Doing Marketing Research: Alternative Methods for Market Sensing

Traditional research methods in marketing can be illuminating when used well, but all too often their results fail to provide the depth of understanding that organisations need to anticipate market needs.

Doing Marketing Research enables researchers to get greater depth and meaning from their research and organisations to make smarter strategic decisions. This unique book explains market sensing simply and practically and demonstrates how it can benefit researchers. It teaches non-mainstream and alternative research methods, which facilitate innovative research design and achieve deep insights into the mindsets of consumers. The methods explored in this book include sensory research using ZMET, discourse analysis, consumer ethnography, social media networks, narrative and storytelling and gamification. This second edition has been fully updated to include several new chapters covering newer methods and topics, including the Delphi method, archival research, visual methods and the decolonisation of research.

With a wealth of examples, diverse case studies and pedagogy, such as seminar activities to aid student learning, this textbook is recommended and core reading for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying marketing research, and business research methods more generally, as well as marketing practitioners.

Online resources include PowerPoint lecture slides.

Alison Lawson is Head of the Discipline of Marketing and Operations at the University of Derby. Her research interests are in marketing for social good, sustainability and customer behaviour. Before going into higher education, she worked in book publishing and contract research for the education sector at a nonprofit organisation.

Charles Hancock is Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Derby, specialising in ZMET visual methods and research related to a sustainable society. His extensive industry background enriches his teaching, which covers contemporary marketing challenges, commercial programmes, live agency briefs, and independent studies. Before academia, Charles held senior management roles across Europe.