Focus groups

Focus groups are small groups of individuals brought together by market researchers to discuss a particular topic. Most focus groups include 8–12 people and a moderator. Individuals are chosen based on interest or involvement with the subject to be discussed and are often paid $50–$100 to participate in the session. A typical focus group will last 1–2 hours, be taped for later detailed review, and observed by market researchers and the client through a one-way mirror. Focus groups are often used during the exploratory stage of the MARKET RESEARCH process to provide quick, indepth information about people’s attitudes and motivations. They are often used to screen ADVERTISING designs, learn about the interests and values of hard-to-research market segments, provide feedback during NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, and help structure market-research SURVEYS. Marketers recognize they are often “too close” to a particular project or PRODUCT to be objective about it. Focus groups can be used to get consumers’ opinions before a product is launched, helping to avoid costly marketing failures. Focus groups are vulnerable to a variety of problems. First, they only include a small number of participants and therefore may not be representative of the ideas and opinions of the larger target market. Second, the moderator must be chosen carefully, since his or her role is critical in successfully probing participants’ feelings and controlling group dynamics. Third, critics contend focus groups tend to result in people saying what they think the sponsor wants to hear rather than honest opinions. Finally, there are “professional” focus groupers, people who participate in numerous studies and tend to dominate group discussion.