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Q U A L I TAT I V E R E S E A R C H C O N S U LTA N T S A S S O C I AT I O N 21 Q U A L I TAT I V E R E S E A R C H C O N S U LTA N T S A S S O C I AT I O N 21 "Upgradations are not about individual good or benefits/indulgence for self, but about keeping the family happy, or doing what's in congruence with 'good behavior,'as defined by one's social circle." "SNAKES AND LADDERS" Upgradations in the Developing World: W hen clients from developed markets travel to India, they tend to think of consumers either in terms of old tradi- tional notions or more "modernized" ones. For instance, after viewing a group discussion with upwardly mobile youth, a traveling researcher commented on the "naked ambition" of the youth. We clarified that, given pros- pects of growth, this adjective was unnec- essary, as all ambition is naked in India. Over the last two decades, as Indians have entered the global context, many of the old notions about India have transitioned to more "modern" assumptions (e.g., indi- vidualism, extinction of old traditions). Through this article, we hope to help researchers from developed markets understand the nuances of evolving con- sumers in developing markets, and how their development process might be fol- lowing a route different from consumers in developed markets. Perhaps readers can use this understanding for ethnic research among collective communities in their own developed markets. Figure 1 There have been some big economic changes in India in the last 20 years. A trav- eling client/researcher could assume that, in a liberalized market like India, the devel- oped markets' ways of thinking and living would completely take over the past. In the "known" model of the West, where there is more affluence, society moves from a more traditional or collective structure to a more modern or individualistic structure, with a corresponding breakdown of tradi- tional structures, e.g., moving from the col- lective thinking of joint families to the greater freedom of nuclear families; seeking information through impersonal and "sen- sible" channels like advertising/Internet rather than the biased and "subjective" opinion of other people; greater desire to stand out from the crowd and greater empowerment to be an outlier. According to Mark Earls, author of Herd, social media has, to an extent, prompted some collective behavior. However, you can still choose to "switch off " what others say once you are offline. 1) Upgradations in the Developed Markets: SOLO MODEL Here growing affluence translates into an "individualistic" societal structure and a greater reliance on rational channels. While the Internet has brought about some collective behavior, it's still an impersonal channel. A game of