Thursday, 24th August, 2006 - The One Way Mirror

For the last few days i've been stuck behind a one way mirror spying (well, observing really) on groups of boys, girls and young adults in the name of research. We've set these focus groups up so we can really get an idea of what 'the youth' of Romania is thinking and how it differs from what i'm used to. Topics covered include - heroes, brands, the internet, music and film, what's cool..etc etc.

It was a fascinating experience which detached you from reality very quickly, as you were basically sat in a dark room with a translator from morning till night, munching on stale sandwiches and lukewarm coffee.

Here are some choice soundbites which do not fall into the 'valuable insight' bin.

The vast majority of boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 25 site Bill Gates as their hero. In the UK David Beckham or Johnny Depp would be more likely contenders, but here it's cooler to have made money from nothing, than to be a good looking sporting adonis or ice cool film actor.

In a discussion about brands;
"Sony is cool, yes yes, and Samsung"
No they are not, Philips is the coolest because they give a two year warranty on all their products."
(from the mouth of a very mature 17 year old girl!)

"Bill Gates is cool because he wants to build a giant mosquito net around the world, so we won't get bitten by a mosquito ever again. I hate mosquitos, they are the worst thing in the world."
(an 18 year old boy.)