Focus group

I have a friend in the MBA program at UW and they were doing a project designing new products for Febreeze, so she asked me to be part of a focus group to give input. The students sat behind a 2 way glass and we had a panel of 8 ladies who had to vote and give input on the ideas.

It was so much fun!

First of all, I loved seeing the creativity of designing new products and the ideas that came forth. Some of them were complete bombs

(like a teddy bear your child hugs and inside the belly is a special mesh that releases an air purifying element.... Um.. NO thank you)

but there were also a few ideas that could actually do well on the market with a little adaptation.

However, what struck me is how conditioned I am as an American consumer. Certain words or phrases in their ads either drew me in or set me off. It was eye opening to see how much marketing has affected me, even though I don't really watch tv with commericals. It is still engrained in how I think and shop.

It was fun to see a glimpse of how companies create new products and test them on the market. Some of these students are going on to work in prestigious companies in a few months, so it was neat to see a behind the scenes glance of what their career will hold for them.