How do focus groups work? - Hector Lanz

Prevoditelj: Petra Lauš Recezent: Sanda L

Why do we buy certain products or choose certain brands?

Zašto kupujemo određene proizvode ili odabiremo određene brendove?

This is the sort of question advertisers have always asked,

To je jedno od pitanja kakva su oglašivači oduvijek pitali

and there are no easy answers.

i nema jednostavnih odgovora.

However, there is a handy tool that helps companies explore this

Međutim, postoji praktično sredstvo koje tvrtkama pomaže u istraživanju ovog

and similar questions,

i sličnih pitanja

and it's called the focus group.

i zove se fokus grupa.

Do 1940-ih, istraživanje tržišta često je bilo kvantitativno,

Until the 1940s, market research was often quantitative

koristile su se prodajne brojke i ankete kako bi se pratila potrošnja.

using things like sales figures and customer polls to track consumption.

But this changed during World War II.

Ali to se promijenilo u Drugom svjetskom ratu.

Sociologists Robert Merton and Paul Lazarsfeld

Sociolozi Robert Merton i Paul Lazarsfeld

set out to learn how unprecedented exposure to wartime propaganda

krenuli su istraživati kako je nezapamćena izloženost ratnoj propagandi

was affecting the public.

utjecala na javnost.

Instead of polling large numbers of people

Umjesto anketiranja velikog broja ljudi

with straightforward questions and quantifiable answers,

izravnim pitanjima i mjerljivim odgovorima,

the researchers conducted in-person interviews,

istraživači su provodili osobne intervjue,

sometimes with small groups,

ponekad s malim grupama,

koje su se upustile u otvorenije rasprave.

engaging them in more open discussions.

Later, this method was picked up by the advertising industry

Kasnije je tu metodu počela koristiti oglašivačka industrija

with the help of consultants,

uz pomoć savjetnika

like Austrian-born psychologist Ernest Dichter,

poput psihologa Ernesta Dichtera, rođenog Austrijanca,

who first coined the term focus group.

koji je prvi smislio termin "fokus grupa".

This new technique was a type of qualitative research

Ova je nova tehnika bila vrsta kvalitativnog istraživanja

focused on the nature of people's preferences and thoughts.

s fokusom na prirodu sklonosti i misli ljudi.

It couldn't tell marketers what percentage of people buy a certain product or brand,

Nije mogla reći prodavačima koji postotak ljudi kupuje određeni proizvod ili brend,

but it could tell them more about the people who do,

ali mogla im je reći više o ljudima koji kupuju,

their reasoning for doing so,

o njihovom zaključivanju,

and even the unconscious motivations behind those reasons.

čak i o podsvjesnoj motivaciji koja stoji iza njihovih razloga.

Rather than providing definite conclusions for business and sales,

Umjesto da pružaju konačne zaključke za posao i prodaju,

focus groups would be used for exploratory research,

fokus grupe bile bi korištene za istraživačke studije,

generating new ideas for products

stvarajući nove ideje za proizvode

and marketing based on deeper understanding of consumer habits.

i marketing temeljen na dubljem shvaćanju navika kupaca.

For example, early focus groups found that contrary to popular opinion at the time,

Rane fokus grupe otkrile su da suprotno javnom mišljenju u to vrijeme

wives often had more influence than their husbands when choosing which car to buy,

žene su često imale veći utjecaj u kupnji auta od svojih muževa

so Chrysler shifted gears by marketing cars directly to women.

pa je Chrysler promijenio brzinu i počeo prodavati aute izravno ženama.

And Dr. Dichter himself conducted focus groups for Mattel

Sam dr. Dichter radio je fokus grupe za tvrtku Mattel

to learn what girls wanted in a doll.

kako bi naučio kakvu lutku djevojčice žele.

The result was the original Barbie doll.

Rezultat je bio lutka Barbie.

So how does a focus group work?

Pa kako funkcionira fokus grupa?

First, companies recruit between six and ten participants

Prvo tvrtke angažiraju između šest i deset sudionika

according to specific criteria that meet their research objectives.

prema specifičnim kriterijima u skladu s njihovim ciljevima istraživanja.

They could be mothers of children between five and seven,

Sudionice bi mogle biti majke djece između pet i sedam godina,

or teenagers planning to buy a new phone in the next three months.

ili tinejdžeri koji planiraju kupiti novi mobitel u sljedeća tri mjeseca.

This is often done through professional recruiters who manage lists of people

To rade profesionalni voditelji ljudskih potencijala koji upravljaju popisima ljudi

who've agreed to participate in focus groups for payment or other rewards.

koji su pristali sudjelovati u fokus grupi za naknadu ili druge nagrade.

During a session, participants are asked to respond to various prompts

Tijekom sesije sudionici odgovaraju na razna brza pitanja

from the group moderator,

koja postavlja moderator grupe,

like sharing their opinions on a certain product,

da podijele svoje mišljenje o određenom proizvodu

or their emotional reactions to an advertisement.

ili svoje emocionalne reakcije na neki oglas.

They may even be asked to do seemingly unrelated tasks,

Može ih se čak pitati da rade naoko nepovezane zadatke,

like imagining brands as animals in a zoo.

da zamisle brendove kao životinje u zoološkom vrtu.

The idea is that this can reveal useful information

Ideja je ta da to može otkriti korisne informacije

about the participant's feelings

o osjećajima sudionika

that traditional questions might not get to.

do kojih tradicionalna pitanja možda ne mogu dospjeti.

Beyond these basics, many variations are possible.

Osim ovih osnovnih obilježja, moguće su mnoge varijacije.

A focus group may have two or more moderators

Fokus grupa može imati dva ili više moderatora

perhaps taking opposite sides on a question,

koji mogu zauzimati suprotne stavove na nekom pitanju,

or a researcher might be hidden in the focus group

ili istraživač može biti sakriven u fokus grupi

unknown to other participants to see how their answers can be influenced.

bez da za njega znaju ostali sudionici, da vidi kako se na odgovore može utjecati.

And the whole process may also be observed by researchers

Cijeli proces također mogu promatrati istraživači

through a one-way mirror.

kroz jednosmjerno ogledalo.

But although they can provide valuable insight,

Iako fokus grupe mogu dati vrijedan uvid,

focus groups do have their limitations,

imaju i ograničenja

and one of the main ones is that the simple act of observing something

i jedno od glavnih ograničenja je da promatranje nečega

can change it.

može promijeniti ono što se promatra.

This principle is called observer interference.

To se načelo zove utjecaj promatrača.

The answers participants give

Odgovori koje daju sudionici

are likely to be affected by the presence of the researchers,

vjerojatno su pod utjecajem prisustva istraživača,

social pressure from the rest of the group,

društvenog pritiska ostatka grupe

or simply knowing that they're taking part in a focus group.

ili jednostavno toga da znaju da sudjeluju u fokus grupi.

Zbog toga što istraživači često koriste mali uzorak u specifičnom okruženju,

And because researchers often use a small sample size in a specific setting,

it's hard to generalize their results.

teško je generalizirati rezultate.

The findings that researchers do reach from focus groups

Ono što istraživači otkriju iz fokus grupa

are often tested through experiments and data gathering.

često se testira u eksperimentima i u prikupljanju podataka.

Te metode u brojevima izražavaju odgovore na to koliko ima potencijalnih kupaca

Those put numbers on questions like how many potential customers there are

and what price they'd be willing to pay.

i koju bi cijenu bili spremni platiti.

This part of the process changes as technology evolves.

Ovaj se dio procesa mijenja kako se tehnologija razvija.

But focus groups have remained largely the same for decades.

Ali fokus grupe velikim su dijelom ostale iste desetljećima.

Perhaps when it comes to the big, important questions,

Možda zato što kada se radi o velikim i važnim pitanjima,

there's no substitute for people genuinely interacting with each other.

nema zamjene za ljude koji izravno razgovaraju.