Peer Parties

Peer parties bring group discussions into a natural, comfortable setting. Each party or gathering is comprised of a small number of individuals who are friends and who are screened to be product or category users. These sessions typically take place at a participant’s home, but can also take place at a location that’s best suited to address a client’s unique research objectives.

During these gatherings, DRA’s skilled moderators work with the setting to observe, listen, probe and use the environment as stimulus for conversation to uncover those elusive insights that can help optimize a brand and engage consumers. We watch and listen to what each participant has to say and observe the reactions and behaviors of those around them.

We find that this method yields very rich results, as friends tend to keep each other honest. They also tend to be more comfortable sharing their opinions and building on a friend’s idea than those of strangers. Peer parties are a particularly effective method with kids and teenagers as a way to counteract problems with peer pressure sometimes present in a focus group.

In addition, being in someone’s home or an on-site location allows for a “show and tell” component, with commentary from other participants about how what is being observed is similar to/differs from what we’d find if we went into their home or talked with them individually. Peer Parties are a great way to…

• Explore the role peer influence plays in terms of behaviors, attitudes and perceptions
• Understand real world product usage, in context
• Uncover new ways in which a product is used
• Understand processes and the ways routines/behaviors unfold

While particularly well-suited to kids and teens, these sessions are also a great way to engage niche consumer segments such as first time moms, explore a specific day-part by conducting the party at that time, or to better understand a category (household electronics usage).

Peer parties can be part of a mixed-method approach or a stand-alone design.