Have you ever played one of those classic logic games?  Here’s a pretty famous one:  “Seth couldn’t go home because the man in the mask was waiting for him.  Where is Seth?”  Depending on the rules you play with, you either get to ask more questions or you just have to guess.

I like to think of that as the difference between what we do at Communispace and more traditional market research.  If you come out of a focus group or phone survey with contradictory findings, you’re left to extrapolate and/or ask another group of people to explain the inconsistency.  In a community, you can go back and ask questions of the same people to uncover the real basis for their original insights.

Okay, ready to play?

Here’s a logic game based on fairly typical research findings.  Oh, and we’re playing with Communispace rules here.  Of course, you can ask more questions.

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Consider these data about a customer of a local food establishment:

• Susan goes there “several times a week.”
• She “occasionally” goes there more than once a day.
• She spends more than $30 there every week.
• She’s “satisfied” with the food quality.
• She will “definitely” go there again in the future.
• They have several menu items that she considers to be “very good” or “good.”
• When asked how much she likes the food establishment, she reveals: “Not at All.”

Question: How do you explain the individual’s lack of affinity for a place she frequents so often?

7 Responses to “Getting to the Insight: A logic game”

1. Meghan Anderson says:

   April 16, 2010 at 1:50 pm

   An appropriate post, since I just got back from lunch. It sounds like a good summation the cafes that sit on the first floor of any office building in downtown Boston. Convenient, but largely uninspired. The woman’s relationship with the establishment is purely functional. She doesn’t connect with the brand or the experience outside of the transaction itself. despite visiting frequently and spending a fair amount there.

   The establishment can probably count on her continued business, because of the ease of transaction (It’s “on her way,” amid a very busy schedule, so it’ll do.) but not her loyalty or recommendation to others.
2. Peter Chapin says:

   April 16, 2010 at 2:38 pm

   What I like is how much room for interpretation there is between the lines. Is Susan going there just because it’s so convenient, or…does her sister run the place, and she feels obligated to go? Are the walls painted a color that gives her a headache? Does her office have a deal with the establishment so that there’s some kind of incentive for her to go? Maybe the food is delicious but the place smells bad?

   All questions that could have a huge impact on understanding why Susan goes there, but if we couldn’t keep asking for more details, we’d never really know.
3. Diane Hessan says:

   April 16, 2010 at 11:49 pm

   Great post, Karen. There are so many possibilities, right?

   Perhaps it’s a place where she buys food for someone else, like a child or a parent.
   Or, perhaps, it’s one of those “captive” places, like what Meghan describes: a company cafeteria or the like (we have a place like that near our offices, don’t we?)
   Or perhaps she loves the food but thinks the people are surly.

   Time to explore more.
4. Karen Barone says:

   April 19, 2010 at 11:27 am

   Thanks, Meghan. It’s a great caution for all of us–don’t confuse frequency with loyalty.

   I love these questions, Diane. I’d also want to know more about how she feels about food, in general. What does eating mean for her? What are the emotions behind food? Is she dieting?
5. Laura Carrillo says:

   April 19, 2010 at 11:36 am

   Hi Karen,
   Cool post! Does she work there?
6. Jani Fraga says:

   April 20, 2010 at 3:16 pm

   As a current student in a marketing research methods class, I find myself stuck within these open paths during data collection. Diane came to speak with us last week and described Communispace’s drive to shine light on “the 5th P (participation),” allowing not only Susan, but her fellow community members to compare and contrast their thoughts, feelings, and reasoning for liking or disliking the brand. Not only would the 5th P allow Susan to express her concerns, but may permit new ideas and solutions to Susan’s distaste.
7. Nicole Adriance says:

   April 21, 2010 at 3:27 pm

   Hmmmm … sounds familiar. I would venture to guess that she has no other choice but to frequent this place due to a lack of competition. Normally this place, might be pretty good, but since she goes there so frequently it tips the scale in favor of “Not at All!” Great post Karen … it really goes to show you that at this point we are all just guessing, despite having the data right in front of us. Exactly why the ability to probe further makes Community so valuable!