Vox pops
Let
consumers have their say!
One way to highlight World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2011 would
be to make short films of consumers sharing their own experiences
and views about financial services. 'Vox pops' (as they are
sometimes known) give real consumers a chance to have their say.
Remember that this is not the same as a full public opinion survey.
The main objective here is to collect good quotes and stories from
ordinary people - not data. Any statistical conclusions you draw
from this type of exercise will not stand up to scrutiny.
If you have the resources you could hire an external agency.
This has the benefit of utilising experienced interviewers,
cameramen and editors. Just make sure that whoever is interviewing
is thoroughly briefed - even if he/she is from your own
organisation.
Who to ask
You don't have to interview a lot of people but do try and
capture a representative and diverse sample of consumers in your
country - young and old, female and male, rich and poor etc.
What to ask
Keep your overall objective for WCRD in mind as you are planning
what to ask consumers. Your questions should be 'open-ended' and
begin with "how", "what" or "why" to avoid simple yes and no
answers. It would also not be fair to ask 'leading' questions that
make it obvious what sort of answer you want to get. You could also
make your first question quite broad to allow your respondent to
warm up. Think of prompts to your questions in case they are
unsure about what to answer. You should ask all your
respondents the same short set of questions. Here are some
examples:
- What do you think about the service that banks give to their
customers?
- What do you think would make banks in your country better?
(Prompt: name one important thing that will make a difference in
your view)
- What would make your bank better?
(Prompt: fairer charges? shorter queues? better
customer service?)
These are just suggestions; remember to ask the questions that
make sense for you. Whatever you come up with, keep them
simple!
Camera, action!
Get a digital video camera or even a mobile phone that can
record video. If you don't have access to either of these, perhaps
you can borrow or hire one for a day?
Choose a busy location where you have more chance of
interviewing a cross-section of society. However, try to avoid
areas with too much background noise. You might want to set up
outside a bank in a central area, or even by the Ministry of
Finance. But make sure to avoid any negative attention and get
permission if necessary. You may also want to try a few different
locations to have a variety of backdrops, but in this case try and
interview the same number of people in each location. And remember
that you may attract a crowd! If anyone standing behind your
subject is causing a distraction, conduct your interview against a
wall instead.
Approach the public by asking for their help and apologising for
any inconvenience. Explain in a friendly manner that you will only
need a few minutes of their time. Before you start, remember to
describe clearly who you are, what you are doing and why.
Consent
Inform your interviewee how the video will be used and ask them
to sign a consent form. This should say that the person being
interviewed gives their permission for you to use the film footage.
You can download a template consent form (in Downloads below),
but note that this is just an example - check what would be most
appropriate in your country. Remember not to force anyone to
participate, but try not to let all the shy people get away! Above
all, make sure your respondents feel relaxed and comfortable to
give you their views.
Try to get answers that are reasonably short, clear and easy to
understand. If a respondent gives very long and dull answers, find
a way to politely end the interview and move on. Remember not to
interrupt as it may make your footage unusable. And don't be afraid
to retake questions and answers - as long as your interviewee is
not in a hurry.
Back at the office
After you have enough interviews, watch them back and pick out
the best quotes. If you have access to basic video editing
software, edit your clips together into a short video.
Alternatively you could leave the individual interviews separate.
Whatever you decide, make sure that you take full advantage of your
footage to highlight your message on WCRD. If you are preparing a
WCRD media pack, include your videos on a CD or DVD. If websites
such as YouTube are popular in your country why not upload your
videos here too - it's free after all!
Support CI's international campaign
CI would like to collect as many vox pops as possible to support
the Consumers for
Fair Financial Services campaign. It will be a powerful way to
demonstrate that consumers around the world face similar challenges
in terms of financial services. You can send us your all your
videos or just one or two highlights. If possible, please also
supply a translation into English, or at least a translation of the
best quote.
Email us at campaigns@consint.org to find out the best way to
send your files to us.