Media agencies battle for advertisers with consumer data research tools
Amidst increasing competition in the Nigerian media advertising industry, and the grim reality of economic recession which has forced clients to cut down on advertising budget, media agencies in Nigeria are now undertaken fresh initiatives in order to gain competitive advantage over their rivals.
In recent times, a number of Nigerian top media buying and planning agencies have launched media and consumer behavior research tools which offer deeper insight on consumer and market trends with a view to helping advertisers get maximum value from their marketing spends.
This undertaking which is intended to help brands have deeper insights into the consumers so as to meet their needs is now changing the media landscape in Nigeria as research is now gaining unprecedented prominence in the industry and attracting bigger percentage of agency spendings.
Until now, the media agencies relied on research agencies like Media Planning Services (publisher of Media Star), Nielsen and other research agencies for insight into market trends. The only sustainable published research report from a media agency was done by MediaReach OMD which has published Mediafacts for more than 10 years.
But Now, more agencies, in a bid to have a more precise and personalised tool to work with, have resolved to take their destinies in their own hands, instead of relying on other agencies to do their research work for them.
In December 2015, Media Perspectives undertook its first marketing report by launching the maiden edition of The Nigerian Advertising Guide 2016. The advertising guide is a research and data compilation which gives marketing communications professionals the necessary insight they need to reach consumers in Nigeria.
The second edition of that report is expected out before the end of the years. The tools help media planners understand consumer exposure to media. “The book is a concise research data documentation that would help marketing professionals understand and work effectively in the Nigerian media market,”Dr. Tayo Oyedeji, Media Perspectives’ Managing Director said.
And just a few weeks ago, Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis launched Consumer Connection System (CCS), at an elaborate event in Lagos. While Media Perspective’s Advertising guide focused mainly on media consumption pattern in Nigeria, CCS concentrated more on consumer lifestyle and product survey, and it is intended to give advertisers and other stakeholders in the marketing communications industry a deeper understanding of consumer behavior and how they interact with the different media platforms, be it TV, radio, social media, billboard etc.
The CCS which is a key strategic pillar for Dentsu Aegis global operations is expected to provide a major competitive edge for Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network in its quests to retain its present clients and gain new ones.
Speaking about the tool, Byron John, Insights and Innovation Director of Dentsu Aegis Network Sub Saharan Africa, said: “Having a tool like CCS Planner in Nigeria has now put MFDAN streets ahead of their peers in the market. Not only is it now the most sophisticated media communications planning tool in Nigeria, but it has inherently future-proofed MFDAN against any changes in the media research landscape for some time to come. The CCS Planner has the ability to calibrate, not only the CCS Benchmark data but any other third party media data“.
Since about two years ago when it launched Emeka Okeke Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis have not hidden its ambition to topple the top players in the industry. The agencies is confident that with CCS, its journey to the top of the industry could be swifter.
Now, Media Perspectives is leaving nothing to chance, as it has concluded plans to launch a new research product that could likely counter any advantage that CCS may confer on Media Fuse. According to report, the tool will also be launched at the same time as The Advertising Guide 2017.
Meanwhile, the Media Independent Practioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) which is an umbrella body for media advertisers in Nigeria is also making efforts at establishing a Joint Industry Committee (JIC) which is a broader media and market research tool that can be accessed more freely by stakeholders.
The JIC is an information and documentation centre for audience measurement and the auditing of audience measurement. It helps to advance the research quality of media audience measurement; it promotes the transparency of all fields related to media audience measurement as well as promotes the knowledge of best practice in media audience measurement and research in advertising.
Experts have commended these initiatives adding that the industry stands to gain a lot if data is democratised. But while these efforts are commendable, the industry still has a long way to go, if data must be truly democratised. Perhaps, the establishment of the JIC, which for now is still bugged down by logistics and bureaucratic issues, will be the true beginning of a new dawn for data democratisation for the industry.
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