ADS and KOREA RESEARCH. Selection of top experts in the Russian tobacco market for a diary study.

Industry	Marketing research, tobacco industry, HNB segment, distribution and retail.
Company, brand	Korea Research International (Seoul) is a major Korean research agency. https://www.marketologi.ru/publikatsii/cases/6905/
Year	2025
Original source	A diary study by top experts in the Russian tobacco market.
Source	Metodieva Ilona / ADS Recruiting
The author is a "packer"	Metodieva Ilona
Accepted	Igor Berezina
Problem	A Korean client needed to find five top experts in the Russian tobacco market, either at the Head/Manager level or those who had left the industry within the past year. Initially, the client planned for in-depth interviews (IDIs). However, the project was completely redesigned, and instead of interviews, the client switched the methodology to a diary assignment, comparable in complexity to consulting work. The experts were required to describe processes in detail, analyze data, and draw conclusions.
Objectives of the study	Collect detailed diary entries from experts with relevant experience: those currently working in the tobacco industry or those who left it within the last year. The goal is to gain insights into market structure, distribution, KPIs, working with tobacco, and actual processes and barriers.
Task	1. Create a pipeline of relevant experts. 2. Verify their work experience at key companies and relevance (≤ 1 year after leaving). 3. Convince top executives to participate in a diary format. 4. Organize an NDA. 5. Accompany each participant until the diary is submitted.
Features and challenges of the project	— Experts must be current market employees or have been laid off for no more than a year.— Korean client → increased attention to confidentiality.— The diary format significantly reduces conversion.— Narrow, closed market: key positions are occupied by a few specialists.— High compliance in the tobacco industry.— Top managers are practically not involved in research.
How was it decided?	— We used a closed ADS database (2013–2025).— Targeting by specific positions and companies.— Referral chains within the industry.— Mini-interviews and confirmation of experience.— 1:1 work to reduce risks when interacting with an international client.— Full verification of the relevance of experience (currently employed or left less than 1 year ago).
Price	€5,100 – for the selection of four approved experts.
Result	— 4 fully relevant experts were selected.— All had relevant experience (employed or quit less than 1 year ago).— All adopted the diary format.— The project was completed strictly on time.— The Korean client noted the high accuracy of the selection.

What is important

✓ Working with the most closed audience - top managers of the tobacco industry ✓ Checking the relevance of experience: working now or leaving ≤ 1 year ✓ Full recruiting cycle for an international project ✓ Individual support for each expert ✓ Client - Korean research company

Client Quote

“ADS found exactly the right people. Perfect match, high quality, fast communication."

Interesting fact

A client from Korea found ADS through a GPT recommendation.