With only two days left in London it’s time to wrap up my semester long comparative study. While being in London, I have noticed differences and similarities in the way qualitative research is used in account planning. Read about my U.S. findings here.

The Break Down
Similarities

• Just like the U.S., budget is an important factor in the way research is conducted in the U.K.
• Consumers are open and willing to participate in research studies
  

Differences

• The way companies conduct research when working with a budget 
  

The Explanation
I heard from many experts in my area of expertise while in the U.K. In speaking to James Fraser a Strategist at Mother, Anna Cremin the Head of Research and Consumer Insight at Pearl & Dean, Joe Faul the Senior Social Media Analyst at We Are Social and Stephan Waddington the Digital and Social Media Director at Ketchum I learned many companies are budget orientated.

Companies such as Pearl & Dean, We Are Social and Ketchum tend to use more quantitative rather than qualitative research. Anna explained that although she would like to use qualitative research more, the nature of having a budget and having to answer a specific objective means that people always want numbers behind the research. These agencies all use types of online monitoring to obtain their research on consumers. Anna spoke about TouchPoints, which is “the first 
consumer-centric multimedia survey” conducted by the IPA in the U.K. Anna went on to explain, “although it is a quantitative piece of study, it’s actually a sort of qualitative observing method.” I also learned that when using qualitative research they stick to traditional methods such as online focus groups and focus groups.

When working with a budget advertising agencies, such Mother, which is a small independent agency, only do small research projects in house. When a client has a large research project they send it to a research company. James explained that when Mother does in house research they prefer to use nontraditional methods of qualitative, such as shop-alongs, instead of quantitative research. 

From my interviews, I also concluded the culture in the U.K. is similar to that in the U.S. in the sense that consumers are very open and willing to participate in research studies as long as they care about the topic and they are compensated for their time. 

Key Take-Aways
Phil Johnston, one of my U.S. interviewees, told me the way qualitative research is used in account planning depends on the culture of the agency, not the country. I have to say this is very true. While in the U.K. I went to ad agencies and PR firms and I agree that it is the culture of the agencies that affect the type of research conducted and the way the research is used. 

I can hardly fathom the thought that I’ve been in London for 12 days now! This city has grown on me more and more every day and I can honestly say I can see myself living here in the future. I find my list of reasons why I love London growing rapidly.

Why Do I Love London?
I have to say the main reason my love for this city is so strong is because I am spending my time here with 21 amazing people. I came into this trip only knowing a handful of my classmates but now I feel like this group has become a small family. My flat is full of life and laughter at all times; I couldn’t imagine traveling around London (and Paris) with anybody other than these people. From falling asleep on each other’s shoulders, to taking pictures of each other sleeping – my classmates have made this journey more than I ever imagined it would be.  

We have traveled all over London together and even took a day trip to Paris, which leads me to another one of my favorite things. Aside from all of the beauty and sites in this city, I love how convenient is it to travel to different countries from London. 

So far, a few of my favorite sites are Greenwich, Abbey Road and Hyde Park. All of my journeys have been full excitement and many pictures – I put this short video together so you can see some of the highlights of my time abroad! 

Cheers! 

I have been in London for almost a week now, although it seems like much longer because I have been staying busy every second. So far, I spoke with two experts in the U.K. who were knowledgeable on my area of expertise.

My first interview was with Anna Cremin, the head of Research and Consumer Insight at Pearl & Dean. Anna was more than helpful when it came to answering my questions on the use of qualitative research and relationships with research participants in the U.K. One main finding I can draw from this interview is that they seem to use more quantitative (rather than qualitative) research in the U.K. than the companies I researched and spoke to in the U.S. While speaking to Anna I learned, “if [British] people like something, they’re more than happy to talk about it.” Anna also told me “if the subject matter is personal to them then they’re not reserved.”

I visited We Are Social where I heard from the Senior Social Media Analyst, Joe Faul. I hope to have a one-on-one interview with him later this week, but from listening to him talk to my class, I realized that most of the research he conducts is also quantitative. 

So far my findings have not been in line with what I was necessarily expecting, which is making this project that much more enjoyable. 

Next Up
In addition to setting up an interview with Joe, I also aim to speak to a planner at We Are Social. I'm in the process of finalizing a time to speak with a strategist from BBD, and I hope to speak to a strategist at Mother as well. I can’t wait to find out more about qualitative research in account planning in the U.K.! 

After a long and exciting day of traveling, I made it safely to London. It didn’t hit me that I was actually in here until I received the keys to my flat. After doing a little unpacking, my roommates and I went exploring on our first night. Since it was kind of late we only walked around the streets surrounding out flat in Clerkenwell, but that was all it took for me to realize how much I’m going to love living here for two weeks! The buildings in the city look so historic and beautiful. I already know I’m going to miss this amazing scenery when it’s time for me to head back Ohio.

One of the first things I noticed (and one of my favorite things) about London is how culturally diverse it is. It seems like people from all over the world live and work in the city. I suppose I was only expecting to hear British accents while walking down the streets, but I was pleasantly surprised to find so many different people living here. I also noticed how friendly everybody is!

Surprisingly, I didn’t find it that odd seeing people drive on the wrong side of the road; however, I’m still not used to looking to my right instead of my left for oncoming traffic when crossing the street, which makes for some  heart stopping moments.

I can’t wait to continue exploring London! 

With only 6 days left in the U.S. I have been thinking more and more about what I want to do and see while I’m across the pond. I want to make the most of every minute so I decided to make a list (and video) of the top ten places I want to visit.  

It’s hard to believe that in 17 days I will be on my way to London! Having completed my U.S. research, I am halfway finished with my project. 

My my key findings from the past four months:
For my area of expertise I chose to compare the use of audience analysis and research in the U.S. versus the U.K. 

I quickly realized that was too broad of a topic, so I narrowed my approach by focusing on the use of qualitative research in account planning. I aimed to discover how and if different cultures affect the research in account planning.

From reading Using Qualitative Research in Advertising, by Margaret A. Morrison, Eric Haley, Kim B. Sheehan and Ronald E. Taylor, I learned qualitative research provides account planners "the opportunity for intimate consumer contact in a less structured environment and allows for insight into the more emotional aspects of a brand" (8). Account planning also "captures the concept that research is more than statistics; it recognizes the 'complexity of humans and their emotional attachment to products and that this understanding can be translated into effective campaigns extending far beyond agencies'" (Morrison and Haley, 2006, quoted in Morrison, Haley, et al. 145). 

Account planners use qualitative research to:

• Explore brand values, attitudes and behaviors
  
• Enhance our understanding of the target audience
  
• Uncover motives
  
• Provide insight and direction to creative
  
• Develop the strategy and the creative brief
  
• Help bring the work to life via verbatim quotes 

I learned that some agencies are open to innovative research, such as storytelling, while others prefer to use traditional research, such as focus groups. 

From my interview with Sue Stabe, who has had over 15 years of research experience, I learned U.S. agencies, such as Adcom, are often more open to non-traditional methods of qualitative research for a couple of reasons. Often the clients that agencies do research for don’t have a traditional research vendor so they are looking for something outside the box.

Through my U.S. research and interviews conducted, I found that many people in the U.S. are open to participating in research studies for various reasons, some being: they enjoy having their opinions heard and they get paid for their time. 

I viewed my interview with Phil Johnston, who has worked a lot with international companies, to be a “sneak peek” for what I can expect from my U.K. interviews. During this interview Phil told me the way qualitative research is used in account planning depends on the culture of the agency, not the country. 

My U.K. Plan
Fun Fact! Account planning was developed in the mid-1960s and can be traced to the U.K. offices of two advertising – J Walter Thompson and BMP.

BMP is now known as DDB. One of there branch offices, adam&eveDDB, is not too far from where I will be staying. Needless to say, this will be my first interview stop in London because this was part of the agency that account planning originated from. I also aim to interview a strategist from Mother and (hopefully) a research specialist who will be able to give me insights on how/if the British culture affects their research!

Until then – cheers!

No, not Prince Harry. The other famous, British Harry - Harry Potter! 

This May I will be living a dream I have been dwelling on for very many years. In less than 40 days I will finally be going to Hogwarts! 

I have been a Harry Potter fan for almost as long as I can remember and I’ll be the first to admit, on my 11th birthday I was a little crushed because I didn’t receive my Hogwarts acceptance letter. If only I would have known in 10 years time I would be visiting the one and only Warner Bros. Studio in London where all of the Harry Potter magic took place.

I’m looking forward to this opportunity for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I’ll be able to sleep easy knowing my wish on my 11th birthday wasn’t a waste. Going behind-the-scenes to see the sets, costumes and props used in the Harry Potter films is truly an amazing opportunity. 

Here is a little video I put together with a few classmates for our Global Ad/PR class. Enjoy!

What Am I Looking for? 
I am on a quest to find out how qualitative research fits into account planning. I am conducting not only secondary research, but I am also conducting interviews with professionals who can give me some insider insight.

In my effort to learn more about the role of qualitative research in account planning, I spoke with Wendy Wardell, the advertising account management professor at Kent State University. Interviewing Wendy was a great place for me to start my search for more information because she has a lot of account management experience.  

After talking to Wendy, I am very curious/excited to find out if these practices are the same in the U.K.

Next Up.
I am in the process of setting up two other interviews. I briefly spoke to Sue Stabe who is the Director of Insights and Account Planning at The Adcom Group. Sue has a lot of experience and knowledge with qualitative research. I look forward to interviewing her later this week. I also aim to interview Phil Johnston who is the Senior Vice President/Planning at Marcus Thomas. 

My desire to hold a research or account planning position after graduation inspired my idea for my project this semester. 

I discovered my love for research while taking an audience analysis and research class last year. I wish I could retake this class every semester because I enjoyed it so much, but unfortunately I can’t do that. Instead, I will be doing the next best thing – I will be incorporating my love into my project this semester. 

How, you ask?
I will be comparing the use of audience analysis and research in the U.S. versus the U.K. More specifically, I will be focusing on qualitative research and how it fits into account planning. I hope to discover how the different cultures/lifestyles affect the research.

I have some experience and knowledge on how focus groups are conducted in the U.S. and I’m very eager to find out how that differs across the pond. I will be conducting interviews in the U.S. and the U.K. with members of research teams in the advertising field. I would like to start by interview a Strategic Planning and Research professional at Wyse Advertising. I hope to gain a greater insight on qualitative research in the U.S. from this interview. 

My name is Katie Vrettos, I am a junior advertising major with a minor in marketing at Kent State University. I strive to hold a research or account planning position in the advertising industry. 

In May I will be traveling to London, England to study Global Ad & PR. I will be focusing on methods of audience analysis and research in the U.S. vs. the U.K. and how the different cultures / lifestyles affect the research. 

A little bit about myself – I was born and raised in Willoughby, Ohio. I come from a Greek background, which has given me a great appreciation for different cultures and lifestyles. I know there are so many different lifestyles and I hope to one-day travel the world to experience as many as possible. 

I enjoy traveling, boating, sewing and I am a wine enthusiast.

I am a positive person and I always try to find the bright side of every situation. I work well under pressure and I am good at calming others down when they are stressed. I am levelheaded and tend to look at both sides of a situation before making decisions, which I think is a great trait to have!

Last but not least, I have a Bichon Frise named Jax whom I adore and spoil rotten. I know I will miss him while I am in London, but I cannot wait for this journey to begin!