Multicultural Campaign: Wave 3 focus group study of reactions to creative advertising concepts designed to prevent multicultural youth tobacco use

Multicultural Campaign: Wave 3 Focus group study of reactions to creative advertising
concepts designed to prevent multicultural youth tobacco use.

Moderator Guide
Reviewer Note: Moderator instructions are in brackets. Probes are italicized. The Moderator Guide
consists of questions that researchers anticipate are relevant to ask. However, this does not mean
that every question listed will definitely be asked. As per standard protocol for focus group
research, researchers will allow the conversation to unfold naturally. Certain questions listed may
no longer be asked because they may not be relevant to a particular discussion.
1. Check-In Survey (after participant checks in with researcher)
In the folder you were given, there is a survey called the Check-In Survey that you can fill
out now.
Please do not write your name anywhere on the survey. Let me know if you have any
questions. Otherwise, just let one of us know when you’re done.
[After each participant completes the Check-In Survey, research assistants should circulate
and instruct participants to insert the completed survey on the opposite side of their
Participant Folder.]
2. Rules of the Group
[Moderator introduces study to all participants at same time once everyone is checked in
and seated.]
It looks like we are all here and ready to get started!
Welcome and thank you for coming. My name is [insert moderator name] and I am the
moderator of the discussion group today. We also have [insert names of research
assistants] who will be helping out today. We are going to watch some videos, talk about
them, and eat some snacks. At the end, you will each receive a $25 [VISA/American
Express] gift card. How does that sound?
We also want to remind you that no one outside of the group will know what you said during
the discussions. It is completely up to you whether or not you take part today and you have
the right to leave the group at any time.
We are in no way connected to your school. We are from a health communications and
research company in California. Your school was just nice enough to let us come here. So
whatever you say to us stays with us.
So now that you know what we are doing, we have a few ground rules for the group:

Moderator Guide

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1. Don’t be afraid to talk. We want you to share what you are thinking. Your main job is to
answer our questions and tell us what you think. If you do not have an opinion on
something, that’s ok too. There are no right or wrong answers!
2. Make sure to let everyone get a chance to talk. We want to hear from each person. So
if you are talking a lot, let others talk for a little while.
3. Be nice to each other. Don’t make fun of others for their answers. But we also want
you to be honest when you disagree—we need to hear your opinions. Our goal is not
to get everyone to agree or disagree. It is about hearing each person’s unique opinion.
4. Feel free to share openly and honestly, but please do not share any personal
information, like your name. Please also respect the privacy of everyone here by not
sharing what is said in this discussion outside of the group.
5. Please silence your cell phones, turn off your iPods, put your headphones away, etc. If
your parents call, you can step out and quickly talk to them, but other than your parents,
please don’t text or answer calls or texts from other people during the discussion group.
3. Verbal Agreement to Audio Record
Before we begin, I would like to ask your permission to audio record this discussion group.
As I mentioned, all information from the group will be kept private and protected, including
the audio recording or any transcripts made from the audio recordings. So, is it ok with you
if we audio record the group?
[If not everyone in the room agrees, then do not audio record group activities; research
assistants should take notes instead.]
If you have not had a chance to finish your Survey, please take a few minutes now and
then we’ll get started.
To keep things private, please do not mention people’s names during the discussion.

II.

CREATIVE CONCEPT TESTING (75 Min)

[Concepts will be revealed one at a time. As concepts are played, respondents will be asked to
rate their initial reaction to each item on the Creative Concept Survey before the discussion for
that concept begins.]
Now we’re going to watch seven different videos and ask you to give your opinions. If we have
time at the end, we may watch one extra video. In your folder, you should each have a Creative
Concept Survey [hold up Creative Concept Survey for participants to see]. We’re going to fill
this out together, so please don’t move ahead without receiving the OK.
Now, one at a time, I’m going to show you concepts for new TV ads to convince young people
to not use tobacco. These are not actual commercials, though, they are just ideas of what
future commercials could look like. Right now, the concepts look like cartoons. But based on
what you tell us today, we are going to pick a few and film them with real people. So as you
watch the concepts, please keep in mind that they will eventually be made with real people,
and try not to get too caught up on the cartoons.

Moderator Guide

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After I show you each concept, I will instruct you to fill out that section of the survey and once
everyone is finished, we will discuss as a group. We will talk about each of the concepts
individually and then compare them to each other at the end. I’m going to play each one time
so you can fill out the survey and we can talk about your initial thoughts about the concept.
Then I’ll play the concept one more time so you can catch anything you might have missed and
we can discuss it a little more.
1. [Repeat for every concept]
We’re going to watch the first concept. [Research assistant should play video.]
Ok, you may now fill out the questions for Concept [X]. Please read the instructions
and only fill out Concept [X]. [Research assistants should circulate and make sure
that all youth have completed the items before moving forward.]
Great. So, let’s talk about your thoughts about the concept you just saw. As a
reminder, these concepts are just cartoon ideas of what future commercials could
look like. We’ll film your favorites with real people later.
[Play ad a second time after getting initial reaction.]
i.

ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.

ix.
x.
xi.

xii.
xiii.

ii.

Moderator Guide

What is the message this concept is trying to convey?
1. Is this message interesting? Why/why not?
2. Is this message realistic or believable? Why/why not?
How did this concept make you feel?
What do you like about this concept?
What don’t you like about this concept?
1. What would make it better?
Did you learn anything from this concept?
1. If yes, what did you learn?
Is this concept relevant to you?
What do you think about the setting or situation in this concept?
Did this concept catch your attention?
1. If yes, what about it?
2. If not, why not?
What did you think about the tone or feeling of the concept?
Was there anything that was confusing or didn’t make sense?
How does this concept make you feel about [tobacco / smoking cigarettes /
smoking hookah / smoking little cigars or cigarillos / using electronic
cigarettes, hookah pens, or vape pens]?
1. Is that different than how you felt before viewing the concept?
Do you think this concept would convince people your age to live tobacco
free?
Do you think you would talk about this concept with friends?
1. Would you share this concept with your friends if it was available
online?
Do you think this concept is directed to you and your friends?
1. Why/why not?

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[Moderator follows process for 7 concepts. If there is enough time remaining after 7 concepts,
moderator will play the 8th concept, following the same process.]
[After playing all 7 concepts (or 8 if sufficient time), moderator will engage participants in
discussion about their overall favorite and least favorite concepts.]
2. Now that we’ve watched all the concepts, I want to ask what you thought about them
overall.
a. Which concept did you like the most? Why?
b. Which concept did you like the least? W hy?

III.

CHECK OUT
Thank you for your time today. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us.
Make sure that you collect all of your belongings and turn in your folder containing all of your
completed worksheets from today. You can walk back to where you signed in to check out
and collect your gift card. Thanks again!
[Have each participant check out by turning in their folder; make sure that all necessary
documents are in the folder. Participant will initial the Check Out Form indicating that they
have received their $25 gift card incentive. For each discussion group, there should only be
one Check Out Form for administrative purposes. Upon completion of group, organize all
completed documents. The team should have a complete folder for each participant.]

Moderator Guide

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