Jack in the tiffin box
Unconventional paths to new product idea development

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	Author(s): Sangeeta Gupta, Subhransu Rout, Farheen Romani Collection: Qualitative Research 2004 Keywords: Ethnographic Research, Focus Groups, Product Testing, Innovation, Culture

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Mothers struggle every morning to fill their childrens' lunchboxes (tiffins) with items that are nourishing, satiating, healthy and actually get eaten. However, the child wants to be surprised with interesting foods that can even make his friends envious - a clear gap! Exploring this opportunity using regular research methodology would have been limiting. GlaxoSmithKline, in conjunction with their research partner, AC Nielsen ORG-MARG, utilized an ethnographic approach to the study. Researchers captured all interactions with the boxes 'live' - they 'attended' school, especially at break times, rode buses and visited mums at early morning tiffin packing hours. These observations/interactions were followed with idea generation focus groups with 'creative' mums and kids. By understanding both the mum's and the child's needs, clear direction was obtained for the development of a range of tiffin foods.