How has the Indian research industry evolved over the years, and how do you rate it in comparison to the developed markets?
A. It is difficult for me to make a generalisation. But I can give you an example. In developed countries and particularly the smaller developed countries, the level of research is so high that one can measure the return on investment in any thing. A marketer can see how he is doing in each demography, in each geographical area, because of the quality and quantity of research. The fact is that there are digital maps for city after city, which gives the likelihood of that customer group being present in that city or than zip code. And that’s how it has progressed. But in India, marketers are spending millions of rupees today in every quarter without knowing their return on investment. The money is thrown in with the assumption that we are getting a return. In India, the marketers can get away by using a shotgun because there is no accountability on the number of pellets that didnt hit the target. In the developed market, you have to use a rifle because people would know where the bullet
