CTP Positioning DOC 07_Adolescent Moderators Guide

CTP Positioning Initiative Qualitative Research

Focus Groups – Youth/Adolescent

Moderator’s Guide

Youth & Adolescents

Focus Group Length: 120 mins, 7-8 Participants per group, one group per market

New York, New York

• Age: 15-17

• Gender: Male

• Ethnicity: Mix of ethnicities

Louisville, KY

• Age: 15-17

• Gender: Male

• Ethnicity: Mix of ethnicities

Portland, OR

• Age: 15-17

• Gender: Female

• Ethnicity: Mix of ethnicities

Introduction (5 mins)

• Welcome and thank you for coming.

• Have any of you been to a focus group before? It’s a discussion and I hope you’re all going to enjoy the session.

• Participation in this study is completely voluntary.

• There are no right or wrong answers. Individual opinions are key. I want to understand what each one of you thinks. I am also going to challenge and encourage you all to think a little differently here today – to think creatively and use your imaginations – we are all playing along together so please don’t feel inhibited – we will have fun!

• As part of this study, the study staff may record personal information about you that contains your name and other personal identifiers. Transcripts of focus groups will only include your first name. The collection and submission of the information will be accomplished with strict adherence to professional standards of confidentiality and to the fullest extent allowed by law.

• As part of the study there are members of my client team that are watching behind the mirror and our discussions are being recorded for future note taking purposes.

• Are there any questions?

• Before we begin can I please ask you to turn of any cell phones?

The below represents a sampling of the types of discussion topics and not a verbatim list of questions.

Background/Introduction (3 mins)

Our goal is to understand and engage the respondents as individuals first with human motivations and behaviors.

• First, tell us a little bit about yourself.

• What is your first name?

• How old are you? What grade are you in?

• What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies? Play any sports?

• What is your favorite subject in school? Least favorite subject?

• How would you describe yourself in your group of friends (e.g. Class Clown, Studious, Adventurous, etc.)?

General Communications Discussion (5-10 mins)

The purpose of this section is to open participants up to speaking their own thoughts and opinions as well as gain some insight into the marketing and advertising styles that resonate best.

• I want to start off today by having you think about some advertising and marketing that you have seen recently (on TV, the internet, magazines, etc.). I want you to think about the advertisement you liked the best, and understand the best. What was the advertisement, and what made you like it?

  • Probe: Content, style, type of messaging?

  • Probe: Would you be more interested or willing to listen to/purchase from/work with that organization because of the way they presented their communication?

• Now I want you to think about a piece of communication that you really didn’t like? What was it and why didn't you like it?

  • Probe: Content, style, type of messaging?

  • Probe: Would you be less interested or willing to listen to/purchase from/work with that organization because of the way they presented their communication?

Insight/Perception of Tobacco, its effect and current tobacco control trends (20-25 mins)

The purpose of this section is not necessarily to uncover new information/insight, rather to encourage the participants to think creatively, encourage abstract thinking and to open up their own vocabulary – all of this will be leveraged later during the ideation section

• Today I want you all to jot down on your pads, whatever comes to mind when I say “tobacco”. What else? What other associations do you have? What is the image in your mind?

• Does your perception change when I say cigarettes, snuff, dip, chewing tobacco, smokeless products? Do those terms mean different things to you? Do you think differently about different types of tobacco?

• Discuss.

• I’d now like you to think about and list the reasons why you think people use tobacco. What are some of the reasons why people you know, your friends, peers, adults, etc, might use tobacco? It is a social thing – a biological thing?

• Discuss.

• So when you think about tobacco products, do you/would you ever think about using them? What would make you use them? Why might you say no and decide not to use them?

  • Discuss

• Do you think there is a difference between people who use tobacco just a little on and off and people who use tobacco daily/more frequently? If so why – what makes that difference?

• When you think about tobacco how has it impacted your life thus far? Do people you know use tobacco? Has it had an impact on their life, their relationships?

  • Discuss

• Now I’d like you to think about the companies and brands of tobacco products. Can you name different brands of tobacco? When you think about those brands of tobacco – what comes to mind, what are some associations you have with them? What about the companies that make them?

  • Probe brands: Camel, Marlboro, Parliament, Newport

• Now I want you to think about where you received most of your tobacco knowledge to date? Where did you get most of your information from? Probe: Particular people/organizations…? Where did you learn about tobacco? Do you have a relationship with those people/organizations? Are you interested in what they have to say about tobacco and how harmful it is? Do you really believe what they tell you about tobacco – that it can be addictive, give you cancer, other health consequences?

• Has what those people/organizations told you had an impact on how you think about tobacco and whether or not you might use tobacco? What about those messages or how they are delivered are most interesting?

• What do you think about the scare tactic style of messaging that is done today (e.g. “Smoking Kills”). Does that make you want to smoke less, more, indifferent?

  • Discuss

• Relative to all other things you hear about and learn about (alcohol, drugs, etc.) how important do you think tobacco is? How much focus is put on teaching you about how harmful it is? Is the way those messages are delivered going to have an impact on whether you use tobacco? Why?

  • Discuss

• Let’s talk about tobacco control in terms of laws. What are some laws you know about tobacco products? Who do you think makes these laws? Who do you think is the most credible organization when it comes to tobacco control laws?

  • Probe: Government, Non-governmental, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health

• If you were to convince your friends to not use tobacco products how would you do it? What would you say/do to be most convincing to them?

Organization X Introduction (7 mins)

I am going to switch tracks on you a little now –and for the rest of our time today, we will be discussing a new organization that works to limit the negative health impact of tobacco on the American public.

• Let’s start by discussing what it means to limit the negative health impact of tobacco.

  • Probe: Decreasing the number of people who currently smoke and number of people who start smoking, decreasing the amount of second-hand smoke

• What would you most like to see from an organization like this?

  • Probe: New Research, education/understanding, regulation of the tobacco industry

  • What could they do that would most impact your use of tobacco

To start, I am going to share some very brief information about this organization -- for this discussion we will call it Organization X. I want you to assume, for the purposes of our discussion that everything I share with you about Organization X is true and can be supported. Your job here today is not to critique this information, but rather view it as fact. No cynics! After we’ve read it, we’ll have a brief discussion about what is most interesting to you about Organization X and then move on to the real fun part of our session…

Hand out profile and read together.

Probing will aim to maintain positive and optimistic outlook on Organization X for subsequent ideation.

• What are your initial reactions? What is going through your mind?

• What is most interesting to you about Organization X?

• What are your concerns about Organization X (if it doesn’t come up naturally in conversation)?

• What might the main benefits of this Organization be for you? What is the potential impact of Organization X on your life – the life of others?

Organization X Profile

1) Organization X

About Organization X

Organization X is devoted to making tobacco related death and disease part of America’s past, providing healthier lives for every American.

What Organization X does

Organization X works with the government, the public, health advocacy groups, and tobacco companies to protect Americans from tobacco-related death and disease. 

They are the first and only organization in the United States that can regulate how tobacco products are made, sold, and advertised. Therefore this organization can make laws in these areas that tobacco companies must follow.

In addition, Organization X:

• Does research to find out what chemicals are in tobacco products and

what these chemicals do to people who use tobacco

• Does research to find out why and how people use tobacco products

• Works with all levels of government, including your state and local

governments, to enforce laws about selling and marketing tobacco

• Works with groups who are interested in helping people stop using

tobacco or prevent them from starting; such as the American Cancer Society or campaigns such as the Truth Campaign

• Educates people about the risks of using tobacco products

Positioning Exploration (60 mins)

Now that we have established some thoughts about Organization X, I am going to share with you some other ideas about what this organization might be like/do for you/represent to you – ideas that would become a way of thinking about the organization – (stress not advertising! Explain insignificance of the language and provide permission for participants to rewrite the language so long as they focus on the idea represented!) Ideas will be placed into three piles – “good/true”, “trash” and “wow/exciting”

[Present in random order. Stimuli presented on standalone white sheets, one at a time]

• What is your initial reaction?

• What is it suggesting to you?

• What is the potential impact of this?

• How do you relate to it? How does it make you feel?

• How exciting/interesting is it?

• Does it bring up any negative feelings or associations?

In summary (only for wow/exciting ideas)

• Are these ideas very different or are some more similar?

• Is there a story to be told here? Can you group these ideas together to tell a story?

• Which ideas are most interesting/compelling? Please select your 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd favorites?

• Why do you find the ideas mentioned above interesting/compelling?

• How would you describe Organization X to a friend or family member?

Un-Blinded CTP Discussion (10 Minutes)

What are your top of mind associations with the Food and Drug Administration? If they were to have a division that regulated tobacco – what would that be like – [probe: perceptions, messaging, etc.]

The organization we have been discussing today is actually a new division of the governments Food and Drug Administration known as the Center for Tobacco Products or CTP.

• Does the fact that it is CTP make you feel differently about Organization X than you did before? How and why?

• Does it change your perception or opinion of some of the statements we saw earlier? Any of the wow statements? How and why?

• How is CTP similar to or different from other tobacco organizations?

• What do you think about the credibility – or believability/trustworthiness – of government health agencies? What makes an organization credible?

Additional Background on FDA and CTP for participants who are unaware of either/both:

FDA Description

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency in the federal government. The FDA is responsible for keeping people safe by conducting research and making laws that make sure many of the products we use everyday are safe. These include foods, medications, vaccines, cosmetics and medical equipment. The FDA is also responsible for making sure people have accurate information about these products so they can be safe and healthy.

Center for Tobacco Products Description

The Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) is part of the FDA, and is devoted to making tobacco related death and disease part of America’s past, providing healthier lives for every American. CTP is what we described earlier as Organization X.

What CTP Does

CTP works with the government, the public, health advocacy groups, and tobacco companies to protect Americans from tobacco-related death and disease. 

It is the first and only organization in the United States that can regulate how tobacco products are made, sold, and advertised. Therefore CTP can make laws in these areas that tobacco companies must follow.

In addition, CTP:

• Does research to find out what chemicals are in tobacco products

and what these chemicals do to people who use tobacco

• Does research to find out why and how people use tobacco products

• Works with all levels of government, including your state and local

governments, to enforce laws about selling and marketing tobacco

• Works with groups who are interested in helping people stop using

tobacco or prevent them from starting; such as the American Cancer Society or campaigns such as the Truth Campaign

• Educates people about the risks of using tobacco products

These efforts are not only directed to the general public, but also to other organizations with the goals of eliminating tobacco related illness and death. 

Wrap Up

• Additional thoughts? Thank you!

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