More, better, faster

In 1991, when Stamford, Conn.-based FocusVision Network, Inc. began promoting its videoconferencing system as a way for people in distant locations to observe qualitative research, the Ammirati Puris Lintas ad agency was one of the first organizations to sign up. Though the technology was rough around the edges, the agency knew it was a good idea, says Cheryl Bailey, executive vice president, managing director of planning and research, Ammirati Puris Lintas, New York.

Five years on, videoconferencing has become a key part of the agency's qualitative research efforts, particularly in its efforts to win new accounts. "When they presented the technology to us, we could see the tremendous potential it held. We felt it could be a huge advantage for us in terms of understanding the consumer and in terms of allowing more people at the agency to experience the consumer firsthand," Bailey says.

There are 37 FocusVision Network sites at research facilities across the U.S. in cities from New York to Los Angeles. Clients can also view the focus groups on FocusVision equipment in their offices, as Ammirati Puris Lintas does.

For the typical new business pitch, the agency does anywhere from six to 12 focus groups. Being able to watch the groups in its Consumer View Center means that the agency can do more research in a shorter period of time, Bailey says. "We're not spending our time traveling. The core members of the strategy development team are working up until the moment the group starts."

When it comes to new business, time is the real enemy. "Potential clients used to give us three months to pitch their business - to develop a strategy and come up with creative executions. Now it's five weeks, sometimes less. FocusVision is the tool that allows us to do more, and do it better and faster."

Valuable opportunity to learn

About a dozen people from the agency's core team view the groups, along with junior staff members, who get a valuable opportunity to watch and learn. "Particularly in a new business pitch environment, you're reluctant to let your entire creative team, your most senior account people, media people, package design people and research people out of the office for any great length of time to travel around the country to attend focus groups. FocusVision is the best of both worlds. It's a better way because all of these disciplines can experience the process firsthand and still be in the office at the same time," Bailey says.
"We use projective techniques extensively and it's great for our creative people to be able to observe projective techniques as opposed having someone interpret them. We find that that is usually a very rich source of ideas."

Viewers also learn in real time. They don't have to wait a week to be briefed by those who watched the groups, Bailey says. "We used to send a team out on the road and they would phone in and brief everybody at the agency on what they learned. And when they came back someone from the creative staff would invariably say, did you ask them about this? Or say, gee, I wish I had known that because maybe we should tweak the strategy this way."

FocusVision Network, like other videoconferencing systems, allows distant observers to communicate with the moderator and those in the backroom. "So as things are happening during the groups we are able to seize on something immediately and talk about it, and figure out if we want the moderator to switch gears and follow up on a point," Bailey says. "We can call and say, wait, don't show that concept, or, have the moderator follow up on that last point. We have the ability to change as we go along, and I think that makes for better qualitative research because you are continually building on the learning.
"We also love the fact that after the group is over we can discuss with the moderator what happened. Especially when you're doing a succession of groups, the moderator can get input from the whole team."

Helps with quantitative

The agency does both quantitative and qualitative research as part of the strategic development process for new accounts. Once again, it relies on videoconferencing. "Particularly as time pressures are squeezing us, we have to get the quantitative launched and conducted faster because we like to do the qualitative before we go into the quantitative. Being able to get our groups done in a couple parts of the country and get immediate information means that we can then get our quantitative in the field sooner. And if something comes back from the quantitative that we want to explore with the consumers, we can get groups recruited in several parts of the country in a short time," Bailey says.

Videoconferencing was instrumental in developing new business pitches to snare the Burger King and MasterCard accounts, Bailey says. In the Burger King example, a committee of franchisees was given the task of choosing a new agency. Similarly for MasterCard, key bank members of the MasterCard user association were charged with picking the winner of the MasterCard account.

The agency conducted at least a dozen focus groups across the country using FocusVision, with the goal of showing the prospective clients that the agency's strategy had been tested before consumers all over the U.S., not just in one or two regions. "I think that being able to present the consumer's perspective, from various parts of the country, impressed both the franchisees and user associations. Since they knew that we had spoken to consumers in their areas I think they were able to more enthusiastically endorse the strategic direction that we were recommending," Bailey says.

Branching out

Now well-established in the U.S., videoconferencing is branching out across the world. John Houlahan, president of FocusVision Network, reports that the company just completed its first international transmission of live focus groups. Once again, Ammirati Puris Lintas is on the leading edge. Bailey says that FocusVision was just installed in the agency's London office. She sees videoconferencing as a boon for global research.

"Especially on global projects, it's so important that we get a deep understanding of the local consumer and that we understand the meaning of brands and products. Cultures are different and brands have developed differently in various countries. Therefore we can only guess as to their image in Europe. Yet we can watch consumers talking about their image from our conference room. Within a few years when we have facilities in all of the major European cities and Latin America we're really going to be able to bring the worldwide perspective to the central strategy.

"We truly believe that research is so integral to developing an effective strategy. Clients aren't buying things on face value, they want proof. And even though we do several groups for a new business pitch, plus significant quantitative research, with the savings in air travel and hotels, the videoconferencing ends up paying for itself."