OUR FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH
DIGS DEEPLY INTO LISTENERS'
ATTITUDES, PERCEPTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGY

Focus groups are some of the most powerful yet misunderstood research tools. But used properly
(see RESEARCH INSIGHTS--Summer, '96), focus groups dig more deeply into listeners' attitudes, preferences and perceptions than can survey research alone. As a result, you can use focus groups to...

BETTER UNDERSTAND THE “WHY” OF LISTENERS' PREFERENCES. For example, while survey research reveals how much listeners like or dislike a particular morning personality, focus groups can reveal why they feel that way. What is he doing wrong? Right? How do listeners feel about other members of the morning team? How do they react to specific morning bits or features?

GET A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF STATION IMAGES AND PERCEIVED BENEFITS. One focus group technique we use to achieve this objective is Projective Interviewing -- where respondents imagine a station AS A PERSON. For example, would a particular station be a man or woman? How old would he or she be? What would he or she look like? What is the station's relationship to them...Friend? Acquaintance? Neighbor? Stranger? And so on. The results often provide insights into “stationality” that direct questioning methods alone miss.

TEST POSITIONING LINERS, LOGOS AND TV ADS. Many times, advertising and positioning liners does not communicate the message its creators intended. By testing messages before they air to determine exactly what they actually communicate, a station can maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of its investment in advertising.