Increase Focus Group Effectiveness
by Daniel Jay Morrison

The realities of the rapidly changing market place have largely transformed qualitative research into an action-based resource. Marketers are now compelled to find new ways to move product in increasingly competitive, fast reacting markets. Qualitative research is increasingly being used (and occasionally misused) to arrive at actionable "walk-away" results.

Since information needs of clients are on much shorter lead-times, each research session today has a significantly greater responsibility to be optimally productive for the client.

Let's pause for a moment to view the classic focus group. Traditionally, a focus group is simply a forum for gaining non-projectable information from selected respondents for the development of hypotheses. It employs a carefully considered series of questions which are designed to elicit relevant feedback within the limited available time. It is an opportunity to approach current or potential consumers for input on a range of strategic and tactical options. And, sophisticated marketers have learned to use focus groups to become sensitized to their consumers' wants, needs, vocabulary, and emotions.

Classic focus groups are designed to provide the opportunity for intergroup dynamics to evolve, and indirect moderator probes are employed to draw out respondents. But, often, this indirect investigatory format does not address enough of the specific decision needs of the cost-conscious, fee-paying, time-pressured, and competitively-beleaguered client.

Classic groups are sometimes appropriate. But, the mystique of qualitative research has been raised to a pedestal from which only the anointed are deemed qualified to generate meaningful feedback from respondents. Get real! The luxury of formalized, ritualized, cost-be-secondary research has been obsoleted by the speed of the current business world, the rapid turnover among corporate incumbents, and the squeeze on non-sales-volume-related marketing spending.

How about statistically projectable studies? Still needed? Of course! But their use must be much more closely related to the time necessary to execute, the changes that will occur during that period, and the real cost in terms of extra units to be sold or the investment risk based on the data. For many tactical decisions, the cost and time factors are simply prohibitive and insupportable. … Enter the need for the enhanced productive focus group.

Here is how I typically increase the value of qualitative research for my clients:

Preparation

The initiating Marketer should be personally involved in the research planning. I believe much research time and money has been wasted due to ineffective (or mis-) communication between the marketing impetus for a project and the inside research person who manages the effort.

Determine the value of the research answers to marketing decision-making to put realistic parameters on the research design and investment. The magnitude of the study should be directly proportional to the decisions to be made based on the results of the research. Any spending less than that is incomplete; any spending beyond that point is a waste of corporate resources.

Be sure that the relative importance of the issues to be explored are clearly identified. It requires discipline to protect session time from dilution by unwarranted pursuits. During the pre-planning, clients are often tempted to "just add" tangential issues. This often results in insufficient session time for fully exploring the critical issues to answer the initiating marketing question.

Execution

Invite one or two clients into the research room for the entire session. Why? The one-way mirror and the "piped-in" sound contribute significantly to distancing clients from the very people they have come to "reach out and touch". Also, back-room distractions and food often divert serious listening.

I have learned from experience as both a client and moderator, that substantially greater learning is accomplished when the client directly interfaces with the respondents. This enhanced learning, or internalized sensitivity, is fundamental to making better decisions in all aspects of the Marketing mix.

Prepare the client attendee for in-room participation. Few clients have experience working directly with the respondents.

Accordingly, some pre-session guidelines shared with the client are important to ensure a smooth flow of questions, maintenance of positive group feelings, and control of time and subject matter. The traditional research fear of clients disrupting the session (or "selling") will not occur if proper preliminary discussion occurs and attentive moderator management is exercised.

Encourage the client to ask occasional follow-up questions on points of particular interest. Client questions have proven to be especially valuable as both a bridge with the respondents and for gaining specific, timely, in-depth feedback. Proper Discussion Guide development will address all issues key to meeting the research objectives; it is the unexpected, serendipitous issues that are best served by client presence.

The moderator retains responsibility for the session. The moderator must ensure that maximum feedback is obtained, client participation does not disrupt respondents, and time limits are met. Client participation in the session is integrated by the moderator into the planned Discussion Guide as each session evolves. Clearly, the presence of the clients in the session necessitates a very high level of moderator skill to integrate specific client pursuits within the critical management of research goals, time, and respondent participation.

For the marketer, focus groups are simply a marketing budget expense option; the funds could be spent on the research study or they could be spent on any other marketing program which would lead to "profitably selling more boxes". Each study must, therefore, ultimately yield action steps which will lead to an increase in sales volume. Through greater personal involvement, the focus group research format (with in-room client participation) will become a significantly more productive investment and learning experience.

By drawing clients into the focus group room, the study can contribute to greater sensitivity to the consumer buying decision for more effective marketing planning. With increased, targeted information drawn from each focus group, the qualitative resource will thereby also better answer the marketing questions. Each study will become more cost effective and time efficient, and the retention of the learning experience will last longer as a resource in the minds of the client participants.

Mystique? … I don't think so!

© DJM & Associates, Inc.™