The Cat and the Canary

People in advertising, increasingly Planners not just Creatives, tend to believe that asking consumers in groups for their opinions on fledgling advertising ideas is like asking a hungry Tiddles for his views on the vocal qualities of the canary - didn't the same consumer Tom cat wreak havoc on the songs of Heineken, Gold Blend et al.

I view the consumer cat as a cuddly pet so it’s a bit of a shock that some see it as a ruthless predator. Views from the advertising perch raise issues such as:

To take the debate further I'd like to suggest that there are three misconceptions underlying this thinking and a further 10 points of good practise that can help both Tiddles and the Canary to enjoy a happy co-existence.

To start with the misconceptions

1. Group discussions are a flawed format?

The criticism that we don't 'pay that much attention' to ads in real life doesn't stand up to any scrutiny. The mistake arises because usually 'we don't spend much time' thinking about ads and this gets equated to 'paying no attention'.

Most things that we experience most days are instant, but we all know that incidents that are over in a flash can find us mulling over them time again without any conscious desire to do so. The amount of time we give something is not necessarily related to the amount of our attention it's taking up. This is exactly how ads work and the spontaneous conversation about ad ideas that a group discussion creates is the most effective way of bringing to the surface those taken for granted layers of attention. The important point is that the hot-housing effect gets at things that are real - the nature of our identity wrapped up in the brand experience. The group format may look like an artifice to the onlooker but to the participants it uncovers truths that they don't usually glimpse.

If it worries you, design the project to suit the 'context of consumption', move it out of the living room into the bar, car-park or football stadium, but a well-recruited, well-run group will rarely be undermined by its situation or context.

2. Respondents can't tell you what will work in the future?

It's true that some consumers are conservative and that a group can endorse ideas that are familiar and attack the unfamiliar but this is not the case for all consumers. Many people thrive on the new and different, they admire the radical or challenging. The underlying misconception, however, is that the advertising is subject to a 'beauty contest' where the 'most liked' wins the day.