Marketing research groups or as they are commonly referred to, focus groups, are one of the wost ideas in marketing. A case in point is a story told by Davin Stowell of Smart Design in New York.

According to Davin, early in his career he worked for Corning Glass Works designing objects out of pyrex. They asked him to design a product that he’d use in the kitchen.

Well, Davin was one of those guys that would cook a small pot of soup and then eat it right out of the pan. I’ve personally known a lot of guys (including myself) who’ve done this. Especially in our bachelor days.

So Davin desgned a bowl shaped pan with a built in handle so you could cook in it and then take it to the table to eat out of. Then Corning subjected the object to focus groups.

Everybody hated it. The most common comment was, “I’d never eat out of the same bowl I cooked in.”

Luckily, the product manager at the time often cooked and ate out the same pan, himself. He figured other people did the same thing. So he decided to go ahead with the product.

It wound up being the best selling product in the history of the company.

So what happened in the focus groups? Why did everyone say they hated it and then it turns out to be a hot selling product?

Here’s my theory. First, all it takes is one self-rightous person in the group to proclaim that “they certainly wouldn’t do that” and the rest of the group is likely to go along. That’s basic human nature. Being part of “the group.”

Also, you have the issue of “the vision of the perfect world.” In a perfect world, no one washes their socks in the sink. No one wipes their nose on their sleeve. No one leaves their bed unmade or tosses dirty laundry in the closet when company comes because it’s on the floor or the bed.

People aren’t going to admit their foibles in public. And certainly not in front of a bunch of strangers.

Using marketing research groups to design or approve or improve a product is like designing a car or building by committee. I come from a design background. The big joke in the design world is that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. Think about it.

HackingEthics

Originally posted 2009-11-15 18:17:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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