Market research sucks

I’m not a big fan of market research, but understand that it can be useful in less volatile industries (i.e. FMCG) and also to gauge indications of sentiment change over time in less mature markets (i.e. consumer electronics).

Previously, I’ve helped do market research for a few large Swedish and multinational companies. Last month, however, I had a chance to experience how it was to be on the other side when I participated in a Nielsen survey in China. After participating in the survey, I promised myself to be very careful of spending money on market research if ever faced with the decision in the future.

While walking on the street, a mid-aged lady calls on me, asks me how old I am and then tells me to help her with something. It turns out that she works for Nielsen, the world’s biggest marketing research company. They were helping a Chinese pharmaceutical company launch a new drug. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to gain an insider’s view of how market research really works, and when I heard it was a reputable company like Nielsen my interest spiked further.

Here’s what happened next:

1. I was taken into a room where she told me that I was going to be recorded, and that I had to remember what she was about to tell me, namely that I was 30 years old (I’m 21), married, with a household salary of 3,000-4,999 RMB a month. Despite being there on vacation, I also had to say that I’ve lived in Beijing for 3 years. I tell her that I’ve remembered the details.
2. Another employee comes forth with a tape recorder and asks me the corresponding questions. When I’m hesitant of what to answer, my faithful mid-aged lady friend whispers it to me. The funniest part was the end of the recording, where they ask me if my answers have been affected by anyone. Naturally, I say no.
3. I’m taken up stairs, and realize that we are in an internet café. The marketing research team had booked a few computers in the corner, where I was taken. I first had to call a staff mobile, so that they could get my phone number. After writing it down, they sent it over QQ (Chinese IM) to someone else.
4. Another staff member leads me to a computer a few rows back, where I see that a Nielsen survey is loaded up in Internet Explorer, in Chinese. I tell him that I don’t read Chinese, and after explaining my situation to him he tells me that he’ll help me translate.
5. The first questions were about my sociodemographics, where I had to answer as I was told by the lady before. I also had to state that I was in charge of the household’s purchase decisions.
6. Then I was shown pictures and a description of the product, which I had to rate on different factors. After a while, my buddy got tired of translating and told me to “just tick this row, and add a little bit of randomness,” to which I gladly obliged. Towards the end of the survey where there were many textual questions, he filled them in for me.
7. Before leaving, I was presented with a complimentary 40 RMB (approx. $6 USD) voucher for Holiland (a Chinese bakery chain). I accepted it with a big smirk on my face. As I left, I heard the mid-aged lady saying “What a nice kid!” to her colleague.

Nielsen most likely outsourced the survey work to a partner, but that doesn’t extenuate what happened at all. Sure, this was China, and marketing research is most likely handled better in more developed economies. However, I can not easily let go of this due to 2 things. First, this was conducted by the world’s largest market research company, Nielsen who’ve been doing this for 90 years. This was a huge letdown to their customer who commissioned the survey. Secondly, in our ever globalizing world, the most lucrative business opportunities will be found in markets that are on par with, or even less developed than China’s. What will happen with market research there?

TL;DR: I participated in a survey done by the world’s largest market research company (Nielsen) and was rewarded for it. However, (a) I wasn’t even supposed to be in the survey sample due to totally mismatched sociodemographics, and (b) I didn’t really answer the questions, as I couldn’t read the language they were presented in. 

“Pay attention to the people who get things done, break new ground, or get you pumped.” -Kurtis Rainbolt-Greene

If I were able to live my life anew, in the next I would try to commit more errors. I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more. I would be more foolish than I’ve been, In fact, I would take few things seriously. I would be less hygienic. I would run more risks, take more vacations, contemplate more sunsets, climb more mountains, swim more rivers. I would go to more places where I’ve never been, I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans, I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.

I was one of those people that lived sensibly and prolifically each minute of his life; Of course I had moments of happiness. If I could go back I would try to have only good moments. Because if you didn’t know, of that is life made: only of moments; Don’t lose the now. I was one of those that never went anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, an umbrella, and a parachute; If I could live again, I would travel lighter. If I could live again, I would begin to walk barefoot from the beginning of spring and I would continue barefoot until autumn ends. I would take more cart rides, contemplate more dawns, and play with more children, If I had another life ahead of me.

But already you see, I am 85, and I know that I am dying.

“the distribution of wealth as well as of poverty”

ryanfreitas:

“Having abolished the caste systems of old and fought to ensure universal access to education and opportunity, it seemed that we might have built up a meritocracy that had introduced an element of true justice into the distribution of wealth as well as of poverty. In the modern era, destitution could therefore be regarded as not merely pitiable but deserved.”

- Alain de Botton, “A Week at the Airport” p.68

Something I’ve been working on

Now that it has been mentioned on both Forbes and Mashable, I figure it’s about time to publicize this on my personal blog as well. Presenting AllaDeals, one of the projects that I’ve been working on over the past few months. First, we plan to collect all of Sweden’s daily deals in one spot, but ultimately the goal is world domination. Come have a peek!