If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The electronic social media such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. have become a major form of communication, and the expression of attitudes and opinions, for the general public. Recently, they have also become a source of data for market researchers. This paper aims to provide a critical look at the advantages and limitations of such an approach to understanding brand perceptions and attitudes in the market place. Although the social media provide a wealth of data for automated content analyses, this review questions the validity and reliability of this research approach, and concludes that social media monitoring (SMM) is a poor substitute for in-depth qualitative research which has many advantages and benefits. Design/methodology/approach -The paper presents a detailed, systematic comparison of various research approaches. These include well-established methods and recent inventions which are in use to explore and understand consumer behaviour and attitudes. Particular attention is given to the analysis of spontaneous consumer attitudes as expressed through the social media and also in qualitative research interviews.Findings -This analysis concludes that there are three critical features which differentiate qualitative research (as practised in IDIs and group discussions) from SMM. These are: the direct, interactive dialogue or conversation between consumers and researchers; the facility to "listen" and attend to the (sometimes unspoken) underlying narrative which connects consumers' needs and aspirations, personal goals and driving forces to behaviour and brand choice; and the dynamic, interactive characteristics of the interview that achieve a meeting of minds to produce a shared understanding. Philosophically, it is this "conversation" that gives qualitative research its validity and authenticity which makes it superior to SMM. Originality/value -This review questions the validity and reliability of the SMM, and concludes that it is a poor substitute for in-depth qualitative research which has many advantages and benefits.

William 'Bill' Schlackman played a major role in the development of qualitative research in the UK. His experience in psychotherapy, clinical psychology and motivational research, as well as his relationship with Ernest Dichter, helped form what we know as qualitative research today. He ran various workshops on the use of projective techniques, for which he is widely remembered, as well as presenting a number of papers at MRS Conferences between 1961 and 1986. Schlackman's passion and enthusiasm for experimental research design, and the use of projective and motivational techniques in market research, helped propel qualitative research to achieve a deeper understanding of consumer motivations. His early work on packaging research can be equated with the modern practice of semiotics, and his development of sensitivity panels can be compared with online communities.

Peter Cooper founded Cooper Research & Marketing (CRAM). During his career he wrote many papers and gave frequent conference presentations worldwide, which have influenced the growth and diversification of qualitative research as practised now. He promoted a breadth of vision and eclecticism that enhanced the methods used today. Peter's influence was based on his breadth of knowledge, inventiveness, disrespect for the status quo, as well as his boldness, imagination and creativity. In this review of his contributions to qualitative research and marketing science, we focus on four key aspects - innovation, vision, professionalism and the achievements of qualitative research to bring about marketing successes.

This case study details the process and lessons learnt from converting a compulsory comprehensive organisational survey from email to online format. The conversion was undertaken to improve data quality and reduce respondent burden. Key considerations in developing the online survey were ease of use, security and access. The new intuitive system allowed simultaneous access for multiple users, and incorporated dynamic indicators of progress and validation of numeric data. Reactions to the survey were mainly positive -about 75% of user feedback was positive or neutral, they reported the survey was "user friendly" and preferred the online format. Negative comments focused predominantly on the feature of expanding and collapsing questions which these respondents found difficult to manage. Administration of the survey was streamlined, with considerable reduction in time spent in checking and correcting responses for both respondents and data collectors. Although substantial improvements were recognised and appreciated by many users, it is important to acknowledge that users adapt to new technology at different speeds, and adequate support needs to be implemented for all THIS CASE STUDY outlines the conversion of a comprehensive annual survey from Microsoft Word (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash, USA) format submitted by email, to a web-based format with online submission. A survey is an effective way to obtain standardised information about the changing activities of diverse health care organisations, but the format of the survey influences data quality as well as efficiency of data collection, analysis and reporting. Inefficient survey methods are associated with poorer quality information, excessive data cleansing activities, and considerable waste of time and effort for staff members responding to, or administering, analysing and reporting on the results.

Integration of Consumer and Management in NPD This paper argues for closer integration of qualitative consumer understanding into the management applications and philosophy of NPD with the aim of improving throughput and quality. It identifies five innovation sources and suggests systematic and creative methods for both generating and applying consumer understanding of them.