Excerpt

I am delighted that you were able to participate in the online demo of our Virtual Focus Facility. As you saw, this methodology is especially effective for testing message statements, concepts, and brand image and positioning. Online groups provide valuable learning and insights and thereby avoid costly errors. The data that are gathered are rich, in-depth and actionable.

Objectives

The first step in conducting online groups is to define the goals and objectives of the research. Objectives may range from identifying what specific messages resonate with the target audience to understanding the client's image in the marketplace. For example, Let's Dance has two primary issues to resolve. The first is its relationship with its retailers. Its decision to open its own stores has generated misinformation, rumors and hostility. Management was taken by surprise, in part because typically the feedback they get is from reply cards. When a major shift in business strategy is contemplated, talking directly to the source, in this case retailers, is critical. Had the research taken place prior to the announcement, one objective of the research would have been to determine how the retailers would react to such a decision. Assuming that the retailers now know about the Let's Dance stores, we recommend conducting research to learn what information they will need in order to gain a comfort level with this decision, and how that information should be conveyed. The messages tested would include some that Le's Dance may already have formulated and those formulated by its PR firm.

The other issue that Let?s Dance needs to address is the power and value of its image in the marketplace. The study objectives would be to determine what the target consumers (customers and potential customers) think about the brand and to what extent it is synonymous with quality, high prices, value, improved performance, etc. Another objective would be to learn to what types of brand extensions would be acceptable. Ultimately, a more comprehensive, quantitative branding study would be needed, but qualitative data will aid in defining the parameters to be considered. ...