Company Seeks ‘Fan’ Input With E-Focus Groups

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Remember focus groups?


Well, this is the digital age, so it’s no surprise that there are groups gathering virtually on the Internet rather than in boardrooms to discuss brands and products.


What’s surprising is that participation in these groups increasingly is by invitation, and only for fans or customers already gung-ho for a particular brand of electronics, TV show or baked goods.


A major advocate of this updated version of the focus group called “customer collaboration” is Passenger Inc., a Los Angeles firm founded last year by Justin Cooper and Andrew Leary. Passenger officially launched in February and already has a database of about 80,000 users.


The Coca-Cola Co., Sara Lee Corp. and the Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network are some of the companies working with the firm.


“The folks at Sara Lee, and other companies, think the next big idea is very likely to come from customers,” Cooper said, noting that the intent is to turn brand loyalists into brand advocates.


“We’re trying to create a social currency,” Cooper said. “We’re finding out what people like; People are not interested in banner ads, it’s like screaming at consumers. This way we create a recruitment network.”


The invite-only online communities are made up of consumers that the companies have identified through market research or other means as passionate about a brand. It enables companies to engage their most valued customers, learn their likes and dislikes and be more attuned to emerging market trends.


“It’s a self-selecting process,” Cooper said of participation in the communities. “We’re not forcing anyone to do it, and it’s not as though we’re spying. People are participating because they love these brands.”


Once a consumer qualifies and is in, they’re required to contribute. The chosen few brand loyalists invited to participate (the communities usually average about 2,000 users) have to be active or face getting booted.


In return, the consumers get to glimpse their favorite product’s future. The insight gleaned from looking over users’ digital shoulders and noting their formal opinions is funneled directly to show producers for creative decisions.


The company has 26 full time employees, most in Passenger’s L.A. headquarters; the engineering group is based in Northern California.

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