The Collaborative Potential
Is Powerful
The Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) is Africa’s second largest country
and the world’s 11th largest country by
land size. Consider that in Kasai province,
it is culturally unacceptable for women
to speak publicly or in the presence of a
man. Similarly, in other northern parts
of the country, using the wrong local
language can subject your research to local
rejection on the suspicion that you are a
government spy. Political, lingual, cultural
and geographic diversity all greatly impact
the market research practice.
A major takeout is that without an
intimate appreciation of local context
and the strong under-currents of culture
on a population it would be hard to
accomplish any meaningful progress in
market research. It would be inaccurate
to interpret data without giving this
consideration, plus raising an important
practice of experiencing culture while
collecting data. Global actors must rely
on the skillful navigation of local research
partners.
Advancement in practice and technology
also means there is a place for knowledge
share across African markets and
across continents between researchers
and between clients and researchers.
AMRA Forum provided opportunities
for the dialogue to start across local
and global research firms, government
agency and industry. Equally important
is the conversation among young and
experienced researchers. The opportunities
are immense, and the benefits will only
help to elevate the place of the insight
industry in Africa’s future.
The Challenges of Diversity
are Surmountable
Imagine Ethiopia and Mauritius taking
center stage to spotlight diversity!
One is a nation of close to 100 million
people covering an equally vast land mass
whereas the other is an island nation of
slightly over a million people. How much
diversity can there be in 1million people?
How much diversity is found in 100
million citizen? Cue the erudite wonders
of sampling methodologies and you will
find just how hard it is to segment a
sample of 1 million.
Without an intimate ap-
preciation of local con-
text and the strong un-
der-currents of culture
on a population it would
be hard to accomplish
any meaningful prog-
ress in market research.
It would be inaccurate
to interpret data with-
out giving this consid-
eration, plus raising an
important practice of
experiencing culture
while collecting data.
Global actors must rely
on the skillful naviga-
tion of local research
partners.
The general consensus is that Africa can no
longer be viewed as one whole composite
country. Boxing the entire population of
the African consumer into one size fits
all generalizations is a sure way to miss
the many opportunities this vast market
holds. Brands must be prepared to study
the uniquely diverse local contexts and
adapt themselves to blend with the trend.
Presenters also showed how challenges
of infrastructure are being overcome by
mobile technology which has shown
incredible uptake across Africa! In South
Africa the rainbow nation, it was shown
that it is possible to endear a brand to
different market segments by identifying
their unique identities and differentiators.
All this is done while remaining true to
the brand DNA.
The Championing of Africa’s
representation is our
collective responsibility
The room had a total representation of
24 countries, 16 of whom were African
countries! There was clear excitement
in the interaction of Anglophone and
Francophone and Portuguese speaking
practitioners from across Africa. North
Africa to South Africa, West Africa to
East Africa were all represented.
There was a silent acknowledgement that
working in silos isn’t the best for the
continent, we needed to do more together.
The reality is that advancements across
the continent are shrinking the distance
and creating a need to speak loud and
proud of clients and MR professionals
who have come of age in forging the
future of insight generation in the Africa’s
52 markets.
This challenge was soundly administered
to all Africa’s market research professionals
present in the room by Chief Guest,
Polycarp Igathe, the immediate former
Deputy Governor of Kenya’s capital city,
Nairobi.
His plea was simple and concise: Africa’s
policy experts and business leaders would
do less of “boiling oceans” and “fishing in
dry ponds” if market researchers helped
them make more informed decisions
backed by sound data insights. He
challenged the sitting to come up with
a “new expression of value” to ensure
all sectors are utilizing data in decision
making.
Social Media is an untapped
wellspring of insights for
Africa
Africans are magnanimous. They are
warm, optimistic people who are known
for their generous spirit in hospitality and
so you may be forgiven for thinking that
this was the only merit behind the award
for best presentation going to Tory Gentes
from the United States of America.
It is known that Africa has the youngest
population in the world, and this
population holds the key to Africa’s
future and stability. This segment of the
population, owing to advancement in
mobile connectivity is also increasingly
connected to social platforms as the cost
of data reduces. This award was therefore
not about a cliché. It was a well-deserved
win from a stellar presentation on how
social media can greatly improve market
research outcomes on the continent.
The recognition that social media and