RPM Research 2007
FULL SERVICE QUALITATIVE - U.K. & INTERNATIONAL
Background
Whether looking for a truly in-depth understanding of consumers' reactions to an artist, or to explore more general music-related questions, the value of the qualitative research technique known as 'focus groups' is without equal. Focus groups provide genuine insight into the attitudes and behaviour of a given audience.
Focus groups are widely used across the music industry most commonly: to develop specific album concepts e.g. 'best of' albums & multi-artist compilations; to assess prevailing attitudes to the music and imagery of established artists (addressing the issue of where do they go from here); and, increasingly, to assess the market potential/launch strategy of brand new acts (sometimes pre-signing).
Related industries, from music retailing, to software and hardware formats, publishing, TV music programmes etc. also regularly benefit from the use of focus groups to solve particular problems or to answer specific questions.
There are four distinct stages to a focus group project:
Company Briefing
The client company and RPM Research discuss the underlying issues surrounding a project and draw up a list of objectives. For a record company, these objectives may be highly structured e.g. what will be the likely uptake of a 'best of' by artist X? Should it be a single or double album? What constitutes the optimum track listing? What is the preferred title, the preferred sleeve design etc.? Which tracks should feature on the commercial soundbed? What expectations/preferences exist in relation to the visuals for the commercial and so on.
For less specific studies, the objectives may be far less structured e.g. what is the current state of the pop market? Is there room for another guitar band/solo female artist etc.? Are there any particular gaps/opportunities in the market? For other types of more general music-related research, the objectives may be to determine reactions to a new store layout, or to explore the interests of a magazine readership, or to investigate responses to new forms of packaging etc.
Having drawn up the research objectives, RPM and the client agree the broad age/gender structure of the target audience. We then agree the total number of focus groups to be conducted, their age parameters, geographical location and so on.
Finally, at the briefing stage, we agree a list of stimulus materials which the client will need to supply e.g. photographs, CDs, audio snippets, video clips, potential titles/band names etc.
Recruitment Stage (duration approx. one week)
Following the client briefing, RPM Research puts together a recruitment spec. which is sent to the appropriate fieldwork recruiters, working in the specific regions identified for the project. RPM has a network of 110 highly experienced fieldwork recruiters, covering the UK. Armed with the recruitment spec., the recruiters will knock on doors or visit shopping centres in order to find exactly the right people to invite to the focus groups.
As well as finding people of the right age, sex and social grade for a given focus group, the recruitment spec. ensures that all respondents: are active album buyers (buying five or more CDs per year, for themselves); display an appreciation of the artist/style of music that will be the focus of the discussion; do not know one another, and have not regularly attended other focus groups. When recruiting children, however, we often invite pairs of friends to the group in order to facilitate confidence during the discussion.
A typical project will involve the recruitment of at least four, and rarely more than eight, focus groups, depending on the breadth of the target audience. Each group usually comprises seven or eight respondents of the same sex, generally no more than ten years apart in age. When researching mainstream music, we recruit BC1C2 socio-economic grades to ensure that we are talking to representatives of the mass population. Geographically, we usually split the groups between the North and/or the Midlands and the South East/Greater London.
Fieldwork (duration approx. one week)
Focus groups generally last between an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, though longer, extended groups are occasionally commissioned. The groups convene either in a suitably spacious, residential living room, a hotel suite or, if desired by the client, a research viewing studio (where executives of the client company are able to view the group from behind a two-way mirror).
Working from a carefully pre-planned discussion guide, an RPM group moderator facilitates open discussion, ensuring that everyone joins in, that no-one dominates the group effort and that all question areas are covered in sufficient depth and within the allotted time. Given 'music' as a topic, we rarely encounter difficulty in getting the groups talking. The respondents receive refreshments, plus a small fee, for attending a focus group.
Analysing, Reporting & Debriefing (duration approx. one week)
In contrast to quantitative research, which relies on numbers and percentages, the validity of qualitative research is established through careful interpretation of the discussions and patterns of response which emerge across the sample. Having conducted literally thousands of focus groups on hundreds of artists, albums, shopping patterns, formats etc., the partners of RPM Research bring to that interpretation a unique and unrivalled understanding of the music consumer.
Our full reports are highly detailed and include an in-depth account of findings, illustrated, where appropriate, with verbatim quotes. As a supplement to the full report, however, we also produce a management summary document which includes all of the main findings and action points, along with our recommended marketing strategy. This summary also forms the basis of a verbal debrief.
Despite our specialist experience in the field of music, we always ensure that our costs remain highly competitive alongside more generic research agencies.
Depth Interviews
Occasionally, we conduct depth interviews (generally lasting up to one hour) either as an alternative, or as an adjunct, to focus groups. Depth interviews allow for individual expression and can be very useful when dealing, for example, with store managers who will have their own individual experiences to discuss. More commonly, we will supplement focus groups with a number of depth interviews, often in order to investigate certain areas in more depth than is possible within the group format.
International Focus Groups and Depth Interviews
In response to client demand, RPM Research has recently established close working relations with a number of carefully selected agencies working in various international territories. The companies have been chosen to work as affiliates on the basis of their credentials, bi-lingual skills and willingness to replicate RPM's own established methods of researching music.
Working in this way, the client need attend just one briefing and one presentation of findings. RPM handles the whole process of briefing all relevant territories, overseeing the design and quality of the fieldwork and taking responsibility for collating, analysing and reporting on the findings. Our management summary for such a project compares and contrasts the findings of different territories and makes recommendations concerning the similarities and differences indicated with regard to the final marketing strategies. Our fees remain significantly below those of the larger international research agencies, despite such agencies' comparative lack of specialism in the field of music research.
Initially, we established international links as a means of replicating a number of UK studies in other territories. We did this to research various 'best of' concepts for truly international artists. Subsequently, however, we have also been commissioned to oversee research specific to certain international territories (i.e. where the artist has little or no profile in the UK).
In recent years, we have worked in the German, U.S.A., French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese markets.
Ring David Lewis or Gary Trueman for further details/exact costings: 0207 537 3030.