Archive for the ‘Focus Groups’ Category

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The Apprentice: What We Can All Learn - Focus Groups

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Although the annual intrigue and expectation regarding the BBC’s The Apprentice has now long since died down, in this week’s Thursday Night Insight, B2B Marketing Manager Caroline Harrison nonetheless reflects upon a recent re-run of the show and finds some more valuable business lessons can still be learned.

Recently I watched a re-run of an episode of The Apprentice on TV. It was an episode which I had not seen previously, but was (yet another) one in which you sit in disbelief as an ambitious individual with a huge ego has unshakable faith in their own judgement. As always, it makes for great TV when this person gets the comeuppance that everyone else has seen coming from the start.

The individual concerned was leader of the girls’ team tasked with creating and pitching a prototype product to retail at £10 or less. With two possible ideas for a children’s toy on the table – a toy robot and the team leader’s own idea of "Secret Signals" semaphore cards – both concepts were put to the vote.

The five fellow members of the girls’ team unanimously preferred the robot idea, considering the semaphore game old fashioned and effectively redundant in the age of texting.

Undeterred, focus groups with children – the key target market for the potential product – were arranged. Once again, the decision was unanimous, with the focus groups all showing a clear preference and potential market opportunity for the robot idea.

At this juncture, common sense would tell most people that they should back down or risk being left with egg on their face. Of course, everybody is entitled to have a different opinion, and there are products on the market which meet the various needs of many, many different people. However, market research - and in this particular case, a focus group - is used for a reason. It gives a great insight into what a potential market is really looking for in a product or service, and helps to establish whether there is a measurable need or desire for your concept in the first place. Anyway, the team leader flew in the face of what the whole world was telling her and decided to plough on with her ‘brilliant’ idea regardless. Needless to say, the whole project was a disaster and the team leader in question was the next Apprentice candidate to be given the boot.

That’s not to say that people can’t come up with ‘wacky’ ideas which prove to be hugely successful in spite of the initial reservations of some of their friends or colleagues. It’s just that when research shows time after time after time that your idea will not sell, chances are that your idea will not sell. The only silver lining from this whole fiasco would seem to be that very few people were surprised by the outcome of the task and that as a consequence few other people would disregard such compelling market research evidence at their peril.

Posted in Caroline Harrison, Thursday Night Insight, New Product Development, Focus Groups |
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Is Work Making You Deaf?

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Research from business-to-business market research specialists B2B International shows low awareness of noise levels at work as deadline looms for entertainment industry regulations

When the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force in 2006 the music and entertainment sectors were granted a two-year transitional period until April 2008. As this deadline looms close, and with exposure levels necessitating voluntary or compulsory protection for employees, Aearo [1], a leading manufacturer of hearing protection, commissioned B2B International to research:

• The needs and practices within the entertainment industry;
• Their knowledge of the forthcoming regulations; and
• How they are intending to respond to these.

The market research project included 30 depth interviews with managers/owners of music venues, clubs, pubs and bars with live or recorded music; two focus groups in London and Manchester with staff who work in noisy environments; and 200 telephone interviews with managers/owners/H&S officers in venues with music.

B2B director Carol-Ann Morgan was in charge of the research. She says:

Two thirds of respondents had heard of the Noise at Work Regulations, yet one in five had no detailed knowledge and only half the respondents knew when the regulations come into effect. Nightclubs seem the furthest along the actual preparation line and pubs/bars the least prepared to meet the regulations. The regulations were considered to be good in that staff hearing needed to be protected at work and employers were keen to avoid lawsuits.

Impact and action

The perceived impact of the regulations is low and will be dealt with by noise limiters, provision of a range of hearing devices, and changing shift patterns and working locations. Music venue/club respondents gave more technically focused responses, such as applying limiters to sound systems and taking sound readings, whereas bars and pubs focused on staff issues such as getting staff to wear ear devices and giving staff breaks. In music venues and nightclubs, provision of hearing protection devices is the most popular approach to meeting the regulations whereas reducing the noise levels is favoured by pubs and bars.

Noise in the music industry is loudest in live music venues closely followed by nightclubs. The latter are most likely to measure levels and pubs least likely. Larger companies tend to have fewer staff exposed to noise. Where there is concern, it is for staff and not customers.

Likely actions (showing low reference to enforcement practices) to meet the regulations include:

• Provision of a range of acceptable hearing protection devises;
• Monitoring and reducing noise levels through limiters and education of the industry;
• A change in shift patterns;
• A change in work locations;
• Working with hearing protection suppliers (only clubs).

Advice

Gaining information about the regulations comes from trade press and H&S bulletins for music venues whereas internal communications are very important for clubs, pubs and bars. However when advice on the changes is pro-actively sought, employers approach local councils, local colleges and universities rather than expensive consultancies. Decisions about staff protection from noise are most definitely taken by management, with no employees driving the change.

Awareness, acceptability and availability

Staff awareness of noise levels is very low and noise complaints are negligible. Also, staff exposure to noise varies. The majority of staff in larger pubs and bars are casually employed rather than contracted – many of these are students, and so are more affected by noise in the evening. Nightclubs are more likely to have their own employees, with the exception of security, however here there are more strategies in place to protect staff, such as rotation. Music venues mainly employ a mix of staff, contract for security and crew staff for bands. Some employees in such venues are exposed to noise, but the bars are often located away from the main venue or speakers are faced away from where staff work.

Research indicates that acceptability of ear protection by the workforce and its subsequent adoption are real issues. Workers in the entertainment industry are often students and young people, conscious of current trends and fashions, who show little awareness of noise-levels and low concern for the damage noise may cause.

The preferences for the type and features of hearing protection vary according to user group. Buyers and management want performance, comfort, security, staff acceptability, and a good price, whilst wearers want discreet protection, comfort, design, versatility/ease of use (e.g. to take in and out). A price premium will be paid for performance features such as discreetness and especially the ability to hear conversations and protect simultaneously. Branding is not an issue for hearing protection among end users. However Aearo was found to be well-known and reputable, with products that are widely available and easy to use.

There are issues surrounding availability – pubs and bars especially are looking to buy ear protection devices through wholesalers and cash & carry outlets, whereas music venues and larger clubs are more likely to expect availability through specialist suppliers (music, bar and PPE suppliers).

Carol-Ann believes that “our survey indicates that companies really should be making plans to address the noise issue now. It has been refreshing that Aearo wanted to conduct market research to see what was happening (or otherwise!) in the marketplace. They have recognised the importance of trying to understand the needs and concerns of the entertainment industry and responding to these needs.�

[1] About Aearo - Aearo are world leaders in sound protection. They manufacture a complete line of hearing protection for anyone who spends time in noisy environments. Their goal is to provide the greatest possible comfort, security and safety whilst being at the forefront of innovation.

Posted in Qualitative Research, Focus Groups, Articles |
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Choosing A Logo

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This week we have witnessed a furore erupt around the logo for the London 2012 Olympic games. The logo (above) which cost £400, 000 to design, has received a barrage of abuse from various arms of the media and all corners of the globe. Seth Godin gives his opinion on the matter below, and puts forward some very interesting points on choosing a logo.

About thirty years ago, three companies dreamed up logos that have become so powerful, I don’t even have to show you the images to get them to pop up in your head. A sneaker company paid a few hundred dollars for an abstract, upside down wave, a coffee company picked a half-naked mermaid (is there any other kind) that cost them nothing, and a computer company picked [hired a PR firm that picked] a piece of fruit with a bite out of it.

What the images had in common: nothing. They range from abstract to woodcut to groovy. The art of picking a logo, even one for the Olympics, has almost nothing to do with taste or back story. A great logo doesn’t mean anything until the brand makes it worth something.

That’s why spending $800,000 for a logo is ridiculous. And it’s why you can’t (I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here) draw the logo of any Olympic games since 1898. The Olympics have trouble creating new logos of value because each Olympics already has an image that sticks with people… and that’s the image of the city where the games take place. Putting an abstract picture on top of something that already has a picture doesn’t work.

[and of course, the original Olympics logo meant nothing much when they started, but now provides a great shorthand to remind us of a whole bunch of attributes (youth, sportsmanship, spirit of the games, yadda yadda) that would be very hard to visualize without it.]

The iPod didn’t need a logo, where a pair of sneakers or a cup of coffee do.

If you’re given the task of finding a logo for an organization, your first task should be to try to get someone else to do it. If you fail at that, find an abstract image that is clean and simple and carries very little meaning–until your brand adds that meaning. It’s not a popularity contest. Or a job for a committee. It’s not something where you should run it by a focus group. It’s just a placeholder, a label waiting to earn some meaning.

Anyone want to join me for a cup of mermaid? No sugar in mine.

Posted in Focus Groups, Branding, Market Research |
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The Power Of Industrial Brands - Chapter 6

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Chapter 6 of “The Power Of Industrial Brands”, our latest free ebook, is published here today. Each Monday we will be publishing a new chapter on this blog which will be available for free download. As well as this, you can download each chapter as an audio podcast from our podcast site - The Market Research Podcast.

Brand differentiation should be developed with a complete understanding of the core values of a brand. The core values may be what makes the brand unique but in other cases something additional is required. However, whatever is selected as the core values of a brand must be a genuine part of the product or service package and not an aspiration. And furthermore, the simpler the core value is to understand, the easier it will be to communicate. It is a healthy discipline to find one word that describes the core value of a company.

To download Chapter 6 click the link below:

Chapter 6 - Stripping Back To The Core Values

To listen to the podcast, click here.

For more information on branding click here.

Posted in Industrial Research, Qualitative Research, Focus Groups, Branding, Market Research |
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Using The Focus Group In Market Research - Part 1 of 3

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By Carol-Ann Morgan of B2B International Ltd

In a hotel in the centre of London, a group of IT managers are discussing the type of information they need from a supplier of application serving software. They are all involved in the technical side of management and have the requirement for technical information to help them to keep their systems updated. They are looking at, and evaluating different examples of communication material from pamphlets to newsletters, from press releases to websites. They need specific information and regular contact and they discuss how best a supplier can deliver this to people like them.

Eight plumbers have been invited to discuss domestic showers. They are talking about trends in bathroom design and how much influence they have on the final decision about which shower is finally installed. They go into great detail about the installation issues and the problems they face with certain types of showers. The group is being held in a viewing centre and the Client, a leading European shower manufacturer is watching and listening first hand through a two way mirror.

These are all examples of a focus group in action. Focus groups are essentially group discussions which rely heavily on the interaction between group members and the relationship between the researcher and the respondents. Focus groups have been a dominant form of qualitative data collection in market research for more than 30 years.

HISTORY OF THE FOCUS GROUP

Tony Blair may well be responsible for increasing public awareness of the focus group as a tool for collecting people’s views. The newspapers have been proactive in reporting his affinity for the methodology and some have even suggested he dares not make a move without testing out his intentions within a focus group.

Despite their recent shunt into the public eye over the past decade, focus groups are nothing new. Within the social sciences, they can be found detailed in the literature as far back as the 1920’s. This non-directive approach increased in appeal in the 1930s and 1940s as many sociologists were looking for alternative ways of conducting interviews as the traditional closed response choice questionnaires were being questioned. Paul Lazersfeld, an academic also involved in marketing,used and documented the approach in evaluating audience responses to stimulus material such as films, radio and written manuals. Robert Merton, himself a Sociologist was introduced to the focus group technique by his colleague Lazersfeld, and he pioneered the approach with his work during World War II exploring morale in the US military for the War Department (Merton & Kendall 1946).

Focus groups played a valuable part during the Second World War including evaluating the effectiveness of propaganda efforts and the effectiveness of training materials for the troops (Merton & Kendall 1946). It had become recognised that people revealed sensitive information when they felt they were in a safe, comfortable place with people like themselves. This marked the inception of the focus group, and many of the procedures accepted as common practice in focus groups were laid down in the work carried out by Robert Merton with his contemporaries Marjorie Fiske and Patricia Kendall (The Focused Interview 1956).

Despite this early enthusiasm, the focus group as a research method seemed to disappear from usage amongst the academic community. However, the market research community embraced the approach. After the war, business was booming, development was high, and market researchers were charged with finding out how to make their products most attractive to potential customers. The focus group appeared to be the ideal method to stay in touch with customers, in both exploring their needs and identifying their attitudes. The focus group technique has evolved over the years within market research and has strongly influenced the business community from product design through to promotions and advertising.

In the early 1980s the method re-emerged in the academic community and was being used in academic research to understand attitudes and behaviours. Around this time, the communications industry adopted the methodology to examine how audiences interpreted media messages, and with this the value of the focus group became increasingly recognised. In 1987, the first full length focus group text book by marketers was published (Goldman & MacDonald 1987). With this recognition, focus groups have become an increasingly well known method for collecting qualitative data in all fields of research.

WHAT IS THE FOCUS GROUP?

The focus group is a research technique used to collect data through group interaction on a topic determined by the researcher. Thus the Client determines the focus of the group and the data comes from the group. Essentially, it is a group experience. It comprises a small number of carefully selected people who are recruited to a group discussion based on their commonality of experience.

Focus groups have four key characteristics:

1. They actively involve people
2. The people have a commonality of experience
3. They provide in depth qualitative data
4. Discussion is focussed to help us understand what is going on

The people:
Focus groups typically comprise five to ten people. The group needs to be small enough to allow everyone the opportunity to share insights, and yet large enough to provide group interaction and diversity of experience. Larger groups can inhibit discussion due to lack of opportunity and smaller groups can result in a smaller pool of ideas.

Commonality of experience:
Focus group participants have a degree of homogeneity, and this is important to the researcher. This similarity is the basis for recruitment, and indeed, specific requirements may be necessary for attendance at the group. It is crucial to identify who can give you the information you need.

It is common for researchers and Clients to jointly identify the key criterion which identify the individuals for focus group discussions. For example, when researching the use of sealant and filler compounds, it may be necessary to recruit builders with a certain number of years experience and a minimum level of usage of sealant and fillers in their work practice.

Depth of information:
Focus groups are a research method which delivers qualitative data that is rich in depth and not numerical in nature. Data tends to be in words, pictures, symbols etc. The group provides the forum for discussion, and the group moderator, i.e. the researcher guiding the group, uses their skills to assist the group members to engage in discussion, thus flushing out ideas, attitudes, and experiences. The focus group is more than a group interview. The key element is the group process; the interaction between the group members.

The topic for discussion:
The questions in a focus group discussion are carefully designed to elicit the views of the respondents. A discussion guide is prepared prior to the group and the group moderator uses this as the vehicle for discussion. Careful design of the guide ensures a logical flow of conversation around the topic area, and ensures a clear focus for the discussion.

The topic guide is reflective of how groups operate, commencing with introductory questions to help the group to form. This serves to get people talking and feeling comfortable enough to proffer their opinions and experiences. Questions then progress to yield more information, and there should be no pressure on the group members to alter their views, rather, attention is centred on understanding the comments and thought processes as the issues are discussed.

Part 2 of this white paper will be published on Tuesday 12th December. For more market research white papers, visit our company website at www.b2binternational.com.

Posted in White Papers, Qualitative Research, Focus Groups, Market Research |
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