Key problem with the clipboard approach was not only that it was not exactly scalable, but the proven fact of human nature that people don't usually do what they say. Raise your hands if you have read Britney Spears related news items. No one? I thought so.
The data-oriented approach makes market studies not only more scalable, but also more accurate. They measure human behaviour as it occurs. No opinion there (there's a reason they are called opinion polls - they are not factual!)
