A Feeble Minded Hipster, Focus Group Junkie and Murderer Walk Into A Bar…

Posted Feb 27 in Opinion tagged Adnews, Focus group, Hipster, murder

Comments

1. barry

   Mar 7th, 2011

   lot of circular logic in this piece.

   People who ride fixies do so because they think they're cool, therefore people who ride fixies are hipsters, therefore they're feebs, therefore their responses are invalid?

   Isn't it possible that some people who ride fixies aren't hipsters? Including, i dunno, professional cyclists?

   to say nothing of the massive problem with using 'hipsters' as a sociological grouping when it's nothing but a cliche used to deride a poorly defined, massively variable generational grouping.

   

2. Ralph

   Mar 8th, 2011

   Joining Barry’s bandwagon above [cyclists who aren’t hipsters who love the concept of a fixie - i.e. a pure epitome of the bicycle itself], I’d point out that a popular craze often (though not always) has some valid justification behind it.

   I remember the yo-yo craze at primary school. Catalyzed by the cool kids, for sure; but that’s not to say that the yo-yo isn’t/wasn't always a properly rad toy!

   I suppose what your post rightly points out is that without the cool kids' endorsement, I might not have experienced the joys of 'walking the dog' with a Yomega Powerspin. And of course it's pinpointing that initial moment of attraction that is of most interest to marketers.

   

3. Fritz Bachen

   Mar 8th, 2011

   @barry thanks for the post – i find it a bit silly though. Im using the term hipster to imply somone silly enough to buy a unpractical bike just to be cool. If they are buying the bike for other reasons – then jolly good (and if they are buying it to be cool – and they are aware of it then jolly good for them too – its quite a legitimate reason to do something.

   @ralph all im trying to point out is that people are shit at understanding why they purchase what they purchase. They don't understand the reasons, they cant explain them, and they are often dissatisfied – yet keep making the same mistakes.

   I'll bet that 95% of all fixie's have dissatisfied owners within 2 weeks and that there is a massive market for cheap second hand fixies.

   

4. Bob Ho

   Mar 8th, 2011

   Fritz – sorry for the essay, but this is a particular interest of mine. I find it frustrating that so many marketers and senior agency personnel don't get it, or use research inappropriately.

   I agree with the principles of what you're saying about the application of research, and a lot of problems (when they do arise) come down to a one or more of the usual suspects:
   1) Unclear or lazy objectives and lack of thought in preparation, which gets glossed over or forgotten afterwards. The flawed results are then held up as being gospel (qual. & quant.).
   2) Research conducted for the wrong reasons, particularly when marketers use it as a crutch to make decisions they've not had the courage or experience to make themselves (qual. & quant.).
   3) Similarly, a reliance on research to make decisions it's simply not capable of doing – not least because research is almost always inherently artificial, and does not genuinely attract a representative "real world" cross-section of personality types (qual. & quant.)
   4) Qualitative being treated as robust quantitative research. Amazingly, I've actually seen a reputable research company present %s and graphs from 2×6 person focus groups – then see the client treat them as statistically definitive (qual.).
   5)The wrong, poorly worded, or standard (i.e.: lazy) questions being asked that try to force results into a predetermined format – losing focus on the need for "insight" (qual. & quant.).
   6) A moderator who doesn't read the room or listen properly to what lies underneath responses, then isn't flexible enough to delve and adapt during the focus group (qual.).
   7) An increasing client need for instant answers, without allowing adequate time for analysis and interpretation of the "real" meaning in responses (qual. & quant.).
   8) An ability for clients and agency personnel to latch on to red herrings, then use them as the basis for building strategy (qual. & quant.).

   I've probably left one or two out, but intelligently applied research can be your greatest ally. Otherwise it can rapidly become an albatross around your neck.

   With your comments about fixies, whilst there is clearly a fashion element to many of them, they can actually be quite a practical and inexpensive mode of transport – so to dismiss them all as impractical or silly suggests a lack of consumer insight ..!

   

5. Fritz Bachen

   Mar 9th, 2011

   Bob Ho your comments are appreciated. However, your comments about Fixies at the end are weird. Fixies are more expensive than a normal bike and MUCH harder to operate (no gears). Not practical and not cheap compared to many freely available alternatives (a geared bike). Its weird to say there is a lack of consumer insight to suggest this.

   

6. Bob Ho

   Mar 9th, 2011

   Weird? Nope. Insightful? Yes.

   A fixie can be practical and economical, in that they require minimal maintenance and have much less to go wrong than other bikes. These are the main reasons they began (and remain) as the bicycle of choice for bicycle couriers – known for their frugality and practicality.

   With my two geared bikes, the biggest expense after purchase is the regular adjustment, servicing and maintenance to the additional moving parts: gears, cables and derailleurs.

   Although there are some stupidly expensive fixies to buy, much as with all kinds of bicycles, they can be a lot cheaper than other bikes.

   They're also relatively easy to build, and I know a few people who have done so for $100-200 with salvaged parts.

   I'm currently converting an old 10-speed road bike to a fixie, with a budget of $100 – to have a bike that I can lock and leave anywhere without fear of it being stolen or damaged, as well as for its no-nonsense simplicity.

   As for being "MUCH harder to operate" because there's only one gear, that lack of additional gears makes it much simpler to operate. As counter-intuitive as that might seem, most regular cyclists only use one or two of the gears they have.

   I ride a road bike regularly and have a hybrid for bike trails or running errands. Both are ridden at the hardest gear for at least 90% of the time, rarely using more than the neighboring two gears on the steepest of hills.

   Fixies, with their lack of freewheeling, feel a lot more connected and there's no wasted energy – which also makes it seem easier, with the momentum you have, in pedalling uphill.

   Your generalisation about fixie owners seems targeted at the fashion victims and higher end, "trendy" fixies one sees displayed next to the super light $9,000 road bike in bike shops. Those same pastel-coloured fixies are the ones populating fashion and design store retail displays or catalogues at the moment.

   There are so many variations and budget levels with all kinds of bikes, that to label every fixie rider as a "feeble-minded hipster" is a bit like describing all car drivers as though they only drove a BMW M3.

   

7. Laura

   Mar 24th, 2011

   Hi,

   Just on this 'consumers don't understand WHY they purchase what they purchase'… Is this not a factor of the human brain in that such a significant proportion of what drives decision and motivation is non conscious and cannot be articulated….?? Hence, if asked in a focus group the reasons as to WHY something is done, the response will invariably be missing a lot!

   

8. Fritz Bachen

   Apr 2nd, 2011

   @Bob Ho Im convinced – I was being overly sweeping in my statements. There appears to be a lot of logic (and new information to me) in what you'e said. However, of all the fixies being sold at the moment I still beleive most are being sold at inflated prices to feeble minded hipsters who'll stop using them shortly.

   @Laura Agree (I think that was the purpose of the post??)

   

9. Lynton

   Apr 20th, 2011

   Bob Ho certainly knew how to explain his beahviour – would you have found that out Fritz without this small sample of responses?

   Even the most inappropriate of research tools can yield informative insights it seems!

   

10. www.ciudad-real-3d.com

    Oct 10th, 2011

    Very worthwhile piece of writing, thank you for your article.

    

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About Me

Fritz Bachen is a Consumer Psychologist and Founding Partner at Naked Communications. Fritz can be seen, read or heard at; The Gruen Transfer, ABC Radio (Sunday nights), Adnews columnist, as well as The Australian, Cleo, Mumbrella, Shop Till You Drop and so on. He speaks at numerous conferences on marketing, ideas, contemporary culture, and consumer behaviour. Fritz has degress in clinical psychology and commerce (marketing). A registered psychologist and has worked in private practice, forensic settings, advertising (Saatchi & Saatchi) and marketing consultancy (Added Value). He was also state under 12 chess champion on WA, and has a board game called The Analyst selling well in the Benelux countries.

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