July 22, 2020
In a housebound world, it can be hard to find consumers to provide you with real-time insights that will inform your next campaign. But did you know your home is full of life that you can tap into?
No, I’m not talking about your kids. I’m talking about… houseplants.
Below are five steps (based on a real experience) to get your focus group going.
Step 1:
Recruit 5-8 participants for each focus group. This can be done simply by puttering around your house and grabbing houseplants at random, which minimizes group bias.
Should you find yourself short a few plantae, make a quick dash over to your neighbour’s yard. Take the plant. Leave the gnomes.
Step 2:
Organize participants accordingly to encourage active conversation and participation.
Should you encounter a stubborn participant, such as a Fiddle Fig, consider positioning a chattier plant, such as a Pilea next to it to stimulate open dialogue.
Step 3:
Ensure you take diligent notes as participants provide their opinions.
Should you not be fluent in a plant’s voltage-based signaling, attempt to use Google Translate.
Step 4:
Should participants show signs of fatigue, you can take a short break and provide refreshments. A few pitchers of water should do the trick.
In no scenario should the facilitator ever provide “veggies and dip”. One sight of those butchered up broccoli stems and you will have a class action lawsuit on your hands.
Step 5:
After the session is over, double-check that each participant has fully signed the NDA and all associated paperwork before providing any promised incentives. The Philodendrons will try to take their cheque and go, so be assertive.