Dr. Meena Kaushik and Nuzath Khan to conduct key Quantum events in SL

Founder and Executive Chairman of Quantum Consumer Solution Ltd., Dr. Meena Kaushik will be visiting Sri Lanka from 11-15 August.

She will be accompanied by Nuzath Khan who is a practicing psychoanalyst, a Member of the Indian Psychoanalytic Society and of the International Psychoanalytic Association.The duo will be in Sri Lanka to conduct two main events hosted by Quantum. 

One will be a two-day workshop by Khan on ‘Deep dive into the human psyche’ on 11 and 12 August at Mercantile Cricket Association from 12 noon to 5 p.m. on 11 August and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 12 August.

An evening event by Dr. Meena Kaushik on ‘The myth behind the brand – which of the 12 brand archetypes does your brand tap into?’ will be held on 15 August at Hilton Residencies at 6 p.m.

In September 1990, a social anthropologist, a psychologist and a linguist decided to give qualitative research a more respected standing as a scientific discipline in the market research industry.

Since inception Dr. Kaushik and Srilekha Agarwal have successfully spearheaded the growth of this company to its current size and researcher strength of 150 across geographies.

The beginnings borrow from the principles of the universe as explained by quantum physics. In the resolution of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle the quantum was discovered as an indivisible unit of matter that could both transmit and absorb energy.

Stephen Hawking defined the Quantum as ‘the smallest yet most powerful embodiment of matter and energy, the tangible and the intangible, the formless and the formed’.

Inspired by this metaphor Dr. Kaushik crafted a blueprint that recognised that all tangible manifestation of consumer behaviour must be rooted in a deep and instinctive understanding of the unconscious, unknown and unchartered.

Quantum now operates in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh and Indonesia and has four pillars which are Qualitative Research, 360, Live and Ethnography. 

Quantum Sri Lanka being the first offshore office was established in 2002 and has been in the industry for 14 years. Quantum Sri Lankan is headed by Roshani Fernando and comprises of a team of 20 individuals. 

Key clients include USL, Hemas, Softlogic, Lion, Dialog and many more leading multinational companies. Though it is based in Sri Lanka it extends its services to other geographies as well. 

Quantum focuses on pushing the boundaries of methodology and analysis to understand consumers.

Quantum is about clear thinking in a complex, ever-changing world. It focuses on thought leadership by pushing the frontiers of consumer understanding. Just as cosmology is a study of the universe as a whole, its unique brand of ‘consumology’ studies the consumer as a whole.

The Quantum credo is to navigate current realities while constantly exploring emerging spaces and future potential.

Quantum Consumer Solutions are pioneers in establishing qualitative research as a distinct discipline and a critical tool for marketing.

During its exciting journey of 25 years and with its vast experience across categories it continues to create several customised techniques that are successful in a pan cultural context.

It believes in staying ahead of the curve and is dedicated to introducing seminal analysis models to understand aspirations, anxieties and motivations that underlie consumer behaviour. 

Dr. Kaushik started her journey as an academic studying symbolism and rituals around the death ceremonies of the Hindus. She did extensive fieldwork amongst the Dom community (untouchable death specialists) of Varanasi. This was for her doctoral dissertation from the Delhi School of Economics.

She ventured into qualitative research by accident and fell in love with the discipline. She found that being an anthropologist in this sphere deepened the understanding of consumer behaviour, consumer culture and consumer psyche.

Her stint with IMRB as a consultant soon became a full-fledged interest and she helped to found the Qualitative division for MARG as a Director of Qualitative Research.

Methods of social anthropology, semiotics and social psychology were adapted and applied to qualitative research and the qualitative business in India was given new credibility and respect.

In 1990 she left to begin Quantum with Srilekha Agarwal and Meera Vasudevan. It was the creation of a pure qualitative research company, the first of its kind in India and Asia which also resulted in a new consciousness and value around the discipline in India.

The most joyous part of her journey has been in shaping qualitative researchers across four countries and extending Quantum’s footprint across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Singapore.

What makes her 35 years in the business so worthwhile is the learning and wonder of delving into consumer behaviour. It is a process of endless discovery and new insights. This has led Dr. Kaushik to create a number of analytical models for understanding a brand’s equity or brand’s archetype, profiling a consumer or understanding the sensory code of a brand.

She has recently established an ethnography division > Quantum Ethnography and a Consumer Consultancy division > Quantum 360

Working across diverse product categories, across cultures and continents has given her a rich understanding of the consumer. She has been instrumental in helping many brand teams craft meaningful brand mixes and brand keys.

Dr. Kaushik’s latest passion is brand workshops and she has conducted numerous insight and idea generation workshops for clients.

Khan was trained and qualified by the Bombay branch of the Indian Psychoanalytic Society, and is now herself a Training and Supervising Analyst. Khan is part of the Psychoanalytic Therapy and Research Centre. The PTRC is a group of analysts that comprise the Bombay branch of the IPS. 

The PTRC conducts courses that train and qualify adult analysts and child psychotherapists, runs two low cost clinics and also provides a range of outreach services in schools colleges and other institutions.