publish expert advice in the June 2005, MRA, Alert! Magazine.
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB via PR Web
Direct) June 16, 2005 -- Pursuant, Inc.'s President, Melissa Marcello, and
Research Analyst, Antonee Stern call upon their combined experience conducting
qualitative research with children to provide market research practitioners
practical advice on how to maximize their results from focus groups and in-depth
interviews with tweens and younger children in the June 2005, Alert! Magazine,
published by the Marketing Research Association, which is headquartered in Rocky
Hill, CT.
In their article, Marcello and Stern are quick to point out
that while today's children and tweens are more sophisticated in terms of their
tastes and preferences than the youth of yesteryear, this does not mean that
market researchers should approach them in the same way they would adults.
Rather, special steps should be taken to ensure that robust information is
acquired from the youth market.
For example, when recruiting tweens or
younger children for a focus group or in-depth-interview, the authors recommend
that parents be asked screening questions to ensure that the subject matter is
relevant (i.e. the child has knowledge of the subject matter), that children are
vocal, that they can take direction, are able to sit for prolonged periods of
time, and to weed out children with any serious behavioral challenges. Marcello
and Stern also believe that non-traditional activities should be incorporated
into the groups and interviews to stimulate children's creativity and keep them
engaged.
"Toni Stern and I have found non-traditional approaches to
product and concept development research, such as having an illustrator
participate in our creative discovery focus groups, and work interactively with
tweens and younger children to respond to their preferences in real-time, to be
extremely successful. The kids love seeing their ideas come to life, and are
able to give extremely concrete and valuable feedback to the agency teams," said
Melissa Marcello, President, Pursuant, Inc.
Pursuant's researchers also
have found the "downtime" in a focus group or in-depth interview—that is, the
snack breaks, free play and stretch time—to be valuable opportunities to gather
more candid perspectives from younger children and tweens. While these downtime
activities are often designed to offer a break for the children from complex
research tasks, they provide researchers with time to observe the youth
interacting with one another more naturally, and to talk with tweens and
children about things that interest them, rather than direct the conversation.
For many Pursuant clients, some of the best, and most surprising ideas, have
come out of research downtime.
"My academic training as a psychologist,
and Melissa Marcello's training as a sociologist, has provided us with a unique
perspective on conducting qualitative research with children. We strive to
conduct research in as natural a setting as possible, with activities
specifically designed to promote tweens and younger children's creativity and to
elicit uncontrived responses," said Antonee Stern.
For its growing list of national clients – some of the top names in
health care, agriculture, technology, philanthropy, financial services, and
education – Pursuant provides qualitative and quantitative research-based
solutions. Clients such as Kaiser Permanente, Crosby Marketing Communications,
Dairy Management, Inc., Adventist HealthCare, Action for Healthy Kids, and the
American Dietetic Association Foundation, already recognize the value of
Pursuant's work. In October of 2004, Pursuant was awarded a GSA contract, under
the Advertising and Integrated Marketing solutions (AIMS) schedule. The GSA
contract allows Pursuant to provide focus groups, telephone and Internet surveys
to federal agencies.
Marcello established Pursuant in Washington, DC in
February 2002, and is an entrepreneurial social scientist whose background spans
from academic researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to Vice
President of SWR Worldwide – a public opinion research firm owned by Weber
Shandwick. Marcello also currently serves as an adjunct instructor for the
Communication, Culture, Technology (CCT) program at Georgetown University, where
she teaches a course on public opinion and propaganda.
For more
information about Pursuant, please e-mail e-mail protected from spam bots, or
call Antonee Stern at 202.887.0070, ext.10.
Government agencies
interested in learning more about the services Pursuant provides via the AIMS
schedule, please refer to Pursuant's catalog information listed in GSA Advantage
at www.gsaadvantage.gov.
(Contractor #: GS-23F-0444P)
Pursuant, Inc.
2141 P Street NW
Suite
105
Washington, D.C. 20037
TEL: 202.887.0070
FAX: 800.567.1723
www.pursuantresearch.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb252146.htm