MDI Illumina, as the students like to say, is the disguised market research club of Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. It provides companies with a unique opportunity to study consumer behavior, since the past 22 years, in a format that aims to produce the cleanest and most bias-free incites from market research. MDI Illumina is proud to claim itself as the second oldest club of such a setup in India.
Incepted in 1997, Illumina fancies a relationship with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Pepsi, ITC, RPG Spencers, Airtel, SBI, Nokia, Dabur, and several others.
Events at MDI Illumina
MDI, the school of change masters and thought leaders, conducts Illumina in four formats:
• Rural Illumina
• Urban Illumina (Diwali Fair)
• Expressions – Illumina for Children
• Indulge – Mall Illumina
Rural Illumina
Rural Illumina is the market research conducted during the famous Dussehra Mela at Pataudi. It allows us to study rurban (semi-urban) consumers.
Urban Illumina
Urban Illumina, in the form of Diwali Fair, witnesses visitors from various walks of life. It has seen celebrities like Euphoria, The Local Train, etc. perform in front of a massive crowd. It also has food stalls, merchandise stalls, game parlors, along with crowd-interactive events like the Battle of Bands and Street Play.
The Diwali Fun n’ Food Mela attracts a crowd of over 5000. 2019 will guarantee and increased footfall as the fest is happening around Diwali and Dhanteras.
Expressions
‘Expressions’ is the event exclusively for children aged 6-16. It aims at getting their insights for research.
Mall Illumina
The idea behind Mall Illumina is to conduct market research on affluent consumers.
While all these four events are exceptional, Urban Illumina is the biggest of them all. It also grabs the maximum amount of eyeballs.
Other events at MDI Illumina
Battle of Bands
The battlefield for bands from across North India, for those with a hang of the harmonies and trebles. Shortlisted colleges from a pool of 25+ applicants perform their best compositions here. The judges are qualified musicians and lead singers of prominent bands.
Street Play
It is the most sought-after event at Illumina, organized by Mukhautey, the dramatics wing of MDI-Gurgaon. The audience always looks forward to this event.
Stunt Show
Who doesn’t enjoy some mid-air biker stunts? This is the place to experience one of its kind bike stunt show. All the bike-enthusiasts never miss the opportunity to experience remarkable stunts performed here.
Life in a Pixel
Everyone wants to escape the race of life to take momentary breaks to come at par with self. Amid the chaos, solace is always a distant yet bright light at the end of the tunnel. This light, we believe, is the realization of purpose and self.
Following your calling is always a difficult task, but the joy of being you remains unparalleled. They present stories of courage, compassion, struggle, deception, furthermore, invite you to write yours. We are back with ‘Life in a Pixel.’
Illumina by MDI is clearly a day of fun, frolic, and sheer excitement.
This fun-filled extravaganza, for which the Delhi-Gurgaon crowd eagerly waits, draws a crowd of over 8,000 within the MDI campus. With free entry and hordes of attractive rewards up for grabs, there is a lot to rejoice oneself at the Mela.
Food stalls offering a surplus of delicious delicacies gratify the taste of the visitors. Additionally, dance parties and painting competitions for children highlight the day.
MDI Illumina in the Corporate World
MDI Illumina has etched a niche for itself in the corporate world as an innovative market research fair. With corporate bigwigs like the Aditya Birla Group, Punjab National Bank and Reckitt Benckiser as official sponsors, Illumina sought to unveil the psyche of the Indian consumers by exposing them to various games designed by the students of MDI.
As an example, the games produced in line with popular serials and Hindi movies provide entertainment to the visitants. Most importantly, these games offer future managers from MDI, an opportunity to carry out their niche, market research.
What makes MDI Illumina a different college festival?
Students of Management Development Institute, Gurgaon and some leading companies spend time understanding and communicating with fresh consumers about their requirements and expectations. What makes the study different from others is the absence of a standard questionnaire and loud brand placement.
In line with the competition prevalent in all sectors of the economy today, businesses are turning towards consumers to understand their preferences and insights. To meet this paramount and the constant need for information, many market research firms have emerged in India.
Furthermore, the quantity of data collated by these firms is enormous. The process of accumulating information often degrades it. Unless the respondent, to such an exercise, is unaware of the fact that he/she is being observed, the facts collected are, at best, biased. ‘The ILLUMINA concept‘ solves this problem.
Market Research Conducted
- MDI Illumina 2011 saw participation from corporate like IOCL, Godrej, Kraft Foods, State Bank Of India, Nissan, and Danone. Market research was conducted for Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hewlett-Packard (HP), Berger Paints, and Godrej. It helped these companies estimate the real opinions, identity, needs, preferences, etc. of their real consumers.
- MDI Illumina 2014 witnessed the participation of Airtel Money. MDI students collaborated to understand the Indian consumer behavior. A team of 8 students visited the Pataudi village to participate in the Rural Illumina. This research was carried out keeping the brand name in total disguise.
Consequently, the findings of the research helped Airtel Money to establish brand recall value and brand awareness.
The disguised research has a different approach from the other research we do. It is carried out without letting anyone know that they are part of a study and therefore, are helping a brand solve a customer-related problem. It was a big opportunity for us to research about Airtel, as it has helped us in understanding the practical scenario of the Indian Rural Sector.
An MDI student, Ankita Chakravarty said. (Courtesy TOI)
Illumina is a fest, one of its kind. Enjoy the festivities on October 20, 2019.
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