Inside Scoop On Focus Groups!
Just how many times have you decided to go with the results of a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) over your own intuition as a marketer? Just how many times has your packaging or advertising strategy been based on that one singular insight that emerged from these FGDs? Well, as a marketing professional, I know this happens far too often.
And it’s not wrong to do so either, because all said and done the participants of the FGD are supposed to mirror consumers of your exact target group – demographically , sociographically et al. And so naturally it follows that their opinion is king, and nothing else matters.
If you agree with me, here’s an eye-opener by Will Leitch, well known writer and blogger for the NY Times. He says he has participated in several FGDs as
ü A hardy adventurer who has back-packed through Mongolia
ü A person with a severe sweating disorder (for a discussion on Deodorants of course!)
ü A person of Italian descent
ü A long term asthma Patient
ü A resident of Southern New Jersey
just to name a few. Please do make a note however that Will Leitch is NONE of these things.
He has found his own way to play the agencies and their recruiters who carry out these FGDs and says it isn’t too hard for anyone to do. He just says what he knows they want to hear, see this excerpt -
“Recruiters usually call on weekends to determine suitability for a survey. If they ask you whether you’ve done one in the past six months, just say no. They never check. If they ask you something off-the-wall, like “Have you purchased a treadmill in the past year?,” say yes; they wouldn’t ask if that weren’t the answer they wanted. If they ask you what brands you purchase most often, always name big ones: Sprint, Budweiser, Marlboro. They’re representing either one of those companies or a smaller one trying to figure out how to steal you away. And, most important, let the recruiters lead you. Before you answer a question you’re not sure about, pause for a couple of seconds. They’ll tip their hand every time.”
This throws up a major caveat for any marketer who wants to base his/her strategy on results from such FGDs. Not only is it possible that your participants are actually not from your TG, they may in fact further mislead you by stating opinions on issues which they possibly have no clue about.So there, don’t say you weren’t warned. Take your results with a pinch salt and as far as possible play an active role in talking to the shortlisted participants before the FGD begins. Make sure they are the people you are seeking. Good luck!
3 Responses to "Inside Scoop On Focus Groups!"
One more thing which I want to highlight is that the Marketers before starting any such discussions and strategising SHOULD FIRST VISIT THE MARKET THEMSELVES TO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CONSUMER WANTS.
Based on my previous experience in sales , there have been many instances wherein we found that Marketing colleagues came out with wierd ideas which looked great on paper but were not feasible actually.They had done a lot many FGD but probably the questions they asked was in accordance to their own understanding.The Marketers understanding was limited as they were sitting in the AC cabins of their office in Mumbai and strategising about Siliguri in West Bengal.
Therefore one request to all Marketers ---- please please visit the markets and connect with the target customers and after that conduct FOCUSSED GROUP DISCUSSIONS...
i agree with you 100%, we need to play a much more active role than just sit and read reports. we need to engage with the consumer directly.
you hv a valid point here... lets not be biased lets try to focus on how to tackle biased respondents !
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