MRF Maps data to be released in September
“We’re pleased to announce that the next Maps instalment is on track to be released very early next month,” says MRF’s CEO, Johann Koster.
“The data has been finalised and sent to the software bureaux for coding and loading and will be available to our subscribers and their agencies.”
Media stretch model
As mentioned in previous presentations, the MRF is trialling the media stretch model. This tool has received good feedback from the testing group and a workshop will be held later this month where formal feedback will be received.
The way forward will then be decided. According to Koster, he believes that this new cluster analysis will make it easier and add another dimension for marketers and advertisers to target their customer bases.
As the industry is already aware, the MRF is in the process of developing a segmentation tool that is agile, adaptive, and relevant across a diverse South African landscape.
This new segmentation model is being further refined by the Bureau for Market Research following the workshops and feedback received. An industry feedback session is planned for Tuesday 30 August to showcase the model’s refinements.
The industry and interested parties are invited to register for the webinar. Lastly, the audit to examine the underlying processes, procedures, and protocols of Maps, has been progressing well and a preliminary report is expected soon.
Once the report is finalised it will go to the MRF Technical Committee and Advisory Board for consideration and actioning.
Women’s month
As August is Women’s month, the MRF decided to include a few female data points from Maps:
- Did you know that the first National Women’s Day in South Africa was celebrated on 9 August 1995?
- The latest MAPS data reveals that women make up 52% of the South African population (age 15+).
- Two-thirds of women (66%) live in metro and urban areas of which close to 200 000 claim to have moved from a rural area in the last year.
- Just shy of 40% (8,8 million) of women are the main income earners in their household and 30% of women make the decision on what financial and investment products to buy.
“We look forward to releasing the new data that becomes even more trendable as the Maps fieldwork progresses and new observations are reported in consumer behaviour,” concludes Koster.