Making storyboards work in focus groups

By Rusty Clowes | December 1, 1993

Reading time: 6 minutes

Abstract

This article describes a series of steps for using focus groups to test TV storyboards for marketing research. This approach includes providing a warm-up orientation to storyboards for participants, presenting the storyboards in a simple manner that avoids industry jargon, and involving the advertising agency in the research process.

Research Topics:: Advertising Research | Focus Group-Moderating | Focus Groups | Qualitative Research
Content Type: Research Methodology

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Editor's note: Rusty Clowes is president of The Clowes Partnership, a qualitative research firm located in South Norwalk, Conn.

Focus groups are OK for new product work, but for checking out storyboards?

Why not?

Consider these situations:

The advertising agency has presented several very different creative approaches and there's a need to gauge main-point communication of each one.
There are several creative options but budgetary constraints demand narrowing down the number before quantitative testing.
Some concept boards are ready to produce for animatic testing, but it's necessary to uncover any miscues or misunderstandings before proceeding.
As a matter of economics, storyboards can be evaluated early in the "advertising process," before investing in animatic or photomatic production.

There are, however, concerns in qualitative advertising research, particularly with TV storyboards: Can respondents understand a storyboard? Can we communicate an advertising idea and execution to respondents when the stimuli are rough storyboards? Can we help respondents see beyond the rough execution? Does it matter who presents storyboards to groups? In short, can advertising groups be productive and provide rich learning about advertising executions?

The answer to all these questions is yes. Consider including these steps to help make your groups be more productive.

Do a warm-up

Warm up respondents with a learning experience. Most respondents are not familiar with a storyboard nor know how to read one. (If respondents are too familiar, check the security screen! ) The qualitative researcher is relying on respondents to see beyond the rough/ storyboard execution, to see the storyboard as a finished commercial. One way to get up to creative speed is to show how the storyboard fits into the advertising process.

Give your respondents a primer course on storyboards. One useful technique is to take respondents through a "warm-up" storyboard as an example of the kind of advertising they will be looking at during the session. The heart of this technique is that this warm-up storyboard is, in fact, the storyboard of a finished commercial. To get your warm-up storyboard, first select a finished commercial that is relevant to the group, perhaps one in the general product area. For example, if the subject is a laundry detergent, use a dish detergent or window cleaner commercial, rather than a beer spot. Avoid a finished commercial for the subject brand; this can cause confusion - are we talking about the warm-up or the test commercials?

Once the demonstration commercial is selected, make a storyboard of this commercial. (If you're incredibly lucky, a storyboard will exist for your selected commercial, but don't count on it.) Perhaps the easiest way to start is to get a photoboard of the commercial. If the finished commercial is one of your products, a photoboard is probably available, since they are usually printed in volume and used to preview or remind trade customers of a brand's advertising program.

With photoboard in hand, you can now produce your warm-up storyboard by making rough drawings of each frame with the copy under each one. (If creative resources are not readily available, hire an artist to draw the frames.) Remember, the warm-up storyboard should look about as rough as the test boards, thereby avoiding any executional comparisons.

The rough storyboard is presented to respondents as an example of how commercials in the earliest stage are executed - much like a comic strip - to explain the idea. Describe the visuals frame by frame, then read the words that go along with each frame, detailing when the actors speak, when the announcer speaks, any sound effects and any titles on the screen. The point here is for respondents to understand and think about what the storyboard is trying to say, not get hung up on the fact that they are looking at a rendering and not a finished commercial.

Then show the tape of the finished commercial as it appears on TV. The contrast between storyboard and finished commercial makes respondents more comfortable with the storyboard and helps them understand its relationship to the finished commercial that's on television. Ultimately, you want respondents to see test storyboards but think of finished commercials. The group motto is: See rough - think finished!
This whole process should take only about five minutes, but it brings respondents up to "creative speed" and diffuses much non-productive comment/ criticism about the drawings.

Keep it simple

Now that respondents have been introduced to storyboards, it's time to present the real creative, the test storyboards. In this phase, remember the importance of direct, understandable communication of the advertising idea.

Obviously, the storyboards you are presenting should be large enough for respondents to see, typically in the 18" x 24" or 24" x 36" range. These presentation boards should be cleared of technical jargon, particularly film direction notations like CU (close-up), MCU (medium close-up), "pan," "dissolve," etc. These directional notations can confuse and distract. This is especially true if copies of the boards are distributed to respondents for their written comments before discussion.

On the other hand, notations that are relevant to what is happening, like SFX (sound effect), "super" (title), and VO (announcer) should remain. These directions are easily understood and help respondents get a fuller grasp of the commercial. In other words, directions that are key to respondent understanding of the commercial should be kept and explained; those that are not should be deleted. If a particular close-up shot is important, a close-up should be illustrated, rather than simply leaving in the CU note.

Get the agency involved

Many advertising agency people are suspicious, if not downright resentful, of any kind of commercial testing. Such testing is a consumer judgment of their creative product, and a creative product in its roughest form. At least when an animatic commercial is tested, some production values are included. But to present a storyboard to a group of consumers and rely on their ability to grasp the idea is enough to send shivers down the spine of any agency creative director.

This raises the issue of who should present the test advertising to respondents. It can be argued that the moderator is the only objective participant and therefore should present the material. On the other hand, the moderator is not totally familiar with the creative material and its nuances. And moderators are not professional advertising people so they may not "do the boards justice."

Look at the advertising agency as part of the research constituency, a part that has a profound interest in the outcome. The agency deserves to present its work and thereby be assured of knowledgeable and professional delivery. Why take the chance that group findings are called into question because "they didn't understand the boards. " Therefore, when scheduling, availability and cost allow it, consider having the agency present their storyboards.

However, this participation must be under well-defined research terms and conditions.

The moderator should understand all aspects of the storyboards and meet with the agency early on. The advertising should be presented and described in detail.
Jointly select an agency presenter who can remain detached from the storyboard. A copywriter or art director is so involved with and committed to their work - as well they should be - that open, frank reactions of group participants can take a toll on egos, emotions and viscera. Consider an account executive for the role of presenter. They (usually) have experience presenting advertising and are not as "attached" to the creative product.
Set clear ground rules for the agency presenter. During the groups, the presenter should be introduced as an associate of the moderator. The job is to present the advertising clearly and evenly so respondents will understand each commercial. The job is not to sell the advertising. Presenter participation in the group discussion, beyond matters relating to the storyboards, cannot be allowed.

Summary

With some careful planning and work, storyboard executions can be effective stimuli in focus group work. Invest a few minutes of group time up-front to develop an understanding of the storyboard - how to read it and how it fits into the advertising process. Keep stimuli directed at communicating the advertising idea and free from any unnecessary, potentially confusing advertising jargon. Finally, consider the advertising agency as the resource most familiar with the storyboards they have created and therefore best equipped to present them. Their participation, however, should be that of a research confederate and not as an advocate for a particular advertising approach.