We have never limited ourselves to just one school of thought...
We also do not see qualitative and quantitative psychological research as opposites, but rather as useful complements.
Qualitative psychological research
Basic Insight Research
Only by truly understanding the units of effect (markets/categories/situations) can you base relevant products & services on them.
- Deep Dives: Uncovering needs & Understanding motives comprehensively
- Market & Category Understanding: Situations, Needs, Codes, Myths & more
Product & Innovation Research
From the first conception, via go or no-go, all the way to optimising miniscule details.
Innovation & NPD
- Starting at the idea for an innovation, through to the qualitative evaluation and fine tuning of NPDs.
Product development
- In-depth analysis of product experience, optimisation of product delivery and benefits.
Communication Research
What are the impact mechanics of advertising?
- Qualitative analysis, starting with treatment and idea screening, storyboards and animatics to the final advertising material. Evaluation of the advertising performance.
Brand Research
How does the brand work psychologically? What is its essence? What opportunities and challenges does the brand have?
- Brand image, brand core & brand positioning studies, brand stretching, launch & relaunch
Design Research
Impact analysis
Design and layout, design codes, language of shapes and colours
Packaging & Design
- Qualitative analysis of packaging systems & package design. At-shelf experience. Semiotic analysis.
Quantitative-psychological research
Basic Research
- Insight Studies: Consumption habits and motivations e.g. via consumer diaries
- U&A Studies: Representative Usage & Attitude studies, Identification of market potential & Target group profiling
- Consumer segmentation: Target group definition, market segments, typology, personas
Product & Innovation Research
- Quantitative concept tests: Concept Screening, Concept Development, Potential Test
- Packaging & design tests: Packaging systems, packaging design (graphic artwork), packaging size
- Shelf tests: Shelf Impact (Recall, Impact, Attraction, Activation) including search tasks or purchase simulations.
- Product tests: Handling, usage, sensory properties, optimisation. Branded or unbranded.
- IHUT (InHomeUseTest)
- Studio tests according to DIN standard
- Product-Program Optimisation: Conjoint, TURF and other product research methods
Brand Research
- Brand Image: What is the status quo of the functional, emotional and social competences of the brand?
- Brand Driver: What are the brand drivers, how strong is their momentum and how do they work together?
- Brand Positioning: Where does the brand stand in each market? Which dimensions does the relevant market space extend into?
- Brand Development: To what extent is brand stretching possible and useful? Which extensions are still appropriate for the brand?
- Brand Tracking: How is the brand developing along the timeline? How is the brand shaped by strategic brand management, products and communication? Awareness/impact, consideration, brand image.
- International Roll Out: Branding, naming, packaging/SKUs: What is possible under the umbrella brand?
Communication Research
- Pretests: Quantitative communication concept tests - from verbal concepts to storyboards and animatics
- IMW-ADvaluator: Final pre-tests including benchmarking. In all media. From TV to web to print
- Post-tests: Advertising impact and effect in ex-post analysis
- Advertising Tracking: Which means of advertising will prevail and will actually be associated with the brand? Which factors affect recall? What developments can be observed in ad awareness, ad image, qualified recall, recognition, etc.?
- Naming, logo, claim and testimonial tests
Price Research
- Implicit price tests in cooperation with neuromarketing
- Traditional price tests, such as van Westendorp
Design Research
- Packaging & design tests: Packaging systems, packaging design (graphic artwork), packaging size
Classical research methods
IMW-KÖLN offers a comprehensive range of qualitative and quantitative psychological research methods corresponding to the task at hand as well as to customers' needs.
Qualitative Research
- Psychological in-depth interviews (f2f / online)
- Group discussions / focus groups (f2f / online)
- Cultural Experience Workshops
- B2B interviews & expert interviews (f2f / online)
- Dyads, Triads, Familys & Friends interviews (f2f / online)
- Ethnographic interviews & observation methods, in-home & in-store
- Product clinics
- Semiotic studies
- User experience (UX)
Quantitative Research
- Online surveys: Representative surveys, target group surveys
- Face-to-face interviews: at the studio, at home, at the POS
- Telephone surveys: Representative surveys, special target groups
- Measurement of response time, e.g. the length of time taken to respond to a question or to recognise a product on the shelf, etc.
- Ad hoc studies
- Tracking studies
- Desk research
Innovative research methods
In addition, IMW-KÖLN also offers new and creative approaches that complement the classic methods or provide new perspectives.
Qualitative Research
- fMRT-Deep-Dive
- Online Forums & Research Communities
- Ideation, Co-Creation, Design Thinking (creative workshops)
- Persona Profiler
- Advanced Sequential Recycling (ASR)
- Mobile Ethnography
- Self-ethnography
- Awareness Streaming
- Insta & WhatsApp Interviewing
- Facebook profiling
- Blogs
Quantitative Research
Implicit test procedures
- Neuropricing: Implicit price test
- fMRT based advertising impact research
- fMRT based design impact research
- (Mobile) Eye Tracking
- Cookie-based contact chance analysis
International research
We do not have dependencies in New York, Rio or Tokyo. Instead, we were actively involved in founding the QUALIS International Network as early as the 1980s.
This network of owner-run market research institutes enables us to offer market research from a single source worldwide. We believe that market researchers who are at home in those countries possess the most substantiated knowledge of their respective cultures and the embedding of different categories and brands therein.
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