Ethnography in Marketing

Ethnography is defined as a branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures. Anthropology meaning the science that deals with the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, and social customs and beliefs of humankind. Anthropologists Bronislaw Malinowski and Margaret Mead are often identified as important players in the beginning of the professional field of ethnography. Malinowski’s first work was done in the Trobriand Islands of Melanesia in 1915 and Mead’s first fieldwork was done in Samoa in 1925 (2013). However, Mead’s work in Samoa has now been questioned due to work done by Derek Freeman who studied Western Samoa in the early 1940s and mid-1960s (Weiner, 1983). Regardless, Mead contributed a lot to ethnography and is still considered credible to many ethnographers. Ethnography began as a study to learn about human nature, social affiliation, and the conduct of daily life (Mariampolski, 2006). Groups are typically studied in ethnography but individuals have been studied as well. Ethnography is a form of qualitative research that is subject-centered and a way to understand subjects on their own terms. It involves interacting with people in their natural settings to understand them better. When subjects are researched this way the form is typically less structured. It is not laboratory based and subjects are more comfortable in areas they are already familiar with. Ethnography relies on participation as well as observation by researchers. In this method called participant-observation, researchers must be able to participate in an activity and understand the perspective of the individuals being studied as well as observe the subjects to be able to describe them to those not a part of the group being studied. It can be difficult in that some individuals can have different experiences from others because of influences such as biases. A researcher might be repelled by their subjects, while others

Bibliography: Anderson, K. (2009). Ethnographic Research: A Key to Strategy - Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Review Magazine, Articles, Blogs, Case Studies, Books - Harvard Business Review. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://hbr.org/2009/03/ethnographic-research-a-key-to-strategy/ Berner, R. (2006, June 11). The Ethnography of Marketing - Businessweek. Businessweek - Business News, Stock market & Financial Advice. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-06-11/the-ethnography-of-marketing Fortini-Campbell, L. (2001). Hitting the Sweet Spot. Chicago, IL: The Copy Workshop. Genzuck, M. (2003). Genzuk: A Synthesis of Ethnographic Research. Personal World Wide Web Pages . Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~genzuk/Ethnographic_Research.html Hoey, B. (2012, December 9). What is Ethnography? : Homepage of Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D., Anthropology. Homepage of Brian A. Hoey, PhD. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://www.brianhoey.com/General%20Site/general_defn-ethnography.htm Mariampolski, H. (2006). Ethnography for marketers: a guide to consumer immersion. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications. Weiner, A. (1983). Ethnographic Determinism: Samoa and the Margaret Mead Controversy. American Anthropologist, 85(4), 909-919. Retrieved August 30, 2013, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/679591?seq=2 Ethnography -- Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/194292/ethnography