3 posts and columns on focus groups

Start-Up GutCheck Blows Up and Rebuilds the Old Model of Consumer Research

in Enterprise on April 13, 2011 at 3:22 pm PT

Why go to the time and effort of assembling a bunch of consumers in a room to say things they may or may not actually believe, all at a cost of thousands of dollars, when the power of the Internet gives you the means to reach them directly in the unguarded comfort of their own homes for 40 bucks a head for every half hour? That’s GutCheck’s pitch.

Voices

MIT Researchers Read Consumers' Faces to Make a Better Taste Test

in News on January 20, 2010 at 1:00 am PT

It happens all the time: Companies spend large amounts of money on focus groups and market research, only to have a new product fail when it’s introduced to the public. Researchers at MIT are hoping to help change that, using some high-tech tools that measure the emotional reactions of people as they’re testing a new product.

Voices

Marketers Find Web Chat Can Be Inspiring

in News on November 23, 2009 at 12:20 pm PT

International Business Machines and a handful of other major marketers, including casino operator Harrah’s Entertainment and software giant Microsoft, are experimenting with developing ad campaigns based in part on what consumers are chatting about on the Web. For decades, advertisers have relied heavily on sometimes-dated consumer surveys and focus groups to provide grist for their ads.