Focus group research: Does it fan the creative spark or smother it?

Mention research to a creative, and you’ll likely get a predictably visceral response. To many, research is a fire blanket that smothers and extinguishes the creative spark. Creatives know that once their carefully crafted concept undergoes a few rounds at a focus group, it can come back a perplexing piece of compromised communication.Clients, on the other hand, often see market research as a reassuring comfort blanket, an affirmation that their message is targeted and on strategy. For the