Qualitative phenomenon: characteristics and applications

¶ … Epistemological assumptions

The epistemological assumption of the research is that social media fundamentally changes the way that people relate to one another, specifically how they relate to marketing and brands. It also changes the way that marketers try to reach customers.

Marketers currently face a quandary about the degree to which they must balance the use of social media with more traditional forms of media. While the overall direction of current research suggests that social media will be used more and more as a form of customer engagement, companies often feel it is still important to use other ways to connect with customers because not all consumers are 'online' (this is heavily dependent upon the type of demographic targeted by the industry) and not all customers respond to online messages the same degree they respond to other, more traditional channels. Businesses can also be change-resistant about the idea of incorporating social media into their marketing profile.

Q3. Raw data

This study will deploy a qualitative approach, surveying 80-100 businesses to examine how they are using (or not using) social media to market to their target demographics. This is designed to solicit a large enough array of participants so that a number of different industries and attitudes can be surveyed, but also small enough so there can be a more detailed examination of external and internal factors that predispose a company to select one type of approach over another approach.

Q4. Emphasis

The emphasis will be upon what types of internal and external factors cause a company to select a particular marketing 'mix.'

Q5. Sampling

The sample population will be selected from participating advertising firms that use a mix of traditional and online media. Approximately 200 firms using commercial advertising and marketing will be selected, 100 of which will be selected for closer personal interviews and discussion about the approach used by the firms, after they have submitted their surveys. The focus will be on larger organizations, using this sampling size, eliminating 'mom and pop' style corner stores.

Q6. Analysis