ZMET - Qualitative Research The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique + 2 case studies

1. The ZMET Technique
M o h a m m a d R e z a M e s k a r a n

2. Agenda
• What is Market Research? A brief history +
Types
• ZMET as a qualitative tool
• Intro to ZMET technique
• A brief biography of Gerald Zaltman
• Two case studies

3. Market Research
Review
Marketing research is the systematic design,
collection, analysis, and reporting of data and
findings relevant to a specific marketing situation
facing the company.
Definition

4. Market Research
Abrief history
•1930’s
•1940’s
•1990’s
•Nowadays

5. Quantitative
Qualitative
Market Research
Types

6. Quantitative
Qualitative
ZMET: Qualitative Research
TheZaltmanMetaphorElicitationTechnique
• A brief history
• What is ZMET?
• Why the ZMET?
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Applications of ZMET

7. Developerof
ZMET
Technique
Professor Emeritus Harvard Business
School and Partner Olson Zaltman
Gerald Zaltman

8. How It
Works?
Abig picture of
ZMET !
• Before the interview
• During the interview
• After the interview

9. ZMET
Before the interview Participants
20 – 25 for credibility
Collecting pictures
at least 12 photos
Time to collect
7-10 days

10. ZMET
During the interview
The depth Interview
one- to -one ‘ZMET’ interview by expert interviewer
Often 2-3 hours
10STEPS:

11. ZMET
After the interview Output:
Consensus map
80% of the mind map of society
Constructs: at least one-third of the participants
Connections: at least one-fourth of the participants

12. ZMET
CaseStudy# 1

13. ZMET
During the interview Step 1: Storytelling
Participant was asked to describe the feeling that he relates with
the brand and to find out images that represent those feelings
and thoughts.

14. ZMET
During the interview Step 2: Missed issues and images
Participant was asked to describe any issues he was unable to
find, to describe a picture representing the issue and explain its
relevance.
The participant responded that he was unable to
pictorially depict the Premium-ness of the brand
compared to other coffee makers and also the
richness in flavor of the coffee. The way sipping a cup
of Nescafe coffee awakened all his senses and gave a
special feeling was hard to be captured in an image.

15. ZMET
During the interview
Step 3 & Step 4:
Sorting Task & Construct Elicitation
Participant was asked to sort pictures into meaningful piles and
to provide a descriptive label for each pile, thereby establishing
major themes and also to make relationships between pairs of
images.
Pile 1:
Pictures 2, 4 & 8 can be clubbed together as all of them
depict the sense of relaxation and happiness one gets from
drinking coffee.
…...

16. ZMET
During the interview Step 5: Most Representative Picture
Participant was asked to select the picture most representative of
the brand’s image.
The respondent selected Picture 9 as the most
representative of the brand and products image
as he feels that Nescafe is made from the best of the coffee
beans. It is a Premium coffee which is a signage to others
that they are able to afford coffee at such price points;
hence gratifying them with a sense of social status.

17. ZMET
During the interview Step 6: Opposite Image
Participants were asked to describe pictures that represent the
opposite of the brand’s image
The opposite representation of the product was given by
the image of a group of people exercising who after getting
tired and worked out would consume anything from water
to a fresh juice or a cold drink to quench their thirst.

18. ZMET
During the interview Step 7: Sensory Images
Participants were asked to use other senses (touch, taste, smell,
color and emotional feeling) to describe what does and does not
represent the concept being explored.

19. ZMET
During the interview Step 8: The Mental Map
The participant was invited to create a map or a “causal model”
using the constructs that were elicited.

20. ZMET
During the interview Step 9: The Summary Image
Participants were asked to create a summary image or montage
using his/her own images to express important issues.
The summary image created was of that in which the
participant is asking a girl out on a date
where they both go to a Café and relax and have a deep
meaningful conversation over a cup
of coffee.

21. ZMET
During the interview Step 10: The Vignette
Participants were asked to create a vignette or short video to
communication important issues related to the subject topic.
“Every Saturday evening, I’d invite over some of the biggest
celebrities of B-Town to my home to have a chat over a cup
of rich Nescafé coffee. The invited guests would get a break
from their busy lives and relax and open up about
themselves over a cup of Nescafé coffee; the guests as well
as the coffee both being very classy and sassy. We’d gossip
about everything and anything related to Bollywood and
have a wonderful time.“

22. ZMET
CaseStudy# 2

23. ZMET
After the interview
Output: Consensus map
Researcher creates a map or casual model involving the most
important constructs.

24. THANKS
FOR
WATCHING! MBA student in Allameh Tabataba'i University
Mohammad Reza Meskaran
mrmeskaran
www.mrmeskaran.com