Recently, ethnography has been enjoying a spotlight in the market research community as a resurgent strategy, but it's being used to describe everything from qualitative interviews to simple observations of store shoppers. In the April issue of Survey magazine, Erica Ruyle, social media analyst for Market Strategies International, ends the confusion by clarifying ethnography's role and sharing new innovations that market researchers should embrace to develop a detailed, humanizing and insightful picture of consumer behavior. The article also features a case study by Keri Christensen, vice president of Market Strategies' Communications Group, who recently completed an ethnography of new smartphone adopters, which identified the disconnect between smartphone users' aspirations and their ability to fully embrace their new device.

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