We think of them as consumer digs.

At Fusion Marketing Power, when we go into people’s homes or out shopping, watch them prepare a meal, or otherwise engage in their daily life, we do so purposefully. We balance interesting, varied questions and exercises with subtle but scrupulous observation through our seasoned, objective lens of the respondents and their environment.

We give respondents customized pre-work before our visit, so they can begin thinking about our subject, telling us about themselves – engaging in the project.

We encourage client participation in these “Consumer Digs”. Consumer Insights, Marketing, R&D, Packaging, Sales, and Agencies have all benefited from the natural, comfortable conversations we have had in these sessions – and the opportunity they have provided to gain unspoken insights into consumers’ lifestyles, behavior, and attitudes. Just like the respondents, though, no one goes into the Digs unprepared. We arm all participants with a briefing on ethnographic Do’s and Don’t’s and give you a Field Journal in which to record cues, clues and contradictions you see and hear.

For our part, we have years of experience in making respondents at ease in ethnographic situations, in expert probing, and in getting to the core of consumer beliefs and intentions.

And, of course, what the respondent doesn’t say is often as important as what he or she does say.

We employ a variety of proprietary, tried-and-true techniques and exercises to draw out deep-seeded emotions and connections, and we are constantly refining and re-testing these exercises to have the perfect “toolkit” at our disposal for each new project.