What is a Focus Group?
A focus group is normally
about 6-8 members of the public who are recruited to a specific venue to offer
their opinions on an advertising campaign, a product which already exists or which
is about to be launched, or maybe about the packaging of such products. This is
almost always a group of people who do not know each other and who have been recruited
because they fit very specific criteria.
Is
there any payment for attending a Focus Group?
Yes, you will always be
paid for your time and opinions. This payment, called an "incentive," is 99% of
the time given to you on the day in cash. There may be the very rare occasion
when a cheque is paid to you ("the respondent") by cheque or will be posted out
to you after the research
How
do I get onto a group?
By checking the postings on the website entitled
"current
projects" and by sending an email expressing your
interest in taking part and the relevant criteria which you feel would make you
suitable for this research.
How
many Focus Groups can I do?
The guidelines as set down by the MRS are very specific in that
you can only take part in market research focus groups only once every 6 months
and no more than 5 times ever.
What
if I have done a group for, or am registered with, another recruiter?
You must tell us if you
are registered with, or have taken part in a group for, another recruiter.
This
causes serious problems for recruiters as we cannot send you out to a focus group
within the 6 month time span and also you may have been to a group on behalf of
the same client for both recruiters which will cause us both terrible problems.
What
if I cannot attend the group once recruited or I am late?
As far as is possible,
you must tell us immediately if you cannot attend the research; or at least give
us as much notice as possible, so that we can replace you. If you are late, it
may well be the case, that you will not be admitted into the research and will
be sent away without payment. This is at the client's discretion and is totally
out of the control of the recruiter.
Will
I receive travel expenses or parking costs or congestion charging fees?
Most
of the time, the costs of the above are included in the incentive. There may be
the odd occasion when travel expenses are paid as an extra by the client; and
should this be the case, you will be advised by us of this prior to the group.
What
happens when I get to the group?
You will be asked to introduce yourself
by first name only and to give the briefest of details about yourself, e.g. partner's
job title, whether you have children or not, what you do for a living, what car
you drive and what hobbies you enjoy. You are not under any obligation to describe
any of the above in any detail and at no time will you have to divulge the name
of the company you work for or anything more specific such as your address or
your surname.
What
happens to the information given on the group?
The "moderator", the person
leading the group discussion, will take the notes or tape/ video recording of
the discussion and will transcribe this into a report for his/her client. You
will only be mentioned by first name and your comments noted by first name only
so that your confidentiality is never breached and you remain anonymous at all
times. The video is for the sole purpose of the moderator and is never disclosed
to the client.
Will
I be contacted by a 3rd party?
Some of our clients like to "pre-check" respondents
prior to the focus group to ensure that you have been properly recruited and do
fit the specific criteria required. Other clients may contact you after the focus
group to ensure that you were properly recruited and that the recruiter treated
you in a proper manner. This is just to keep an eye on recruiters and in no way
reflects your position as a respondent.
If
you have any further questions, please email and we will do our
best to answer these to the best of our abilities.