DAY 10 - Second consumer immersion!!!!

After the first high-heels-jumping-in-the-rain experience, I was ready for my second consumer visit. This time it was smoother than the first one because it was a focus group discussion conducted by a research agency. All I needed to do was to be there and listen to the consumers! Great, it sounds pretty easy!!! Easy?? In Nigeria??? :))

I went there with a friend from Research & Development (Brenda - she is my roommate at the guest house as well) and we were pretty equipped as we bought our lunch on the way in case there is no lunch at the agency. I had the address and we easily found the street. However; the play was an old building which had an entrance from the gas station. It was weird actually as why would a research agency have a gas station entrance? We later learned that there was a hotel behind the gas station and the research was at that hotel. Hotel? Research?  When she saw me shocked, Brenda explained to me that in Nigeria consumer focus groups were happening in hotels as most research agencies do not have the necessary facilities. 

This is the place where the research was happening. Hardly call a hotel... :)

 

We went into the hotel and the set-up was that one of them rooms was the discussion room where the moderator and the respondents were discussing and in the other room P&G people were watching the discussion through a flat TV. But the facilities were pretty poor (as you can see above) and the connection was really bad as we were hardly listening. At some point the team decided to go into the discussion room to watch it live and I decided to follow them after I use the bathroom! But it was a big mistake!!!

At the time I was out from the bathroom, everybody was gone (normally) and the door was closed (normally). But I did not think that it was locked!!! Since everybody (except me) was in the other room and all the stuff (bags, luggages) was in this room, the lady from the agency had locked the door of the room that I was in. 

The first feeling was panic! OMG, what am I supposed to do?? Although I had my cell phone with me, I did not know whom to call: P&G office, general manager, my manager in Geneva!!! All stupid options passed my mind very quickly until I re-gained the control. I started knocking the door to ask for help but noone seemed to be around! Sh.t!! what am I supposed to do? what am I supposed to do? Then a birilliant idea came to me: CALL THE RECEPTION! And here is the conversation:

- Hi, I am locked in a room!!! help me plz
- Hi Mam, are you locked in a room? what do you mean? you don't have the keys?
- If I had the keys, I would have opened it. Of course, I don't have the keys. Plz. help me!
- OK, which room is it?
- Hmm, I have no idea! :))
- You are locked in a room which you don't know the number?
- Hmm, focus group room.
- It cannot be focus group room mam, there are 9 people doing discussion there.
- No, not the discussion room, the watching room...


This hilarious conversation ended with some voices in the corridor! I ran to the door and started knocking the door again asking for help! And the same set of conversation happened there again: - help me, I'm locked here - don't you have the keys - if I had, I wouldn't bother you.... then finally the lady from the agency came and opened the door! Hugged me with apologies!! Hugg?? :)))) 


I am waiting for the new adventures on my third consumer visit to the east of Nigeria next week. Stay tuned!! :)