ETHNOGRAPHY OF MARKETING: AN INITIAL DISCUSSION

Abstract

Consumer behavior studies entail complex situations that are not simple to understand by quantitative researches using scales. Recently there is a enhancing of qualitative methods to help interpret the individual and the group. In business and marketing researchers with qualitative work are increasingly using techniques, and methods that are common in sociology, anthropology, and psychology which have more tradition in qualitative research. Ethnography originated from anthropology and sociology with group approaches seems to be a good tool to marketing studies. Thus, the aim of this work is to discuss ethnography as a marketing research methodology, emphasizing its employment and limitations. This is made by an essay based on analytical and descriptive bibliographic research. The article begins exposing the ethnography and ethnology origins, and evolution in the field of anthropology. It is followed by the main methods of collecting and data analysis in ethnography. Its main uses and limitations in marketing are discussed. To conclude the reasoning is that the method is adequate in marketing research if applied with methodological rigor. This kind of research has the advantage of revealing why some behavior related to group occur, what is not possible with others positivist approaches.