Doing a focus group for the mighty Vodafone

After reading the earlier anonymous tip about T-Mobile’s upcoming focus groups, I remembed my focus group experience with Vodafone a few years back.

It started with an anonymous number. I don’t like answering anonymous number calls because, in my view, there is nothing worse than getting stuck on the phone answering some questionnaire for some earnest researcher (“And when was the last time you purchased washing powder? And how would you rate that experience?”)

But I answered this particular call. It was a lady calling ‘on behalf’ of Vodafone. Shit, I thought. There’s a problem with the direct debit!

But no. She was calling to ask if I’d like to participate in a focus group and be paid £80 for two hours. I’m sure it was £80. I was quite impressed at that figure.

She asked me quite a few questions about my mobile usage. I answered them all directly. She approved me. I turned up on the day and met a few other folk. Everyone else was totally clueless.

I had to try very hard not to dominate the conversation.

“And has anyone ever used their mobile web browser?”

Total silence.

“Errr,” I say, “Yes.”

This is the 10th question I’ve answered on the trot. Everyone else is sat with their arms folded looking blank.

In the end, I just gave up trying not to dominate and spent the rest of the session venting forth on everything from mobile email to ringtones to discounts for calling favourite numbers (PS: Hot story on that possibly coming tomorrow). I had a super time. I wanted to give my £80 worth. The woman leading the group wrote an absolute ton. I hope it helped. The reality is, it probably didn’t. Still. Made me feel like someone was listening, albeit only a researcher contracted to Vodafone.

Have you ever done a focus group for a mobile operator? Fun?