• Brandweek, Monday, March 24, 2008 11:16 AM

Focus group hypnosis is increasingly becoming a "secret weapon" for Fortune 500 companies and ad agencies alike, says Susan Spiegel Solovay, owner of Brandvisioning. Solovay has been hosting such groups for a decade. The former Grey executive's clients include about dozen brands including blue-chip beer, soda and telecom companies as well as 20 different agencies.

A session, which consists of no more than eight people, takes two hours. The first 25 minutes are dedicated to introducing them to the process--which has nothing to do with stage tricks like quacking like a duck, Solovay points out--and getting them relaxed.

Once they are in an "alpha" state of relaxation, the hypnotist will ask them individually about topics like the first time they experienced a product. "People can describe the cookies their mother made them when they were 5 in great detail," says Hal Goldberg, a former Leo Burnett executive and owner of Qualitative & Quantitative Research. "This drives adult behavior."

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