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| Click the links below
for helpful Marketing Tips. |
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| HIGHLIGHTS
OF FOCUS GROUPS |
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Most decision makers seek information to lessen the risks of making
the wrong decisions or improve the quality of good decisions.
Making good decisions saves time. For example, we came to a standstill
this morning because three of our printers refused to print. Ring
any computer company and they will tell you it is a software problem
that translates to - difficult and expensive to fix.
When our network supplier researched the problem step by step they
found a fault in the switchboard - not a software issue at all.
With the switchboard fixed, it also fixed the mood of the staff.
Appropriate research provides greater certainty to decision making
but the risks of wrong decision-making are not eliminated. The risks
of wrong decision-making are identified and can be minimised.
Focus groups are trendy. But they are often used for the wrong purposes.
This research is a method of collecting qualitative (opinions, values,
needs, attitudes, expectations) data. Focus groups are not a method
of collecting quantitative data.
They do not reflect the attributes of the target audience and have
minimal statistical relevance. If you are seeking research that
is statistically relevant, focus group research is not the way to
go.
FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH MAY BE USED TO DOCUMENT:
- Opinions on a new magazine cover
- Opinions on a new television advertisement
- Opinions on a new restaurant menu
- Opinions on a new range of seafood
- Opinions on a new financial service
- Opinions on a new airline route
- Opinions on a new distribution outlet
- Opinions on new pricing policies
- Opinions on new service levels
- Opinions on packaging
- Opinions on magazine content
STEPS INVOLVED IN FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH:
- Plan and identify general objectives of the focus group research
- State specific objectives and questions to be answered
- Identify the issues to be researched
- Identify the values, attitudes, needs, and expectations you
need to identify
- Identify the target audience for the focus groups
- Decide on the payment for each participant - depends on locality
- Recruit participants from your target audience
- Devise a discussion guide
- Organise venue, video recording, facilitator, and for a transcript
to be done
- Conduct the focus groups
- Write up the transcript
- Draw conclusions from the transcript
- Discuss conclusions with all interested parties
Participants of a focus group are chosen to reflect the socio-economic,
demographic and lifestyle features of the target market from the
numerous databases that exist on virtually every speciality.
The size of the focus groups need to be restricted to between six
to eight participants. Each participant is usually paid by the hour.
In addition, give-aways can be used as incentives to participate.
For example, free passes or memberships to sporting and recreation
facilities or holiday lotteries.
CASE STUDY
Let's suppose that a council wanted to find out some of the issues
concerning the service mix and the location of proposed multipurpose
sporting facilities, the areas of discussion may include:
- Sporting facilities used by the focus group members
- Frequency of use
- What determines frequency of use
- Facility service
- Preferences on type of sporting activities
- Areas in which facilities are lacking, both indoor and outdoor,
and the types of recreational and leisure facilities needed in
these areas
- Facilities requiring improvement, both indoor and outdoor
- Barriers to participation, both indoor and outdoor. This area
of discussion may include barriers such as transportation, costs
of use, types of facilities, stigmas attached, additional services
and quality of service and equipment.
Maria Charlton B Com MBA AFAMI CPM
Managing Director- MAP Marketing
+61 2 4929 7766
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Marketing Diagnostic Tools. [More]
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Maria Charlton's father Spyridon Karmogiannis was part
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"Thank you so much for our beautiful new logo. I
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