I'm a firm believer in the idea that appealing to everyone,or trying to, is a bad idea (not just in marketing, either). The best thing you can do is appeal to a core audience. Everyone is not a Harley Davidson fanatic, for example, but what other company do you know that's created such raving fans that they actually get tattoos of the company's logo?
With that in mind, I've often spoken to our clients about market research, and particulary focus groups and why they don't work the way you expect them to. They do work, but only if you interpret the information the right way. What's the right way? Well, first - the wrong way is to pay too much attention to what the people are saying. "What??" I can hear many of you shouting already. Why on earth would I go to all the trouble and expense of a focus group and then not listen to what they say?
I didn't say don't listen to what they say - I said don't pay too much attention to it. Yes, you can glean insight from what members of the focus group have to say, but more often than not, what they say does not translate into what they would actually do in the real world. Fast food is a perfect example. People in focus groups almost always say they want more healthy choices from fast food - and I belive the genuinely, consciously believe what they are saying. But what happens to healthy choices on fast food menus? They get passed over by a huge margin for the less-healthy, generally tastier fare. Why? Because people in the real world don't behave the way they think they do. I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again and again) - purchases are made based on emotion. Focus groups are in an environment that encourages them to use reason, which is not what goes into effect when real world purchase decisions are made.
So what's the right way to listen to a focus group (and what the heck does it have to do with appealing to a core group of raving fans)? Don't listen as much to what they say as to how much they talk about it. Ideas that cause strong emotional reactions cause wide variations in opinion - wide variations in opinion create the environment for discussion. Sometimes, heated discussion. If something doesn't divide the group's opinion in some way - if they all agree - they have very little to talk about. Listen to what they talk about the most - and then listen to what they have to say about that subject. That's where the gold is.
Have a differing opinion? Let me know - join the discussion by posting your comments here.
Happy Marketing!
