- Kenneth Hein, Brandweek

NEW YORK Volvo equals safety. In focus group after focus group, participants said the same thing. So, Euro RSCG Worldwide, New York, changed gears: It called in a hypnotist.

Members of these special Volvo focus groups were asked to test-drive the car. Immediately afterwards they were hypnotized and asked their true feelings about the brand. It wasn't pretty: Many revealed that Volvo also equals being middle-aged. That idea "for some people was suffocating," said Michael Fanuele, head of planning at Euro RSCG. "Hypnosis helped get past the clichés. We needed the conversation to get to a deeper, more emotional place."

Volvo's not the only one going there. Focus group hypnosis is increasingly becoming a "secret weapon" for Fortune 500 companies and ad agencies alike, said Susan Spiegel Solovay, owner of Brandvisioning, New York. Spiegel, a former Grey exec, has been hosting such groups for a decade. Her clients include blue-chip beer, soda and telecom companies, plus 20 agencies.

A session, which consists of no more than eight subjects, takes two hours. The first 25 minutes are dedicated to introducing them to the process and getting them relaxed. "We need to ease the nervousness of what they've seen on television," said Solovay. "Everyone asks if we're going to make them quack like a duck. I wish stage hypnotists would stop doing that."

Once participants are in an "alpha" state of relaxation, the hypnotist will ask them individually about the product. "We want to find out the imprint of the brand," said Hal Goldberg, owner of Qualitative & Quantitative Research, Laguna Hills, Calif. Goldberg, who trained Solovay, is a former Leo Burnett exec who has been conducting these groups for 35 years.

Avrett Free Ginsberg, New York, has been using focus group hypnosis for clients including Dewar's and Domaine Chandon for more than a decade. "I reach for this, depending on the client, whenever I can," said Stuart Grau, president.

He said it's particularly useful when consumers don't have negative feelings about a product, but aren't predisposed to buying it.

Still, it's not for every client. "Some aren't comfortable with it," Grau said. "There could be some ethical concerns associated it."

Goldberg and Solovay both stressed that hypnosis can't prompt consumers to say or do anything against their will. "It's not like we're asking people to take off their clothes and crumble Ritz crackers on their bosoms," said Fanuele, whose clients include the cracker brand. "It's about getting emotional content that is so much more vivid and colorful."

Others question the utility of the technique. "It's worse than nonsense. It's a part of the continuing trend of American businesses moving away from actual expertise," said Douglas Rushkoff, author of Get Back in the Box: Innovation From the Inside Out (HarperCollins). "They are wasting their marketing dollars."

Marc Babej, partner with the consultancy Reason, New York, concurs: "I have a particular venom for this area. These subconscious attitudes have little to do with purchase decisions. Most consumers navigate the marketplace based on the tangible benefits of the product."

Fanuele said he understands the skepticism: "A year ago, I thought it was a silly little gimmick, but now I've been converted."