Ethnography for Marketers

A Guide to Consumer Immersion

"Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion provides a good primer for market researchers wishing to engage in ethnographic fieldwork.  It offers useful background and practical guidance on conducting ethnographic fieldwork in an easy-to-read and enjoyable style... He [Hy Mariampolski] is at his best when describing how to design and carry out ethnographic projects.  The stories he tells from his own market research practice make the text a rich learning experience for readers...Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion is a welcome addition to qualitative market research bookshelves from a guru with a wealth of professional experience."    

"Mariampolski’s book is accessible without being simplistic, detailed without being intimidating and enthusiastic without tub-thumping. The book start with an outline of the history of ethnography (or, as the author puts it, its intellectual heritage), and goes on to explore both its power and range of applications. But the bulk of the book is a detailed exploration of the practicalities of the work, including design, recruitment, logistics, site visits, and interaction with respondents. Not surprisingly, particular emphasis is put on data collection, including mapping – looking at what Mariampolski describes as the social ecology of the home or workplace – diaries, audio and video recording, and the complexities and subtleties of observation, which seems such a simple task but maybe isn’t. All in all, this is a splendid do-it-yourself guide to ethnography for use in our neck of the research woods. The book will provide a useful background to what is perhaps an ideal form of investigation, getting closer to understanding what can never be possible with groups and depths. A useful counter-balance to the understandable trend towards off the shelf and perhaps over-simplistic research  studies, this book not only provides a guide to the ways and means of ethnography but will provide virtually everyone with new thoughts on the research we could do, and sometimes perhaps should do."

"Ethnography for Marketers promises to establish itself as an important, practical handbook for anyone engaging or about to engage in this burgeoning sub-division of qualitative research. This book contains some theory but focuses much more on hands-on practice. The author must be praised for putting much practical wisdom into our hands. How-to research books are often long on procedure and short on interpretation. Not so with this book. Hints on analysis and developing sound answers for buyers are plentiful. The appendices are rich in material that can inspire and guide the budding ethnographer. Here the author seized the high ground: Mount Sinai, to be precise, from which he delivers the "Ten Commandments for Great Ethnography". It I were to add one, it would be- Go for it!"

"Mariampolski provides strategies and tips for conducting onsite marketing research into consumers' behaviors and lifestyles. This useful guide also includes information on the cultural and ethical aspects of conducting research and how to establish rapport with respondents."

"The principal strength of this book is that it is well organized and forms an excellent primer for a person, who may have no previous background in the area, to get to know about what ethnography is, why it is useful, its genesis, how to use it in various situations, and the various do's and don'ts involved in using ethnography as a tool to gather and interpret date from consumers. The various chapters on setting up a piece of ethnographic research and executing it are especially good. It is a useful addition to the set of materials that are available to marketers for ethnographic research."

"This book is clearly targeted at an audience comprising market research professionals who want to expand their repertoire of research methods, people working in research agencies, consultancies and client organizations. The book is excellent in its coverage of both the reasons behind the need to use ethnography and the 'how to' of the ethnographic process. . . . People being exposed to this method for the first time will appreciate the comprehensiveness of the book."