The in-depth interviews that involve gathering information from the knowledge leaders or gurus in their field of expertise who are the decision makers / users/ influencers for the products/ services of created and marketed by another organization.
An example of this type of research would be when a technology vendor wants to get feedback on it’s products from the IT heads (CIOs) of its clients.
These require a different mentality and strategic approach to explore in depth.
Intensive understanding of the topic, product/services/concepts, facts, figures and the dynamics of the variables involved is required as one is dealing with high levels of seniority and people who are highly crunched for time. Higher levels of flexibility of approach are also required to suit the special needs of the clients.
These are conducted to gather the same kind of information as the consumer researches but in a different environment and setup requiring higher level of immersion in the category/ technology in question.