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Lack of data is often driven by a lack of money interest in a country. Nations with good basic data become a lot more accessible to investors, brand owners and marketers looking to expand into the continent pegged as one of the mass market’s last frontiers. With investment banks, global financial organisations and management consultancies pointing to Africa as one of the hotspots for growth over the next Above: Dr Paul Haupt of Pamro… five years (Asia is the other), the current basic country numbers have an enormous impact on interest in the continent is massive. quantitative research “Many African countries sit with the situation where the census isn’t trusted, Left: Pamro is responsible for or the data just isn’t there. The problem publishing measured audiences of all traditional media, among with these undercounts is that they’re not them newspapers uniform and it depends where one is in the country and what the size of the undercount is in the region you’re in. If you look at the not just one of technical accuracy, basics of Pamro’s media research problems, but also because the “arbitrariness of that’s it – that’s the basis.” the quantification process produces He continues: “It is the biggest observations with very large errors and problem that we have and we’re levels of uncertainty”. Jerven states that dependent on governments to change this these all-important national statistics because nobody else can afford to do it. have taken on “a dangerously misleading If the population data is not correct, then air of accuracy, and the resulting figures all of the hard work and investment of are used to make critical decisions that doing research is based on primary data allocate scarce resources”. that is not 100% correct. So basic country Poor numbers don’t only bedevil numbers have an enormous impact on economic data, but have a ripple effect on quantitative research.” marketing, media and brand research as The other big challenge is that of Jerven’s study of the production and well. South Africa’s census, for example, mobile and digital. “That is the challenge use of African economic development has undercounts that are large by global of the century,” says Haupt, speaking statistics reveals how patchy the comparison. “Global undercounts are about how individual countries will track, economic data is, and how crucial it is that set at between two or three percent measure and analyse digital data in a this changes. The big question Jerven internationally, so there’s a 98% accuracy,” uniform manner. “The other question is examines is whether GDP numbers can Haupt says, adding that “in SA, the how are we going to marry the traditional be trusted in Africa. undercount is about 14%.” Given the SA media audience research that we’ve been Travelling through Ghana, Nigeria, market’s relative sophistication, it’s not carrying out for the past 50 years or more, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia unreasonable to expect the situation to with digital? How are we going to marry and Botswana, the author takes readers be even more challenging in certain other the big data coming from the likes of the into that heart of where and how GDP African markets. Googles of this world with our existing is constructed, and with what degree As Haupt explains, the starting point for traditional media metrics? It is completely of accuracy. marketing research is the census, but the different data than what we’re already Needless to say, the answer is accuracy and lack of data in some African working with,” he says. reflected in the title of the book – Poor territories is often driven by a lack of “The whole world is debating and Numbers. The author says the reason money. The Catch-22 is that good numbers struggling with this issue at the moment, for these being so poor in Africa is can bring more money and investment because there’s the realisation that Third quarter 2014 strategicmarketingafrica 21 20-23 Media Research v4.indd 32 2014/06/26 12:05 PM