NORTHERN PLANNER

I did something I haven''t done for quite some time, moderated some focus groups. It's not my favourite way of researching stuff I have to admit, but you know what? Groups are still  a pretty good way of finding stuff out.

Don't take everything at face value, watch for when everyone is agreeing to fit in, be careful of selective listening, but still, qual groups ALWAYS throw out something interesting – quickly. Not an answer, not a definitive direction, but input, something you haven't't considered, a spark, a clue…stimulus. What's so bad about that? I think that's pretty great.

A common criticism of groups is that you don't get to what people really think, you get a misleading consensus. That doesn't have to be so bad. Few people act alone, few want to think for themselves, most are influenced by other people.

It can be useful to sit back and watch that in action. Let them talk, let them debate, watch a real conversation, look for what they want to talk about. Brands these days are largely about starting, or joining in with, a conversation. It's no bad thing to find something they actuallt want to talk about.

I was talking to builders and electricians, even creatives in an 'Eh by gum' North England agency are highly unlikely to put themselves in their shoes, not to mention suits and planners!

One last thing, the groups were getting feedback on creative work. Mostly, I'd rather open my veins with a rusty scalpel that test ideas…BUT……….as a planner, sometimes you know some work isn't right.

It may be an amazing idea, but it's not right for the audience, it's not right for the brand, it's just not right. A clear, inspiring brief and briefing is always the start, never the blueprint in my book, so just because it's on/off brief, it doesn't mean it's wrong/right.

Even the greatest powers of persuasion can fail against a creative director that's seeing shiny awards in the mind's eye. It's one of the dark arts, but sometimes, consumer input can do that work for you, maybe killing a route, maybe saving it by some modification, sometimes throwing up something more interesting.

In other words, sometimes it's better to get someone else to talk for you.

Come to think of it, research can be great to use defensively against the risk averse client. Get the right work through research, or kill the wrong work for that matter, prove how pointless making the logo bigger is, how boring their ads are, whatever.