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A focus group is a specific group of respondents, which consists of 8-10 people who come together to discuss a specific topic in which each of them is interested in one way or another. The discussion can go on for up to two hours, but often there is a situation where you have to work an order of magnitude longer. It is worth noting that if it is known in advance that you will have to work for a longer time, then in this case the focus group is called extended. Discussions at such a meeting belong to the technologies of qualitative analysis, since the information that is obtained as a result of the work of such specialists cannot be called representative of a certain group of people.

Why is she needed?

A focus group is a necessary part of modern marketing, which is actively used in various business areas. This group is created so that its participants in the process of a well-directed discussion can express their own opinion on the topic of discussion, trying to reveal it from an individual point of view. In the process of studying such groups, a fairly wide range of opinions is revealed, for example, this may relate to the level of satisfaction and constancy of customers, the perception of the level of service, the identification of leaders in a particular area, as well as a number of other issues.

The focus group is also a good tool to understand the hidden motivations and motives regarding the level of service. Consumers always have a variety of information, which he received on the basis of his own life experience, regarding high and low level service, and unlike most other topics, the consumer happily discusses this information with other people. Thus, a focus group is a fairly popular way to penetrate into various aspects of the quality of service for the population, as well as the level of satisfaction and constancy on the part of consumers.

Focus group of competitors - is it real?

While the use of a focus group is often used in the process of studying various problems related to the opinion of buyers in order to explore the problems of the business structure itself, it is much more difficult to use it, especially if the group will be recruited from representatives of companies that operate in a particular area. . In the vast majority of cases, focus groups are rarely of interest to company representatives due to the fear that competitors may receive and subsequently use, in one way or another, non-public information belonging to this company. However, groups still function perfectly if they are recruited from non-competitive companies, and at the same time, the participants themselves can understand that their business has much more points of contact than they might think.

What determines the success of such a group?

The success of a focus group depends on a large number of factors, such as:

• Competent set of participants.
• The right choice of a coordinator or, as it is also called in professional circles, a project moderator.
• The comfort of the environment.
• The relevance of the topic under discussion.

How many respondents should be represented?

As with quantitative research, various types of focus groups primarily require a competent choice of its composition. It will be necessary to recruit initially a representative sample from the audience that is the main goal of the study. Since in the vast majority of cases, the group is usually recruited by people who work or live permanently in a geographically limited area, it makes sense to collect such groups in different areas, especially if there are some regional characteristics in the perception of the consumer.

What problems can there be?

In addition, it will also be important to calculate the dynamics of the group. For example, how effective would a group be with both men and women? Imagine a situation in which a man would be more interested in impressing the opposite sex instead of seriously discussing a particular company issue. Of course, this format often brings animation to the group, but in fact, other participants may be unhappy with this, and in principle, it very often simply interferes with the normal discussion of the issue.

Difficulties can also arise if the types of focus groups are recruited from participants with mixed ages, as a generation gap may eventually develop. For example, this often happens when discussing issues such as whether to borrow money.

The culture of people is one of the most important points

AT without fail cultural differences should also be taken into account. In certain countries, it is quite difficult to force a respondent to sincerely express any critical remarks about the quality of the goods provided or the services of a certain company, for the reason that there public criticism is one of the main signs of bad manners. It is for this reason that the focus group is a separate topic in psychology, which is given close attention. Among other things, representatives of different cultures may consider it absolutely wrong to have a man as a coordinator in a group of female respondents.

moderator

Which focus group method should be used? This is a question of experts, because their main purpose is to facilitate the work of the assembled people as much as possible. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the work of such groups is carried out in the format of a discussion that is built around a topic that is agreed upon in advance. The moderator of the group should have specialized skills to guide the discussion in such a way that each participant has the opportunity to express his own opinion, and at the same time to ensure that any opinion does not dominate the opinions of other people who are present in this group.

The moderator should carefully ensure that each individual topic is discussed over a certain period of time. Among other things, the facilitator should listen very carefully to what and how each member of the assembled group says, at the same time trying to understand his condition. The focus group moderator is a professional specialist who thoroughly understands the conduct of such events. The moderator may need to use certain incentives or some other specialized means in order to develop individual topics. In other words, all this work should be done by a qualified specialist, since the focus group method is an extremely important and responsible event that should be managed not by beginners, but by confident professionals.

room

Often such conditions are created for focus group marketing research to be carried out in a specially equipped room. Today, the group often gathers in a room that originally specialized in sound recording and filming. Often these offices have special rooms that can be completely refurbished in accordance with the goals pursued by this group.

In particular, for example, some companies often create a cozy living room with a sofa, chairs, TV, coffee table and other traditional interior elements. It will also be possible to transform the room into something similar to a meeting room in the event that research is carried out in the field entrepreneurial activity. In any case, the primary task that the moderator, who manages the focus group, sets for himself is the kind of room that should not be stressful for the participants, and also not create any discomfort for them. At the same time, one should not forget that consent to participate in a focus group is a rather extraordinary event in the lives of many people, so many feel various kinds of concerns about this.

What does it give?

If the initial analysis of the focus group is done correctly and everything is well organized, then the company will inform all participants in advance of the various details that relate to the upcoming event. Among other things, food is provided, and some even prefer to take the participants home after the group has finished its work. Often participants are given a certain fee as compensation for spending their own time.

What to discuss?

Another important element is what exactly the focus group participants will discuss, or rather, the thematic index of this event. This includes a specific list of topics to be discussed and will subsequently be used to guide the discussion in a certain direction.

In order to maintain interest on the part of participants in the subject for which the focus group study is being carried out, it is necessary to initially prepare for discussion those issues that are important to all consumers. Initially, the discussion begins with the fact that there is an acquaintance with each individual participant, after which the subject of the conversation is directly discussed, and absolutely everyone participates in this discussion. This is extremely important, since the moderator should involve each participant in the subject of discussion as early as possible.

Still, the very format of holding such an event is a kind of meeting of friends, but these are strangers who have been gathered in an unfamiliar place for them, where they do something that they may never have even done before - they have a productive discussion on the subject which they may not have thought about before.

How does the leader behave?

The leader of the focus group discussion is a responsible specialization, and the person who carries out this work must initially destroy the complexes of each of the participants. And after he succeeds, he must, in accordance with the thematic index, conduct a conversation according to a special scheme: starting from a superficial acquaintance with the topic and ending with the deepest penetration into all its aspects.

Need results now

The immediate presentation of the results after the end of the group work is what any moderator often fears. After a few hours of hard work, the group facilitator is asked to provide instant results on the main issues of the ongoing discussion. This requirement simply prevents the moderator from reflecting on the information he has received, for example, in order to understand how the results differ from those obtained by other groups in the process of researching this topic. At the same time, the client has already managed to draw independent conclusions, and now insists that the moderator post his own, so that he can compare them.

It often happens that the situation is complicated due to the personal characteristics of those people who are involved in the study. Still, a focus group in sociology is far from the same as in marketing, so specialists, each of whom understands his own field, may conflict with each other.

Is it correct?

In fact, it is far from always possible to draw conclusions based on the results of the work of a particular focus group, especially if it concerns some new services or goods. In the vast majority of cases, you have to gather several groups at the same time in order to finally understand why consumers behave one way or another, because a focus group in marketing is a universal tool that should cover everyone.

In addition, it often happens that you have to change the content or the main purpose of the study, if the original results cannot be interpreted normally or only give rise to more questions that will probably need to be added to the questionnaire.

A focus group is a form of survey based on a comprehensive discussion of a problematic topic with a selected group of people, conducted by a moderator in order to establish qualitative parameters of consumer behavior.

In most cases goals focus groups are as follows:

• understand the motives of behavior, attitudes and values ​​of consumers;
• get general information about the product category, determine the features of using the product;
• analyze conflicts and disagreements on certain issues;
• understand the specifics of subcultures.

In the course of the focus groups, the respondents' knowledge and assessment of the brands of the product under discussion are revealed, the image and position of the brands in their perception are determined. If consumers are familiar with brands, for example, food products, then you can invite them to guess the brand by taste and smell.

There are other marketing goals of focus groups - generating ideas for a new product or preparing a new advertising campaign, developing hypotheses that can then be subjected to quantitative testing, obtaining information useful for structuring data collection methods.

Another way to use focus groups is to find out the reaction of consumers to a new product or advertising message. Participants of the study are invited to choose the most and least liked options for the product, its packaging or advertising. Sometimes the discussion is about a product that respondents have tried for some time in advance (for example, pet food, cosmetics, printed matter).

Evaluation of advertising products in focus groups can be carried out according to the following parameters: how much advertising corresponds to the presented product, its image and position, how much it is possible for respondents to be identified with advertising characters, whether advertising contributes to making a purchase.

It is generally agreed that the results of such testing fairly accurately reflect the opinion of the masses of consumers and have a fairly high positive correlation with future success. However, it is not possible to draw specific conclusions from the results of the focus groups, as the discussion process only considers certain aspects of behavior, often in isolation from a specific situation (for example, it is difficult to determine whether people will buy a product if they liked its advertisement).

The results obtained in a focus group can only be generalized to the target market if the group has reached a consensus on a particular issue. If the topic under discussion is important to the firm, then it is recommended to resort to a subsequent quantitative survey of consumers, since focus groups are more suitable for generating ideas and considerations than for characterizing their distribution.

However, the interpretation of the results of focus groups deserves special care, since verbal information obtained during discussions can be ambiguous, emotionally colored and have a special meaning only in the context, while non-verbal information can perform all communicative functions and practically replace the text, so its decoding allows you to check reliability of verbal data and make assumptions.

Analyzing the results, it is necessary to remember the peculiarities of group interaction. When evaluating a new product concept, the focus group is usually conservative, i.e. it prefers those ideas that are easy to explain, and not necessarily completely new. Presentation order issues also arise when multiple concepts, products, or ad message options are being evaluated. If the members of the group are too critical of one of the tested objects, then they can then “for balance” make an overly “friendly” conclusion about the next one.

Principles of Analysis focus group materials:

• vision and interpretation of actions and opinions expressed in focus groups e, carried out from the perspective of the respondents;
• the atmosphere of focus groups is considered and described in detail, pauses and the strongest emotional reactions are noted;
• the results are taken into account in dynamics, since group processes affect them and the very nature of the discussion;
• during the analysis, they determine which topics are important and which are simply interesting for the respondent: the frequency of mention indicates interest, but not necessarily the importance of the issue;
• the behavior of members of different groups is compared to identify consistent, repetitive patterns and responses to specific questions.

The specifics of using focus groups as a qualitative research method are presented in the box based on a quote from .

To compare the perceptions of focus groups among marketing research professionals, consider the definitions, conceptions of the essence and classification of this method by different authors (Table 14.8 and Table 14.9).

MYTHS ABOUT QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

The focus group should not have more than six or seven participants so that everyone gets more "air time"	The optimal number of respondents depends on their type, on the subject of research and on the style of the moderator.
The qualitative researcher must begin each project by putting aside any information known to him. Past studies of other companies, any guesswork about clients, political clashes within the company that are relevant to the study - all this can only become a source of distortion of the results of the specialist's work.	Information about the real goals of the project and already existing knowledge must be brought to the attention of the moderator. Of course, this kind of information may affect his work, but a good specialist knows what to look for. The moderator will be able to focus on those answers that do not fit into existing hypotheses, and only touch on aspects that are in good agreement with existing knowledge.
Many good ideas die in focus groups because consumers are not ready to accept new things.	Qualitative research allows the specialist to see what is behind the reactions of the consumer. If any idea is immediately rejected, a good researcher will try to find out the reasons for this. It will determine whether there can be a real need that the product will satisfy and what needs to be done in order for the respondent to change his mind
Focus groups should be demographically homogeneous	In most cases, the research budget does not allow the luxury of holding focus groups with representatives of each segment. However, some differences may even be useful. There is a simple rule to follow: Respondents should feel comfortable talking to each other.
It is a mistake to ask respondents why they do something or hold a certain opinion.	Usually the problem lies not in the very fact of posing such questions, but in their formulation. Questions should not intimidate respondents; they need to show genuine interest and a desire to understand
Qualitative research should rely heavily on projection techniques (e.g. photographs, drawings, cartoons, role playing) as they	Projection methods are very valuable tools, but they cannot completely replace direct questions. In many cases, direct questions "on the forehead" allow you to identify the feelings and emotions of the respondent

allow you to express thoughts and feelings. that the consumer is either unaware of or unwilling to express publicly
A focus group at 8 p.m. is not a good idea as everyone is already tired.	Conducting focus groups at 6 and 8 pm is a must as most people work during the day. The energetic and fruitful work of the group depends more on its composition and the interest of respondents in the topic under discussion than on the time of day
The hallmark of a good moderator is that he speaks very little while leading the group.	The moderator must be proactive, responsive to the audience and show creativity. Its function is to manage the dynamics of the group. Without directing participants to answers, he should provide feedback by returning to the respondents the topics that, in his opinion, need to be worked out in more detail.
The selection of participants becomes a simple task if the research contracting company provides lists of its clients who can be interviewed or invited to participate in a focus group	Even with a list, recruiting participants is not always easy. Usually the list is delivered later than expected, resulting in insufficient time for the selection itself Often there are no phone numbers on the list and additional information is required
Passing notes to the moderator during the focus group allows the client to participate in the process and ensure that the study answers their questions.	Passing notes to the moderator during a focus group session is a major distraction for participants from the moderator. It can also remind respondents that they are being watched, causing them to control themselves. In addition, if notes are sent periodically to the moderator, respondents may question whether observers trust him, which puts the moderator in an awkward and tense situation.
Focus groups should not be used too often, as they usually have a strong personality that dominates the discussion.	Generally, all respondents contribute to the discussion, although some are more talkative than others. This can lead to the fact that the rest of the respondents distance themselves from the "active", and it will be easier for them to express their disagreement. A “strong personality” can speak confidently, but she will not be able to truly dominate. Experienced moderators are proficient in various techniques of interacting with respondents

When conducting a focus group series, the thematic selection and materials shown to respondents should remain unchanged in order to ensure consistency.	Qualitative research must be dynamic. New ideas may come up, causing the thematic selection to change. Such changes usually mean that the researcher has gained new knowledge; furthermore, the theme itself need not remain constant. The purpose of qualitative research is to help the client find ideas that "work" and not to state that another idea "does not work"
Qualitative research should always be followed by quantitative research to test hypotheses.	In some cases, due to budget constraints, only qualitative studies are carried out. With regard to a research project, if a large qualitative study has been conducted that has shown stable and fairly reliable results, then in conducting quantitative research not necessary
Some clients often use the term "scenario" when referring to the outline of a focus group discussion. This implies that the moderator must follow the plan pretty much literally.	The outline of the discussion indicates what topics need to be covered and in what order they should be introduced - this should be a general plan. It may also contain recommendations to the moderator regarding possible questions and appropriate techniques. The sequence of topics should be followed unless it becomes necessary to defer discussion of one subject until another has been considered.
Qualitative research should be conducted in person and through in-depth interviews in order to establish contact between the interviewer and the respondent.	During a telephone interview, you can establish the same or even closer contact. The fact that the researcher does not see the respondent can be an advantage. To establish rapport, telephone interviews usually begin with simple questions about the respondent's product use and views, rather than the "icebreaker" questions often asked in focus groups.

Source: Judith Langer, Marketing News, March 1,1999, Vol. 33, no. 5. p. 13.

Definition « focus groups» authors of special editions

Table 14.8

The end of the table. 14.8

Analysis of the table. 14.8 showed that the definitions of focus groups presented by different authors give a very broad interpretation of the method, allowing it to be classified as a group discussion of a selected topic, without specifying characteristic features this method.

Table 14.9

Definition of the essence of the method and its classification

	E. P. Golubkov	I. K. Malhotra	D. Aaksr, V. Kumar, J. Day	G. A. Churchill, D. Iacobucci
Objectives of interaction	Idea generation, study of requests, reactions and consumer behavior		Generating ideas or possible solutions to a problem, similar to the purpose of a non-standardized in-depth interview	Preliminary conclusion about the situation, getting a reaction to the presentation of new ideas	Behavior influenced by a social group, perception of something
	Over 1.5 hours		Not specified		Not specified
Topics for discussion		Criteria for selection, evaluation, preference, representation or knowledge about something, aspects of behavior	Same as for in-depth interview		Sensitive topics (alcohol, hygiene, sex, money, death)
Lead role	Manages the discussion	Must achieve mutual understanding with the participants, communicate	Discussion management that excludes pressure or influence on	Directs the discussion, ensuring the achievement of the objectives of the research	Guides the discussion without leading to answers, encourages expression

The end of the table.14.9

	E. II. Golubkov	N. K. Malhotra	D. Aaker, V. Kumar, J. Day	G. A. Chsrchil, D. Iacobucci
		judgment, encourage respondents to express their opinion	respondents (more passive)	catching and stimulating interaction between participants	all participants
structuredness	Detailed	Unstructured	Plan: from a set of topics to specific questions	List of scheduled topics	More structured than an in-depth interview
The degree of openness of the purpose of the study	Not specified	The objectives of the study are explained to the respondents or they become obvious during the survey	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified
Classification	Not specified	Double-sided With two leads With two open-opponents With a respondent-leader With a customer-participant Mini-group Remote focus group	Exploratory Clinical Immersion Virtual bilateral teleconference	Not specified	Not specified
Advantages	Engagement of the customer, the emergence of spontaneous ideas, attracting consumers who shy away from other types of surveys	Synergy, group interaction, stimulation, spontaneity, speed of data collection	Lots of data in a short period	Customer engagement, uses group dynamics to generate additional responses	A relatively large amount of information can be obtained more quickly
disadvantages	Unrepresentativeness, subjectivity, high cost	Characteristic of qualitative methods	Labor intensity high cost	exposed random influences	Influence of moderator qualification on results

Summarizing the material presented in Table. 14.9, we can give the following definition of the focus group method.

A focus group is a form of survey based on a directed comprehensive discussion of a problem with a selected group of people, conducted by a moderator in order to establish the qualitative characteristics of consumer behavior.

Focusing consists in the conscious concentration of researchers on a limited range of issues in order to deeply consider their problems, to push the respondents to a more detailed explanation of their opinion.

A specific feature of the focus group as a method of collecting information is group interaction, which generates a more complex response to the moderator's question than the usual unambiguous answer. After the moderator has asked a question, the expression of various opinions begins, developing into a discussion; Participants provide explanations and arguments to support their point of view. Their views may change in the course of the discussion, but the task of developing a single group opinion is not set; all considerations are important, so the task of the moderator is to create comfortable psychological conditions for each member of the group to express their opinion.

In this regard, the importance of the moderator increases. His task is also to manage the group discussion: maintaining the proper atmosphere, resolving conflicts (disputes enliven the discussion, but they should not turn into confrontation). The moderator should formulate questions in such a way as to arouse interest and stimulate the creative thought process of the participants.

Group members usually selected so that it is relatively uniform. This minimizes the likelihood of conflicts that may arise between its members due to different points of view on issues not related to the objectives of the study, or due to the dissimilarity of life experience, speech skills and perception of the problem. If such differences are too prominent, this may confuse some members of the group and negatively affect the ongoing discussion.

Most experts recommend using screening interviews to select focus group participants in order to exclude from the list of candidates those who have already participated in such work, since these people often try to play the role of leaders and may misdirect the group's activities. In addition, friends or relatives should not be allowed to be part of the same group, since in this case the spontaneity of the discussion is often hampered by continuous conversations between close acquaintances. In cases where a more careful selection of respondents is required, mini-groups of 4-5 people can be used.

A wide range of new ideas can be obtained with the help of several different groups. At the same time, differences can relate not only to the characteristics of group members, but also to the topics discussed. Ideas found during the work of one group can be tested in another. Usually four groups are prepared for a research project, but sometimes their number can be up to twelve. The main criterion in determining the number of groups is whether each subsequent group can provide new ideas about the phenomenon under consideration. When the efficiency of the new groups starts to wane, the use of this method stops.

Focus groups are organized in a special room with equipment that allows clients and researchers to observe the discussion from another room through a one-way mirror. Alternatively, the research ("secret") room can be equipped with a TV connected to a video camera in the discussion room. There are no special requirements for the premises for focus group participants - the main thing is that everyone should be comfortable, hear and see each other and the moderator well. In addition, since the focus group process often offers additional stimuli for discussion (product samples, advertisements), equipment may be needed to demonstrate this material. The discussion is recorded on video and audiotape.

Bella Naneishvili, Chief Project Manager, Qualitative Research Department
MAGRAM MR

A focus group is an interview conducted by a specially trained interviewer-moderator in the form of a natural and informal conversation with a group of people who meet the criteria set on the basis of the objectives of the study.

Characteristics of focus groups

The specifics of market research focus groups and their difference from other group discussions can be better understood if their key characteristics are disclosed.

Focus group- this is an interview, which implies the presence of an interviewer (moderator). The main task of the moderator is to get answers to the marketing questions posed during conversations with people.

Many focus group publications emphasize the importance of choosing the right moderator for the success of the project.

The most important thing that is required of a moderator is to establish a trusting relationship with a group of strangers within a short time and encourage them to talk about topics that may often be uninteresting to them, unpleasant, about which they do not think, or often they simply find it difficult to articulate their thoughts. .

The moderator has to control the processes of interaction in a group of people (encourage timid participants, calm down too active, dominant ones), make sure that the discussion does not deviate from the intended direction, notice "rationalized", learned, or socially desired answers and break through them to genuine opinions of the participants.

There are "hard" and "soft" styles of grouping. The "hard" style is characterized by the moderator's authoritarian style of behavior: pressure on participants, strict time limits for answering questions, provocations of participants or attempts to catch them on contradictions in their answers. The "hard" style has its uses, but most moderators run groups in a "soft" style, showing a genuine interest in other people, creating a welcoming atmosphere for discussion. This does not mean that the leader aims to achieve a conflict-free and complacent mood of the group members, some conflicts, contradictions, sharp moments are inevitable and necessary. But at the same time, participants should feel that everyone's opinion is equally valuable, interesting to the moderator and other respondents, because it allows you to take a fresh look at familiar things.

As a rule, questions to the participants are asked by the moderator in the most general and neutral form ("What do you think about this?", "What are your impressions of the video you watched?", "What do you pay attention to when buying goods in this category?"), in order to minimize the influence of the moderator on the answers of the respondents. Otherwise, people will simply agree with a detailed question containing a hint (“You always pay attention to the manufacturing company when buying confectionery?”) want to hear from them.

If neutral questions do not work in a number of other cases, the moderator can use guiding questions with varying degrees of pressure on the respondents.

The moderator's imposition of his opinion in one form or another (by way of asking questions, by treating respondents whose opinion differs from the moderator's opinion, by non-verbal reactions) is a serious threat to the validity of the results of focus groups.

A focus group focuses on discussing certain topics.

Although the moderator's questions and respondents' answers are not structured, the conversation is not free in content and is based on a discussion of a number of topics of interest to the customer.

The moderator knows the true goals of the study, which are reflected in the group's plan (discussion guide, guidelines). The group plan is an approximate set and sequence of topics that should be discussed with invited people in order to collect the most complete and adequate information for the purposes of the study.

As a rule, when drawing up a conversation plan, the "direct funnel" principle is used - questions are asked from broader questions that encourage respondents to talk, speak spontaneously on the issue under discussion, to more private and specific ones, drawing people's attention to the details of the problem under study. So, for example, when testing a commercial, it is common practice to first ask about general impressions: "What do you think / What are your impressions of what you saw?", the first associations, and then move on to questions about individual elements of the video - characters, packaging, sounded phrases .

Sometimes the "reverse funnel" principle is also used, when closed questions are followed by open ones. This sequence is used if the researcher is primarily interested in clear answers to specific questions.

At the same time, the moderator should not strictly adhere to the wording and sequence of questions that is reflected in the plan. An experienced moderator should be flexible, improvise, make changes and additions to this plan in the course of the discussion, depending on what and what language the respondents speak. The fact is that the discussion guide reflects the research needs and logic of the moderator, while the logic of respondents belonging to other social strata and professional communities can differ significantly from the views of both the customer and the moderator. The task of the moderator is to capture these points of inconsistency and allow the participants in the discussion to express what they consider important on this issue. Otherwise, the study can remove only a layer of superficial information and lose sight of its significance, relevance to the conceptual structure of the respondents. Therefore, when conducting groups and analyzing statements, preference is given to personal statements based on individual experience and feelings.

A focus group is not just a few people gathered in one place for the convenience of the survey.

To get the maximum return and use all the advantages of this method, it is necessary that the interviewees unite for the duration of the conversation into a certain community, a group in the socio-psychological sense of the word, which has its own goal, rules and norms of interaction, stages of development. The norms of interaction that a "good" group should develop include respect for the opinion of each participant and recognition of differences, the value of the individual experience of each, benevolence and open-mindedness.

Focus groups, like individual in-depth interviews, are aimed at obtaining "in-depth" information.

Here, "deep" information is understood as a more complete and detailed discussion and explanation of behavior compared to what is available at the level of everyday understanding.

Most of Everyday life proceeds at the level of habits, automatisms, long-learned stereotypes, so respondents have to make efforts to reflect on their daily behavior, including the purchase of groceries and consumer goods. It often turns out that the simpler and closer the topic of discussion (margarine or toothpaste) is to the respondents, the less intelligible their answers are. The moderator should not take all the statements on faith, he should try to penetrate the layer of superficial judgments (habit, like, affordable, etc.) to the real motives of behavior and those ideas that led to the development of the declared habits and preferences.

Benefits of Focus Groups

The strengths of focus groups include:

the variety of information on the issues raised that can be obtained from several participants;

"snowball effect" - the remark of one respondent causes a response from another, prompts him to some considerations or memories;

stimulation - with a successful group move, the respondents have a desire to express their thoughts and feelings;

a sense of security - there are several respondents and they are all in the same conditions, which reduces their fears of appearing ignorant;

spontaneity of reactions - respondents express themselves in a free form, and do not answer specific, clearly formulated questions. What they say and what they are silent about, what words and intonations they use, in what sequence they touch on certain issues - all this reflects the subjective significance of these moments and can be a useful source of information in the analysis of groups;

flexible structure, the ability to linger on the discussion of unexpected interesting points or those issues that caused difficulty or bewilderment;

the speed of data collection (compared to interviews);

the differences between the respondents are clearly visible and it can be assumed what caused these differences (social status, professional affiliation, income, cultural level);

focus groups can be observed and accessed to real consumers, their problems, emotions, language.

Disadvantages of the focus group method

Some disadvantages are inherent in focus groups per se, while others are due to their misuse.

Focus groups are not very suitable for obtaining information in the following cases:

when it comes to topics that people are unlikely to discuss frankly in front of other people (intimate topics such as personal hygiene, contraception, or financial matters);

when an understanding of the complex behavior associated with making a series of responsible decisions is required - the purchase of expensive items such as real estate, furniture, cars;

when there are strict social norms that regulate and prescribe certain views and actions in any area (parental behavior);

a deep understanding of complex social roles is needed, or it is necessary to turn to the biography of the respondent, an analysis of a single case, in order to identify possible factors that influenced the formation of his ideas;

individual opinion on any issue is of greater interest to the researcher than clearly articulated, but formed under the influence of discussion with other respondents, the opinions of focus group participants;

the respondents are small and difficult to reach, it is difficult to gather them into a group (users of a rare brand, specialists, business people who spend a lot of time on business trips).

A serious threat to the correct use of the focus group method is:

blurring of the received data, which sharply increases the subjectivity of perception;

ignoring the descriptive nature of qualitative methods and trying to generalize findings to the entire population;

as well as the difficulty of finding qualified moderators who can competently lead the group, analyze the notes, and combine the respondents' statements, their impressions and conclusions into a coherent report.

Types of focus groups

Focus group is a generic concept that includes a large number of species, subspecies and modifications depending on the objectives of the study. All the variety of focus groups can be classified for different reasons. We have tried to identify the most commonly used in the practice of marketing research types of focus groups (Focus Group Discussion).

1. Duration

The duration of the group discussion depends on the objectives of the study and the characteristics of the sample.

Standard groups

A standard focus group usually lasts about 1.5 hours (sometimes up to two hours). Typically, a standard group begins with a discussion by respondents of their experience with the product category under study, their familiarity and preference for certain brands, what they like or dislike about those products / brands. This stage not only allows obtaining factual information, but also reduces the anxiety of the respondents, instills in them a sense of confidence in their competence, the ability to cope with the work ahead. The conversation then moves on to project-specific questions—why consumers reject a new brand of cigarette, or why heavy advertising is not remembered and does not lead to increased brand awareness.

Short groups

Discussion of a limited set of topics (testing one or two stories for commercials, packaging options) or working with children involves holding short (up to 1 hour) groups.

Expanded Groups

On the contrary, a large amount of work, when within the framework of one project it is necessary to collect data on the lifestyle and aspirations of the target audience, on attitudes towards certain goods or advertising, extended group discussions lasting 3-4 hours are generally used.

ECGD (Extended Creative Group Discussions) - extended creative group discussions with extensive use of projective and other auxiliary techniques. These groups are used in cases where it is necessary to develop a new approach to a problem, a new non-standard vision, in particular, when a product has been so studied by traditional qualitative and quantitative methods that they do not provide an increment of useful information. For example, in order to understand how a consumer might be attracted to a new brand of familiar products such as margarine or mayonnaise, it may be useful to conduct several extended groups using collages, role-playing, personalization, and other techniques.

Two sessions (Two sessions group)

Also in marketing practice there are two-session groups, when the same participants gather in groups 2 times with an interval of several days, usually a week. Very often, during the first session, the participants are given some goods / products (this can be washing powder, toothbrushes, instant tea or soup) for testing at home, and during the second session, respondents share their impressions, make comments and suggestions, discuss positioning strategies or advertising concepts.

2. Number of respondents

standard group

The average number of participants in a standard group discussion is 8-10 people, sometimes the boundaries of ordinary groups are defined more gently at 6-12 people.

Mini group

Mini-groups (mini FGD) are transitional between individual interviews and a regular group. The number of respondents in a mini-group is 4-5 people, which allows you to work out the topics discussed at a deeper level than in a standard group, while maintaining the advantages of group work.

3. Number and role of moderators

standard group

In the overwhelming majority of cases, one professional moderator talks to the respondents. But some research projects may require derogations from this rule.

Groups with two moderators

A number of group conversations are held with the participation of two moderators, whose work can proceed both in the form of cooperation and in the form of external competition.

dual moderator group

In a pair of cooperating moderators, one is responsible for developing group dynamics and the smooth running of the group, while the second ensures that all substantive aspects of the conversation are covered. The distribution of roles between moderators is useful if the subject of discussion is issues that require special training and knowledge (interviews with doctors, engineers).

dueling moderator group

In another case, two opposing moderators clearly hold opposing points of view and encourage respondents to consider both sides of the phenomenon being studied.

client-participant group

Sometimes the groups are attended by representatives of the customer, who can explain certain points that are incomprehensible to the respondents and answer their questions.

Discussion groups without a moderator

This is a rather specific and infrequent procedure in applied research: the group is given the task to do something within the allotted time, the progress of the group is observed and studied interaction patterns, the process of selecting a leader, the distribution of roles, and so on.

Temporary removal of the moderator can be used as a methodical technique during normal groups: either one of the respondents is asked to be a moderator to improve group dynamics, or the moderator leaves the respondents alone for 5-10 minutes (for example, with a set of stimulus materials) and observes their actions.

4. Type of respondents

Standard groups

Typical qualitative marketing research involves conducting group discussions with typical consumers of products, selected on the basis of gender, age, income, marital status, use/non-use of certain brands.

Groups with specialists

As respondents to participate in the study, representatives of various professional communities can be involved - doctors, industrial equipment specialists, managers, computer scientists. Conducting such groups is associated with great organizational difficulties due to the selection and invitation of these people, as well as the need for additional substantive training of the moderator.

One of the varieties of focus groups with specialists can be considered Delphi-groups, the main task of which is to receive forecasts about the future from professionals in this field.

5. Sensitivity panel

In these types of groups, one of the basic recruiting rules is violated - to invite "naive respondents" to the groups who have never participated in this kind of discussion before, people with fresh perceptions and reactions. During the sensitive panel, people are trained to be respondents during the week, people get used to each other, build trusting relationships, get acquainted with the basic rules of group conversations, various game and projective methods. They prepare "professional respondents" with whom they then conduct a group on a topic of interest, without wasting time on rocking, developing relationships, removing prejudice and alertness, explaining what and how to do.

6. With the use of technical means

A rather conventional basis for distinguishing focus groups, which we used to draw attention to some techniques.

Standard groups

Standard groups are a set of participants gathered in one place, "round table", which are usually observed by representatives of the customer either from the next room through a one-way mirror / video link, or from their office using modern fiber optic communications.

Teleconferences (Telesession group)

Sometimes, and such groups are often practiced in the West, it is advisable not to gather respondents in the premises of a research company, but to arrange a teleconference with all participants using a telephone (it looks like a conference call).

Bilateral groups (Two-way group)

An interesting way is when one group of respondents (for example, doctors) observes the progress of another group (patients talking about the treatments that their doctors prescribe, as well as what they expect from doctors), and then discusses what they saw.

• Economy

Keywords:

1 -1

Studying the target audience in organized groups to obtain qualitative data

PRODUCT:

• Opinions about the product and competitors
• Packaging and design testing
• Testing new products

CONSUMERS:

• Behavior during the purchase process
• Identification of buying motives
• Hypothesis testing

Primary hypotheses are expressed by the Customer based on their own expert conclusions, and the main task of MOST Marketing consultants is to study and test hypotheses to reduce uncertainty in acceptance marketing solutions and implementation of ideas in the consumer market.

Focus groups in marketing are most commonly used as a tool for consumer market research. Hypotheses can be related to the perception of consumer characteristics of goods, assumptions about consumer reactions, expected results from marketing activities, identifying consumer preferences, etc.

Prior to conducting focus groups, hypotheses can be tested by other marketing research tools: desk market analysis, a survey of market experts, consumers and competitors.

On the basis of hypotheses, the goals and objectives of the study are determined by the method of focus group discussions.

To set the exact goals and objectives of the study, MOST Marketing specialists conduct in-depth interviews with the Customer's management to immerse themselves in the business, study the product, and identify moments that are not always obvious and hushed up. Some Customers apply with already formulated goals or even a research program. The final goals and practical tasks are always the result of joint intellectual work.

Qualitative research allows you to make adjustments in the process, however, the better the goals and objectives of the focus groups are formulated, the more accurate the result can be obtained.

The task of the previous stages is a detailed study of hypotheses, competent setting of goals and objectives, which allows you to correctly determine the boundaries of the study, eliminate unnecessary questions.

The boundaries of the study determine the list of questions, geography, requirements for groups, their number, and ultimately the budget for conducting focus groups. Based on the scope of the study, the number of focus groups and their geography is determined. The sufficient number of groups is considered to be the one that gives the most profound answers to the questions posed.

The size of the focus group is usually 6-12 people, depending on the required depth of discussion. A smaller number of participants does not allow a range of opinions to be revealed, and too many prevent the free expression of individual opinions of the majority.

Depending on the tasks, a special variant of focus groups is possible: interviews in focus groups with two or three participants (didactic interviews). The method is close to in-depth interviews, but the role of the interlocutor is performed by another participant in the focus group, which allows you to get individual results, reduce the influence of the group social factor, and highlight more personal topics.

Focus groups with consumers can consist of current customers, potential customers, target market segment, competitors' customers, can be compiled according to demographic, social, consumer and other principles.

Recruitment of participants can be carried out by the Customer or MOST Marketing consultants. Selected recruiting methods depend on the degree of accessibility of the target audience of the study. Attendance at focus groups is provided with material incentives for its participants.

The main practical tasks for MOST Marketing specialists when analyzing focus groups using a qualitative method:

• Organize the information received from the audience during the discussions
• Establishing relationships (or vice versa - opposites) when processing information
• Grouping information
• Qualitative analysis of focus group data and preparation of conclusions about the study

Analysis of the results of focus groups can take place on the basis of transcripts, audio and video recordings, which, if necessary, can be transferred to the Customer along with the main report.

The most common form of the main report for us is a text document or presentation containing the following information:

• Study Information
• Research objectives
• Methodology
• Analytical conclusions
• Recommendations regarding the investigated hypotheses

Individual results of a qualitative study can be further verified by conducting in-depth interviews, consumer surveys, and quantitative studies.

Focus groups

Cases

Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, Rostec structure

Tasks:

Marketing research Russian market pyrotechnic products in dynamics, including:

• Analysis of the raw material base for the production of goods;
• Price analysis in the segment of pyrotechnic pesticides;
• Identification of major trends and market factors. Forecast of the market and its main indicators in the short term;
• Analysis of manufacturing companies of the studied products (volumes and dynamics of production, geography of production, production indicators, capacities, etc.);
• Analysis of the largest manufacturers and their market share.

Results:

Our solutions:

To solve the customer's problems, we used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. At the start of the project, interviews were conducted with market experts to determine its structure, competitive situation and obtain general answers to questions.

The next step was desk analysis:

• Requests and analysis of price lists for researched products;
• Analysis of data from the customs service and customs declarations in order to identify export and import deliveries of pyrotechnic pesticides to Russia;
• Analysis of official statistical data, data from sectoral ministries and departments, industry bulletins and specialized magazines;
• Analysis of open sources.

According to the results of market research, the customer received reliable information about the market and unambiguous answers to the questions posed.

Expert Cable

The company was looking for ways to increase the scale of operations and enter new markets in the Baltic countries. Carrying out a marketing research of the market of the Baltic countries was necessary to decide whether the company should enter this market in order to sell its products.

Tasks:

• Determine the feasibility of entering the market
• Determine routes to market
• Define pricing policy when entering the market
• Define the fundamentals of competitive positioning
• Define the main communication tools
• Identify ways to remove potential barriers

Results:

Our Solutions

We conducted a study of the Baltic cable market by a team of three researchers in the following blocks:

• Estimation of product market volumes in 2016-2018, including the structure of the cable products market in the Baltic countries by types of cable products.
• Analysis of product demand, including data on the volume of product consumption by industry; preparation of a limited list and contact details of consumers of cable products among direct consumers and distributors.
• Analysis of the activities of competitors, including the identification of the main players in the market; preparation of general background information on companies; assortment definition; determining the positioning of competitors: highlighted benefits and values, certificates, quality policy, etc.
• Methods of communication of competitors.
• Identification of barriers to market entry.
• Development of recommendations

Engineering Center "IVD-ENGINEERING"

The Biomedical Engineering Center is an operator of consulting services for small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of medicine, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals in the Novosibirsk region.

A task: consulting in the field of project management during the organization of pilot production of cartridges for the study of platelets, in particular, the development of regulations for the production of experimental batches of products for the purpose of conducting research tests. The cartridge is designed to determine platelet aggregation and should provide the induction of platelet aggregation in a blood sample.

Results:

Our Solutions

Experimental regulations for the functionalization of cartridges with three types of activators have been developed: collagen, ADP, and arachidonic acid.

• characteristics of finished products of production;
• technological scheme of production;
• hardware scheme of production and specification of equipment;
• characteristics of raw materials, auxiliary materials, semi-finished products;
• presentation of the technological process;
• material balance;
• processing and disposal of production waste;
• safe operation of production and the environment.

Usolye-Sibirsky Chem Pharm Plant

Manufacturer of pharmaceutical substances and finished drugs, such as "Rimantadine", "Analgin", "Trekrezan", "Ferakril", "Corvalol" and many others.

A task:

Development of a business plan for the modernization of existing production facilities and infrastructure for the production of pharmaceutical substances of chemical synthesis for the organization of a new production facility for the production of finished drugs.

Results:

Our Solutions

The main task within the framework of the business plan was to evaluate investments, plan the modernization and launch of production, and form a commercially effective financial model. The main sections of the final business plan:

• Project Summary
• Market Analysis of Pharmaceutical Substances
• The main tasks of the project and stages: organizational, technological, patent, infrastructure, engineering
• Marketing plan
• Assessment of investments in the modernization of production
• Financial plan
• Risk assessment and risk management activities

Production of onco-drugs

The project was developed for one of the enterprises of the pharmaceutical cluster of the Irkutsk region - the biopharmaceutical cluster "BAIKALBIO" - an association of pharmaceutical industry enterprises (manufacturers of pharmaceutical substances and finished drugs), small and medium-sized businesses, research and educational institutions of higher professional education.

A task:

Analysis of the pharmaceutical market of oncological drugs to justify the sales plan and develop a business plan for the production of finished drugs for the treatment of oncological diseases

Results:

Our Solutions

The company's specialists conducted a market research:

• Overview of the global oncology market, including technology trends
• Analysis of the Russian market, including: market segmentation, an overview of competing products and technologies, competitors in the market, market trends and development forecast by the end of the project.

Based on the analysis, we prepared a market share forecast and a sales plan. The main sections of the final business plan:

• Project Summary
• Market analysis of oncological drugs
• The main tasks of the project and stages: organizational, technological, patent, infrastructural
• Marketing plan
• Organizational and production plan
• Financial plan, including the scheme of financing by the Industrial Development Fund.

Today, the customer enterprise is successfully operating on the territory of the Irkutsk region.

CERATOM Technology

A task:

The customer set the task of studying the prospects for the development of CERATOM technology in the market for the application of thermoelectricity in Russia in the near future by identifying needs, competing solutions and identifying consumers.

Results:

Our Solutions

We proposed to study the market from the point of view of the needs of key consumers, to identify ways to apply CERATOM technology and develop, based on this data, product and marketing strategy, including:

• Product line and applied technologies
• competitive landscape
• Strategic perspectives and development scenarios
• Forecast of the revenue side of the financial model by product groups

Were found the following areas of technology application:

• Uninterrupted power supply of gas distribution substations
• Cooling of solid-state and diode lasers
• Telecommunications
• Conditioning
• Power generation

Today, CERATOM technology is a strong industrial brand, and the technology itself is in demand among many players in the energy market.

RUSNANO Corporation

A task:

Carrying out a marketing research of the market of detectors of explosives (HE), narcotic substances (NV) for the technology to enter the market of Russia and countries of the world.

The customer of the study and the owner of the technology needed to understand how promising the technology under study is today, what technologies are used to create advanced detectors and how to compete with them. The main objective of the study was to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the market, build market maps and find ways to enter the most promising markets.

Results:

Our solutions:

The study was divided into two main blocks, the study of the international market and the market of Russia and the CIS countries. Issues being studied include:

• Description of existing technologies and identification methods
• Market size and share of various technologies and manufacturers in the market with details on Russia, CIS, America, Europe, Asia
• Structure of demand in the market
• Analysis of price dynamics, incl. forecast values
• Value chain from producer to end consumer
• Market trends and drivers. Drivers of changes in customer demand by technology types. Market Development Forecast
• Major suppliers/importers. Distribution of market shares in the market
• SWOT analysis of existing technologies
• Comparison of the international market with the situation in Russia

HUAHE International

By order of the Chinese international consulting company HUAHE, we regularly conduct research in Russia and in the markets of the CIS countries.

One of the most significant cases:

A Chinese manufacturer of car batteries is considering alternative opportunities in the markets of Russia and the CIS countries:

• supply of own products;
• organization of production in the countries under consideration.

A task:

An in-depth study of the state of the commodity market and the preparation of analytical conclusions for making managerial decisions.

Depending on the objectives of the study, focus groups may differ in a number of ways.

traditional groups. Interactive focused discussion 8 - 10 people.

Mini groups. Interactive focused discussion for about 8 people.

dyadic groups. Intense discussion between two respondents. For example, husband and wife, consumer and non-consumer of the product.

Family, cross-generational groups. An interactive focused discussion on issues that are strongly influenced by family ties and values. The group includes several generations of the family.

Repeated focus groups. Groups that meet repeatedly at regular intervals to see how opinions and attitudes change. As a rule, they are accompanied by quantitative studies.

The success of a focus group study depends on many organizational and methodological factors.

3.Preparation of focus groups. This stage largely coincides with what sociologists do when using quantitative methods. A program is being prepared, including the formulation and justification of the problem, the definition of goals and objectives, the object and subject of research. There are significant differences in other aspects.

Speaking about the result of the staging stage, we will distinguish between its content and organizational aspects.

1. Determine whether the focus group method is suitable for solving this problem (if not, it is necessary to explain to the customer which method is more suitable, or indicate the non-core nature of the task set by him).

2. Correlate the scope of the research task with the budgetary and methodological possibilities of the planned focus group study. If the scope of the study does not fit into this framework, one of the following decisions must be made: a) narrow the problem under study; b) divide the study into several parallel or sequential projects; c) increase the scope of this study either by increasing the number of groups or by increasing their duration. In the latter case, it should be remembered that the increase in the scope of the study creates the specific methodological difficulties described above.

From an organizational point of view From the point of view, the result of the staging stage should be a short document that briefly reflects the goals, objectives and main parameters of the study. Typically, such a document, called a study plan, should include:

1. Research objectives. It is necessary to characterize the problem of the study, its main tasks, describe the most important information that the director hopes to obtain in the course of the study. In conclusion, it is necessary to describe how this information can be specifically used.

2. Market segment and description of the surveyed populations. This is a very important question, because in a typical case, the object of a focus group study is not the entire population, but only some of its key segments (the electorate, population or demographic groups, etc.). The principle of identifying key segments determined by the objectives of the study should not be confused with the methodological principle of dividing these segments into homogeneous groups (more on this below).

3. The scope of the study, i.e. the total number of groups and the number of geographical locations with justification based on the objectives of the study, and the cost of conducting it.

Having agreed with the customer on a short research plan, the director or his employees can begin to develop other documents that together form the program and work plan of the study:

1. The number of groups, indicating their composition and geographical locations.

2. Filter questionnaire.

3. Thematic plan (questionnaire) of the group interview.

4. Calendar plan of the study indicating the timing of the stages.

5. Budget and cost estimate.

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