Description
There is no use in explaining what a focus group is. Any current Customer know that this is that sort of research method when several target group representers get together in one room and discuss one problem… We are not going to study in depth for what the focus group is needed and how it is constituted.
However, especially for curious ones, we are going to remind a description of this term. By the way, this method has surely caught the fancy of Customers and researchers – cameramen (amateurs or experts – does not matter). As the title of this quite creative activity contains not unknown and substantial for cameramen word ‘focus’. Also this mysterious ‘focus-group’ should especially attract people prone to mystifications and wonders, which we sometimes name as focuses (at least it is more or less available to many people).
Given above associative series are not random… Those, who have seen the process of a focus-group live – are going to understand about what a conversation is. ‘Focuses’ can be expected both from the moderator`s side (chief of the group) and from the side of respondents (discussion participants). But you should remember that in "proper" focus-group namely a moderator sets the "focus" of his objective, aimed at participants (not vice versa).
A focus-group – is a united in several criteria small group in which attention and intellectual efforts are temporarily concentrated by a researcher on a defined topic. The task of focusing is not only in gathering broader information of a qualitative type from each participant, but in revealing of different points of view during a discussion, or to show variability of viewpoints, opinions, behavior and relations. During a process of discussion opinions of participants can differ, but the goal of approaching single decision, united opinion, is normally, not presented.
History
Going back to the history of this method`s development in market researches let`s highlight an interesting fact, that firstly focus-groups were led by Robert Murton in the times of Second World war aimed at examining the effectiveness of radio operation, movies and army propaganda. While the next usage of focus-group method were contributed to a study of causes of «chilly» american housewives’ attitude to.
Isn`t it striking, that one and the same methodology can be so universal and give helpful results in such various spheres: military-ideological and casually-consumerist?
As in the forties of the past century in our century focus-groups also work to gather significant information on different markets and for various goals: from producing bakery goods to air transportation.
Focus-group in Stone age
Scope
Often interviews of a focus-group type are used for:
- analyzing daily life, way and style of consumer`s life, goods and services being included in daily life of a consumer;
- studying out the vocabulary and linguistic constructions (collocations), used in daily life or for describing a significance of Customer`s brand attributes ("reliability", "safety", "up-to-dateness", "quality" etc.);
- holding of laboratory experiments like "Behaviour in a store";
- testing of serial output samples;
- examining of alternative output usages;
- retrospective researches.
Strong advantage
Our experience shows, that no other method – except for focus-groups – doesn’t give so extensive, full, interesting, diverse and profound information during the process of approaching above-listed goals.
A method of focusing in a group (focus-group is named also just like that) has one hugely significant advantage over the others. This is the only method, in which the Customer can keep an eye on the research`s implementation in a live mode and, thus, save a high degree of control over the researchers` activity.
Not many of the Russian clients use this facility. And that is to no purpose. To take a look at the real customers (or non-customers) of your goods or service, to listen to them saying could be highly edifying.
A lot of nice ideas occur in high-ranking marketing services` employees’ heads (in the West) namely during and after a stay in a "dark room", from which they were supervising the process of focus-group implementation. Less then 1\3 of these ideas were one way or another defined by the participants of focus-groups. The rest is the result of marketologist’s deep immerison into the problem (goal) and the reflection because of something heard or seen.
Among the arsenal of opportunities and resources of Bazis IG company a considerable significance has a focus-room (A room for focus-groups and so-called “client zone”) has a very important significance among the companys’ range of capabilities and resources. Technical equipment of the room provides client with the opportunity to supervise the process of research in real-time from the every corner of the world.
Among the arsenal of opportunities and resources of Bazis IG company a considerable significance has a focus-room (A room for focus-groups and so-called “client zone”) has a very important significance among the companys’ range of capabilities and resources. Technical equipment of the room provides client with the opportunity to supervise the process of research in real-time from the every corner of the world.
