Dr. Sharon Livingston
The Snow White Theory of Group Dynamics
People often ask me about the techniques I use and teach to Moderators and Coaches. How did I learn them myself and how did I come up...
Search
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Branding and the Use of Archetypes
At the core of any compelling brand story is an essential brand archetype. Let’s take a step back for a second and talk about archetypes,...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
The Power of Emotional Marketing
People get very confused by the term Emotional Marketing and I’m here right now to clear it up. This is an often-used definition that is...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
GOT MILK? HOW THE ICONIC CAMPAIGN CAME TO BE
In 1993, a focus group headed by Jon Steel, a partner at the San Francisco-based advertising film Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, asked...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
What I Learned from Conducting Over 62,000 Interviews
Not job interviews but research interviews with thousands upon thousands of patients, parents, health care professionals, kids, business...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
THE "BACK ROOM" CHALLENGE FOR THE QUALITATIVE RESEARCHERS
Most qualitative researchers are very aware of the types of difficulties which can occur in the front room leading questions, dominating...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
The Backlash Against Pink and Blue Branding
As more and more parents push back against gender stereotypes, retailers are choosing to throw out the pink and blue rule book and...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR BRAND STORY
A brand story is made up of all that you are and all that you do. From the company’s history, mission, inspiration, goals, products,...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
How to be Creative with Qualitative Research
Are you thinking about developing a standard guide or adding some creative or projective exercises to your Focus Groups? Whether you’re...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Be Creative! to Discover In-Depth Insights
While they are often the people who get credit for it, it’s not just the ad agency “creatives” who have imagination, intuition and...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
How I Helped Totinos Retarget Pizza Rolls
A number of years ago, I was brought in by Pillsbury to help them understand their Totino’s Pizza Roll positioning. There was some...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
How Lysistrata Helped Me Uncover Women's Unspoken Needs
Lysistrata is the comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata convinces the women of...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Ten Tips for Engaging Participants in Video Focus Groups
In a previous article, I spoke about the benefits of doing focus groups on video conference instead of in person. There are a number of...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Why Vampires Love Ray-Ban
I am stuck on TV dramas like For All Mankind, Billions, and Mosquito Coast. These are popular, respectable series to watch. But as much...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
What COVID Taught Me About Online Video Focus Groups
From Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 12, 1959 When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Emotional Marketing Mistakes
If you want to know which emotional end benefits are most meaningful to the consumer’s connection to your brand, the last thing you want...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Qualitative Research During COVID-19 and Beyond
Bob Lederer of RFL communications invited me to talk about conducting qualitative research during this chaotic time. As everyone knows,...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
14 Ways To Keep Your Team's Spirits Up During The Colder Months
After the excitement of the start of the season fades away, winter can feel near endless. Even if you don’t live somewhere with snow and...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
16 Ways To Handle A Client Who Has Unrealistic Expectations
From Forbes Business Council 13. Prioritize The Project Tasks – Dr Sharon Livingston The client talks about the tasks and goals that are...
Dr. Sharon Livingston
Emotions vs. Emotional Benefits - Part III
If you were to read the benefit statements in Part II of this series (e.g. "I am a sexy person because I drive an aerodynamic car") to a...