“All I’m armed with is research”- Mike WallaceIn business, research is indeed a formidable weapon if used correctly.In this month’s issue, we take a look at how research has helped various companies and sectors, and more importantly, what can go wrong when your research is unreliable, or non-existent.- In 1994, Kellogg’s made an error that cost them millions of dollars. They assumed that India’s 250 million middle class consumers would be an ideal target audience for cereal. But in a country used to traditional fare, cereal was nothing more than an overpriced novelty. Their mistake has taught multinationals a valuable lesson about the importance of reliable research.

– Indian sectors have been seeing the entry of a slew of new competitors from Taiwan, China etc., with new technology and low costs. Large Indian and multinational companies are now facing loss of market share, which is painful, and in a scenario of low or no economic growth, doubly so. How could research on competitors have helped incumbents protect their turf, and what can they do now?

And lastly, we’d like to tell you about our upcoming training workshops –
– 11th October: Market sizing – Understanding different methods to establish the size of a particular market.
– 12th October: Numbers can talk! – How you can use financial documents to uncover what your competitors may not directly disclose.

We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter, and as always, we look forward to your comments.

Warm regards.