Marketing Brew

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.”