Under the theme, ‘A Billion Africans, The Billion Dollar Media Question’, PAMRO 2018 will give insight into Media Data and Analytics for Change.
The conference will offer attendees “a 360° view on how to use media research and measurement to drive relevance, creativity, and innovation in advertising and media planning on the continent, now and in the future,” explains Jennifer Daniel, executive director of PAMRO.
“PAMRO is a melting pot of different ideas and it’s the one-stop shop for media researchers to get together on an annual basis to share ideas … That’s what we’ve always been about, sharing and being the central place for media research in Africa … There isn’t another place for media research interaction at a conference that is as consolidated as PAMRO is,” she adds.
Measurement innovation, research on research best practice, and case studies involving experts involved in media research will all be on display during the presentations given at the gathering, which has a history of high quality talks. These have included speakers from all over the world and from all the big research companies, which are involved in conducting research on the continent.
Drive into West Africa for speakers and a China first
There has been a specific focus on getting speakers from the West of the continent, particularly since this year’s conference is taking place in Lagos, Nigeria.
For the first time ever, a Chinese delegation will be presenting at the conference, building on their first from last year, that being the first time they attended PAMRO.
Any individual or institutions interested in presenting findings from media audience research activities and/or relevant case studies, can contact PAMRO at pamro.africa@gmail.com.
SA as the blueprint for the rest of Africa
Daniel believes South Africa is doing very well in terms of media research, as several joint industry committees (JICS) are driving it, including the Broadcast Research Council (the largest JIC on the continent), the Print Research Council (PRC), and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). She refers to South Africa as the blueprint for the rest of Africa.
“When there aren’t JICs, no one wants to pay for the research and individuals go off and do their own bit of research, but with an industry not coming together as a whole, it’s expensive and the funding isn’t there,” she explains.
Across the continent, certain countries are faring well, while others don’t even have the basics, such as an Establishment Survey. Without audience data, multinationals can’t justify their advertising budget.
“Every country that has media research in the different media types, you will see an increase in advertising spend because it can be justified. The countries that do not have research, have very low ad spend, from the multinationals particularly,” stresses Daniel.
Tickets for the 2018 PAMRO conference are currently available. To book, and for more information, click here.
