Thanks to my friend Clint for sharing the term "focus group diva". It instantly connected with me, because I’ve witnessed (and sadly exhibited) this behavior many, many times. As Clint explained it:
"I earned my ‘focus group’ diva nickname by having our lunch delivered to the facility from an hour away. The group was in Detroit, and there is a great deli in Ann Arbor that I visit every time I’m in Michigan (it’s called Zingerman’s and the sandwiches rock). The facility offered the menu and I picked it. To the untrained eyes of my co-workers, ordering sandwiches from an hour away seemed kind of silly (they came around on the sandwiches)."
It’s funny, the back room of a focus group is really kind of like the marketer’s "green room". Only without smashing the monitor Keith Moon-style.
Ann says
Tom & others:
as a Zingerman’s fan since 1984 (they opened in 1983, I clearly missed the big event) your friend was dead on to insist on Sandwiches. They are my favorite “stop in Ann Arbor”, I have driven 2 hours for their sandwiches, and I order their breads and staples all the time for me and for gifts. Great cartoon, but the impetous is actually worth the accolades.
J says
totally agree about Zingerman’s. It’s not being a diva–it’s being smart. Totally worth an hour delivery.