Marketing: Focus Groups

Focus Groups

• A focus group typically consists of six to twelve individuals.
• These individuals participate in a carefully planned series of discussions.
• A trained moderator leads the discussions.

Value of Focus Groups

• Focus groups can provide a wealth of information for a nominal investment when used properly.
• The cost of a typical focus group ranges from $5,000 to $10,000, significantly less than large survey research studies.
• Focus groups are valuable for understanding consumer reaction to advertising, exploring brand benefits, refining consumer motivations, learning about key issues, and gaining firsthand knowledge through consumer interaction with stimuli.

Group Dynamics in Focus Groups

• Focus groups excel at understanding broad issues.
• It is important to consider the value a group dynamic will add to the findings.
• Focus groups facilitate the exploration of disparate views, generate point-counterpoint discussions, explore broad topics through brainstorming, foster interaction between respondents that spark ideas, and enable team work.
• They help in the discovery phase of a concept, allowing for hypothesis testing.

Decisions in Planning Focus Group Research

• Key decisions to make include identifying the moderator, determining the group's characteristics, deciding on the number and locations of groups, and defining the topics to be covered.

Characteristics of a Moderator

• A great moderator should be interested in others' thoughts and feelings.
• They must be active listeners able to manage the group while acting as a leader and think on their feet.
• The moderator's background and experience should be evaluated because each business category has nuances.
• The moderator should be a comfortable fit with the demographic of the focus group.

Focus Group Member Similarity

• Focus groups can benefit from bringing together people with differing viewpoints to seek consensus.
• For focus groups based on teams working together, similar backgrounds may be preferred.
• Demographics and product usage are key determinants of focus group selection.

Key Areas in a Discussion Guide

• The first part of the discussion guide welcomes and warms up participants by introducing the topic, setting ground rules, and inviting group members to share their backgrounds to make the group comfortable and grounded.
• Focus groups generally start broad and narrow to the specific topic to ease respondents in and learn how they approach the category.
• The third part focuses on the specific topic and includes discussion or individual/team exercises.
• The final part summarizes the key ideas, draws out a consensus among group members, and addresses any additional client questions.

Projection Techniques in Group Discussion

• Projection techniques involve respondents projecting themselves into a situation or scenario.
• These techniques are more commonly used in in-depth interviewing due to time-consuming nature.
• These techniques include word association, emotivescapes, picture-storytelling, and cartooning.

Benefits of Online Focus Groups

• Online focus groups have higher recruitment rates because participants can work from any computer.
• All participants give their opinions, resulting in more information compared to traditional focus groups.
• Recruitment can be done globally, eliminating geographic barriers.
• Stimuli can be introduced easily with real-time comments.
• Participants are very active due to anonymity and the ability to comment on each other's posts.

Limitations of Focus Groups

• Participants are in an unnatural environment, altering their opinions.
• Participation with strangers can lead to guarded or changed opinions.
• Group dynamics can result in group think.
• Limited time for respondents to provide in-depth answers makes discussions superficial.
• A typical focus group has six to twelve people.
• It is not representative of a larger sample and should not be used to qualify a result.

Systematic Content Analysis

• Content analysis can be easily abused if its methods are not systematic.
• Simply looking through websites or articles does not constitute content analysis.
• It involves systematically reviewing media or messages rather than randomly reviewing them.
• Objective analysis means researchers should not apply their own biases and act like reporters.
• A clear set of criteria and procedures must be agreed upon prior to conducting content analysis.
• The goal of content analysis is quantification to accurately represent a body of work.
• Every effort should be made to define the sample, method, and system for conducting the research.

Materials for Systematic Content Analysis

• Local newspapers can be examined for press coverage of a company and its competitors.
• Relevant data points include date of appearance, word count, section of the newspaper, headline type size, and page placement.
• Magazine advertisements can be analyzed by counting the advertisements, their sizes, color, placement, headline, photographs or artwork, effectiveness, benefits promised, and action suggested.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research

• Any content analysis that involves counting elements within messages involves quantitative methods.
• This includes frequency of keywords, amounts of space devoted to a topic, number of popups, and length of broadcast messages.
• Even when using qualitative methods, the final tabulation of results is often quantitative in the form of numbers, percentages, or charts and graphs.
• Qualitative analysis involves judgement and analysis on the part of the researcher when collecting information about media messages.

Using Content Analysis in the Real World

• Printed media are relatively easy to obtain and scan, making the process quick and smooth.
• Broadcasts are fleeting.
• Positive steps must be taken to record programs and save them for research.
• Study may require observing entire programs schedules for many days or weeks.
• Research into internet and social media may be simple or complex based on scope, searching for particular content like "political advertising" can be demanding given the immense volume of data.

Content Analysis Parameters

• Establishing definitions and, coding frameworks helps ensure consistent categorization by researchers.
• This includes determining which data to analyze, how the data are defined, the population from which data are drawn, the data's context, the boundaries of the study, and the target of inferences.

Common Problems in Content Analysis

• These problems include the unavailability of data sources, challenges in deciding which samples and examples to study, reliance on researcher’s interpretations, varying categorization methods, and a disconnect between audience reaction.

In-depth Interviews

• In-depth interviews allow researchers to gather more detailed information from respondents.
• The respondent has uninterrupted time to discuss the subject without external influences.
• Researchers can quickly identify themes, which allows them to make applied learning decisions that better aligns with the data and gather more authentic depth of insight information.
• In-depth interviews are flexible in scheduling for respondents who are difficult to recruit because they can be scheduled around their availability.
• They offer more control and convenience for both researcher and respondent in the data process.
• A good interviewer-interviewee match can help respondents feel more comfortable.

Dyadic interview vs. In-depth Interview

• Dyadic interviews tend to be more spontaneous.
• Focuses on understanding the general mindset behind their decisions through discussion rather than specifics.
• It emphasizes broader thematic questions, while in-depth interviews focus on more specific questions.

Ethnographic Interviews

• Ethnographic interviews involve observing respondents in their natural environment and then interviewing them afterward to understand their behaviors.

Shop-alongs vs. Mystery Shopping

• Shop-alongs involve researchers knowingly observing respondents while they shop.
• Mystery shopping involves respondents being unaware that the researcher is observing them.

Characteristics of a Successful Interviewer

• The researcher must establish a strong rapport with the respondent through relatability.
• Trust is crucial for successfully gathering in-depth research data.

Sample Size for In-Depth Interviews vs. Focus Groups

• Focus groups can take longer to gather depth insight data.
• In-depth interviews can provide valuable information from just one respondent if done correctly.
• Five to twelve participants are appropriate for interviews.

Following the Interview Guide

• An interview guide is important in in-depth interviews but not as essential as in focus groups.
• Respondents may interpret questions differently, leading them off-topic.
• Staying on topic is crucial, especially when conducting multiple interviews with different respondents.
• it may not be needed with only a single person interviewing.

Limitations of Interviews

• Limitations of in-depth interviews can arise from respondents, due to demographic, geographic, and behavioral differences.
• It is difficult to make someone comfortable enough to openly share their feelings.

Personal Interviews

• Personal interviews can be online or in person.
• Personal interviews are typically less in-depth and more flexible than in-depth interviews while gathering helpful information.
• When asking demographic questions, provide a range rather than direct questions to be considerate.
• It is better to tell respondents the interview's purpose upfront to avoid biased answers.
• Personal interviews are designed to get respondents to think about their motives, attitudes, opinions, feelings, and beliefs.

Projective Techniques

• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT): Participants are shown a picture and asked to complete the story it suggests.
• Story Completion (ST): The researcher provides the beginning of a story and asks participants to finish it.
• Role Playing: Participants take the perspective of someone with an opposing view and act out or communicate what that person might say.

Ethnographic Research

• It is conducted to understand behavioral relationships and interactions within a society/culture.
• It requires researchers to avoid influencing the research and focus on a specific behavior, and it is time-consuming.

Qualitative Research Data

• Sorting responses into similar categories may be appropriate for handling data.
• Findings categorized, counted, and statistically analyzed shifts it from qualitative to quantitative.
• Qualitative researchers often quote entire sentences from respondents to explain and expand on topics.
• Responses can be grouped, and passages quoted from respondents to show a pattern or feeling.

Analyzing Qualitative Data

• Researchers should track the questions asked and the answers.
• One must determine how respondents were selected, the setting, and the people present.
• Document advanced questions or answers from video and audio recordings.
• Transfer questions, responses, and data to a written record, and categorize questions/responses with quick coding.
• Categorize responses using codes from the transcription process, adapting categories where necessary and dividing material into subtopics.
• Interpret responses, noting similarities or differences, and avoid forcing responses into existing categories or altering responses.
• The researchers should review study’s validity, considering new study questions
• The last step is to outline the research report, noting findings and unexpected insights.

Qualitative Research Reports

• Qualitative research reports should be truthful and insightful, and should be viewed the same by different researchers and readers.
• They tell inside stories from participants' perspectives and providing context.
• Unfocused analysis, excessive description, inadequately supported theories/conclusions, lack of empirical observations, and unclear connections are common problems in presentations.

Handling Qualitative Research Data

• With qualitiative research data these must be recorded, organized, interpreted, summarized, and preserved by the researcher.
• Professional researchers must convey as much information as quickly as feasible.

Recommendation for Note Taking

• Detailed note-taking should occur as immediately as possible after observations occur.
• If observing behavior, take detailed mental notes and step away as needed to record previous interactions to keep minimal time intervel.
• The researcher must record as much detail as possible, often using word processing software.

Computer Assistance

• Computers are essential for note-taking.
• Researchers can record as much data as possible.
• Notes can be rearranged fast using computers.
• Hand written notes are transferred quickly as well.

Focus Group Debriefing

• Focus group moderators should be debriefed immediately.
• A self-debriefing by moderators is possible when working in a small team.
• Debriefing should include the moderator's thoughts on major themes, attempts to direct the group, and any unique insights.
• Questions to be included in future sessions and notes about group dynamics are also important.
• Key insights should be captured immediately, as they are difficult to retrieve if discarded early.

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research Coding

• Quantitative research begins with a general idea of the research problems and measures specific variables.
• Qualitative research is more accepting of the fact that they do not have a complete grasp on the research situation before data collection begins, and themes are likely to emerge from the data rather than the researchers preconceptions.

Types of Coding

• Open Coding: Involves reading through notes and transcripts to identify themes.
• Themes can be separated onto notes cards or highlighted using computers.
• Axial Coding: After concepts and themes are identified, the next step is to search for the natural relationship between concepts figure out central concepts to the research. .
• Selective coding is organizing the idea or storyline around which all other concepts are arranged.
• It is the theory-building phase where researches now looking to explain the situation.