Projective Techniques and Focus Groups

MAR 6648: Marketing ResearchJanuary 18, 2010

Overview

• What are projective techniques?– What can they do? What can’t they do?– Are there more modern versions of these

techniques?

• What are focus groups?– What’s it like to run one? What’s it like to be in

one?

The Rorschach Test

The Rorschach Test

• Procedure– Researcher sits behind the participant.– Hands the card to the participant– “Tell me what you see…”– Conceptually measures: Initiative, Desire, Preference,

Psychosis

• Validity– Correlation between inference & reality = -.05– Perceived correlation = .65

Word Association

• What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear the following…

– Saccharine: ____________________– Aspartame: ____________________– Sweet ‘n Low: ___________________– Nutrasweet: ____________________

Sentence Completion

• People who use MasterCard are ______________.

• A man who has an American Express Card is ______________.

• A Platinum Card is most liked by ______________.

Shopping Lists

• Conducted in 1950 in response to unexpected customer resistance to Nescafe instant coffee

• When women were questioned directly about why they did not like instant coffee, the typical answer was they did not like its flavor

• Researchers suspected that flavor was an excuse

Describe each shopper…

List #1

• Pound and a half of hamburger

• 2 loaves of Wonder bread• Bunch of carrots• 1 can Rumsford’s baking

powder• Nescafe instant coffee• 2 cans Del Monte peaches• 5 lbs. potatoes

List #2

• Pound and a half of hamburger

• 2 loaves of Wonder bread• Bunch of carrots• 1 can Rumsford’s baking

powder• 1 lb Maxwell House coffee

(drip grind)• 2 cans Del Monte peaches• 5 lbs. potatoes

Haire, 1950

Picture Response

Thematic Apperception Test

Thematic Apperception Test

Steele, 1964

Advantages of Projective Techniques

• May elicit responses that subjects would be unwilling or unable to give if they knew the purpose of the study

• Are helpful when underlying motivations, beliefs, and attitudes are operating at a subconscious level

Disadvantages of Projective Techniques

• Require highly trained interviewers• Requires skilled interpreters for analysis• Serious risk of interpreter bias

But…

• The IAT

Projective Measures

• The important thing is that I find out what you’re thinking.

Focus Groups

• Group discussion with 6-12 respondents focused on key topics by the moderator

• Objectives– Open-ended and free

flowing discussion– Synergies– Brain storming

Focus Groups• 98% of consumer goods companies use them• They are essentially a semi-structured group discussion

– Videotaped and observed through one-way glass– Focused on a series of topics introduced by a discussion leader– Group members are encouraged to

• Express their own views on each topic• Elaborate on or react to the views of others

• Used to generate insights into thoughts and feelings• Best for preliminary research

– Must be followed by by surveys or experiments• Depth interviews

– Similar interviews with a single person

Setting up a focus group• Recruiting– Best practice: Run two groups for each segment– In general: Keep groups homogenous– Screening (avoid professional participants)

• Incentives– Yes, you do need to pay people…– Typically $50 and up– “If you feed them, they will come”

• Duration– 1-2 hours (announced in advance)

Setting up a focus group

• Location– Professional facility– Driven by context of group– Online

• Preparation– Discussion plan– Moderator– Recording of content

Focus Groups: Common Applications

• Understanding consumers– Perceptions, opinions, and behaviors for products

and services

• Product planning– Generating ideas about, or evaluate new products

• Advertising– Develop creative concepts and evaluate copy

material

Example: Liquiflapper Caps

• Salad dressing bottle caps

Example: Shreddies

• New: Diamond Shreddies!

Example: Mac Ad

• 1984 all over again

Advantages of Focus Groups

• Richness of data• Versatility, flexibility• Impact on managers• Relatively quick information

Disadvantages of Focus Groups

• Potentially misleading data– Conformity and obedience

Asch, 1956

Asch, 1956

Asch, 1956

Disadvantages of Focus Groups

• Potentially misleading data– Conformity and obedience– Highly dependent on the moderator and preset

questions– Not a representative sample– Opportunity for misuse– High cost per respondent ($3000-$5000 per focus

group)

Potential Worth Depends on…

• Group composition– Number of members (8-12); number of groups (4+)– Group characteristics

• Moderator characteristics– Most crucial factor influencing focus group– Must have good skills (observational, interpersonal,

communication, interpretive)• Focus group setting– Relaxed environment– Observation and recording

Summary

• Projective measures can get at ideas and reactions underneath the surface– But they can also get at ideas and reactions

underneath the surface of the interviewer

• Focus groups bring your consumers together to really understand what they think– Watch out for group influences and small samples