The proliferation of mobile phones in sub-Saharan Africa opens up new possibilities for data collection. Businesses and the international development community can now collect data via short message service (SMS), interactive voice response (IVR), surveys with a live interviewer (also known as computer-assisted telephone interviewing, or CATI), and through the use of a mobile application. Collecting data via mobile phones also allows for the collection of longitudinal data – meaning data from the same person over a set amount of time. Unlike conducting panel surveys face-to-face, which is still cost prohibitive for most projects, mobile research reduces this cost whilst still providing quality insights as and when they are needed for quick decision making.

The development of Africa as a mobile-first continent has led to great interest in collecting panel data using mobile phones in sub-Saharan Africa. Although research agencies that previously fully relied on traditional data collection methods are now warming up to the idea of using mobile in research, there is still some uncertainty regarding their use in surveys either for qualitative or quantitative research.

As the leading mobile surveying platform, conducting over 7 million surveys per year through the mobile phone, we have encountered and answered numerous questions in various forums and meetings regarding mobile research. In this article, we pick some of the most frequently posed ones and provide answers based on our policies and industry best practices which we have adopted into our operations.

What is mobile sampling?

Access to mobile phones is becoming more widespread across all parts of the globe, and research agencies like GeoPoll are leverage the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones to recruit survey respondents who form a sample.
A sample is a representative number or an entire population. Sampling is the science of using a subset of a population in order to make observations of a larger population.

What is a mobile research panel?

This is a group of respondents recruited via a mobile phone to take part in a number of market research sessions over a period of time in order to collect longitudinal data. This data helps to paint a dynamic picture of people’s economic livelihoods and social well-being – supporting program design, implementation, and evaluation. In contrast, single cross-sectional surveys or repeated cross-sections cannot prospectively show how circumstances in people’s lives change over a time period.

How are active panels of respondents recruited via mobile?

A respondent panel can be built through multiple methods including partnerships with Mobile Network Operators, random digit dialing, and both online and face-to-face recruitment. GeoPoll incrementally invites all mobile phone numbers in a country to complete the GeoPoll registration survey and be eligible for future surveys. GeoPoll then builds an active panel consisting of respondents who have taken a GeoPoll survey in the past and who GeoPoll is able to target by demographics including age, gender, and location.

Are panelists recruited via mobile nationally representative?

Access to mobile phones is becoming more widespread across all parts of the globe, however, the mobile population does not always perfectly match the national population. To account for this, at GeoPoll, we compare the demographic distribution of mobile survey respondents to the most recent census population estimates by age, gender, and the first administrative political geographic boundaries in order to ensure that the surveys are as representative as possible of sampled populations. In addition, GeoPoll regularly recruits respondents to widen our demographic reach and can support face-to-face interviews to reach non-mobile populations.

What is the optimal number of questions in a mobile survey?

In our experience, mobile respondents are often likely to drop out of a survey. Not all mobile respondents complete a survey they have been served. To help reduce the drop-off rate it is important to have an optimal number of questions that ensure that respondents don’t get fatigued. A standard 10- 15 question mobile survey sent either via SMS, mobile web or via a mobile application is the optimal number to ensure a high response rate.

What is the normal response rate for mobile surveys?

As seen in the US for mobile surveys, the response rates for new respondents can be often around 10% or less. The response rates will vary by survey mode, by country, and by project so this can be discussed further with your research agency project team since they are fully responsible for ensuring the highest possible completion rate. Additional research by Lau et. al. 2018 indicate that higher or lower response rates do not necessarily dictate a more ‘valid’ survey when looking at mobile surveys in emerging markets.
For GeoPoll panelists who have completed at least one survey with GeoPoll before, the response rates can be as high at 80%, for example with a daily panel.

Do mobile surveys require smartphones?

Not all of them, there are mobile surveys that can be sent to respondents on their feature phones via SMS or via call. Based on our experience in emerging markets, one is more likely to have a more nationally representative sample when mobile surveys are sent via SMS. This is due to the high penetration rate of feature phones compared to a smartphone or other internet-enabled mobile devices. GeoPoll surveys can be taken on any handset, including basic feature phones, and do not require access to the internet.

How can data security be assured and data privacy be protected when utilizing mobile devices?

Data privacy has become of great concern in recent months following the Cambridge Analytica scandal among other recent events.  As market researchers continue to leverage the new capabilities that modern communication technology brings, concerns arise on how we can safeguard the privacy of our respondents as an industry.

This access to personal data by market research agencies is why it’s so critical that market research industry associations like ESOMAR continue to distinguish market research practices from platform practices. The market research industry, including companies like GeoPoll, abide by a set of ethics in the management of personal information. Not marketing or trying to sell services to survey respondents is critical for ongoing trust and honesty in market research.

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Our Survey Panels in Tanzania
Our ratings insights in Tanzania are collected from 2,000 respondents across the country via mobile surveys and in accordance with international standards and guidelines on use of mobile phones as a means of research data collection. As the leading provider of overnight ratings for TV and radio in Africa, we pride ourselves on offering best-in-class quality, impartiality and speed in all of our work. As a result, multinational firms, local organizations and implementing partners rely on GeoPoll‘s market research insights to make decisions—whether results verify success or identify areas of improvement.

Quarterly KGMM Top Stations Report
KGMM can be used by any industry stakeholder who subscribes to the service, be it a media owner, brand, or agency. We are solely responsible for designing the methodology, validating and releasing the results. GeoPoll respondents are randomly selected to join our panels and provide their direct voice about their views and preferences. On an annual basis, GeoPoll conducts establishment surveys to confirm the top stations in each country and performs other routine methodology improvements. GeoPoll station lists and methodology are fixed and non-negotiable. They are then set in the GeoPoll Technical Methodology Report which is available upon request by the industry.
                                         Figure 1 A breakdown of our KGMM product methodology

PAMRO & ESOMAR Membership
We currently are, and have been a member of Pan African Media Research Organization (PAMRO) since the launch of our KGMM product and we abide by best practices and guidelines of conducting media research in Africa as set out by PAMRO. We are also members of European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR), an international membership organisation for data and research professionals.  We accordingly abide by the highest professional standards and guidelines in market  and mobile research (pdf).

Our Market Research Services Compliance

• Mobile Accord’s GeoPoll market research services are in full compliance with 12 articles of the International Chamber of Commerce – ICC/ESOMAR Code.  Research is defined as, “the systematic gathering and interpretation of information about individuals and organisations. It uses the statistical and analytical methods and techniques of the applied social, behavioral and data sciences to generate insights and support decision-making by providers of goods and services, governments, non-profit organisations and the general public.”
• The code has been signed by more than 60 associations since its inception in 1948 and spans more than 50 countries.
• The ESOMAR code stipulates standards of “ethical and professional conduct designed to maintain public confident in research” to which members must abide. The three fundamental principles are:
  1. Researchers must be transparent with subjects about the purpose of the research
  2. Personal data about the respondents must be protected from unauthorized use
  3. Researchers must be ethical and do no harm to subjects and do no harm to the reputation of market research

                                              Figure 2 A step by step process on how KGMM panels are formed

GeoPoll adheres to all three fundamental principles. We conform to the best-in-class and industry-leading methodology to provide consistent, reliable, fast and affordable data. We firmly and proudly stand by our methodologies and our data and we are happy to discuss these subjects with any person or party at any time.

For any queries and/or clarification, feel free to email us on marketing(at)geopoll(dot)com

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The theme of this year’s conference is, ‘Content is King, and he is one of us’, a 360° view of media research and measurement to drive relevance, creativity, and innovation in advertising and media planning, now and in the future.

In line with this year’s theme, the GeoPoll team; Business Development Lead – Global Key Accounts and Custom Research, Matt Angus Hammond and Client Services Manager -Media, Akinyi Okulo shall present a paper titled ‘Audience Wars: OOH Media Takes a Stand’ on Wednesday 30th August from 11am- 11.30am local time.

The GeoPoll PAMRO Presentation Summary
In the battle for the African consumer’s attention, OOH has had one major weakness putting pressure on its prominence in advertising budgets. Last year, Max Richman (GeoPoll) and Daniel Cuende (Cuende Infometrics) presented an audience measurement solution using ESOMAR-specified best practice and placing it in a modern African context. Through the use of satellite and mobile phone technology, OOH audience measurement data, using the same units of currency (reach, frequency, GRP’s etc.) is now available in South Africa and Kenya, and will soon arrive in Uganda, Tanzania, and other markets. But an important question remains: What does the data tell us?

PAMRO Gala Dinner: Welcome Drinks Session
On Tuesday evening, GeoPoll shall host all conference attendants at the Aquarium for a welcome drink and interactive session which shall be followed by the PAMRO Gala Dinner. This shall be an opportunity for other media stakeholders to engage directly with the GeoPoll team in an informal setting regarding media and Out Of Home (OOH) audience measurement products and services.

The PAMRO conference is a great opportunity to explore the latest developments in media research from across Africa while networking with industry figures from across the continent and beyond – in a luxurious setting.  This is the 4th year that GeoPoll is participating and sponsoring the annual media research conference. Get the full conference concert and list of speakers.

GeoPoll’s audience measurement services

GeoPoll’s Media audience measurement is currently in 8 countries in Africa as well as in Afghanistan collecting overnight audience media ratings data. The GeoPoll Out Of Home (OOH) audience measurement service launched in 2016 is currently available in South Africa and Kenya. 

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