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Am I alone in finding focus groups toe-curlingly
uncomfortable to watch? The rational
parts of my brain knows how to filter out the irrelevant
comments and it knows that we are here to look and listen for basic
communication elements. The emotional parts of my brain, however, get angry at the
slightest criticism of the execution and get defensive. I feel the overwhelming
urge to bust through the two-way mirror and go all Bruce Willis on them waterboarding
them into understanding. There are also those times when the army of clients on
the dark side of the glass start freaking out about what they are witnessing
and imagine their careers coming to an inglorious end thanks to the work the
agency has put them in the position of having to validate. You’d
think I would be used to it by now since I’ve been backstage at
focus groups for many years. I’ve been to focus groups
in Moscow just after Perestroika where it had a chilling resemblance to a KGB
interrogation session because the moderator was anything but moderate. I’ve
been to groups in Brazil where the interviewer got all her groups drunk and I’ve
been in groups where the interview subjects have given the most precise and
painful insight into my lack of a future in advertising. It’s
always disconcerting to see the line-up of client laptop screens with clients
all furiously tip-tapping away as the groups prattle on. I can’t
help but wonder are they transcribing the groups verbatim? Or are they doing
their blogs or facebooking? I know I am. I try and keep my emotions in check by
stuffing my face with
the candy and snacks we have in the back room and by the end
of the day I have a severe
chemical imbalance along with a headache and stomach nausea.
And when the kids ask
`What did you do today Daddy?’ I snarl and go get a
beer.
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