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Refocusing
Focus Group Experience
by Lewis Lazar, Chicago Sun Times
The first thing you notice about Kay Allison when
you meet her is how quickly she puts you at ease.
She speaks in a firm but friendly tone, and the
smile - well -it readily suggests she's happy you've
paid her a visit and is genuinely interested in
what you have to say.
That's good. Because Allison has launched a new
company where listening an communicating are at
the heart of it all. Called the Energy Annex, her
new business seeks to redefine the focus group experience
- one of the most essential, but, traditionally,
also one of the most tedious parts of the research
process. She has tastefully carved her new business
out of 5,000 square feet of loft space at 1123 W.
Washington.
Most focus groups involve consumers offering insights
in a controlled, sterile conference room, while
client executives watch from behind a mirrored wall.
Having spent years dealing with focus group research
at both Foote Cone & Belding and J. Walter Thompson
in Chicago, Allison became convinced there was a
better, less dispiriting way to conduct them.
She created warm, inviting environments where people
can relax and feel more comfortable sharing information
than they would in less inviting surroundings.
Those "environments" include a real working
kitchen, where participants sit around a kitchen
table, just like they would if invited to a friend's
house for a coffee klatsche. Another focus group
room is outfitted with brightly colored kids chairs
and all kinds of fun cushions - a space obviously
intended to make little ones feel at home. The last
of the spaces is a living room filled with modern
settees and chairs you'd probably find in a trendy
loft apartment.
The same thought has gone into the client-side observation
rooms, filled with sleek rolling chairs with moveable
writing trays and all manner of recording equipment.
Already several big-name clients, including Kraft,
have paid visits to the Energy Annex, and Allison
hopes more will begin to realize the benefits of
what she has created.
"It's like scuba diving," she said. "We're
trying to help clients dive down below the superficial
level and come up with great insights and ideas
they can use to grow their businesses."
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