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NEW PRODUCT RESEARCH: TOWARDS A MORE HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING

Indrani Vidyarthi
Titoo Ahluwalia

Introduction:

Some times good products and ideas may fail to take off in the market. Even when research
validates the concept, the reasons for failure may not be very apparent.
This results in some serious soul-searching among marketers and researchers as to the validity
and completeness of the research methodologies used to assess and diagnose the likely
consumer response to new products.

The concept researched in this paper was of a large family-owned industrial house, wanting to
diversify into the hospitality industry; they had acquired a 3-star hotel with extensive grounds in a
mini-metro city. They had wanted to refurnish and renovate the property and convert it into a
deluxe 5-star hotel. It was felt that there might be a niche for targeting this hotel to only top-level
company executives, catering expressly to their business and professional needs in an
atmosphere of exclusivity, restricted to people of their own social strata.
When the respondents belonging to the target audience of the company were interviewed. The
overall response to the entire ‘offer’ could be summed up as: “Yes, a good idea, some unique
features which are very welcome; yes, I may try it”.
This study did, however, point to the fact that the physical part of the offer was fine; it was the
‘intangible’ part of it that evoked mixed responses.
To have a more accurate view on the “intangible” aspects of the study conducted, a new
approach to data collection and interpretation was used. The researcher believed, that this could
make the research more accurate.
This new approach is called a ‘holistic’ approach towards research, it involves studying the
consumer in his ‘natural habitat’, with a view to understand his background, personality,
motivations, lifestyle, in short, the world he belongs to and its influence on his choices in the
market-place.

Thus applying this approach to the research, four ‘volunteers’ were selected. Two corporate
chieftains and two businessmen (INR 100 million + turnover) agreed to be the subject of the
‘social research’ for a day, starting early morning and ending at night. Respondent 1: On-the-go
CEO (of a multinational company)
Respondent 2: ‘Puppy’ Proprietor (of an electronics manufacturing unit)
Respondent 3: Socialite Publisher (of film magazines & Coffee-table glossies)
Respondent 4: Genteel MD (of a shipping company)

All the three respondents were from varied backgrounds and well represented the target
audience of the hotel. The results from all were startling…to know them you must go through the
entire research…so download it right now

Brief Overview:

A member of new products and services, in the processed food industry, travel and tourism and
family planning, to name just a few, have not done well in the Indian market-place despite
extensive research that ‘cleared’ them. Very often, the reason for this “lacklustre” performance
was not apparent, even when a post-mortem was done. This has obviously resulted in some
serious soul-searching among marketers and researchers as to the validity and completeness of
the research methodologies used to assess and diagnose the likely consumer response to new
products. In this paper we outline a new approach to data collection and interpretation which we
believer could make this soul-searching more productive. We call this new approach a ‘holistic’
one, using a concept that forms the basis of certain schools of medicine such as homeopathy and
employing methods that are widely practiced by social anthropologists.

To take the medical example, a homeopathic doctor believes that a patient is not just a person
with a specific complaint but a person whose character, personality, lifestyle, environment, etc.,
may all contribute towards making his condition what it is. Therefore, if the patient comes with a
stomach-ache, a homeopath would not only check out his stomach, but examine him full (and
holistically). Look beyond the immediate and obvious (such as an appendix inflammation or what
he last ate) to all the factors that make him what he is. This, the homeopath believes, will throw
light on not only the cause of his pain, but also help in prescribing treatment to him as a unique
individual.

Similarly this approach, when applied to market research, involves studying the consumer in his
‘natural habitat’, with a view to understanding his background, personality, motivations, lifestyle,
in short, the world he belongs to and its influence on his choices in the market-place. We believe
that this method of viewing the consumer holistically in the wider context of his world, can enrich
the data we get about him as a potential user of a new product. When competently handled, it
can provide the marketer with information, which is both reliable and insightful; especially since
much of the data collection is actually more in the nature of “data capture”. For example, this
approach often uses photographs or video recordings of the respondents in their own
environment, as well as, conventional methods including, indirect qualitative methods of
questioning.

In social marketing, for example, in order to develop successful intervention strategies to make
people change their food habits in the interest of better nutrition, such types of research have
been carried out. The ‘consumer’ has been examined in her ‘surround’, whether at home or in the
field, the cooking and eating practices in her household have been ‘captured’, and her
relationships with members of her family and other influencers have been taken into account.

This paper presents a case study where we have employed this approach and obtained
encouraging results. The case study has been anonymised (with some details deliberately
changed) to protect the identity of the Client.

BACKGROUND

Our Client, a large family-owned industrial house, wanting to diversify into the hospitality industry,
had acquired a 3-star hotel with extensive grounds in a mini-metro city. They had wanted to
refurnish and renovate the property and convert it into a deluxe 5-star hotel. They felt that there
might be a niche for targeting this hotel to only top-level company executives, catering expressly
to their business and professional needs in an atmosphere of exclusivity, restricted to people of
their own social strata. Accordingly, a concept was finalised and a brochure produced, giving an
artist’s impression of what the hotel would look like.
Details of the concept are described below.

THE CONCEPT: THE COLONY CLUB

 - A small, exclusive 25-room hotel set in a large landscaped garden.

- Location about 7 kms from the commercial centre, in a residential area.

- Decor classy colonial, high ceilings, columns and colonnades, marble floor,
cane/rattan/wicker furniture, potted plants in profusion, shining brass, ‘Raj’
photos/etchings/prints on walls.

- Bar/lounge.

- Dining room serving Indian and Continental meals from a set menu.

- Health club with gymnasium, steam and sauna-rooms, massage room.

- Jogging track.

- Floodlit tennis court.

- Business and Communications Centre lounge/library, conference rooms, computer room

with use of a P.C. secretarial services, fax, telex, teleprinter, photo-copying.

Rooms

- Large rooms, with sleeping and living areas divided by a retractable partition.

- Sitting area with a ‘work-station’ big leather-top table with stationary folder containing
notepad, message pad, personalised letter-writing paper with envelopes; and ‘old world’
stationery box (embossed with guest’s name) containing pencils, ball pen, eraser,
sharpener, small ruler, small pair of scissors, stapler, paper clips, tube of glue.

- 2 TVs one in the bedroom and the other in the sitting room capable of receiving cable,
satellite and national network transmissions.

- 3 telephones next to the bed, on the work table and in the bathroom.

- Remote Control for operating TV, music, lights and opening main door.

- Mini Bar with complimentary beer, sodas and soft drinks, as well as a tetrapack of long
life milk.

- Tea/Coffee-Maker (electric) with unlimited supply of teabags, instant coffee and sugar.

- Complimentary cookie platter, cheese platter and basket of fresh seasonal fruits
replenished every day.

- Large bathroom with separate partitioned dressing area.

- Exclusive toiletries in bathroom.

- Bathrobe and carpet slippers.

Special Services

- Pre-registration and speedy check-in (with accompanying baggage).

 - All local newspapers of the guest’s choice in his room every morning and one foreign
newspaper.

- Option to have special food cooked to guest’s specification served in the room or dining
room (with prior notice).

- Complimentary limousine transfer from the airport.

- All this accompanied by a high degree of personalisation and efficiency through the use
of computers.

Having thought that he had designed the Utopian hotel, the Client felt that he “may as well” check
out reactions towards the concept from the primary target group, viz., Directors and CEOs of
large companies multinational and Indian, as well as both the private and public sector and
entrepreneur-industrialists (defined as those with Rs. 100+ crores manufacturing businesses). To
achieve this end the Client had already done a quantitative ‘concept evaluation and diagnostics’
study. This had been carried out; we were told, by administering structured questionnaires, but
with several open-ended questions, to 50 respondents in the primary target group in three
metros.

THE QUANTITATIVE ‘CONCEPT EVALUATION’ RESEARCH

The quantitative study showed that the majority of respondents viewed the physical elements of
the concept favourably, right from the décor and ambience to the promise of quiet and privacy,
and efficient and personalised service.
Individual features of the product that were particularly appreciated were the size and
configuration of the room (with its divided sleeping and sitting areas) and the bathroom. Also
particularly appealing were the work-station and remote-control, which they felt were unique
features and very necessary. Open ended responses to ‘what in particular did you find appealing’
were:

- “It’s a nuisance having to get up to open the door every time someone knocks”.

- “This way you get more privacy, even your valet does not come barging in”.

The option to have special food also drew a fairly enthusiastic response “especially since choice
is limited in a set menu”.

The respondents found most of the other features welcome, though they were to be expected, as
they received the same amenities and facilities from the hotels they usually stayed in. The less
relevant features were the tennis court (“don’t have time”), tea maker (“the bearer can make it in
the pantry”), and limousine service (“too ostentatious”; “we have our office car”; “maybe use
sometimes”) and the availability of PC (“I don’t need a PC when I’m travelling”).

However, it was in the area of ‘exclusivity’ that the study threw up some ambivalence in most
respondents while it was something to be desired, there were times when it could backfire, for
various reasons. For example, some of the open-ended responses were:
Among Industrialists:

“We meet mainly state government officials, for which the privacy offered by this hotel is ideal;
however, because of its small size and exclusivity, everyone in the corporate would will know who
is coming or going a big hotel would be less exclusive but more anonymous”.

Among CEOs of PSUs

“Too ostentatious; exclusivity means drawing attention to self…. to one’s expenses. If staying in a
less exclusive 5-star hotel…. could stay in a superior category room and get VIP treatment
without drawing attention to oneself”.

CEOs of MNC / Indian Companies:

“Have to be perceived as being cost-conscious, not conspicuous spenders, and this kind of hotel
would imply premium price. Also, would not be convenient when travelling with other officers, who
would then have to stay in a different hotel far away”.

The overall response to the entire ‘offer’ could be summed up as: “Yes, a good idea, some unique
features which are very welcome; yes, I may try it”.
All in all, it was a classical 4 on a 5 point scale but with wide variations when it came to the
assessment of individual components of the offer.

This study did, however, point to the fact that the physical part of the offer was fine; it was the
‘intangible’ part of it that evoked mixed responses, showing that despite the Client’s ‘utopian’
idea, there were dangers lurking.

In view of the mixed signals from this study, our recommendation to the Client was a qualitative
study, which could well resolve the potential consumers’ apparent ambivalence to The Colony
Club. Accordingly, we conducted 14 depth interviews among members of the primary target
group.

THE QUALITATIVE STUDY

Various enabling and projective techniques were used to explore respondent’s sub-conscious
feelings about the proposed hotel and understand what triggered them. Interviews lasted 20-30
minutes; typically, though, the respondents were either in a hurry and, therefore, rushed through
the interview with superficial replies, or, being aware of our interview techniques, were too
sensitised and tended to respond with rationalisation.
About halfway through the interviews, we started to notice a curious and consistent trend that
even though the concept seemed to fulfil every need of its potential clientele and there was a
generally positive response, there was some hesitation in accepting the proposition without
reservations.

For the next few interviews, different projective techniques, including a variety of theme boards,
were used to elicit the psychographic profile of the likely users of this property and see in what
way it differed from the self-image of the target group. But the reasons for the ambivalence still
eluded us.

A number of reasons could have let to this situation. The use of projective techniques requires a
period of ‘warming up’ followed by an apparent ‘meandering’ through a series of ‘games’. These
not only rely on a high degree of skill from the interviewer, but also on a certain co-operation from
the respondent to contribute his time as well as open up a part of his non-rational self for the
purpose of research (of which he is not the beneficiary). At the same time, the profiles of our
respondents were such that some of them were quite familiar with various forms of ‘interrogation’,
and, indeed they themselves often used such techniques at the negotiating table. Moreover, it
was a fact that they were who they were, because they were highly rational human beings (or
projected themselves to be so at least!).

Thus, we felt that the respondents were at times trying to outdo the researcher at his won game,
quite apart from having a very strong feeling of, and therefore, a resistance to, ‘playing games
and wasting my time’. Thus, we could not put our finger on what it was that they would, or could
not, express. We felt that the “could not express” was also happening because, in several cases,
even with co-operative respondents, the “whole reason” for or against was not forthcoming.

However, what was slowly emerging, was a confirmation of our earlier findings that while the
respondents rated the concept highly, and professed a willingness to try, it seemed more a
question of “why not” rather than “yes, I see myself as a regular customer”. But, the reasons for
this, and hence the directions to improve the “offer”, still remained unclear.

At this point, after consultations with our Client, we decided to conduct the remaining interviews
among a different target group-businessmen, with companies having an annual turnover above
Rs. 10 crores, and not the crème de la crème of the corporate-world, to see if there was a
difference in response. We identified five such businessmen and interviewed them in a similar
manner. To our surprise, their reactions seemed to be almost identical: a great concept, they
would try it, but there were some reservations, neither articulated nor even decipherable by the
researcher. We were in a dilemma. Could we tell the Client “the product seems to look great on
paper but nobody really finds enough compelling reasons to shift from his current hotel? That this
proposed hotel has some problems that we cannot identify, no matter how sensitive the
interviewer was and how much research technology was employed?”

A possible resolution to this dilemma was suggested by a colleague, a social researcher, who
advised a modest experiment, using methods borrowed heavily from social anthropology.

THE HOLISTIC APPROACH

The humble origins of our experiment lay merely in answering the following questions posed by
our social research colleague:

“Why not try and understand the potential client by observing him closely in his own environment?
Could we not follow him around, literally like a shadow for a day or even two, in his home and his
office? Would not a more holistic understanding of our respondents themselves throw up some
insights into their responses, so that we could have yet another tool for interpreting data already
collected?” Her clinching argument was, “Social anthropologists were doing this all the time, why
not give it a try? After all, our responses to hotels are also conditioned by the way we live our
lives and the style in which we work.”

And so we did. With considerable difficulty, we found our ‘volunteers’ for the experiment among
our respondents, two corporate chieftains and two businessmen (Rs.10 crore + turnover), who
agreed to be the subject of our ‘social research’ for a day, starting early morning and ending at
night. Two senior researchers, chosen not only for their observational and analytical skills but
also for their family and social backgrounds (similar to their subjects), were thoroughly briefed on
what data to ‘capture’. This included: his daily routine at home before and after office, his routine
at the office, his relationship and interactions between his family, servants, colleagues, visitors,
secretary, friends; his home (décor, etc), his lifestyle, his car, his music, his entertainment… in
short just about anything that would throw light on his background and personality. In addition to
this data ‘capture’, they would also talk to other key people he interacted with at home and in the
office, to add to the data bank on the subject.

In each case, our researcher arrived at the subject’s home early in the morning, joined him for
breakfast, travelled to work with him, came home in the evening with him, then joined him for part
of the evening’s programme, or till the limit of being able to intrude into somebody’s privacy was
reached (in one case, our researcher even spent the night in his businessman subject’s home!).

And did this little experiment give us any further insights into our respondents’ psyche? Did it
enhance the quality of our findings? Detailed in the next few pages are the findings of our study
and the help we got from such a phenomenological approach to the problem.

THE FOUR OBSERVATIONS

In the first part of our qualitative research, most of those interviewed, both corporate executives
as well as businessmen had reacted positively to the concept of The Colony Club. Spontaneous
comments ranged from the cautious “ a premium business hotel…. Useful and interesting” to the
more enthusiastic” a terrific idea… a unique concept” to the more down-to-earth “great, but how
much more will I have to pay for all this”?

The findings of the second part of this research will be presented in the following manner.

For two of the respondents, we will highlight first what they said in the depth interviews, then what
our observations were, based on studying him holistically, and finally, our conclusions drawn,
from interpreting his earlier comments in the light of what we came to know about him. For the
other two respondents, we have summarised our findings into a condensed version of the first
two.

We must point out here that, with a little bit of background research on our qualitative study
respondents, a lot of refusals, and a prodigious amount of hard work and friendly persuasion, we
managed to find four distinct types of personalities who agreed to be shadowed. We have
labelled them, for the purpose of conveying a ‘sense’ of each respondent, as below:

Respondent 1 : On-the-go CEO (of a multinational company)

Respondent 2 : ‘Puppy’ Proprietor (of an electronics manufacturing unit)

Respondent 3 : Socialite Publisher (of film magazines & Coffee-table glossies)

Respondent 4 : Genteel MD (of a shipping company)

RESPONDENT 1 : ON-THE-GO CEO

The Standard Qualitative Approach:

Verbatim Quotes

- Who is going to run this hotel?

- Tea-maker is a great idea, they have it abroad, and you get hot tea immediately as many
times a day as you want so convenient.

- Pick-up service is a good idea for those without office cars .. but a Contessa would do
just fine.. what does a limousine mean.. what car?

- Elegant décor seems to be subdued, not ostentatious.

- Who needs personalised stationery? Guests paying Rs. 3000/- will not use hotel
stationery… all toiletries are given away to servants in any case.

- Isn’t a personal valet too much? Perhaps one bearer to 3-4 rooms. I wouldn’t want
someone breathing down my neck.

- Can they live up to all their promises of services? If so, it’s a very good idea.

- We got most of these in all hotels.

- Could have business meeting in my room, more private and professional.

- Health club, tennis…. Wish I had the time to use them.

- Location is quiet, exclusive, spacious…

- Feel as if I can relax here.

- Good for business cum pleasure trip with wife.

- Looks an expensive proposition… so few rooms, so many special or so-called

complimentary facilities …. Would be expensive, I’m sure, but I could pay more for it
(than for present accommodation).

- This kind of personalised attention through computerisation is good but they should know
how to use it well. Once they know all your likes and dislikes, needs and requirements,
you should not have to ask again.

- This special food is a good idea… feels as if it could be like home.

- They are promising a lot of attention, but will it result in better service?

- Abroad you have one or two very efficient and cheerful waitresses in a dinning room
doing all the work, in India you have a restaurant full of waiters looking everywhere else
but at you.

- So much space… seems luxurious… good for an extended trip.. but my visits (to this city)
is mainly in one morning and out the next (On likely users of this kind of hotel).

- MDs, Chairmen of companies, perhaps.

- Those who like old-world colonial style.. this reminds me of army General’s house I once
visited….
 - Those who like a lot of attention and “salaams”… want service at their finger tips.

- Those who have resources to get whatever they want… will get exclusivity.

- Businessmen… of a certain class… who want to socialise with executives.

Some of the data thrown up by our observation of him

- Our CEO is an achievement-oriented high-flier.

- Pours his own morning tea, normally had alone in the balcony; and serves himself at
breakfast (servants are around, but unobtrusive) which he eats with wife and son.

- Goes for an early-morning jog.

- Reads 2 to 3 newspapers every morning while having tea and on the way to work ( 2
dailies and a business paper).

- Large, airy, tastefully done up company flat one or two good paintings by contemporary
Indian artists, prints from abroad, some brass/bronze antiques, some porcelain from
abroad…

- Chauffeur-driven Contessa Classic.

- Efficient, rapid-fire work in the office; very efficient secretary who is in the background,
works almost independently.

- Walks around the office, goes to subordinates’ cabins to discuss points’ delegates work.

- Light lunch in Executive Dining Room, sits with other senior officers.

- Several mugs of tea during the day, secretary inquired and then peon brought it in, ready
prepared (not served in bone china cups!).

- Evening: guests invited home for dinner two other heads of companies with their wives, a
journalist (editor), a friend from Delhi (garment exporter) and his wife and a nephew
visiting from the USA (computers).

- Informal party, serves guest drinks himself (servant attends to bar requirements and
serving snacks); buffet dinner prepared by cook under wife’s supervision.

- Wife works part-time as editor with a publishing company.

- Son is in college, was not in when guests arrived but was expected soon.

- Drinks: Scotch bought at Heathrow Duty Free (Ballantye, Black Label) and Indian gin,
vodka, rum; imported liqueurs after dinner, plus Cognac.

- Dinner: Indian 2 non-vegetarian dishes, 2 vegetables, one dal, raita, rice and rotis; home-
made kheer for dessert.

Our Insights about him

- The CEO’s lifestyle is semi-formal; he likes doing things for himself, perhaps thinks that
it’s the best way to get it done better and faster. Despises inefficiency.
 - He is not ostentatious and spends conservatively, even though he has access to
company funds (for hosting his dinner, for example).

- Does not like hangers-on; delegates authority and impatient with people who can’t take
quick and independent decisions.

- Simplicity is his style (although the trappings are all there in the background).

- Enjoys company of his peers.

- Slightly disdainful of the ‘Nouveau Riche’ (did not join a certain club because its members
were rich ‘Johnny-Come-Lately’s).

- Certain snobbery about professionalism, of which he considers himself the epitome;

class-conscious with regard to people outside the corporate and professional world.

Applying these insights

1. While the Colony Club is attempting to give him all the facilities, elegance and comfort he
requires, the ownership and the management of the hotel raises doubts about their
professionalism.

2. This hotel seems to dwell on the colonial past in terms of ambience and kind of service
provided. This would appeal to a “Burra Sahib’ an image that our CEO certainly does not
identify with.

3. Despite the hi-tech business centre, everything in the hotel seems to cue in a laid-back,
relaxed atmosphere, where one is almost expected to sit back and let everyone else get
on with the work. This does not fit with our CEO’s own personality.

4. He expects price to be high because of the exclusivity it offers, which he sees as being
an “exclusivity of like-minded people”. However, he doubts that this will be possible to
achieve. “People like us… have to set an example… we are all cost-cutting today…. How
can we stay in this kind of unnecessary expense and expect our juniors to stay in
cheaper accommodation”?

5. Therefore, expects clientele to be more of the rich “Johnny-Come-Lately… who have

more cash” which is not the kind of people he would associate with normally.

RESPONDENT 2: ‘PUPPY’ PROPRIETOR

The Standard Qualitative Approach:

Verbatim Quotes

- A good idea.

- It’s nice to have peace and quiet, where do you get that nowdays?

- Nice, large rooms, divided for privacy; my wife and children can come with me; 2 Tvs
they can watch MTV in the bedroom and we can watch CNN outside.

- My son is junior champion in tennis, we can play together in the evening.

- Nice décor, very simple, neat and clean.

- All these things, cookies, fruit, chocolates, soft drinks, the children will enjoy.
 - Personal valet is a good idea, they have them at The Oberoi. They bring you food, drinks,
service is very quick. They get your clothes ironed also.

- This (personalisation) will make you feel good. Its like going to your Club and all the
waiters, the doorman, the liftman, they all know you by name. They really make you feel
like the customer is the boss.

- They don’t have 24 hours coffee shop or Chinese restaurant? I enjoy the buffet at the
Outrigger, CCI also has excellent Chinese food.

- Luminous pick-up is a good idea. I suppose you can hire this limousine and driver any
other time you want it?

- This is unique, the personal computer, no other hotel has it… I am sure I would use it if I
needed to.

- No, I would not use my room for any business meetings, why, when there is a business
lounge and conference rooms?

(On likely users of this kind of hotel)

- Chairman and Managing Director of Companies, they would like the piece and quiet.

- Top businessmen and industrialists.

- Those travelling with wife and family.

Some of the data thrown up by our observation of him

- Had inherited small family business, which he has expanded.

- Younger brother works with him, also shareholder in the company, but has no say in the
running of the business.

- Respondent is ‘patriarch’ lives with brother and his family (sister-in-law pregnant with 2 nd
child, first is daughter aged 4).

- Wife does not work; has son aged 14 and daughter aged 11.

- Family men, but expects, and gets, deferential treatment due to being the ‘main provider’.

- Proud of his achievements (won export award twice) and boasts about it.

- Big spender, especially on children spoils them all, including brother’s child.

- Domineering manner he is always right.

- Wife is subservient; clearly, he is her main priority, children come second.

- Home is large flat in posh locality, expensively furnished in marble and antiques by
interior decorator (this was mentioned several times by the respondent) and kept in
spotless condition by wife and two servants.

- Breakfast with children and brother (wife serves, eats later) substantial meal of eggs and
parathas and milkshake.
 - Driven to work by driver in new red Maruti 1000.

- Autocratic boss, demands attention of secretary, peons and juniors.

- After work, meets children at CCI (where they have been swimming) for tea and pakoras;
children leave for homework, supervised by their mother, while our respondent stays on
chatting with people (mostly businessmen).

- Dinner with friends. First they come home for drinks (locally brought Black Label) then
they go to Trattoria for dinner (our researcher too!)

- Guests are two businessmen friends with their wives, among whom he is clearly the most
successful. The 3 couples are close friends, eating out together at least twice a week,
taking turns to play host. This evening is our respondent’s turn, and he is a generous
host.

- Makes a big show of ordering, shows off his knowledge of Italian food, is happy to be
admired, to be thought generous.

- Is gregarious holds centre-stage, voices opinions loudly and forcefully (on politics,
economics, stock market, on all of which, he seems to be quite knowledgeable).

- Wives contribute little, chatting with each other.

- After dinner, respondent insist our researcher spends the night instead of going home so
late to the distant suburbs our colleague accepts.

Our insights about him and application of these insights

- ‘Puppy ‘ Proprietor would like the personalised attention of The Colony Club.

- He would expect to see himself in the company of heads of large companies and this
would fulfil his aspirations of wanting to be like one of them.

- However, he arrives on recognition, on admiration, he needs to be surrounded by

sycophants, hence, the need to bring his family along to such a hotel in the absence of
other ‘admirers’. This would also make his family aware of his stature and be grateful to
be able to participate in his ‘largesse’.

- He would see nothing wrong with the idea of a businessman and his family vacationing at
an exclusive executive-style hotel.

- He would, however, not be at ease in such hushed, uncrowded surroundings, where

there would be little chances of bumping into a friend or a business acquaintance as he
would be likely to do in any 5-Star hotel lobby or speciality restaurant.

- This hotel would, thus, be ‘too exclusive’ for him, giving him no opportunity to show off, a
trait inherent to his nature.

Other Respondents

With our other two respondents, one an owner of a large well-established publishing house with a
string of glossy magazines and coffee-table books to his credit, and the other a Chairman and
Managing Director of a Shipping Company, we had similar experiences.
With the former, conventional qualitative research could not uncover whether he had any
hesitation to whole heartedly endorsing this concept, even though his initial reactions had been
extremely positive:

- “Its high time somebody thought of this. I have experienced a similar hotel in Germany…
also seen a similar thing on Star TV’s “Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous”.

- “But we Indians don’t have the class to do this thing right. It must have style and
somewhere down the line we want to please everybody and then mess things up”.

- “It should be super-exclusive, they should reject guests who don’t fit… price it very high.
Only then can they get the kind of atmosphere they’re talking about”

- “They are on the right track…”

A day spent with him revealed that he and his young wife (an ex-model, now a fashion co-
ordinator) spent a considerable part of the day in fitness and grooming (jogging and work-out at
the gym for him.. aerobics and swimming for her) and cultivating glamorous personalities well-
known people in theatre, film, fashion and interior design. In fact, our researcher accompanies
them to the office of a ‘socialite’ interior designer for discussions about remodelling their
apartment, during which the décor of several personalities’ homes were discussed with intimate
knowledge.

We felt, therefore, that this kind of person would be considered a potential client only it the hotel
was endorsed by the so-called high priests and priestesses of style, those who pronounced what
was ‘in’ and what was not.

Our final respondent was a charming, soft-spoken gentleman CMD of a Shipping Company, close
to retirement age, who, during the extremely short, and frequently disturbed, interview, agreed
that yes. The Colony Club seemed to be a fine concept, and yes, he would like to try it out, and
could we please excuse him as he had an unscheduled but urgent appointment in the next few
minutes? He had been so charmingly apologetic that we felt that he might agree to be shadowed
for a day and he did agree but on the condition that it would have to be on Saturday (which we
surmised meant that we could not see him in his office environment.)

The ‘shadow-researcher’ was in for a surprise, however, the Chairman had his office brought
home to him! His large, book-lined study (mainly connected with shipping, shipping law and trade,
an encyclopaedia set, some leather-bound classics, books on politics, history and philosophy)
was where he spent most of the morning, his male p.a. bringing in the mail and running errands
for him, fielding phone calls (from all over the world) on a multi-line phone. There were several
from his stockbroker and his tax consultant, and an informal meeting with his lawyer was
scheduled over drinks at the Club that evening.

A family man of simple tastes, he used to be a yoga enthusiast “but now I find that I go to bed
early and wake up later than usual.. don’t seem to find the time lately. His wife was an unseen,
but strongly felt, presence throughout the morning the p.a. brought in several messages and
reminders from her. Obviously, a man not to be disturbed while at work!

Lunch was a simple vegetarian meal (he preferred vegetarian though he also likes fish and
chicken) shared by his wife and a visiting married daughter with two children. Once out of his
study, and on the dining table, he switched roles easily from busy executive to doting grandfather,
regaling his grand daughters with stories of their mother as a child.

Observing him in this environment, our researcher saw a man of routine and discipline, yet
comfortable in different situations and surroundings. He lived simply but there was an aura of
money and power around him. Though not ostentatious or a conspicuous spender money
seemed to be of no consequence just something to be dispensed, in order to achieve a degree of
comfort, familiarity and privacy. This would explain what he had not had time to explain earlier,
the appeal of this hotel and the reasons for his quiet recognition of The Colony Club as a potential
“office away from office” while he was travelling.

LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSION

While the results of our modest experiment have been quite promising, there are a number of
questions that would now need to be addressed. We would like to be the Devil’s advocate and
pose three of them.

1. Is such an approach rigorous and scientific or does it merely legitimise subjectivity?

2. Does this methodology pose almost insurmountable operational problems for market
researchers?

3. Would the time and cost implications of employing this ‘holistic” approach ever allow its
commercial applicability?

To answer the first question, the ‘holistic’ approach we have outlined in this paper stems from
methodology used extensively in social anthropology. Thus, there already exists a wide body of
evidence that the approach is a disciplined and valid method of accumulating data, which could
explain behaviour. This experiential evidence would, prima facie, suggest that the approach is
both, rigorous and useful. Having made this point, we would like to acknowledge that this concern
is genuine. The only palliative to this is, the one, which is applicable to all techniques, that the
‘holistic’ approach should be used sensitively and in situations that warrant it.

Whether or not this approach can have widespread commercial usage is something that needs to
be examined carefully. At this juncture, the logistics would seem to limit the usage of this
approach to qualitative research. A fair amount of additional work needs to be carried out before
this approach can perhaps be systematised and applied more widely. Extending it to quantitative
methods is likely to prove difficult, for, the problem is not just one of stretching the logistical
operation to a large sample, but also one of data reduction. A number of obstacles have to be
overcome in the latter aspect. Firstly, an instrument needs to be devised that measures behaviour
in a standardised manner. Secondly, methods need to be developed so that the data collected
from the respondents and the observed behaviour can be ‘married’ sensibly. Finally, appropriate
analysis methods need to be evolved to translate what is likely to be large mass of data into
actionable information for marketers,

Given that the many questions and doubts about this approach that stare us in the face are not
dissimilar to those that confronted the early practitioners of qualitative research, we believe that it
would be worthwhile to pursue its development as a new weapon in the researcher’s armoury.