International business sony question?

[boynton35]

Although Sony's mini disc recorder/player was a huge hit in Japan, initial response to the mini disc in the us market was lukewarm. When Sony mounted its third official attempt to launch its mini disc in the united states, it thought it finally had the right formula. A Sony executive noted " This time around we've done our homework, and we've found out whats in consumers heads" What type of research do you think Sony used to get inside the heads" of its target market? Do you think different cultures prefer to conduct certain types of market research? Explain.