And it's not just the companies that make products sold in supermarkets.  Look around where you shop, in department stores, discount stores, specialty shops... all of these are reseller-distributors.  The manufacturers who make the products being sold are not there, have no direct contact with their ultimate customers!  It's those customers who make the decisions, vital to the manufacturer, to buy or not to buy.  What are they looking for? It's vital that the manufacturers know so they can design products that will sell!  They must know, and they will spend a great deal of money to find out.

Pity the poor Advertising Executive trying to justify his budget!  Another great source of Paid Surveys.  When a company runs a six-month advertising campaign, they want to test market consumers' perceptions before they start.  Then every two weeks for the duration of the campaign to see exactly what effect the campaign is having.   Is their perception and opinion of the product/company going up or down? 

They have to know this to know if the money is being well spent.  That will determine whether they decide to continue the program or scrap it before it wastes more money or does damage!

And do you know what it costs to run a commercial when the SuperBowl is playing? Over a million dollars for a 30-second commercial!  The Workd will be watching and advertising agencies vie with each other to see who can make the best commercial.  The best ones grab your attention, shock you or make you laugh. 

But that can be a two-edged sword!  If it shocks too much, or too many take it in a negative way, it can backfire.  Now if you were the company going to lay out over a million bucks to run a commercial, how much would you be willing to spend to test it? 

You test that sort of thing in front of focus groups, where you show something and then get the reaction of the group afterward.  This can be with all in the same room or all watching the same video clip on the Internet.  It's important to know not just how it hits one person, but how it hits a group, like those sitting around the TV's watching the game.  Typically the Advertiser ends up with 4-6 different commercials and has to decide which one to actually use.  Which one was the most memorable? Which one made the most positive impression?  And paid focus groups provided the answers.

So you see, when big bucks are involved, and the manufacturers or service providers do not have direct contact with their ultimate customers, Paid Surveys and focus groups make a lot of sense.

About the Author:
Jorge Chavez is the editor and publisher of The Survey Sentinel, a service that compares and ranks the Paid Survey Guide companies. For more information about how you can make a good income as a paid Survey Responder visit:  Getting Started