Blumenthal Qualitative Research

Publishing Selected Project Summaries
Methodology	Specific Research Objectives	Business Application
Multi-phased research program, including: Focus groups and in-depth phone interviews with teachers In-person interviews with fifth graders In-depth phone interviews with teachers who had participated in a beta test	Explore reactions to a new children's magazine concept Gain feedback on prototypes of the magazine	Provide direction for refining the: Editorial content Design
Focus groups with children, which included: Observation as they interacted with different media Discussion of the media (This was the first phase of a research program. Other components of the research included focus groups with teachers and quantitative research.)	Explore differences in children's relationships with print versus broadcast media Learn about how these differences affect children's responses to advertising Develop hypotheses to be tested in quantitative research	Develop guidelines for creating captivating, memorable print advertising
In-depth interviews with recent direct mail customers	Elicit feedback to a direct mail brochure being developed to promote a book	Aid in the refinement and optimization of the brochure prior to final production
Focus groups with current customers of a financial services organization	Gauge customers' reaction to the idea of a proprietary quarterly magazine Provide feedback to: Proposed content Sample articles Layout Alternative cover designs Proposed names for the publication	Help guide the design, positioning, and naming of the publication
Focus groups with business travelers	Gain insight into the mind-set of flight guide users Explore attitudes toward and usage of two different flight guides Probe responses to new product ideas	Learn which features and benefits to leverage in marketing efforts Provide direction for improvements to the flight guide
In-depth interviews with direct mail recipients	Elicit feedback to the outer envelope and to the contents of several direct mail pieces that had already been used in live tests.	Provide insight into why certain direct mail pieces achieve better response rates than others Offer suggestions for improving the direct mail pieces
Focus groups with teachers	Explore teachers’ attitudes toward and usage of: The teacher’s guide that accompanies a student magazine The website associated with that magazine	Uncover ways to increase teachers’ satisfaction with these resource to increase the likelihood that teachers will renew their classes’ subscriptions