The Reason: A marketers guide to engaging cliques

The Focus Group is Not Dead

Recently finished moderating a few focus groups, actually 15, for a new client.  I’ve been conducting ethnographies and moderating groups since we were worrying about the Y2K bug.  Prior to these most recent groups, I was questioning the usefulness of focus groups as a research-gathering instrument.   The doubt was fueled by the emergence of social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, which provide immediate interactivity with consumers. 

Long story short, different tools produce different results.  Makes sense… right?  Focus groups have their place(and I was definitely reminded of this during the groups) just as interviews, observations, questionnaires, etc. have their place.  Here's some Reasoning on when it makes the most sense to use these different tools.

Twitter:

• Customer Service Improvements. Search and see what people are saying about your brand… this allows you to address both negative and positive comments.
• Competitive Analysis.  Search your competition and find out what people are saying about them.  Step it up a notch and follow what your competition is saying to its brand advocates (known as followers on Twitter).

Facebook:

• Survey research.  Facebook has a branded survey instrument “Facebook Polls”, where you can target users based on gender, age, location or profile keyword.  Speed is definitely the selling point as Facebook charges more based on how quickly you want the results.
• Online Panels.  Engage with a dedicated group of people who are interested in providing timely feedback to your marketing queries. 

Focus Groups

• Qualitative.  Unlike Twitter and Facebook which can be used for quantitative research, focus groups only provide qualitative information i.e. focus groups tell us "why", "how" and "when" something occurs, but they don’t tell us "how often" or "how many."
• Communication Checks.  Run your creative concepts by a select group of target consumers to see what they think before you release it to the general public.

What's Black About It?

A colleague was recently reading "What's Black About It?" and noticed one of my quotes.  Fyi... this book is a must-read for all multicultural marketing professionals.  

Check my insight on the influencer marketing model.  It's an old quote... I referenced Nelly and first-generation sidekicks. 

Honda Insight vs Toyota Prius

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  From the picture below, it looks like Honda is flattering Toyota.  The 2010 Insight looks just like the 2006 Prius in my garage.  It must be tough

for Honda... Toyota is riding this green wave with the Prius, but Honda produced the first Hybrid sold in North America ... tough playing catch-up when you’re technically the true innovator.

Although I'd prefer for car companies to take more design risks (see Audi), I think the design jacking makes sense for Honda and this is The Reason...

• The Prius and its aerodynamic look is synonymous with Green. Honda might as well leverage this perception and put their badging on it... they'll at least please Honda loyalists who’ve been waiting for Honda’s Prius-fighter.
• Eco-Branding.  The growth in the auto industry is going to come from eco-friendly vehicles.  To stay competitive, auto manufacturers ...listen up Detroit ...have to manufacture fuel-efficient, eco-friendly vehicles. Assuming you meet this baseline, the next challenge is to communicate and deliver an eco-friendly brand -- which won’t be as easy as you might think.  Consumers and activists alike are skeptical of “Green” branding -- while the movement is strong, authenticity is often lacking. Toyota and Honda should leverage their Prius and Insight brands, respectively, to launch a full line of eco-friendly vehicles from sedans to SUVs.  Like I said… it’s an exercise in branding and consumers purchase the brands they trust.