Courtroom Qualitative

For PSB, even qualitative work becomes more powerful when it is infused with the principles and approaches of the political world.  In our proprietary jury groups, for instance, we start with a series of mini-groups in which two partisans of each brand or side of an issue (partisans being people who are committed to one brand or view, and strongly dislike the others) argue their case against opposing partisans.  Even in seemingly low-involvement categories, these discussions become quite animated. 

Then the most effective partisans, in a separate session, try to win over a jury of swings (people in the category who are not partisans).  After removing the partisans, the jury is instructed to reach a unanimous verdict as to which side wins.

Hearing how the partisans frame the brand or competitive landscape, and how the swing discuss the issues, provides invaluable insight into both loyalty and preference drivers – most significantly because these arguments are made in the context of comparisons among the competitive set.  These are certainly no ordinary focus groups.  Aside from the insights they provide on their own, these jury sessions provide rich fodder for generating the most powerful arguments for quantitative testing in our message war gaming studies.

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