Let's examine focus group research, this so called qualitative research tool places paid constituents in a laboratory setting and asks/observes their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. It's meant to replicate what these so called consumers would do in a natural habitat as opposed to the lab rats that they are. More often than not, people will just try not to sound stupid, string together a few coherent sentences, collect their check and be on their way.
Most importantly --- what people say they'll do and what they actually do are very often two completely different things. Offline marketers have to rely on "asking vs. observing," online marketers have the opportunity to observe more often than asking. For Interactive Marketers, observing what people do on the web in their natural habitat with firms such as comScore, provides more meaningful insights, rather then observing through one-way glass.
Comments (2)
I used to be one of those starving college student. Once a month I would get called to different focus groups. I was a mom, a sales clerk, a college student, a driver, and trust me if a check or cash was presented to me at the end of the 2 hours... for 100 bucks I was already re-inventing myself for the next one! atleast it paid for my graphic design books :) so yeah.. focus groups suck! its easy money for those who are always looking for quick cash and nothing to do with the product.
Posted by Fiorella Rietti | September 3, 2007 1:55 PM
Posted on September 3, 2007 13:55
Quite interesting perspective on focus groups. I agree to some extent--focus groups can be a useless research methodology if used incorrectly and for the wrong purpose. First and foremost, focus group recruiters do a poor job of recruiting. "Professional respondents" are nothing new to the focus group industry. There are a few (and only a few) recruiters who actually take the time to ensure that respondents are fresh (and not repeaters). I, myself, owned and operated a facility. We employed a face-to-face recruiting methodology (in-person) and actually compared names (and checked IDs) against other recruiting firms in the area. Surprisingly, the other firms were more than willing to tell us if these people were a part of their database. Secondly, environment plays an important role. Put people in front of a one-way mirror and they will respond as subjects on display. It's not dissimilar to a police interrogation room, right? What about placing people in real environments? Also, clients never like to have "friends" in groups, but I have found that it is actually quite valuable to have people who know other people in a focus group--friends call friends out, after all.
Let's not forget about the purpose of focus groups. They are not designed to understand the intricacies of one's life. If you want such details, do ethnographic research. If you want to do more exploratory research, focus groups suffice. Make sure you have an amazing moderators who can actually have a conversation and not just volley questions and expect certain answers. There is an art to good moderating.
Having said all of that, there is also tremendous value in online research. Understanding where people go, how they navigagte is important, but there are other methodologies to consider if you want a complete picture of your consumer. People don't exist only online. There are factors that play into what they do, where they go, and why.
Posted by Tameka | September 10, 2007 5:34 PM
Posted on September 10, 2007 17:34