In our college days, among the few options for earning some pocket money, the most attractive one was doing market research. The remuneration was nominal, but our needs and options were also limited unlike today, where you can easily blow up money at malls.

The market research agency picked us up for specific short projects. The work was interesting and varied. Normally, we just had to approach some people of the desired profile and fill up a standard form with their answers.

There was this one survey where we had to go to houses between 8.30 and 9.30 pm and ask people about their TV viewing habits. Those were the Doordarshan-only days and people had no choice. I and a friend rushed from house to house trying to get the required number of forms filled up for every 15 minute slot. Most people assumed that we were from Doordarshan and started reciting complaints about various programs. We tried to explain about market research about which most had not heard. They still asked us to increase the time of Chayageet and reduce the time for farmer’s programs. Eventually we gave up and assured them that we would convey their wishes to the authorities. As we battled deadlines, yet another obstacle for us was the customary chai that most people insisted we drink. After some visits, my friend resorted to a short cut. He would scan the name board of the building and on the spot, he would decide what Mr.Chopra liked to watch or that Mrs.Ghoshal hated soap operas, filling up form after form. Unfortunately, the agency had a system of random checks wherein he was caught and thrown out the next day.

Surveys were varied and took me to many parts of Mumbai. I remember there were several surveys carried out at industrial estates. The corridors of such places had oven like temperatures from the AC outlets all around.  I would visit pan bidi shops and quiz smokers about their preferred brands. I would go to small hotels and ask customers about their favorite soft drinks. Two friends of mine had an interesting survey. They were each given a bag filled with bottles of a new brand of whisky and told to give it free to patrons in bars. They were then supposed to record their reactions. They did the work sincerely for some time but thereafter settled down in a bar and wrote their own reactions after consumption, being careful to change the names. After some time, they were in no condition to write legibly and filled up the forms when sober. Since this was pre cell phone days, there was no way for the agency to check the genuineness of the forms.

There were many types of market survey. The most memorable one for me was a film test. Here, the agency approaches one house in a building where the survey is held. Participants for the survey are recruited from other houses in the same building. They are shown several TV ads along with an ad for the client’s digestive drop. Their recall is tested. Several ads for the same digestive drop are shown to find out the best ad.

We had to knock on houses and recruit people to participate in the survey. Everything was going well. We needed to have participants from different age groups and gender. I had to get a young man in the age group of 18 to 24. Since it was day time, this was proving difficult as most young men were out in college or working. Finally, I found a 16 year old youth who had just finished tenth. Since I knew that every participant was given a Cadbury bar and soft drink, I used it as a temptation to make him attend the survey after declaring his age as 18.

I happened to be in the room with supervisors when this youth walked in. On being asked his age, true to form, he replied that he is 18. Sensing something amiss, the supervisor asked him a few questions about education which established beyond doubt that he was underage for the survey. He was asked point blank as to why he lied about his age. This fellow then said, “I am 16 but then this bhaiyya (pointing out to me) asked me to say that I am 18 and that if I say so and answer some simple questions, I will get a Cadbury and a soft drink”.

I didn’t know where to hide but fortunately, the lenient supervisor dismissed the matter without any embarrassing questions.

 

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2 Responses to Market Research – Part time Project

  1. sekhar chandrasekhar says:

    reminded me of my market research days as well!

    sweet, suresh, very sweet.

    thanks,

    sekhar

  2. Suresh says:

    Thanks, Sekhar. Looks like many of us depended on market research for our pocket money. Yet, it also provided valuable lessons in sales/marketing as one had to approach strangers and get them to co-operate.

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