A world of unique challenges
Editor’s note: Donavan Klinger is research consultant at MarketResponse International, a Minneapolis research firm.
For international marketing researchers, there really is no such thing as a typical week. There are times that we are sitting quietly behind our desks looking at numbers or transcripts and writing a report, with a lunch break the only excitement of the day. But there are many other times that we may find ourselves in a politically unstable country, waiting for bodyguards to escort us back to our research site, risking yellow fever, or dodging elephant riders on the highway at night who drive without lights.
One such “typical” week we found ourselves heading to a land and culture far from our native U.S.: India. Previous visitors reminded us that we would be experiencing a range of extremes - from abject poverty to incomparable beauty. In the end, despite the inherent challenges and rewards of the locale, we focused on our mission: to conduct marketing research on a new automobile concept!
After getting poked with more injections than a pincushion, and loading up on malaria tablets, we packed our bags and took off. It was an 18-hour flight (not counting our stop at Amsterdam Schiphol to stock up on Dutch stroopwafels, to which we had become addicted on previous visits to our Dutch office).
New car concept
Like many automakers worldwide, our client was considering introducing a low-priced car concept in the Indian market. Recent economic indications pointed to an expanding Indian middle-class. Were they ready for a low-priced import? Was this the one? We brought along a working prototype, which had to be transported with care as it was the only one, and although the mechanical engineers went along with us, if it dropped or broke completely, the entire research investment would have been lost.
We started our trip in Mumbai, formerly Bombay, and met with our local research partners based there. After adjusting a bit to the 10.5-hour time difference, we flew to Bangalore, on the bottom tip of India. Here we were faced with a smaller-than-expected venue, decorated like a bordello with heavy red curtains. But the cozy confines helped unify our team of researchers, clients, interpreters and partners. Flexibility is extremely important, especially when conditions are less-than-perfect.
Comforts of home
Although we try to be flexible, there are certain times where we insist on the comforts of home, such as having fire extinguishers nearby. We took this luxury for granted until a small fire broke out while the local technicians were hooking up (overloading) the circuits with the audio-video equipment. After frantically looking for the closest extinguishers, we realized they were on a different floor of the hotel. After that incident, we made sure there were sufficient fire extinguishers in every research area and even took them to bed with us at night, just in case.
In India we encountered two official languages, Hindi and English, and many times a third language, as was the case with Kannada in Bangalore. The respondents continuously switched back and forth and sometimes the interpreters were simply repeating in English what was said in English. But this was necessary, for at any moment, they could switch back to another language, even mid-phrase. It was also necessary to have English interpreters in India who could speak a neutral dialect of English we Westerners could understand, to smooth over the rough spots so we could glean every detail and nuance out of the groups.
Outside of our intense research schedule, we found it humorous and somehow fitting that although we were there for car research, we spent most of the time being transported around town by three-wheeled rickshaws. On several occasions we thought we were going to die in them, but for some odd reason at the time, we didn’t care. We were there on a research mission, one which may lead to the demise of the rickshaw some day, which might mean safer Indian roads, and cleaner air. But the rides won’t be as thrilling.
Our research endeavor also included a ride-and-drive of the prototype vehicle, which took place in an enclosed field in a semi-rural area outside of town to simulate a true Indian driving experience (except for having to dodge all the rickshaws).
Mixed emotions
When we finally boarded a KLM flight in New Delhi for our flight back to the U.S., we left India with mixed emotions. We were safe, relatively healthy, we had the findings we were after, and even the test vehicle survived the research. But we had to leave such a fascinating land, where everything was so intense, from the wide range of economic and social levels to the beautiful saris, smells of incense and curries, the noisy rickshaw traffic and the debilitating heat of the Northern India sun.
It was an intense experience, replete with vivid insights, which we included in our final reports and also filed away in our memories to relive for decades to come. And to think of where we might go as researchers next week!