Episode 20 - Invoke CEO Gigi Wang

The AAFCA Podcast

Focus groups are an integral part of the studio business. Everything is tested, and I mean everything. Networks test show pilots, movies, trailers, even posters are brought before everyday Janes and Joes so executives can give the thumbs up or thumbs down on the projects in their lineup. This information helps them decide what movies we will see in theaters, what shows make the fall line up, and what commercials will air during the Superbowl.
But as the industry had to adjust its model for production and distribution during 2020, Invoke, a tech driven marketing research company, leveraged their technology to take the once in person fact finding research sessions of focus groups - and made them virtual. What Invoke is doing is groundbreaking. In these virtual focus groups participants use their phones and tablets to interact while watching content, and provide data insights in real time for studio executives, producers, and directors.

To understand all this we need to go behind the curtain and talk to the wizard herself, CEO of Invoke, Gigi Wang. Wang has helmed Invoke for over four years and has spent her career in technology, consulting and marketing research. I recently spoke the Gigi Wang to learn what drew an up-and-coming engineer to marketing research, the ins and outs of virtual focus groups, and some life lessons she’s learned along the way.