AFFINITY GROUP RESEARCH

Lower cost and more actionable than Focus Groups

Quick implementation and delivery of results

Provides perceptual feedback, level of comprehension,
impact on opinion formation and elements of appeal

Affinity Groups are like focus groups but are designed for a more targeted purpose. They are used to trace changes in listener and viewer fact retention, ability to explain concepts and opinion formation generated by public media programs.

Affinity Groups differ from focus groups:

• Affinity Group participants are tightly screened to include only core users of public media.

• Affinity Groups are conducted in warm and affirming surroundings that allow all participants to express themselves.

• Affinity Groups cost far less than focus groups.

AFFINITY GROUP MECHANICS

Each Affinity Group consists of six to ten participants. Participants are recruited via public radio and television mailing lists and community bulletin boards. Though members vary by age, race and work status, each participant is chosen because they have the defining characteristics of core public media consumers – intense interest in current affairs, love of lifelong learning, an emphasis on solutions and frequent civic involvement.

The groups typically meet in a comfortable, friendly location such as a library conference room, a living room or a quiet coffee shop. A moderator leads the discussion. The groups usually last about an hour.

Participants listen or view programming and complete written questionnaires. Then they meet for the group discussion.

The discussions are transcribed and the questionnaires are scored. Participant responses are aggregated and stratified to provide comparisons and contrasts. Consensus points are determined and applied to the key research questions.

To determine the impact of programming we look at participant’s retention of facts, ability to explain key concepts and indication of new opinion generation. Though this type of research is anecdotal, it does track changes in perceptions and gained knowledge.

Affinity Group clients receive verbal briefings and detailed written reports that include summary data, verbatim comments and recommendations.

THE NEED FOR AFFINITY GROUP RESEARCH

Foundations and other nonprofit organizations that support public radio programming often use ratings data to evaluate the success of their efforts. Ratings services such as Arbitron and Nielsen provide estimates of audience reach and composition. This information is useful to determine whether programming reaches a sustainable number of people.

But statistics can’t provide evidence that the programming has had any impact – did it make a difference? Success is hard to chart on a metric.

To address this need, Ken Mills Agency (KMA) is offering Affinity Group Research – a cost-effective way to document the impact of public media programming.

TIMELINE & COST

Affinity Group Research is designed for quick implementation and completion. KMA requests a minimum of two weeks for planning. Final reports can be available two weeks following the completion of the group meetings.

KMA typically charges $3,000.00 per group plus expenses. Discounts may be offered for clients who request more than three groups.