MR. TONY ADEDOYIN is a veteran marketing research practitioner and the Chief Executive Officer of Marketing Support Services Limited (MSSL). With over 37 years in the marketing research field, Adedoyin’s first degree in French has helped him to work in many francophone countries including Senegal, Madagascar, Mozambique, Angola, Togo, Ivory-Coast, Niger and Guinea. In this interview , he shares his experiences on the evolution of market research practice and the business environment.
Between quantitative (Quant) and qualitative (Qual) forms of research, which one gives clients the best result?
Both forms of conducting research are good, but the Americans believe very much in quantitative research and there were people like Mary Goodyear in the mid 70s who is one of the popular people involved in qualitative research. The Americans used to believe that everything had to be quantitative; with qualitative, you can’t go wrong and with quantitative, you are dealing with huge numbers. In those days, people used more respondents because a lot of respect was paid to quantitative research. In the 70s in Britain, the change moved towards qualitative because of the involvement of the behavioural scientists – those involved in psychology and physiology.
In qualitative research, what we do is speak to fewer people, authorities or specialists in an area; you don’t have to be a professor to be an authority, it could be a vocal women leader in a local community who is good with dying clothes and has groomed people in dying techniques, she is an authority in that field. However, those who believe in qualitative is due to its first hand information nature; you can get in-depth information from your respondents because it involves interviewing for as long as two hours and so it is difficult to hide anything. In those days, when this form of research is going on, we give respondents money to cook and buy drinks and so we use a home setting to get data unlike these days where everything is done in a business setting and want to be done quickly.
Also, in those days, during qualitative study, the field work would take about two weeks or more (depending on the number of groups involved) across selected locations in the country and so it takes another two weeks or more to analyze the result and by the time you present the results, some of the information might have changed. Even as the reports were done manually, which could take over a hundred pages and include what is called ‘quotable quotes’, so that by the time you are reading, it helps you understand every detail, but then when will a client sit down to read such a volume. Nowadays, what clients want is your power point presentation; they go through it and see your recommendations and way forward. While in quantitative research in the past, you have to be a statistician to deal with voluminous figures, but the advent of technology has made all that easier.
Looking at the past and present, what has changed in research?
Nigeria is moving fast and catching up with the world. In those days, we only had Research Bureau Nigeria Limited which was part of Unilever and then a few others. My company was registered in 1986 and not until 1996 did I set up an office; I was working all the while as a freelance from my sitting-room. Most of the big agencies you have today have been joined with foreign agencies, because they didn’t use to have confidence but now foreign agencies partner more with local agencies because we have been exposed to international conferences which ESOMAR has helped with and we network.
However, research used to be based on human sociology, anthropology, psychology and then of course language was important and if you also do not have a background in mathematics or statistics because of Quant you will not be able to handle it, but now anybody can practice research. A doctor who wants to practice research can because research covers every facet of life. I know a few people who started out practicing law who are now into research including bankers and that helps when the research is banking related.
It is also becoming more expensive to do research; respondents today see the little gifts given to them as compensation for their time and effort as being very insignificant and meaningless. In the past, we could buy a radio set for N1000 for respondents, today, respondents prefer having money than any gift item you present because they feel that for you to source for such information you must have been paid well for it. Also, you have to fend for them properly and keep them in an air-conditioned room where the client can also see what is going on through the use of a projector or a viewing link.
Communication was a huge problem in the past; when you have to reach your clients especially if he is foreign, you have to go to the NITEL office in Marina to queue up and then gradually it transcended to other forms before fax, and now, with the help of Skpe, your client in far way Europe can see and hear you even in the remotest place. So, there has been a lot of progress, you can cover more areas effectively, we have also developed new ways of doing research.
Give an insight of the business environment vis-à-vis insecurity challenges faced in the country?
Insecurity in the country has affected research but to a limit especially in quantitative research because of the volume of people involved, that cannot be effectively done in areas like the North-east where Boko Haram have declared a war zone. In over two years, we have not worked in those areas while in Kano, it has been a year. The last time two members of my staff were in Kano for a briefing, as the taxi halted in front of their hotel, there was a bomb explosion and all of us who knew where they were at that time panicked, they called and said they were fine and so insecurity has hampered jobs.
Even in Lagos, conducting research in high brow areas has become more difficult because everybody is afraid of the other because of the insecurity situation even if you are well dressed and groomed unlike in the past where you only needed to be neatly dressed to get your respondent’s attention.
Do you think more companies appreciate market research now?
Yes, they do. In those days, you have Unilever Group and other few top companies, but today smaller companies engage in research. People now understand that they can hardly do anything without market research because you spend money on research to avoid risk or venturing into something that will not be profitable. It helps companies know how to channel their strength and save more money. I remember working with a cigarette brand in Senegal called ‘Black cats’ for the African market and somebody said that it is not visible in the Nigerian market because they (Nigerians) regard black cats as witches while the Senegalese researchers say the cat was intelligent and so they embarked in sales after the first week, we went back to sample people’s response and everybody says it wasn’t good enough and so the company lost so much as a result. That is why a research organization must be good and competent and you can hardly do a bad job twice, because when you do it once, that is the end for you. Research agencies are getting better by the day.
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