Kantar and its companies, Added Value, Lightspeed GMI, TNS and Millward Brown recently held a mobile masterclass at the Four Seasons Hotel Westcliff. The event aimed to explain to clients how they can unlock the full power and potential of mobile in marketing and market research. Michael Bratt attended the gathering. Here, he gives six tips on how to maximise your mobile marketing muscle.
The main focus of the event was surveys, a document that is sent out to consumers to find out, not only what their product preferences are but also, why they choose a particular brand. Mobile took centre stage because of its vast reach on the African continent. TNS says there was an 83% increase in the use of smartphones in Africa and the Middle East in 2014. At the event mobile was described as “a vital component of people’s lives which allows real time access to consumers. They can also be reached in often difficult to reach areas”. These were cited as the major benefits of mobile marketing and market research.
1. Think mobile first in terms of survey design
The main message stressed at the event by different representatives was, when creating a survey you want to send out, always think mobile first in terms of the design of it. Steve Gutterman, president of Geopoll says, “The biggest challenge is getting people to move past the mind-set of using traditional mediums of collecting information and changing their minds through educating”. He said that the move to mobile data collection is essential for business as it offers the furthest reach, quickest turnaround time and greatest benefits.
2. Keep it short and simple
So now that we have picked a mobile survey, how must it be designed? All the experts said it must be kept short and simple as it is being read on a smaller screen. The longer it is the more time it takes to complete which leads to more chance people will not complete it. Either they lose interest or they become frustrated due to technical glitches. Andrew Cayton, Global COO of Lightspeed GMI, says “market research is all about making it concise, with the wording of questions concise and punchy. A survey is short to keep respondents engaged and it must be engaging to look at”. Millward Brown says also try and create a survey that is device agnostic, i.e. it works across several platforms, including feature phones, smartphones, tablets and pcs.
3. Ask the right questions
It is easy to ask your customers questions, but if they are not the right questions then you will not get the answers you are looking for. It is great to find out what products your consumers like and buy but it is equally important to ask why. Firstly identify what you are looking to get out of the survey you are creating. This will lead to more focused research with a clear objective. As Cayton describes, “mobile is not for everyone’s needs. You tailor a survey to get answers to a client’s specific needs”. This will allow you to get into the minds of the people you serve and explore their preferences and reasoning.
4. Don’t just collect raw data, act on it
During the gathering a perfect example was given illustrating how not to use data. It was compared to going to a shop and buying groceries. When you get home you put them in the fridge but you don’t just leave them there. You then take them out, cook and eat them. It is the same with data. You now have this fridge full of data but it is useless if you just leave it in there. You have to take it out and act on it. One of the best ways to do this, according to Nick Nyhan, CEO of WPP Data Alliance, is to use the data to not only benefit your company but the lives of your consumers as well. “Research is a dialogue, rather than extraction. We need to get data but also react on data received to enrich people’s lives,” Nyhan said. He also encouraged brands to think creatively about what they can use the data for. He called it data horizontality, where information is collected and used in multiple ways.
5. Surveys are not the only tool you should use
While surveys, particularly mobile ones, can be extremely effective in getting data, all the agencies at the event stressed that it is not the only method that you should be using. Guy Rolfe and Mardien Drew from Kantar Mobile discussed the concept of recognology, analysing photos, videos and other sources of social media to gather information about consumer preferences and insights. Millward Brown described mobile surveys as “just one tool in a box of many tools that you should be using”. All of the industry players at the event stressed that mobile is not suitable for everyone’s needs or for getting the information that you may be looking for.
6. Partner up
The most effective mobile survey will involve your business and a partner, whether it is with a research agency or a business that has a large consumer database. Richard Rice, director of business development at TNS, says, “Getting access to the right respondents and proper representation is crucial. You can do this by partnering with a suitable business that has a massive mobile database”. The partner may also be able to analyse the data collected better than you can and may also be able to better recommend the best courses of action your business should take.
Follow Michael Bratt on Twitter @MichaelBratt8
