Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Blog 6: A Friendly Focus Group


In the account planning research reading on blackboard, Alice Kendrick thoroughly summarizes the basics of research from when to gather research to how. While in chapter four, Steel discusses methods of research combined with creativity that he has used and have inspired successful campaigns
            Steel states the aim of the best advertising research is to embrace consumers. In my perspective embracing the consumer means understanding the essence of who they are as people. The best kind of research should not look at the consumer as a buyer first, but instead as person, a friend.   
A couple of years ago my friend was invited to be part of focus group for a fast food chain. The group was directed to go to small hotel conference room in Irving. When she got there, the first thing she was asked to do, to her surprise, was just talk about some of special events in her life. At the moment, we were about to graduate high school and prom was just around the corner, so she mainly talked about those subjects to the moderator. After all the members of the group finished describing the special events going on in their lives, the moderator asked them what types of food they associated with those events in their lives. According to Vero this question lead to a long discussion ranging from complex Italian recipes to fast food.  When the subject of fast food was touched by a member of the focus group, the moderator entered the discussion. He began asking them questions about the particular food chain and group members talked about some of their likes and dislikes. Some of them even began proposing ideas they thought would help the chain. Vero mentioned that after her focus group was over, she no longer thought of other the members of focus group as strangers, but instead more as friends. This particular moderator proved Steel’s perspective that the best research understands the consumer. And by understanding the consumer the moderator received the most honest answers obtained leading to successful research.

No comments:

Post a Comment