A New Definition Of Projective Techniques

I get very annoyed when people think that projective techniques are "parlour games" like picture sorts, fill-in-the-blanks, simple metaphors or product/brand obituaries. If you want to get purely technical, these are examples of projective techniques, but they are more like empty shells. It's like trying to drive a car without an engine - they just don't get you anywhere.

Ever since I started telling people that I was practicing projectives, I got very annoyed when they thought I was doing these rudimentary kinds of projectives. With my feelings front and centre, I knew I needed to come up with a definition of projectives that would differentiate me from the conventional thoughts about projectives. In my opinion, a proper projective goes beyond the metaphoric - it uncovers emotional and deeply held opinions that cannot be touched by conventional questioning or standard projectives.

For example, let's say we ask a participant to project "If Calgary, as a tourist destination, were a famous person, who would it be?" Let's say the answer is Clint Eastwood. Many people under the conventional definition of the technique would think that they have hit on a gem of a response - Clint is rugged, handsome, Western, prosperous, legendary, full of achievement, classy yet rebellious and has wide appeal. Surely, people would think, this is a perfect projection of Calgary.

Now, let me ask you this - how does the projection of Clint Eastwood differ from asking participants to list some attributes about Calgary? If I asked people to list some attributes of Calgary, they may say things like "Calgary is beautiful and full of Western history and tradition which make it appealing to me. There is a certain ruggedness and rebelliousness in Calgary, yet because it is in Canada there is a lot of class associated with it." In this situation, there is absolutely no difference between the projected response and the conventional question. On top of that, there is absolutely no emotion attached to the response.

If projectives are to be given their due in market research, we must understand that there is a difference between a metaphoric response and a true emotional response. In Clinical Psychology, we call the "Clint Eastwood" response a "Head Response" - that is, the participant is answering from their intellect and not from their emotion. In order to get someone out of their head, the we must relax them. They need to be distanced and isolated from the fact that they are answering questions for a market research study. If there is one thing you learn from this blog - know that a good projective technique will always involve the participant engaging in some sort of mental relaxation exercise before the projection begins. I do not care how much a research supplier promises that their projective will work at probing deeper responses - unless there is a relaxation exercise first, you will not be getting as much information as you could. Projectives that start off with "OK - who can fill in the blank the fastest in this sentence..." are doomed to give a "head response".

Prior to giving an example of what a good projective looks like, it is worthwhile to understand the phenomenon of projection from a psychological point of view. Projection is one of the most common psychological phenomena in existence - and psychotherapists have been using projective techniques for over 100 years! It is far from a new innovation, and moderators who have psychotherapeutic training will have learned projectives first-hand.

On a very base level, when someone psychologically projects, they are disowing a part of themselves that they do not want to admit to owning. That is, people are too scared or ashamed of certain traits about themselves, so rather than owning what they find disgusting or disturbing, they put it out into the environment. The quintessential example of projection is the "I have a friend" visit to the doctor. Most people know this situation - a person has a medical symptom that they are mortally concerned or ashamed about, but rather than admitting to themselves and to their doctor, they go in attempting to get information for "a friend."

As it relates to emotions and market research - Clinical Psychologists believe that people have a difficult time owning or relating to their emotions because society and our own peers prefer that we suppress them or keep them down. For example, how many times have we been told "Not to take it personally, it's just business"? Have you ever noticed that someone who wails in sadness at the funeral of a loved one is often described as someone who "broke-down and cried" as opposed to someone who "had a really, really healthy release of emotion?"

Similarly, people from a very early age are told not to criticize or complain, so when we ask about people's honest opinions towards products or services, if people do not like it, we may not get the full story because the feel ashamed to complain. Note too that this takes into account the participant who loves to complain or "dis" a product or service. They may be over-compensating - that is they may amplify their situation so that they feel justified in complaining about something that is only a minor annoyance.

The stage is now set to implement a proper projective technique. We know that people project things about themselves that they have difficulty accepting, and we know that emotions and deeply held opinions are things that are not easily accepted by individuals. We also know that metaphoric responses are akin to head responses, and those do not reaveal the real data that is valuable to marketers. To start, we need to get people primed to project, and get them out of their head. In fact, we can combine the relaxation and the projective together. Here is how I would implement a projective to get at real opinions and feelings about Calgary as a tourist destination:

"First, I want you to close your eyes and think about the following. You have just won a radio contest - a free trip to a mystery vacation. You know that you have an all-expense-paid week's vacation, so you are excited. Now, I want you to picture yourself on the plane to the mystery destination, and you are very relaxed. You are in first-class and you are in a nice seat. You have a lot of legroom to stretch-out, so stretch out if you want to. You are enjoying a great movie on the in-flight entertainment system. As you continue this relaxing plane ride you are starting to envision your vacation. As the plane starts to descend, the pilot says 'Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon be landing in Calgary.' This is the first time you know where you are going.

Now - as you are sitting in the plane, what do you begin to feel towards the radio station for sending you to Calgary? What do you really want to tell them? What do you envision this vacation will be like for you?

Now, as you get off the plane, you look around the Calgary airport. What do you see? What do you smell? How does your luggage feel? How are you walking through the airport?

Next, you think about the kind of hotel the radio station will put you in. What kind of accomodations do you expect? Describe the room to me in detail

Now, you are driving from the airport to your hotel and you are starting to get a good look at the city. As you look out the cab, you are going to see something that interests you. Look at it closely and describe it to me in detail. Now, you are going to look out the other side of the window and you are going to see something that repulses you. Look at it closely and describe it to me. Now, you get a call on your cell phone - it's a friend of yours that you share all your true feelings with - tell them what you see, think and feel about being in Calgary based on all your experiences so far."

I think that most of you can see the true value of the questions that are being asked, and that they will provide richer, more valuable data on true feelings, opinions and emotions than what we normally consider to be a projective technique. If you take away anything from the example, I hope you understand that emotions and feelings cannot be accessed by traditional modes of questioning and that relaxation is critical to any good projective.

Finally, to me the projective techniques that I have outlined do more than just provide sound qualitative data - they are a way of incorporating basic humanity in the research process. We are thinking, feeling creatures that work better when we do not have to suppress or keep our emotions in check. I strongly believe that any occasion that gives people a chance to experience, feel and express some of their more deeply held emotions is a very worthwhile exercise. A moderator who recognizes the human factor in all of this will be able to provide clients with information that will truly bind them to their customer base.