# Business-Building Focus Groups: Consumer Dialogue Monitor

This newsletter article provides a means to step away from the day-to-day demands of brand marketing, and to stay in touch with customers’ needs proactively rather than having to play catch-up. It presents a dynamic tool to stay ahead of the curve on consumer trends to satisfy unmet needs, aid product development, and retain brand loyalty.

##### Change Is The Only Thing We Can Count On

Nonstop mega-mergers, smaller/faster digital products, expanding Internet commerce, strong demand for culinary diversity, out-of-control real estate and gas prices – just a small sampling of the changes that have had a major impact on consumers in recent years. Marketers have various means to gauge consumer response as these shifts occur, at least in the aggregate. Behavioral measurements on a more personal level, and staying in-tune with related consumer attitudes are more challenging. Further, using this information to address _future_ needs and foster growth, versus merely maintaining the status quo, presents even greater difficulty.

##### Business-Building Means Being Proactive

_Consumer Dialogue Monitor (CDM)_ is a strategic tool to engage target consumers in an ongoing discussion to evaluate their needs and wants. It goes beyond traditional research to provide more regular versus sporadic feedback. By keeping a pulse on consumer attitudes, values, and behavior, significant issues and trends are **revealed that might ordinarily be missed**. Thus, CDM is a proactive program – affording in-depth investigation of high-potential marketplace ideas. In turn, these offer opportunities to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Conceptually, CDM is a business-building technique designed to keep current users satisfied, identify ways to entice prospects, and uncover growth opportunities in general. **The perspective is shifted to the consumer** from the product, imparting a deeper understanding of the category and brand’s emotional core. This more intimate, consumer-driven brand view provides a relevant foundation to use as a springboard for strategic and marketing efforts.

For ad agencies, _Consumer Dialogue Monitor_ can additionally serve as a powerful selling tool to attract new business prospects, and as a business retention service for existing clients. Its value in providing insights into general attitude trends, and as an account planning tool to represent the consumer conscience is clearly evident.

##### Periodic Read of Your Customer

To conduct a CDM, focus groups are done on a quarterly (or appropriate interval) basis, each time typically including a total of 4-6 groups per target segment in 2-3 geographically-dispersed markets. The methodology is customized according to needs. Potential issue areas well-suited for _Consumer Dialogue Monitor_ might include:

- **Understand target at deeper level**: General attitudes/values/lifestyles relevant to category, impact of external factors such as the economy, war, gas prices, homeland security
- **Consumer decision-making process**: More precisely isolate the underlying rational and emotional factors, level of involvement, and identify key drivers influencing loyalty
- **Brand discrimination**: Tap into consumer mindset as to how consumers differentiate brands in the category – extent and specific points of differences
- **Problems/unmet needs**: Identify specific problems or concerns about products/services, and category needs that haven’t been met; explore potential “fixes” to aid product development
- **New product development ideas**: Modify/generate ideas of interest to consumers, not specifically related to problems or unmet needs
- **Behavioral shifts**: Changes in shopping habits, venues, or sources of information, and reasons why, and ways in which usage and needs have changed over time
- **Consumer-brand relationship**: Interpret subtleties regarding the role the brand (and its advertising/promotions) plays in consumers’ lives
- **Dimensionalize category attributes**: What the most salient attributes really mean to consumers
- **Product communications**: Guidance to fine-tune advertising, promotions, collateral materials
- **Usage feedback**: Obtain directional reactions for new or existing products/services

Key trends and insights are identified as findings are compared each quarter/period, with learning integrated over time. Recommended follow-up actions based on these findings are then developed, factored by importance and relevance.

_Consumer Dialogue Monitor_ is a dynamic strategic tool to provide leadership opportunities for brands to compete more effectively. **It helps retain loyal customers and potentially entice new ones to build a stronger brand franchise.** By creating an ongoing exchange with consumers, CDM develops a unique understanding of the target on a “flesh and blood” level, revealing deep-seated purchase motivations and general attitudinal trends. **And importantly, it provides a practical, relatively low-cost means to stay in-tune with your customers – the key to any successful business-building effort.**

_This article is from Strategy Matters, a periodic newsletter from [MARAfriedman Brand Strategist](/content/company/Mara-Friedman-Brand-Strategist/index.html), which covers brand strategy issues and associated research toolbox options. More information about this methodology is available at [www.MARAstrategist.com](http://www.marastrategist.com/)._