Entering next phase of mobile research strategy across AME

"Market research must adapt to meet clients' needs for faster feedback on brands and marketing activities," says Charles Foster, managing director for Africa & Middle East at Millward Brown.

"As we become a more mobile-based world, what better way to engage with consumers than by delivering surveys directly to their mobile devices. It makes research in emerging markets, fast, accurate, affordable, and accessible. At Millward Brown in Africa and the Middle East, we're at the forefront of mobile development work worldwide, and South Africa has been appointed as a hub for our core mobile work."

New software

The company has developed new software to work on mobile, and has partnered with a mobile panel specialist, in order to provide an integrated solution to its clients that exploit the benefits of the mobile platform such as speed, cost, and data accuracy.

Tracking studies in Saudi Arabia and Tanzania have already migrated onto the mobile platform targeting consumers with both feature phones and smart phones. Many more clients are actively considering the shift to mobile and have found that the mobile data collection methodology can be adapted for brand equity, tracking, ad testing as well as numerous other ad-hoc applications such as in-store and sponsorship evaluations, geo-tagged location based research and time critical campaign evaluations - unlocking whole new opportunities for our clients.

This strategy mirrors the company's focus on mobile in other regions. Millward Brown in Asia recently announced that Nestlé Malaysia has already adopted a mobile-enabled solution and has migrated a brand and communications tracker onto mobile.

Says Khoo Kar Khoon, communications director for Nestlé Products Malaysia: "We were really pleased with the results of the pilot study. The benefits in speed and data quality were instrumental in our decision to move forward, and we expect even greater efficiencies over time. We're keen to explore mobile in more of our research where relevant".

SA launched first studies

Millward Brown South Africa first started piloting mobile studies in 2009, and have actively been using mobile as a methodology since then, conducting numerous mobile surveys across 16 African countries, and reaching thousands of respondents on every type of internet enabled handset imaginable. In one recent study done for client using geo-targeted respondents, 600 responses were received within three hours. The data was ready for analysis the following day, and was in line with existing client data at a national and regional level, displaying a level of accuracy that is vital for any market research data.

The global AdReaction study conducted by the company in more than 18 countries including South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, collected data in this manner, and looked at mobile users' receptivity to brands in this intimate space, providing valuable insights for marketers and publishers seeking to leverage the mobile channel in their brand-building efforts effectively. Read the report below to learn more.

"Our mobile expertise is more than just a data collection methodology, but is a critical channel for marketers who want to embrace new technology and benefit from the massive opportunity for growth in mobile marketing communications," concludes Charles Foster.

For more, email moc.nworbdrawllim@hceeL.euqinoM.