We, herself, and I : using pronoun-poetry in qualitative research to generate original consumer insights

Abstract

This work develops a vision for purposively using pronoun-poetry in qualitative consumer research. While debates regarding knowledge hierarchies continue, poetic inquiry remains underexplored as a means to advance theorisation in this area. Drawing upon our own research experiences, we discuss how these methods can stimulate new ways of thinking, feeling, analysing, and amplifying consumer voices. We contribute to these conversations by developing pronoun-poetry practice, building on Voice-Centred Relational Method (VCRM) derived I-poems and unpacking a few of the many ways that different pronouns can be combined with other concepts (e.g., emotions) to create new pronoun-emotion variants. We also reinvigorate VCRM through what we term Voice-Centred Relational Poetry, a vision for using pronoun-poetry across all VCRM reading stages. These contributions significantly progress alternative methods through creative experimentation and originality, counterbalancing knowledge hierarchies and generating novel, co-created insights, and modes of representation about consumers’ socio-affective experiences and power struggles in the marketplace.