Hanging With The Locals - Regional Tastes and Market Research
Posted by Vaughn Mordecai on Thu, Apr 01, 2010 @ 02:00 PM
Sometimes there's nothing better than hanging with the locals. They know all the right places, they know what to avoid, they can give you tips...the "insiders" view, and they know how to make your visit great. Every time I travel I try to get some "taste" of the local scene as much as a two day conference or client visit will allow. Many times this becomes a simple search for a truly local restaurant...a quest, as it were, for the tastes of the region.
I have a confession to make and I'll confess it right here...
"Hello, my name is Vaughn M. and I'm a food addict. I have NOT been clean of my food addiction EVER. And, in fact, I actually binged last night (no purging)." "Hello Vaughn M!"
The Food Network on television is one of the best inventions known to man (or woman), specifically the Iron Chef. For having such a girlish figure, I can eat like a horse. Though I love to watch the chefs on the food channel create artistic dishes, and like the idea of eating them, my real love is the cheap stuff. In my book, comfort food doesn't come from seven different foo-foo courses consisting of variations of Caviar, Basil, Hawaiian Moi, Lamb, Red Peppers, and Bacon but the "hard" stuff that kicks trash on your stomach and makes you feel like a stuffed turkey (...mmm...stuffed turkey). You just got to love it.
My food addiction has been both a pleasure and a curse at different travel points in my life. Here are a couple of memorable food examples for me:
- I was recently in New York, NY with my family. We were there for about a week hanging out and finding things to do. One of the most memora
ble parts of this visit was the time we took to sit down and eat a slice (of pizza) and dessert at the local shops and delis. Some of these shops and delis are horrible, some of them are heaven on earth...the best in the world. The hunt for the good ones was all part of our New York experience. - Cincinnati, OH has a very unique concept on what is considered good food...their chili. Have you ever been to Skyline Chili? Whoever imagined semi-bland chili on Spaghetti noodles...it actually kind of works. The locals seem to love it. Though the experience was memorable, the concept unique, and the "restaurant" was packed, this isn't a craving I get with any kind of regularity. The dogs were good. Their "3-way chili" must have a back-story. I think I'll ask about it next time. I will return.
- One of the most memorable eating experiences I've had while traveling was a visit to Austin, TX for a conference. A good friend and excellent market researcher (thanks MP) lined up a dinner for a group of us to a BBQ joint called The Salt Lick located about a half an hour outside of Austin in Driftwood, TX. I love BBQ, one of my favorites, and this restaurant didn't disappoint. We had a blast as we sat at a picnic table, ate family style, had great conversation, and pigged out. This was an awesome dining experience, shared with friends and colleagues in our industry, that I'll remember for the rest of my life...(you're coming to understand the true extent of my addiction).
- Some of you know that I took a trip to India a few years back. I spent about a week there traveling to different cities, staying in different hotels, visiting local businesses, and seeing local sites. After about five days of being in country, some associates and I decided to truly "go local" with a meal and visited a local Indian restaurant. The food and environment was wonderful. We sat and chatted with some locals, watched a Bollywood movie, and ate as much Indian food as we could stomach. The after effects of this experience, however, nearly destroyed me from the inside out. Up until that point, I thought I could eat just about anything. I've never been more food poisoned in my life. We ate Chinese food from hotel restaurants for the remainder of the trip and I haven't eaten Indian food since. Sometimes there's such a thing as "too local".
"Thank you for telling us your story of food addiction Vaughn M." What's the point? How does this apply to market research?
In a condensing world market (world is getting smaller - not flatter), and an increasingly competitive market research business landscape that seems to be losing its borders more and more because of new developments in technology, is there still room for regional tastes and local experts conducting local market research successfully? And, is there a strong benefit to using them in some cases?
I'd say yes. I believe that the globalization and specialization of interests we've experienced as a result of new technological advances like high bandwidth enabled streaming, social media exchange based on segmented topics, and cloud computing...providing the gateway to pulling all information sources together, has produced more of a benefit and a positive impact on these companies than you'd guess. If a company in the Ukraine wants to do a study in Laramie, WY it's now much easier for them to do it seamlessly and increases the probability that they can use the services of a local expert, rather than making a feeble attempt to conduct this research from the Ukraine themselves.
- I have a number of friends and business associates who have made their entire careers out of conducting market research in different cities in Texas. They are adept in technology, they understand their market and current market research trends and methods, and they've adapted their businesses to meet client evolution. These ladies really know their stuff (Shout out to the SWMRA gals in the Lone Star State).
- Salt Lake is another example. We Salt Lakers are a strange lot (not in a bad way). The further you get away from Utah and Idaho, the more misconception abounds about what Utah is or isn't about. The state has been built on very specific religious and cultural mores, conservative ideologies, and operational "norms". I'd venture a guess that even our "Liberals" would be considered semi-conservative in most other areas of the country. Because Utah is not very representative of the rest of the US, few people seem to care about what we think, but if you do...your research calls for it, does it make sense to use a local company?
For my
organization, most of our market research business has been aimed outside of the state of Utah (US). Over the course of the last couple of years we have turned some of our attention inside the state as well. When does it make sense to use a local provider for your market research (both US or Internationally)?
- Consider a local vendor when you are researching specialized local issues or products or when doing research for a local business targeting local respondents. Utah has a wide variety of products aimed at Utahans, or aimed at Mormons. We are the single largest consumers of Jello. We have many locally aimed products that can't be found with any frequency outside of the west. Local companies are best at dealing with these types of issues and products.
- Consider a local vendor when cultural concerns are prevalent to the subject matter. Have you ever done research in Hawaii? It's an interesting process doing telephone surveys with respondents in Hawaii. Many of the locals can pinpoint a "mainlander" within their first sentence. If you are dealing with issues that are of strong interest to the Hawaiians or other strong culturally driven locations, consider using locals to conduct this research.
- When you are bidding on research for local government, quasi-government organizations like utility companies, or universities, consider using a local vendor. Your project win-rates will improve as the organizations view local involvement as supportive of their community rather than "big business".
Are there other instances that make sense to use the market research services of the locals? For those of you who run local based businesses...here's your chance...please chime in!
Do you have food-based memories or am I just crazy?