freelance corporate ethnography?
May 24, 2015 4:41 PM Subscribe
I am interested in getting into corporate ethnography/ doing ethnographic research for market research, particularly as a freelancer for now. Tell me what you know about how/who/where.
I'm a phD student in an anthropology-related field. I have just completed about 15 months of dissertation fieldwork. I would like to get into some sort of qualitative research for commercial ends in a part-time/ freelance fashion in the next 2-3 years.
Right now I can imagine doing short term ethnographic research for market research, but I am really generally interested in transferring my qualitative research/cultural theory skills into a corporate setting, so I am open to other ideas as well.
I do not have any formal background in market research/ consumer insight, although I am exposed to a lot of the ideas in that industry because I have family working in advertising.
Any suggestions, ideas, recommendations for specifically how to get into those fields would be welcomed, as would any thoughts on skills I should pick up first (e.g. statistics? Is that useful?). I am based in Toronto, but obviously can travel or work remotely.
I'm a phD student in an anthropology-related field. I have just completed about 15 months of dissertation fieldwork. I would like to get into some sort of qualitative research for commercial ends in a part-time/ freelance fashion in the next 2-3 years.
Right now I can imagine doing short term ethnographic research for market research, but I am really generally interested in transferring my qualitative research/cultural theory skills into a corporate setting, so I am open to other ideas as well.
I do not have any formal background in market research/ consumer insight, although I am exposed to a lot of the ideas in that industry because I have family working in advertising.
Any suggestions, ideas, recommendations for specifically how to get into those fields would be welcomed, as would any thoughts on skills I should pick up first (e.g. statistics? Is that useful?). I am based in Toronto, but obviously can travel or work remotely.
Best answer: Look into The Society for Applied Anthropology. If you don't already know it, there's also a book called Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in the Private Sector by Sam Ladner. You've already had EPIC suggested to you, and that's also a good place to start.
posted by frumiousb at 5:45 PM on May 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by frumiousb at 5:45 PM on May 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
The goals of the Society for Applied Anthro have historically been more geared towards applying anthropological methods to policy and social justice-oriented institutions, rather than towards the private profit-oriented uses of ethnography currently booming across advertising agencies and other corporate entities.
Here is one of the places I believe it's possible to find potential work in both the former and the latter, though.
http://smartrevenue.com/
posted by third rail at 6:07 PM on May 24, 2015
Here is one of the places I believe it's possible to find potential work in both the former and the latter, though.
http://smartrevenue.com/
posted by third rail at 6:07 PM on May 24, 2015
Best answer: A very big part of service design is in understanding people's cultures, experiences, interactions, and motivations which lead to or inhibit their articulated and unmet needs. To that end, (I'll call it "light") ethonographic research is an integral and significant part of the process. All design work stems from this initial understanding.
Making sense of what is seen, heard, and experiences through observation and empathy is a tough skill for many designers and a limitation of many design firms. Both are great at developing aspirational futures once they understand the needs and experiences of all the actors within a system. Researching and making sense can be more of a challenge.
Many organisations are creating service design teams internally, usually as a division within their marketing departments, so that's one route.
Firms like IDEO, Continuum, Method, Fjord, Frog, and Cooper are all quite serious about this space and hire people who have graduate degree backgrounds. There are even more smaller agencies.
Companies like P&G, Herman Miller, and McDonalds have internal capabilities.
posted by qwip at 12:53 AM on May 25, 2015
Making sense of what is seen, heard, and experiences through observation and empathy is a tough skill for many designers and a limitation of many design firms. Both are great at developing aspirational futures once they understand the needs and experiences of all the actors within a system. Researching and making sense can be more of a challenge.
Many organisations are creating service design teams internally, usually as a division within their marketing departments, so that's one route.
Firms like IDEO, Continuum, Method, Fjord, Frog, and Cooper are all quite serious about this space and hire people who have graduate degree backgrounds. There are even more smaller agencies.
Companies like P&G, Herman Miller, and McDonalds have internal capabilities.
posted by qwip at 12:53 AM on May 25, 2015
These guys (ReD Associates) hire anthropologists and sound (based on a presentation I attended that was given by an employee) like a fun place to work and very approachable - maybe contact them? I don't remember the dude saying anything about freelancing, but it looks like they have 3-5 month 'apprentice programs' - possibly worth looking into?
posted by you must supply a verb at 5:24 AM on May 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by you must supply a verb at 5:24 AM on May 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by Monsieur Caution at 5:12 PM on May 24, 2015