1. A focus group is a form of qualitative research where a small group of people discuss their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a topic. 2. The purposes of focus groups are to explore experiences, generate hypotheses, and reveal group dynamics. 3. Techniques used in focus groups include direct questioning, projective techniques, subgrouping, and confronting participants with stimuli.

1. Brand coaching & Marketing research management M O R A W S K I Marketing research methodologies and tools Focus groups – An introduction

3. “ A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, a service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging” (Henderson, Naomi R., 2009) “ A focus group is a group of individuals selected and assembled by researchers to discuss and comment on, from personal experience, the topic that is the subject of the research” (Powell et al, 1996) “ Focus groups are a form of group interviewing but it is important to distinguish between the two. Group interviewing involves interviewing a number of people at the same time, the emphasis being on questions and responses between the researcher and participants. Focus groups however rely on interaction within the group based on topics that are supplied by the researcher” (Morgan, 1997) “…” 1. Some definitions

11. Focus group interviews do not generate quantitative information. The results strictly speaking should not be generalized or "projected" to a larger population. The results of focus groups should be used as a basis for further evaluation and user validation using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Never use focus groups as a stand alone research method!!!! 9. Conclusion and recommendation

12. “ It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail” (“The psychology of science: a reconnaissance.”, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966.)

13. John Morawski Brand coaching & Marketing research management Rogery 55 6671 Bovigny Belgium GSM +32 (0)477 62 18 75 E-mail: [email_address] Blog of John Morawski