Focus Groups

                 I picked the topic of how a focus group can help with marketing. I think a focus group should be part of any marketing plan or idea. I think focus groups help to understand and know your target market. Focus groups can help determine what is or isn't working for your product. Also what is appealing to certain age groups or demographics.
            I think that having a focus group can save money in the long run. A focus group allows time to be put into research and development. It would be detrimental to a company to launch a product or service without some type of focus group. What if all the money was spent on the product and branding it and marketing it but none on research. Then the product is just asking to fail and money gone down the drain.
          We have all read or heard about the stories of McDonald's using focus groups for new items. Some of which where homeruns and are still on the menu today and others that were total flops. With all that being said a focus group can not 100% determine what the product will do when it hits the market but it should be a step in every marketing matrix. Even McDonald's has suffered when focus groups have liked certain items then when they hit the market the item doesn't do so well. I do fell like it is a necessary risk that every company should take.