Ethnography is a common tool used in marketing research. It generally involves observation of a person or group of people, in their natural environment. This got me to thinking that casual observations of what is going on around you are a form of ethnography. You can’t watch or read any news without hearing how bad the economy is. Putting my ethnography skills to work, I quickly picked up the signs of a bad economy. My approach is at least more entertaining than watching the news. Some examples….
- I can readily catch a cab right in front of my office – even on a rainy day. The last time this happened was during the dot com bust.
- The subway train I catch every morning is packed. This may at first appear contrary to my point. But once you realize they are now running 7 or 8 car trains instead of 10 car trains, you know why they are packed.
- The 3 people ahead of me at McDonalds (yes I do eat at McDonalds occasionally) all ordered off of the $1.00 value menu.
- Grocers are abandoning the “five for $5” or “ten for $10” sale ads and are advertising $1.00 prices.
- There’s no longer a line out the door at the organic salad place.
- Magazines are getting thinner due to less ads.
- There is a subtle trend toward smaller sample sizes for research projects.
This list could go on and on. I’d be curious to hear what others have observed that points to a bad economy.
2 comments:
The interview line for the new Cheesecake factory opening up in Walnut Creek, CA was enormously long.
Thanks Ginelle. I just returned from NYC and plan to add a part II with my observations from there.
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