Ethnographic Solutions

We approach each new set of project objectives as a unique and exciting challenge.

As cultural and psychological anthropologists, we are committed to research methods that produce the richest and most authentic data on our clients’ customers. Ethnography, our expertise, is a research method spawned by anthropologists. Anthropologists remain its best practitioners.

Ethnography, however, is not just method. It also is a descriptive and interpretive enterprise. Our intuitive familiarity with social and psychological theory allows us to see patterns in the data that others routinely miss.

We strongly believe in the need for continuity between the “data collection” and “analysis” phases of any project. A skilled anthropologist begins his or her interpretation of the data while still in the field—building insights and hypotheses in ways that allow for a more in-depth exploration of key strategic topics.

Other research firms commonly rely on junior-level field researchers, who then report their observations to other team members responsible for the analysis and write-up. Ethnographic Solutions, by contrast, is committed to providing continuity across all project phases. This allows our senior-level social scientists to synthesize deeper insights from the data they themselves collected.

Being vs. Doing in International Sports

Chaffeuring & Commuting

Third article

Fourth article



PRINCIPALS Nicholas Kottak, PhD Conrad Kottak, PhD SENIOR RESEARCHERS Chris McCollum, PhD Peter Richardson, PhD		We approach each new set of project objectives as a unique and exciting challenge. As cultural and psychological anthropologists, we are committed to research methods that produce the richest and most authentic data on our clients’ customers. Ethnography, our expertise, is a research method spawned by anthropologists. Anthropologists remain its best practitioners. Ethnography, however, is not just method. It also is a descriptive and interpretive enterprise. Our intuitive familiarity with social and psychological theory allows us to see patterns in the data that others routinely miss. We strongly believe in the need for continuity between the “data collection” and “analysis” phases of any project. A skilled anthropologist begins his or her interpretation of the data while still in the field—building insights and hypotheses in ways that allow for a more in-depth exploration of key strategic topics. Other research firms commonly rely on junior-level field researchers, who then report their observations to other team members responsible for the analysis and write-up. Ethnographic Solutions, by contrast, is committed to providing continuity across all project phases. This allows our senior-level social scientists to synthesize deeper insights from the data they themselves collected. Being vs. Doing in International Sports Chaffeuring & Commuting Third article Fourth article
Our projects have brought us to the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Australia, Japan, China, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Mozambique, and Madagascar. When conducting ethnographic and qualitative projects with a global orientation, our researchers travel to each country not only to train and supervise our international research partners, but also to observe and direct the research process firsthand. By project end, this process enables us to achieve an integrated understanding of the key global patterns and identify critical nuances of cultural variation. As cultural anthropologists, we are in a unique position to recognize and understand cultural differences. Conrad Kottak is a leading cultural authority on Brazilian society, but Ethnographic Solutions also has close ties with leading anthropological experts on many other national cultures. For various brand teams, our cultural thought leader interviews have proven to be a particularly rich source of insights.