Editor’s note: "War Stories" is a regular feature in which Art Shulman, president of Shulman Research, Van Nuys, Calif., presents humorous stories of life in the research trenches.
I recently conducted focus groups with girls ages 6 to 8 about a new toy called Showtime Stables. One of our objectives was to determine the extent to which the product’s commercial was noticeable in a clutter reel of commercials. When we told the hostess, who was unaware of our test product, that we were ready to begin, she went to the lobby where the kids were waiting and announced, "OK ladies, it’s showtime."
Dan Philip, president of Weitzman & Philip, recalls conducting a focus group years ago with boys and girls ages 7 to 9 concerning a new logo for B urger King. Philip told the kids, "I want to go around the table so each of you can pick out the sign you like most."
With that, each of the kids got up from their chairs, walked around the table one time and then sat down, ready to express their preferences.
In a focus group on chewing tobacco, when Saul Cohen of Saul Cohen & Associates asked "Who uses chewing tobacco?" the participants all agreed it was "rednecks." Cohen’ s next question, naturally, was, "What’s a redneck?"
After a short while, the one black man in the group blurted out, "Well, I’m a redneck."
"No, you’re black," piped in another respondent.
"Yeah, I’m a black redneck," came the confident reply.
Market researchers may not have the wholesome image we often think we do, especially in other countries. Cohen tells about doing focus groups in England, where a man who was very protective of his wife wouldn’t let her participate in the group until he met "the American" who could assure him that she wouldn’t have to strip in front of the mirror while others watched from behind the glass.
Perhaps the gentleman had read previous "War Stories" columns...
How many of you out there have experienced something similar to what happened to Ron Sellers of Ellison Research? He got a call from a potential client who ran a manufacturing business and was convinced she needed in-depth research to build market share.
She spoke knowledgeably about focus groups, depth interviews, pre/post testing, etc. After taking calls from countess neophytes, finally Sellers had someone who understood research!
They talked for an hour about numerous strategies, finally deciding that their starting point could be a series of focus groups among different market segments, followed by quantitative work. Before they went any further, Sellers felt he needed to make sure they were on the same page in terms of budgets. "Oh, I’ve got almost $500 set aside for research," she gushed.
Peter Rich, director of research at Lois/EGL, cites a product placement study, conducted early in his career, where he and his field crew inserted the test product into mailboxes, unaware that it’s illegal for non-postal employees to place anything inside a mailbox, even if postage is affixed.
Soon, Rich reports, he was surrounded by tough-talking police, who weren’t exactly familiar with the concept of market research.
Fortunately he was able to talk his way out of that one.