A Market Researcher Must Also Pay Attention to What Has Been Left Unsaid: HUL's Anila Vinayak

In the world of market research, numbers and charts speak powerful stories even as they dictate decisions, forecast trends, and prove assumptions. Yet, hidden behind the neat and structured presentation of data is something far more jagged, rough, and unsaid. And as Anila Vinayak of Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) says, right from where the responses end, the real job of a market researcher begins.

A moment of silent reflection — where data ends, insight begins.

It takes more than words for consumers to talk. Their silences, hesitations, contradictions, and even body language hold secrets that surveys cannot quantify. In a focus group, a smile may hide dissatisfaction. A suspended answer could signify inner conflict. Failing to mention something indicates that it has either been so normalized or is sensitive enough that it becomes invisible to the one sharing it.

The data-gatherer becomes great when the lines blur-hence interpreting between the lines.

Anila Vinayak's statement indicates the emotional intelligence associated with market research. It's not just about asking the right questions-it's about listening deeply and noticing what wasn't said. What would a consumer not say about price when discussing a detergent? Why was a popular campaign not part of spontaneous recall? What are the silences concerning sustainability?

The "unsaid" mostly denotes blind spots-consumer and brand. Unmet needs, latent biases, and emerging shifts have not yet found voice. It is the gap between what people do and what they say they do.

To get into this layer, a researcher has to go beyond the checkboxes and yes/no answers but has to build trust, accept vulnerability, and relish ambiguity. So comes qualitative methods like ethnography, one-on-one-depth interviews and non-verbal observation.

In dynamic markets such as India, which are complicated by context, culture, and community, consumption becomes more complicated. If you consider India, understanding the unsaid becomes the most paramount-even as possible. A consumer in a rural setting does not voice worries such as water scarcity, but rather detergent usage would reflect this. An urban millennial may not call a legacy brand loser but would gradually shift their choices to newer-driven purpose brands.

Indeed, a timely reminder from Anila Vinayak: data drives business; empathy drives insight.

The next time a marketer or a planner looks at a pie chart or a word cloud, they may do well to ask what is said and what is not said. Because often, in the silence lies the strategy.