| Title: |
Ethnography within consumer research -- a critical case study of Consumer Film Festivals. |
| Authors: |
McMillan, Lorne1, Ng, Brenda2 lmcmillan@brsgroup.com |
| Source: |
International Journal of Market Research. 2007, Vol. 49 Issue 6, p707-714. 8p. 2 Charts. |
| Subject Terms: |
*Consumer attitudes, *User-generated content, *Marketing, *Focus groups, *Qualitative research, *Marketing research, Video games & teenagers, Video games, Young adults, Film festivals, Filmmaking, Social sciences fieldwork, Research methodology, Ethnology, Amateur films, Social media |
| Company/Entity: |
Microsoft Corp. 081466849 MSFT |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes an ethnographic research study conducted for Microsoft's Gaming Division across seven countries, among teens and young adults who play PC and console video games. Both the research methodology and the project deliverables relied on the heavy use of video film; not only were in-home interviews were filmed in each country, and respondents were given video cameras and asked to make their own short films to express their feelings about particular topics relevant to PC and video gaming. When all of this was done, respondents were invited to a central location and participated in a 'Consumer Film Festival' -- essentially, a focus group where their films were shown among their peers and used as the basis for group discussion. The paper outlines the complex nature of such research, and suggests that while the end findings were of considerable benefit to Microsoft, one aspect of the process -- the Consumer Film Festival sessions themselves -- was not the most useful methodological approach when it came to analysing and understanding the data that consumers provided. There are better ways of understanding consumer-generated content such as this than having consumers discuss their efforts in a focus group. The value of this last part of the methodology was that these sessions provided exceptional respondent and client engagement. The real learning from this consumer-generated material took place once fieldwork was completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Business Source Complete |
