How to Use Video Ethnography for Consumer Understanding
David Attenborough has made an art of filming animals in their natural habitats and interpreting their behaviour. We are captivated not just by what we see, but by the narration that helps us understand why animals behave the way they do.
The same principle applies to video ethnography with consumers and colleagues. What people say in surveys, interviews, and reviews only ever tells part of the story; whereas video can capture so much more.
Why Understanding Consumer Behaviour Matters
Why does someone suddenly switch skincare brands? Was it because of an advert or an offer they saw online? Maybe they were recommended a different product, or maybe they were prompted by an occasion.
Why do people watch certain shows and ignore others? With so much choice, so many devices, and so many ways to watch, how is media consumption changing at home? What does it take to get viewers hooked?
What about grocery shopping; what makes people choose one retailer over another? With many households now catering to multiple schedules and diets, are people opting for convenience over quality?
Consumer behaviour is always changing, and we have to keep on asking why. But to truly understand the consumer, we have to seek an understanding of their contexts, emotions, environments, and intentions.
Step 1: Building the brief
For a vox pops shoot, we typically work with the client to write questions that reveal the answers they are ideally looking for, while leaving room for reframing, probes, and follow-up questions that draw more out of participants.
Step 2: Choosing the right location
We look for places that are busy enough to offer a range of voices, but calm enough to allow people to stop and think. The right environment helps people relax and speak naturally, which is where the best insights come from.
Step 3: Creating a filming setup
Our filming setup is deliberately simple and lightweight, but still visibly professional so people trust who we are and what we are doing. Keeping things light allows us to move easily and be less intimidating for participants.
Step 4: Finding the right voices
Approaching people takes confidence, patience, and judgement. Not every voice is right for every question, and not every conversation will make the final edit. People will let you know if they do not want to be approached, and it is important to listen to those signals.
Step 5: Interviewing people
Once you have a respondent who has been briefed and been mic’d up, it helps to start with a few simple questions to warm up. Run a quick test to check audio and positioning in frame. Let people speak, listen closely, and respond.
How Video Ethnography Helps With Consumer Understanding
Video ethnography allows businesses to observe people in real contexts without actually needing to be there themselves.
Using small cameras and gentle prompts, video captures what people do in a natural way. A common approach is to observe from a distance, make notes, and speak to participants afterwards. Sometimes participants are shown footage of themselves to help uncover what they were thinking or feeling in the moment.
We run video ethnography studies in a range of environments, including homes, retail stores, restaurants, and corporate environments. In the examples here for Sky and Channel 4, we filmed in workplaces and homes to help teams learn about behaviours.
In these environments, behaviours become visible and patterns start to emerge. Just like in a nature documentary, stories can be built around different segments, and insight can be shared through visuals, voiceover, and graphics.
Video can also be shared in a number of ways. For example, video could be hosted on a digital platform with exclusive access, it could be displayed on screen at a venue, or made into an interactive event where people discuss what they have seen and learned.
This kind of activity is exactly what helps businesses build a better understanding of their customers or colleagues. By seeing people in their contexts and listening to them speak honestly with no obstruction, video ethnography surfaces insights and builds a stronger connection.
Step 6: Sense check
By the end of a shoot, we aim to have a broad range of perspectives that give us flexibility in the edit. We always write up a summary of the day to help our editors and to provide the client with an update.
Step 7: Organising the footage
Before editing begins, everything is imported, labelled, and organised. A clean structure makes the process smoother and helps ensure nothing is missed.
Step 8: Reviewing and shaping the content
We review every clip carefully, looking for moments that feel natural, insightful, or emotional. In some cases, we put a ‘rough edit’ together featuring the strongest responses so clients can select their favourite moments. Either way, we begin shaping a narrative from the footage that lets the voices be heard.
Step 9: Audio and graphics
Once the structure is in place, we refine the edit by fine-tuning the audio, adding subtitles (and sometimes translating first), and creating graphics such as title cards and branded open and close frames. Where it supports the story, we may also include b-roll to add context and atmosphere. There are lots of options, but it always comes back to what the brief calls for.
Step 10: Exporting for delivery
When the client is happy with the edit, we export and quality check everything so it is polished and ready for use. We typically deliver edits in 16:9 and 9:16, and sometimes 1:1 depending on where the content will live.
Want To Apply This To Your Work?
If you want to explore how video ethnography or storytelling could work for your organisation, we would love to help.
Join our Video & Storytelling webinar to learn how brands use video to uncover insight and create impact, or get in touch to discuss your video needs.
