In 1970 I conducted image studies for an animal feed manufacturer. It was a quantitative project using telephone and direct mail. The results were to be presented at the annual meeting of the regional sales managers. At a planning session prior to the presentation the director of marketing for the feed manufacturer told me that the company was discussing the feasibility of adding a line of horse feeds to their product mix. He requested that I make a research proposal which included the use of focus groups, with me doing the moderating.
I was somewhat surprised that the marketing director was aware of focus groups, as they were not widely used at the time. And I was even more surprised regarding his choice of moderator.
Although I was aware of focus groups and had a general understanding of them, I had neither seen one nor had I ever discussed them with a moderator or participant. My proposal did include the use of focus groups but with the suggestion that the moderator be someone who had experience with the technique. The marketing director accepted the proposal only on the proviso that I conduct the groups. He never gave me his reasoning but assured me he recognized the risks of using an untrained person.
Our research group began planning for the project. We were unable to find any significant literature that helped determine how to proceed with the focus groups. We purchased a reel-to-reel tape recorder, wrote a questionnaire to be used as a discussion guide, and began recruiting participants. The first meeting was held in a restaurant, as there were no suitable focus group facilities available. The director of marketing was not there but three of his associates were. Only seven of the twelve people who had been recruited were on hand at the start of the meeting.
The meeting started badly. My extemporaneous attempt to explain the purpose of the focus group session was confusing and took too much time. I over-emphasized the presence of the tape recorder and microphones and my group became intimidated. I was uncomfortable, therefore the participants were uncomfortable and thus were hesitant to speak. They volunteered nothing. Every piece of information had to be extracted from them. Side conversations between participants began taking place and I did not know how to stop them and get these people back into the mainstream. I wasn't sure what a productive focus .group should be like, but I knew this wasn't one of them. After the session ended, the director's associates made no comment to me regarding their feelings but I could tell they thought their superior had erred in choosing me to moderate the groups. I had to agree with them. But on the bright side I knew there were some things we could do to reduce the chances that the next meeting would be another disaster.
The second meeting was held a few days later, with the marketing director in attendance. This time we mailed details regarding the time and place of the meeting to everyone who had accepted an invitation. Then we followed up with a phone reminder. One hundred percent attendance was achieved. This time I wrote my opening explanation and was able to complete the entire introduction in less than five minutes. The microphones were mentioned, briefly. I paid little attention to them and so did the participants. I felt much more comfortable than the first night, the people at the table sensed it andacted accordingly.
Success still wasn't guaranteed but at least the meeting wasn't over before it began. It helps to have some luck, and that is what happened on this second night. One of the gentlemen at the meeting began the discussion immediately after I mentioned the topic. He was an excellent facilitator because once he made his comments the others joined in. The advantage we had was that the participants were enthusiastic about the subject, the health and nutrition of pleasure horses. The only interruptions came when one of the subject areas had been sufficiently covered and it was time to move on. Here again it seemed every time I was ready to make a switch to a new area it would be mentioned in the discussion and I would be able to interject naturally by asking more about that item to change the direction of the conversation. In about 90 minutes all of the important issues had been sufficiently covered and we concluded the meeting.
After the participants had left, the director of marketing told me that he was very satisfied with the session. He apparently had not been told the details of the first meeting. I accepted his accolades while noticing one of the marketing director's associates with a smirk on his face. He knew the results of the meeting were not due to expertise on my part but rather to a lot of good luck.
This second meeting made me a believer in the value of focus groups. I enjoyed moderating and decided our company should add it to research techniques we would offer. Because we were not aware of any formal training programs available we learned as we went along. We did a few practice (free) groups, tried various approaches to improve our techniques and began to market this new found expertise. We were among the first to introduce focus groups in our primary market, agriculture.
To encourage greater use among those who were reluctant to invest in this type of qualitative research we even did multi-client focus groups. Up to four non-competing firms could have their advertisements tested in each of five focus group sessions. Each firm would have 30 minutes time per group and the order of firm participation would be rotated. Initially, the cost per firm for the five sessions was $500. We did not make money on the project but we did introduce the methodology to a number of companies that had never previously considered the technique. And we continued to improve our skills.
In looking back on the more than 500 groups I moderated during a 17 year period (1970 through 1986) I realize how much easier it could have been if the training programs and literature now available were in existence then. It would not have been necessary to reinvent the wheel.
These reminiscences are my way of introducing you to a recently published book by Thomas L. Greenbaum called The Practical Handbook and Guide To Focus Group Research. It is a hands-on, easy-to-read primer that is must reading for those who are planning to be involved in their first focus group programs. And it should be a handy reference for those of us who have had longer-term involvement with the technique and occasionally need to go back and review the basics.
For more than 20 years Mr. Greenbaum has been involved with focus group research as a client while at Procter & Gamble and Church & Dwight, as a consultant with Glendenning Companies directing clients in the use of focus groups, and as a moderator with Connecticut Consulting Group. With this background he is able to provide a broad perspective not only on the mechanics needed to put together a focus group session but also on the broader issue of the proper role of focus groups in the marketing research process.
The 191-page book starts with a brief overview of both quantitative and qualitative marketing research techniques. From there, a step by step process guides the reader deeper and deeper into the intricacies of focus group techniques. The problems offered as examples are typical of what one can encounter, either as a client or as a moderator, and the author provides practical and easily understood solutions.
The chapters are written so that the book can be used as an overview of focus group research techniques or as a reference using individual chapters. The only material which may be already outdated is the survey of focus group research suppliers. There has been a vast im-provement in the quality of facilities since the survey was conducted (4th quarter, 1986) making much of the information obsolete.
As a first choice for obtaining an in-depth view of the focus group technique I would recommend attendance at a training program sponsored by one of the firms specializing in marketing research education. If this is impossible, I would strongly recommend obtaining a copy of Mr. Greenbaum's book. My regret is that it was not written 20 years earlier.
The Practical Handbook and Guide to Focus Group Research by Thomas L. Greenbaum is available for $41.95 ,which includes shipping and handling, from: Clarion Marketing and Communications, 340 Pemberwick Rd., Greenwich, CT 06831.