WHY THE 'F' IN FOCUS GROUPS OFTEN STANDS FOR FLAWS
WHY THE 'F' IN FOCUS GROUPS OFTEN STANDS FOR FLAWS
Traditional marketers who rely too heavily on focus groups and research should beware of one thing, often the candidates in focus groups may say one thing but act quite differently when they are buying or responding in the real world.
Coke discovered this fact the hard way when they conducted focus groups taste tests. The people participating all said that they preferred the "New Coke" and would definitely buy it too. We all know what happened that time.
Similarly, RC Cola has conducted innumerable taste tests in which participants have each time reported that they preferred RC Cola, to both Pepsi and Coke and yet RC Cola has only a very small market share and ranks No. 5, well below even Dr. Pepper and Cott's Cola.
I remember attending many focus groups in the USA, in the early '80s while I was working for the Canadian Government on the Tourism Account. Almost all of the focus group participants, when asked which magazine they had looked at recently, indicated only upscale magazines like National Geographic or Harper's Bazaar.
Not one of the people mentioned Playboy or Hustler, which had more than triple the readership of National Geographic and Harper's combined at that time.
Ironically, when probed not one person in the focus group could even recall a single recent article from National Geographic or Harper's Bazaar.
Were these people lying? Actually they were, but only because they wanted to come off as smarter.
We all know that many factors affect the response of people in focus groups, from peer pressure to the need to conform to the group or to demonstrate that they are different.
Looking at your customers through a one-way mirror is not the best way to understand them. Nor is a summary of market analysis through someone else's eyes the right way to know how your target audience will react in the real world.
Remember the old party game, where you sat in a circle and you repeated a message that you heard from one person on one side of you to the next person on your other side. They then whispered the same message to the person next to them, only to discover that it had been hilariously distorted by the time it had gone through a full cycle of everyone in the circle.
Marketing data can, in the same way, lose its main message because of filters that are usually subtle but are still capable of altering or distorting the real truth.
Don't get me wrong; I am not making an argument against focus groups, I am simply trying to make sure we learn to read our customers accurately. Our business is one-to-one marketing.
WHY THE F IN FOCUS GROUPS OFTEN STANDS FOR FLAWS - To learn more about this author, visit Billy Sharma's Website.
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It is not unusual to attend a seminar, where a thirty-something year old male or female in a high executive position, will rattle of statistics from quantitative attitudinal research and focus group findings.
Traditional marketers who rely too heavily on focus groups and research should beware of one thing, often the candidates in focus groups may say one thing but act quite differently when they are buying or responding in the real world.
Coke discovered this fact the hard way when they conducted focus groups taste tests. The people participating all said that they preferred the "New Coke" and would definitely buy it too. We all know what happened that time.
Similarly, RC Cola has conducted innumerable taste tests in which participants have each time reported that they preferred RC Cola, to both Pepsi and Coke and yet RC Cola has only a very small market share and ranks No. 5, well below even Dr. Pepper and Cott's Cola.
I remember attending many focus groups in the USA, in the early '80s while I was working for the Canadian Government on the Tourism Account. Almost all of the focus group participants, when asked which magazine they had looked at recently, indicated only upscale magazines like National Geographic or Harper's Bazaar.
Not one of the people mentioned Playboy or Hustler, which had more than triple the readership of National Geographic and Harper's combined at that time.
Ironically, when probed not one person in the focus group could even recall a single recent article from National Geographic or Harper's Bazaar.
Were these people lying? Actually they were, but only because they wanted to come off as smarter.
We all know that many factors affect the response of people in focus groups, from peer pressure to the need to conform to the group or to demonstrate that they are different.
Looking at your customers through a one-way mirror is not the best way to understand them. Nor is a summary of market analysis through someone else's eyes the right way to know how your target audience will react in the real world.
Remember the old party game, where you sat in a circle and you repeated a message that you heard from one person on one side of you to the next person on your other side. They then whispered the same message to the person next to them, only to discover that it had been hilariously distorted by the time it had gone through a full cycle of everyone in the circle.
Marketing data can, in the same way, lose its main message because of filters that are usually subtle but are still capable of altering or distorting the real truth.
Don't get me wrong; I am not making an argument against focus groups, I am simply trying to make sure we learn to read our customers accurately. Our business is one-to-one marketing.
WHY THE F IN FOCUS GROUPS OFTEN STANDS FOR FLAWS - To learn more about this author, visit Billy Sharma's Website.
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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