Our client approached us with a brief to understand consumers across Kolkata, Lucknow, Vijayawada, and Mumbai as they navigated everyday life—at home, at work, during social gatherings, and in transit. But unlike traditional ethnographic immersions, this study required us to follow consumers across fluid, ever-shifting life contexts. 

The core challenge? Moment fluidity —the constant shifting of consumer roles and behaviors based on context, environment, and social presence. These shifts were layered with logistical hurdles: restricted researcher travel due to budget constraints, language diversity across markets, and limitations in video recording within dynamic, high-movement environments like gyms, college corridors, or workspaces.

Approach: Inspired by Mythology, Delivered Through Innovation

To tackle these complexities, we turned to a powerful metaphor from Indian mythology. In the Mahabharata, Sanjaya narrates the battlefield in real time to Dhritarashtra, despite not being physically present. This inspired the creation of our hybrid ethnographic approach: Sanjayavachana.

Sanjayavachana combined structured passive observation (real-time voice/video journaling by local 

moderators) with active researcher involvement through digital channels like WhatsApp. 

This dual mode allowed us to capture: 

• Subconscious cues (triggers behind behavior)

• Action codes (observable behavior)

• Symbolic codes (emotional or cultural payoffs)

We layered this with:

• Spot Analysis Frameworks to chronologically capture micro-moments across contexts

• Centralized Management Information Systems (MIS) for real-time tracking, video tagging, and coded data repositories 

• Local moderator enablement, reducing travel costs while maintaining proximity and cultural nuance

By splitting each day into distinct contexts (home, workplace, commute, social hangouts), and leveraging digital relay loops, our researchers could observe, intervene, and analyze remotely—without diluting ethnographic integrity.

Outcome: Greater Precision, Lower Cost, Faster Turnaround

Sanjayavachana didn’t just help us manage moment fluidity—it turned it into a strategic advantage.

• 20–25% reduction in turnaround time through real-time analysis and early synthesis

• Significant cost savings by relying on local moderators and low-cost tech setups

• Higher insight granularity by capturing contextual shifts with micro-moment fidelity

• Scalable framework that can be applied across geographies and categories

Limitations & Learnings: While powerful, the method depended heavily on moderator quality and adaptability. Emotional contexts (symbolic codes) sometimes required post-hoc triangulation through follow-ups. Yet, with structured tools and hybrid involvement, we mitigated these effectively.