Summary
This paper explores learnings and best practices that have been found from pilots leveraging the Google+ social network for consumer insights research. Four pilot studies were conducted around specific audiences with the intention to answer specific types of questions in the wireless carriers and consumer packaged goods categories. The results include findings around recruiting and incentive strategies, user engagement tactics, different audiences and research questions, and the benefits and current challenges to using a social platform for this type of research. Overall, the researchers found Google+ to be a capable and readily accessible platform for qualitative research and feel that the social features open the door to exciting user engagement possibilities.

Summary
This paper makes the case for working at relational depth (Mearns & Cooper 2007) in qualitative work. To establish this case, I trace the roots of psychological methods in qualitative work, and their foundations in the European and American schools of psychology. In particular I describe a split between holistic and elemental approaches, which I believe has done much to undermine the potential of qualitative work. I have also tried to set qualitative work in an appropriate psycho-social context because I feel it can play such a key role in sustaining democratically-based commercial growth and innovation in the UK and elsewhere in these days when consumer choice is as important in deciding our future as any other element of society.

Summary
This paper explores a new framework for insight generation, based on four distinctive but overlapping types of insights: discovery insights, predictive insights, explanatory insights and transformational insights. It argues that qualitative and quantitative techniques can generate each type of insight on their own, but the likelihood of generating insights increases exponentially when qualitative and quantitative techniques are thoroughly integrated (as opposed to simply "combined" in a research effort). The paper asserts that the two approaches have complementary strengths and weaknesses, and are subject to different interpretation biases, and that both can learn something from each other about identifying and mitigating these biases.

Summary
This paper describes how the Saudi Arabian-listed Savola Foods used qualitative research to properly position a newly-launched edible oil brand in Sudan, a country with very challenging market dynamics. The paper shows how poor decisions can be made from shallow interpretation of qualitative data and, equally, how putting the analysis in the right context and connecting it with other relevant consumer knowledge it can lead to extracting meaningful insights.

Summary
This paper reviews the contributions of qualitative methods to the development of advertising as represented within the Journal of Advertising Research over the last 50 years. The authors present a systematic review of every Journal of Advertising Research paper, with each paper coded for the role and contribution of qualitative research methods to its findings. The authors then classify the papers into a 2×2 matrix. They find that qualitative research contributes to improve existing managerial practice, developing new techniques for improving consumer understanding, keeping up to date with developments in practice, and identifying new consumer segments. Looking forward, the authors identify potential research avenues and practices that may enhance the standing of qualitative advertising research.

Summary
A discussion on the contemporary debate about alternative research methods - which has centred largely on a choice between Qualitative and Quantitative Research. This gave rise to fierce debates about legitimacy, validity, depth and pros and cons. Each method has strengths and limitations – there is no ‘perfect’ research methodology – and each has its champions. It is important in evaluating alternative research methods to understand underlying similarities and differences, and the trade-off in methodological rigour and benefits.

Summary
This Comments section includes two essays. The first of these is by Debra and Michael Harker from the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. They discuss issues being faced by advertisers in Australia, with food and alcohol advertising a highly problematic area. They are encouraged by a series of advances being made by teams of Australian scholars and practitioners pooling their resources and ideas to shed light on these social issues and to not only raise awareness of these issues, but to shed light on ways to effectively combat these problems. The other essay, by John Rossiter, at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, addresses the issue of the fundamental gap that appears to exist in advertising between the importance and role of qualitative and quantitative research in addressing advertising theory and practice. He tackles this difficult issue with a commentary on the value of qualitative research and its synergistic effect upon quantitative research. Again the benefit is from the combining of the techniques rather than looking at one as opposed to the other.

Summary
Insight has become almost a cliché in contemporary marketing and research. There are many different definitions and, even worse, an assumption that the word will mean the same to one individual as it will to the next. This paper aims to cut through the confusion showing that insight is an extremely valuable concept and one that should not be debased by sloppy thinking or methodological over-claim. Instead, a simple model of thinking can be used to ensure that the outcome of a project or process has a powerful influence and is highly valued by the end users.

Summary
Belle Frank, executive vice president, brand planning at Y&R, and Anne Manning, from the Innovation Practice, argue that we are misusing research - particularly qualitative research - in the development of advertising ideas. They describe the illusions that kill creativity, and then outline five steps for research to adopt to encourage and stimulate ideas.

Summary
Peter Mark has 71 hairdressing salons across Ireland. In an industry where head-office driven promotional campaigns are a rarity, it wanted to create a central database of customers, whose details were normally held by individual stylists. To incentivise response, it held weekly free draws for completed data cards. Using a campaign based on the theme of Karma, winning customers would receive Peter Mark vouchers for €100, and the stylist who collected the data and the receptionist would also receive vouchers for €100 each.