Geography matters

Editor’s note, Pamela Rogers is president of Pamela Rogers Research, Boulder, Colo.

“Where should we do the focus groups?” Before any qualitative project begins, this seemingly mundane question is asked and answered. Yet marketers often give this question minimal attention in the fast-paced scheme of focus group planning. Markets are sometimes chosen based on such random rationales as convenient plane schedules, client attendance at a convention in the area, or tie-in with a family vacation. Other projects end up with a proverbial threesome of east, west, and middle-of-the-country markets in an attempt to obtain geographical “diversity.”

But there are many types of diversity, and they are not all based on a compass direction. Popular focus group markets are unique and, rather than being representative of a section of the country, are actually representative only of themselves. For example, doing groups in New York City does not mean that you have the East Coast take on the issue. Along with New York, a researcher might choose Los Angeles as a second market in order to examine geographic differences. However, choosing another eastern market such as Philadelphia or Boston may yield results just as different from New York as those in Los Angeles

So if geographical dispersion isn’t the holy grail of focus group decision-making, what is? Focus groups are not statistically significant, so choosing your markets can be partially based on the types of people you want to talk to, or at least the types of people who seem to come to focus groups in that area.

We moderators have a unique perspective, because most weeks we spend hours talking with people across the country. We have in-depth discussions with them about typically superficial subjects, and we’re paid to understand and explain what makes them tick. So with a lone moderator’s perspective, I present 10 frequently-used U.S. focus group markets from east to west. The qualitative, sometimes-tongue-in-cheek assessment is based on years of focus group experiences both good and bad. Take your pick and enjoy the journey.

New York City

Do you want your groups smart, fast, on-trend and no-nonsense? Don’t rule out New York groups, as some clients do, with the mistaken thought that New York is not mainstream enough. New Yorkers demonstrate what will soon enough be mainstream. Flyover zone rumors to the contrary, New York groups are not rude. New Yorkers show up, are professional and savvy, think fast, and answer your questions before you ask them. New York groups are easy on the moderator because there’s no teeth pulling, no need to pressure participants to say what they think or give opinions. The only caveat is that, because of the abundance of advertising and marketing firms based in New York, NYC respondent opinions are much in demand. Do some extra digging with your recruiter to weed out the pros.

Boston

That lovable accent is combined with a mindset uniquely their own, a little offbeat and definitely not the same as anywhere else. They are simultaneously conservative, liberal and contrarian. Choose Boston for a quirky taste of nonconformity, a mindset tweak that will creatively redirect your thinking from humdrum to “Gee, I never thought of that before.” They’re cerebral, high-tech, and of course, well-educated. Recheck your concepts and handouts for typos or illogical thinking; Bostonians don’t suffer fools gladly.

Philadelphia

Straight shooters with attitude. They get right to the brass tacks and nitty-gritty of your research issue. An earthy, blue-collar sensibility abounds across socioeconomic classes here. They love to argue and play devil’s advocate. They like to talk over one another, so moderating a group in Philadelphia is a bit like wrestling an alligator. Unlike in those markets further west, don’t even try to sell them on the healthy, good-for-you angle - slather it with meat and cheese and they’ll eat up your idea. (Update: The above caveat is in effect despite the recent slim-down, get-healthy crusade spearheaded by the mayor.)

Charlotte, N.C.

Charlotte is not on everyone’s radar screen for groups, but it should be. The best talkers and storytellers around come to focus groups here. If you’re looking for pithy, homespun quotes for your video presentation, make a stop in Charlotte. They craft lengthy, amusing, endearing stories about any product you can imagine, and give it to you all tied up with a perky bow. They are endlessly nice, polite, mild-mannered tale-tellers, and I dare you to not leave the group with a southern accent and a smile on your face.

Atlanta

In Scarlett’s day Atlanta was quaint hoop skirts and iced tea, but of course it’s big-time cosmopolitan now. Respondents are still well-mannered and polite, with traditional family values, built-in Southern civility, and a strait-laced view that can be death for an overly-sexy or sacrilegious commercial. You won’t find Atlanta groups talking over one another or being otherwise unruly. Atlanta groups are also among the most well-groomed and well-dressed anywhere, with a mainstream, Ann Taylor-meets-Lands’ End fashion sensibility. Your group videotapes will look polished. They have low levels of mean-spiritedness (at least until they start driving on crowded Atlanta highways), so you might have to prod those “dislikes” out of them. A client and I once left Atlanta thinking an advertising campaign was the greatest thing since Mean Joe Greene. In other markets we discovered it was only Southerners being nice.

Chicago

No nonsense here. Check your bull at the door and don’t dilly-dally. They’ll tell it to you straight, like Philadelphians without the ruckus. They’re not given to wild leaps of pie-in-the-sky abstraction or ready to hop on any old bandwagon that comes along. Presenting “just the facts, ma’am” works well here. Chicagoans provide those much-needed meat-and-potatoes responses, and they exhibit doubting, “show me” behavior as much as those from Missouri. Do your reality check in the Windy City, especially the burbs where you get down-to-earth squared.

Dallas

They’re yarn spinners, but don’t try to pull the wool over their eyes. I once presented an advertising idea in Dallas and was met with “Do I look like I was born yesterday? You honestly expect me to believe that?” They’re honest, practical tough talkers who will tell it like it is wrapped in a funny story and a twang. They don’t give a fig about political correctness, but get very jazzed about ideas that promise personal freedom and independence. Don’t rule out Dallas just because you already have a southern market in your mix. Dallas “southern” is not Atlanta southern, for example, and it will add yet another piece to your U.S. patchwork quilt. Be ready for groups that run long in Dallas as they chat and chat and weave their Texas tales.

Denver

Health-conscious, physically-active pragmatists with a bit of quirkiness on the side. Leave the glamour products and drama at home, thank you very much. If it’s not natural, outdoorsy or soy-based you can watch their eyes glaze over. You’ll have laid-back, toned, earthy types - low on make-up, designer duds, irrelevant chit-chat, and fist fights (see Philadelphia). Denver is good for anything related to healthy lifestyle, adventure sports or high-tech, with mega doses of tech-savvy types. No artificial ingredients allowed.

Los Angeles

Lots of actors here who like to play a role for the camera behind the glass, or entertainment types who consider product advertising a lower life form compared to their art. Good facilities will sift them out for you if you ask. Groups here are ultra cool and jaded about new ideas; it’s difficult for them to admit they actually like something. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t jump up and down about your idea. They have a “been-there-done-that” attitude and are hard to please. If your product or idea goes over well here, you probably have a winner.

San Francisco

In this sophisticated bay city, your products must not only be organic and pesticide-free, they must save the whales and be otherwise politically correct. San Franciscans exhibit higher-than-average levels of aversion to marketing and advertising in general. Also, few San Francisco respondents will admit to participation in a lower-level brain activity like watching TV, so testing commercials can be a challenge. One San Francisco respondent went off an angry tirade about “manipulative” marketing when I attempted to get his reactions to a commercial. Test the “p.c.” quotient of your products here and you won’t go wrong.

Off the beaten path

And finally, I’d like to put in a word for the more obscure focus groups locations in America, the ones apart from the major metropolitan areas listed above where, of course, most people don’t live anyway. Those off-the-beaten-path places often provide truly fresh learning, from respondents who actually haven’t been to a focus group in a year, if ever; respondents who enjoy the experience as much as the incentive. I’ve had surprisingly unique research experiences and quantum learning in places many marketers dare not venture - Harrisburg, Pa., Gainesville, Fla., Spokane, Wash., San Antonio, Texas, Albuquerque, N.M., Birmingham, Ala., San Jose, Calif., Grand Rapids, Mich., or Cheyenne, Wyo. And you might discover edgy glimpses of the future in trendsetting markets like Portland, Ore., or Austin, Texas.

The far-flung places might require a bit more travel time, but are worth the adventure in the long run. No, they’re not representative of a region, but is any place? So why not explore a bit? You’ll either find something totally new, or realize that we’re all more alike than you ever imagined.