Putting the Power of Emotions into

Qualitative

Meagan Peters

The old adages “People should think with their head and not with their heart” or “People are emotional or rational” are no longer relevant or factual.

It is virtually impossible to make decisions that are devoid of emotions.

Emotions are the lens by which you process information – you are almost always “feeling” or reacting to your environment.

Research Demonstrates That Emotions Drive All Behavior

EmotionsAttitudesOpinions

Beliefs

JudgmentsDecisionsBehaviors

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o Emotions are how people form attitudes, beliefs, and opinions which are the basis for judgments, decisions, and behaviors.

o Emotions are core to consumer behavior.

o People typically provide a logical argument to rationalize a purchase decision, but their emotional response is often what drives the purchase.

Why having an emotion expert as a

moderator matters

Why having an Emotion Expert as a Moderator Matters

1. It takes a properly trained expert to correctly identify and analyze emotions.

2. Body language accounts for 50%-70% of communication. Unlike verbal responses,

emotions and body language cannot be regulated and provide genuine insight into your

customers’ core feelings. We live in a polite society, and we often regulate what we say.

3. I have been academically trained in emotion research but I also have experience in

applying it to real-world situations… where in fact customer emotions impact business

performance.

4. Emotions are the primary reason consumers prefer one brand over another.

5. Combining insights from consumers’ emotions with strong qualitative methods and

learning provides holistic understanding, superior insight and innovative thinking!

Why having an Emotion Expert as a Moderator Matters

6. Creating an emotional connection can improve your business because we know:

Strong emotional drivers make people care about your brand

Emotions break through the noise and increase brand advocacy and engagement

Strong advertising campaigns engage strong positive emotions

Understanding the emotions of your target helps you bond and build brand loyalty

Understanding emotions can uncover new innovation areas

Leveraging the right emotional buttons boosts sales!

~ SEE EXAMPLES ~

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30 million viewers in 10 days!

Example of “Breaking through Clutter”

with powerful emotional advertising

Dove Real Beauty Sketches – You are more beautiful than you think

From Toms website: “With every product you purchase, TOMS will

help a person in need. One for One.®

With the support of TOMS customers and Giving Partners, TOMS Giving has reached

more than 35 MILLION PEOPLE across FIVE CONTINENTS.”

Toms Shoes: Brand example where social marketing or “cause marketing” was highly

successful. TOMS positioned themselves as a helping brand with a good cause and became

wildly successful, recognizable, and something people in turn felt emotionally good about

buying.

Emotions: There are many positive emotions evoked by this brand. One is that people

consistently feel more generous when they give something of themselves other than money and

people want to be recognized as givers which they can do by giving a pair of shoes with TOMS.

Also, TOMS increased their own self image by creating a wealth of positive emotions and

associations with their brand.

Example of Building Positive Emotions & Brand Advocacy

Allstate’s Success with “Mayhem” Campaign

• Allstate made the surprising move of switching from their Dennis Haysbert “You’re in good

hands” campaign to the “Mayhem” campaign – where commercials portrayed chaos and silly

catastrophes involving raccoons in the attic, puppies chewing up a car, a tree falling on a car,

etc.

• What happened? It was a huge success – reversed a sales decline and posted a sales increase

of 4.3% !

• Why did this work? It’s an emotional campaign! It’s funny and makes people laugh

and feel good about themselves.

‒ Employs an emotion known as schadenfreude—satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's

misfortune.

‒ By eliciting emotions, the Mayhem commercials create attention … emotions signal a person to pay

attention to their environment.

‒ This emotional campaign was successful in breaking through clutter and helping drive incremental

sales.

Overall Emotional

Tone Assessment

I can assess the emotions that are displayed by respondents based on

general observations during the discussion. My analysis identifies those

emotions and explains their business implications.

Facial Expression

Coding

Facial coding (based on Paul Ekman’s coding system) identifies distinct

emotions experienced at a point in time. Facial coding requires a one-on-

one interview which is video recorded. I provide discrete data points and

information on what emotions are exhibited during specific questions.

Body Language

Coding

Combining body language coding with facial coding captures

additional emotions and reveals an even richer picture. Body language

conveys emotions (e.g., confusion, boredom, pride) that go beyond those

expressed via facial expression and provides a significantly higher degree

of accuracy.

Custom Approaches to Capturing and Understanding Emotion

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Emotions can be captured based on general observation or through a more precise and

rigorous coding process, depending on the business issues and research objectives. In

particular, the facial and body language coding should be considered if assessing response to a

specific stimulus (e.g., concept, copy or ad, package) or if the topic is potentially sensitive

prompting respondents to “regulate” their reaction.

How we are different

• Your project will be managed and analyzed by an emotion expert with training in scientific

and academic research as well as experience in the industry.

• We provide cutting-edge methods drawing from both psychology and neuroscience theory.

Analytically we provide insights along with the “so what” or business implications to ensure

results are actionable and address your tangible business issues and decision making.

• Other companies and researchers offer “emotion research” but don’t know how to properly

apply and interpret the results. They can lack the proper background or training in

psychology to match the technique, analysis and application to your issues.

• Solution Partners has a whole team of trained and experienced researchers and marketers

to provide added perspective and business acumen to your project.

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Please contact me for qualitative or emotions research

Meagan Peters is skilled in both online and traditional methods

(groups, one-on-ones, bulletin boards, etc.). She has been trained in

online qualitative methods, Riva moderating and Synectics Ideation.

She is an expert in applying emotion theory and methodological

techniques to qualitative research. Trained in facial coding and body

language analysis, she has published her academic research on

emotions as well as presented it at Stanford’s School of Business.

As Qualitative Director at Solution Partners Consulting, Meagan has

worked across a variety of industries including CPG, apparel,

household appliances, financial services, hospitality, restaurants,

greeting cards, casual restaurants, among others.

She holds an M.S. in Business Administration from the University of

Illinois at Urbana Champaign and B.A. in Sociology and

Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill.

MEAGAN PETERS

SOLUTION PARTNERS CONSULTING

MEAGAN.PETERS@SOLUTIONPARTNERS.COM

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I’m backed by a winning team of researchers at Solution Partners

so we make research easy and can take care of everything!

Synthesis Quantitative Qualitative Research Consulting & Outsourcing

• Fill Staff Shortage

• Manage initiative

• Play Advisor Role

• Train or Mentor Staff

• Conduct Insights

Department Audit

• Assess Research

Techniques

• Leverage & integrate your existing information

• Disciplined process

• Organize & code

• Information management tool

• Construct meaningful story

Types

• A&U

• Choice/Optimization

• Concept Testing

• Segmentation

• Custom/Ad Hoc

Marketing Science

• Driver analysis

• Segmentation

• Conjoint or Choice

• Targeting (trend setters,

category enthusiasts, etc.)

Types

• Online Bulletin Boards

• Groups & One-on-Ones

• Emotions Research

• Ideation Facilitation

Applications

• Concept Development

• Positioning Development

• Strategies

• Innovation Opportunities