According to our survey in February on mobile usage and media consumption, there is an increasing dependency on technology and a mobile first approach by youth consumers in Africa. This trend is being driven by African millennials with Africa having the highest youth population in the world. African millennials are increasingly using social media sites as tools for communication and as their first source for news and information.

Although extensive research on media and consumer trends in Africa shows a growing transition of consumers and audiences away from traditional media towards online media, television remains a highly significant contributor to consumer spending.

In a white paper presented at last year’s PAMRO conference for Media & Media Researchers in Africa, Waithera Kabiru the Digital Marketing Manager, Coca Cola Southern and East Africa posed the following questions to marketers; why is media investment not in line with the activity that is going on online? If African consumers are spending much more time online versus print or even TV, why is there still an under-investment in online channels?

In June 2017, GeoPoll sought to better understand how youth consumers are interacting with the advertising they encounter from the multiple sources of media consumed daily. We interviewed 3,710 youth aged between 15-35 years old in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa with the aim of determining the specific media platforms they consumed the ads from and how online advertising is fairing against above the line advertising media namely TV, radio and print,  in terms of reach and effectiveness.The insights from this survey, though not representative of the total population in these countries, provides valuable insight into the consumption of advertising by youth and the rise of digital advertising’s reach.

Media Consumption and Frequency
According to the survey, the top three most consumed forms of media on a daily basis are the internet (46%), TV (25%) and radio (24%) with the internet having the highest daily usage rating of 7.09 points.  

Today’s youth has become more outspoken about their buying experiences and interactions with brands before, during and after purchasing goods and services. The age of the second screen phenomenon in which these young consumers are more likely to be on their smartphone as they watch TV, encounter outdoor media or even as they listen to the radio. This is due to the increased growth in smartphone in usage as compared to other media forms. Digital ads are the most encountered advertising media consumed mostly through smartphones.

According to the poll, those who encountered advertisements reacted by either buying the product, going online to seek more information or going on social media to share their thoughts and opinion on the ads.

Unlike the pre-internet era, youth no longer have to wait until the next time they are out shopping to get more information about a new product or service. The information seeking phase of the consumer buying process is shorter thanks to the internet. This new channel has enabled consumers to easily search for, inquire about or discuss the product or service from whichever device is closest to them when encountering an advertisement.

Information search is crucial to consumers who encounter ads from various sources. 22% of respondents indicated that they went online to read up on the product/service they saw in an ad. Social media is increasingly becoming a popular platform for consumers to discuss and engage with brands.  In fact, 8% of respondents also indicated that they had used their social channels to speak about an ad with 15% reaching out and engaging the brands in the ads directly on their online channels.

Youth, Brands and Digital Advertising

As the internet continues to enjoy increased usage among the surveyed age group, there is a need for businesses to seek deeper insights on their marketing strategy around this demographic. Actions such as online information gathering on brands and social media interactions about and to brands continue to see a surge in growth as consumers who encounter brand advertisements seek to be better informed.

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*This GeoPoll rapid survey was conducted in June among 3,710 youth in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania using the GeoPoll Mobile application. 

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This was a key takeaway from the recent PAMRO conference  which took place in Cape Town, South Africa from 27 – 30 August 2017.  The conference brought together over 100 delegates representing the media and media research landscape in Africa.

The increases in population and constant changes in the dynamics of environments, increased fragmentation of TV, radio and even print, suggest that the oldest form of advertising, the ‘billboard poster’, whether static or digital, is still the most cost-effective and impactful medium to reach the mass or the new niche markets  – Akinyi Okulo, Client Services Manager,  Media, GeoPoll

OOH’s Return On Investment Is Becoming Measurable For the first time, a common currency is available allowing advertisers to compare Out of Home (OOH) media measurement with other channels on a like for like basis.

We were honored to have our very own Matt Angus-Hammond, Global Key Accounts and Custom Research present “Audience Wars: Out of Home Media Takes a Stand” at this year’s conference.  His presentation demonstrated to attendees  the ability to measure audience and campaign effectiveness with Out of Home media measurement by the OOH advertising industry. Through use of satellite image and mobile phone technology, we can now calculate audience metrics for OOH channels using the same units of currency including GRPs, frequency, impacts, reach and audiences.

His presentation (pdf) demonstrated to attendees the ability to measure audience and campaign effectiveness with Out of Home media measurement by the OOH advertising industry. Through use of satellite image and mobile phone technology, we can now calculate audience metrics for OOH channels using the same units of currency including GRPs, frequency, impacts, reach and audiences.

“The PAMRO 2017 conference highlighted the dynamic, even turbulent, situation media finds itself in across the African continent and indeed worldwide. For example, GeoPoll’s OOH audience measurement case study revealed the channel’s extraordinary ability to reach huge numbers of people, something which the increasingly fragmented television and radio media can no longer claim. But exposure does not necessarily mean effectiveness, and Marshall McLuhan’s old adage ‘the medium is the message’ is looking shaky. The message is everything. Content is king.” – Matt Angus Hammond, Global Key Accounts and Custom Research, GeoPoll

As mentioned during Mr. Angus-Hammond’s presentation, brands and advertising agencies can now better understand which locations have the highest audience size on weekdays and weekends by key demographics as well as see when and where target audiences travel throughout the day.

Cuende Partnership
It’s in partnership with Cuende, that we offer media measurement from television, radio, and print to the Out of Home advertising industry. Cuende is a leading outdoor advertising data provider in Europe and Asia that uses satellite imagery to measure traffic at specific locations throughout the day. 

OOH and TV/Radio Measurement Come Together

We were honored not only to have Mr. Angus-Hammond present at this year’s PAMRO conference, but he was joined by Akinyi Okulo, Client Services Manager, Media, GeoPoll who spoke on the tendency to compare OOH advertising to TV and Radio. Ms. Okulo spoke about our media product, KGMM, which measures TV, Radio and newspaper audience ratings across 11 countries in Africa to provide overnight media data.

“The future of audience measurement is fenced within the context of content.  PAMRO 2017 has presented a unique opportunity for peer learning as well as exploratory methodologies on identifying, tracking and measuring content.” Akinyi Okulo, Client Services Manager, Media 

Download Mr. Angus-Hammond’s full presentation now

The post Out of Home Media Takes a Stand at #PAMRO2017 appeared first on GeoPoll.

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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