Says MA(SA) CEO and MRF director Greg Garden: “The goal of Maps is to create consumer-centric research to track and understand daily consumer behaviour, decision making and consumption. The research results will be primarily used to deepen consumer understanding for target marketing, and as the basis for the planning of media space and time. Key to this is the capacity to nationally conduct a minimum of 25,000 interviews annually, to measure over 1,500-plus brands, to embrace contemporary methodologies and models, to innovate, and to encourage transformation in the market research industry.
“With these and many more requirements met, we are delighted to announce our selection of Plus94 Research as our intended provider of the new Maps research.”
Recognised for its progressive thinking and local leadership, Plus94 Research is the only full-service market research company in South Africa that is 100% black-owned and has the ability to handle the scale and depth of a project as complex and extensive as Maps.
“Plus94 was chosen for its demonstration of the company’s experience and uncompromising capacity to do the job in a transforming market,” says Garden. “Its own transformational standing in an industry that is surprisingly less transformed than we’d hoped for is also unsurpassed. As a Level One B-BBEE contributor under the marketing and communications sector (MAC) Code, and an organisation that is itself a mirror of its market, Plus94’s ability to reach some 25,000 people a year in a national representation of South African consumers is vital to the responsibility marketers and media buyers have to the brands they represent.”
Sifiso Falala, CEO of Plus 94 says: “As much as this is a landmark achievement for the South African market research industry, it has only been made possible by the visionary leadership of the team at the MRF. We are proud to be working with a team of people with a vision for consumer and media currency research in South Africa, and in whom we have faith for their broader vision for the industry as a whole.
“We have seen transformation play a major role in the growth of the middle class in South Africa. We acknowledge the bold step taken by the MRF in this direction and believe that the many firsts Plus 94 has achieved for market research in South Africa vindicate their decision. We are excited and passionate about the task ahead and look forward to working with all stakeholders involved in the project.”
With a mandate from marketers to not only evolve the old Amps research to meet new marketer requirements, but to work with the MRF and its stakeholders in refining consumer segmentation and providing credible, high quality, objective, unbiased, valid and reliable trended information, Plus94 and the MRF will be giving subscribers the purchase, usage and ownership of products and brands research they require to drive their marketing strategies and plans in a volatile, uncertain and very dynamic landscape.
“This is truly a good news appointment for the industry and a good start for Maps. Plus94 shares our commitment to research transparency, independence and transformation – goals we will continue to relentlessly pursue in a market research environment that needs transparency and neutrality more than ever before,” Garden asserts.
The MRF calls on all companies that have not yet subscribed to Maps to contact it for more information on how to participate.
