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ASIA’S MARKET RESEARCHAND CONSUMER INSIGHTSM E D I A
ISSUE 50Q1, 2018
The Mobile VideoRevolution
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Buzzwordsin researchfor 2018
Who Are The RealDisruptors in MarketResearch?
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3 News: In Case You Missed It
8 Video Streaming: People Still Want To Pay
9 Who Are The Real Disruptors In Market Research?
12 Potential Disruptors Words That Work: The Big-Data Approach To Marketing
13 Research & Results 2018
13 Recruitment Review
14 On the Move
The Mobile VideoRevolution7
TECHNOLOGY
Buzzwordsin Research for2018
5
FEATURE
10 When Disruptors Don’t Disrupt
INNOVATION
CONTENT
ASIA RESEARCH MAGAZINE:SPONSOR DETAILS
PUBLISHED BY ASIA RESEARCH PTE LTDEDITOR Diana SartikaDEPUTY EDITOR Piers LeeEDITORIAL TEAM Clare Diston, Valerie Lum, Claudia Siregar-HauensteinDESIGN & ART DIRECTION Linking Asia 21 Pte. Ltd.
For all enquiries related to advertising, please contact:[email protected] Research welcomes contributions and reserves the right to select and edit readers’ contributions. The views ex-pressed in contributions to Asia Research are not necessar-ily those held by the publisher.Send contributions to [email protected] Asia Research has taken all reasonable care to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the information contained in this publication, but accepts no responsibility for the content of advertisements published, and no liability for mistakes, misprints, omissions, typographical errors, loss or damage suffered as a result of relying wholly or in part on the content of advertising or editorial published herein. Images: Liu Zishan/Shutterstock (Cover), Pixabay (3,6,8,10), Dragana Gordic/Freepik (7), Freepik (5,10,12), Steve Mann/ Shutterstock.com (11)Asia Research is published quarterly. Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of Asia Research Pte Ltd.
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GMO ResearchContact: Atsushi Yamamoto T: +65 8435 9426 (SGP), +81 3 5456 3244 (JP) E: [email protected] W: www.gmo-research.jp/en
Join the DotsContact: Karen Schofield T: +65 3157 9338 E: [email protected] W: www.jointhedotsmr.com
Resources GroupContact: Rowan Haylett T: +61 2 9258 1121 E: [email protected] W: www.resourcesgroup.com
Research and ResultsContact: Alexandra FrankT: +49 (0)89 1490 279-10E: [email protected]:www.research-results.com
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NEWSIn Case You Missed ItBORDERLESS ACCESS LAUNCHES NEW PRODUCT TO TRACK CON-SUMER BEHAVIOURDigital MR solutions company Bor-derless Access has rolled out a new product, ’TAPP’ , which brings diverse consumer behaviour, emotions, and micro-moments within easy reach of brands. The product TAPP identifies patterns and trends by looking into consumers’ interactions and their emotional state and behaviour with-in their environment, with its unique methodologies and machine learning algorithms for rich, easy-to-interpret, actionable insights for brands. With TAPP, marketers and researchers can understand consumers’ micro-mo-ments to develop communication, manage brand activation, test con-cepts, evolve products, and much more. TAPP empowers marketers and researchers to target in situ and ef-ficiently develop content as per their stories.
CINT LAUNCHES AI-BASED AUTO-MATIC SAMPLE DELIVERYOnline insights exchange Cint brings Artificial Intelligence to market re-search sampling with a new deliv-ery function. Unlike other solutions, Cint’s automatic sample delivery spans across all types of panel sourc-es, including hosted double-opt-in, single-opt-in, API-connected, and re-
al-time sampling traffic. By using its proprietary AI-based technology, the system samples automatically on an individual panelist basis and will field needed interviews within the required time periods. This new delivery func-tion is now available to all users of Access Pro, Cint’s industry-leading sample procurement tool. Users of Access Pro will experience simplici-ty through sampling automation. By simply defining targeted audiences, Cint’s AI-based sampling technology will collect the completed number of interviews within the defined field pe-riod of the study.
IAB PARTNERS HKDMA TO LAUNCH IAB HONG KONGTrade association the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) has joined forces with the Digital Marketing Associa-tion of Hong Kong (HKDMA) to launch IAB Hong Kong. The new organisation aims to promote global interactive ad standards and further digital market-ing in one of the most digitally savvy
markets in the world. Led by the HKD-MA founding members, comScore, Facebook, Google, Next Digital, Oath, Pixels, and South China Morning Post, the newly IAB-affiliated trade organi-sation will work with IAB to drive com-mon goals, promote global standards and guidelines, create better ads and improve consumer experience, and advance social trust and the indus-try’s interests in the Hong Kong mar-ketplace.
YOUGOV FURTHERS EXPANSION WITH NEW MUMBAI OFFICEYouGov has launched a new office in Mumbai to serve the research needs of media owners, brands, and agen-cies in the country with a suite of syn-dicated, proprietary data products, fueled by the world’s largest connect-ed data set – the YouGov Cube. Lead-ing YouGov’s client-facing teams in India is new General Manager Deepa Bhatia, who is responsible for intro-ducing the market to YouGov’s Plan and Track capability, consisting of
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The Innovative Insights Corporation
CenSiart
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YouGov BrandIndex, the daily brand perception tracker, YouGov Profiles, the company’s audience segmenta-tion and targeting tool (scheduled to launch in mid-2018), and YouGov Omnibus, which provides a fast and cost-effective online service for ob-taining answers to research ques-tions from both national and select-ed samples.
TRUESIGHT CONSULTING OPENS REGIONAL HUB IN INDIAMarketing analytics agency True-sight Consulting has launched a new office in India. The Delhi operation will play a dual role for Truesight Consulting, serving as its main of-fice for India and its regional hub for greater Asia. It will provide full service advanced marketing analyt-ics and solutions for both regional and international clients. Truesight also announced that Nitesh Sahay, 41, officially joins the firm as its Del-hi-based country leader for India and region leader for Asia, a new role with titles Managing Director and Associate Partner. Mr Sahay worked with Dixon and Shapiro from 2010 to 2017 as Regional Director, APAC, at
Ninah Consulting, a former market-ing analytics and management con-sulting firm that was owned by the Publicis Group.
DOUBLEVERIFY OPENS ASIA-PA-CIFIC OPERATIONS IN SINGAPOREDigital media measurement soft-ware and analytics provider Dou-bleVerify has opened an office in Singapore to accelerate the compa-ny’s growth across the Asia-Pacific region. In conjunction, Jordan Khoo has been appointed Managing Di-rector, APAC, to lead the expanded operations across the region. These initiatives mark DoubleVerify’s latest advancements in promoting digital media quality and brand safety on an international scale. Khoo comes to DoubleVerify with nearly two decades in digital marketing and business development across the Asia-Pacific region. Khoo previously served as Vice President-APAC for Sizmek/MediaMind for the last 11 years. During his tenure he helped build and grow strong relationships with brands, agencies, and digital media platforms across the region.
QUANTCAST EXPANDS INTO SEVEN NEW MARKETS ACROSS ASIAAI technology firm Quantcast has announced plans to expand its ad-vertising solutions into seven mar-kets across Asia, connecting brands with an online audience of up to 300 million consumers. The com-pany already operates in Australia and New Zealand. Marketers across Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand will now be able to tap into Quantcast’s live data insights, drawn from more than 100 million online destinations, to drive more ef-fective brand awareness and perfor-mance campaigns. Andrew Double, Quantcast’s Australia and New Zea-land Managing Director, will be tak-ing on an expanded role to lead the company’s growth in the Asia-Pacific region. The expanded team will join Quantcast’s existing engineering centre in Singapore and be led by Sales Director for the Asian markets, Chris Scudder, with further hires in 2018.
Have news to share?Send to [email protected]
Global High Value Traveller OmnibusYour route to the world’s international travellers
• Costs from US$1,750 per question• Quarterly survey*• Next wave Q2 2018 - fieldwork running
April/May• Translation into 14 major languages • Results available from 1 month after
fieldwork starts• Images, sound and video clips can
be included
Reach a truly international audience
A unique partnership means we reach verified global travellers intercepted at the point of ticket purchase.
GTO
* Omnibus will run each wave assuming overall sufficient demand
The only truly global omnibus for international travellers
Europe2000
Target regional net departures/arrivals
A global sample of 5,000 verified international air travellers, representative of the c.10 million international flyers travelling each week. This unique sample source captures international travellers at their point of booking.
Asia2000
North America1500
Africa/Middle East1000
Latin America1000
• Results supplied as data tables in Excel or SPSS. A range of demographic and travel behaviour analysis is included as standard
• Summary charts/debrief from experienced consultants on request
• Data can be loaded into BI packages, e.g. Tableau
+65 6258 7109
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FEATURE
Global High Value Traveller OmnibusYour route to the world’s international travellers
• Costs from US$1,750 per question• Quarterly survey*• Next wave Q2 2018 - fieldwork running
April/May• Translation into 14 major languages • Results available from 1 month after
fieldwork starts• Images, sound and video clips can
be included
Reach a truly international audience
A unique partnership means we reach verified global travellers intercepted at the point of ticket purchase.
GTO
* Omnibus will run each wave assuming overall sufficient demand
The only truly global omnibus for international travellers
Europe2000
Target regional net departures/arrivals
A global sample of 5,000 verified international air travellers, representative of the c.10 million international flyers travelling each week. This unique sample source captures international travellers at their point of booking.
Asia2000
North America1500
Africa/Middle East1000
Latin America1000
• Results supplied as data tables in Excel or SPSS. A range of demographic and travel behaviour analysis is included as standard
• Summary charts/debrief from experienced consultants on request
• Data can be loaded into BI packages, e.g. Tableau
+65 6258 7109
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEAsia Research has tracked technology trends in research since we first started publishing in 2005. Our annual re-view of the research technology business has identified key themes in research emerging every year. Historically we have noted the rise of online survey methods and their spread to emerging markets, new sampling techniques to reach elusive audiences, the growth of mobile-based surveys, and the somewhat hesitant start with insight communities. More recently we have been hearing about ‘pseudo communities’ (panel companies managing their own panels better for ‘smart sampling’) and Artificial In-telligence (AI).We are yet to see what impact AI will have on the re-search industry, partly because the industry does not have a full understanding of what AI encompasses. AI, which can also be referred to as ‘machine intelligence’, is defined as “the development of computer systems that are able to perform tasks normally requiring human in-telligence” and can include perception, speech or text rec-ognition, and data analysis. AI in market research can include the automation of the survey design, the analysis, and the reporting. It will not replace the human element completely, but the re-searcher and their support staff will spend considerably less time ‘manually’ designing questionnaires, examining data sets, and producing charts. New AI features such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) can also be used to examine texts and transcripts – e.g. from focus groups – which is again a significant time saver.But AI is also valuable because it removes natural human bias in the analysis and interpretation of results. This can be a problem when the researcher already holds a theo-ry or is biased by a particularly memorable focus group. These biases have no impact on a ‘machine’.As a result of AI, many jobs in research could be lost. However, other opportunities might be created, as AI can make it easier for smaller firms to grow by allowing them to deliver on more projects than they would otherwise
be able to manage. A comparison can be made to the way online panels have made it easier for these firms to collect data; e.g. they could take on Pan-Asian projects, with the panel companies providing the regional data collection and project management resources.By the same token, AI will make it easier for smaller firms to deliver the results. The implications are that more ex-ecutive time can be spent on the value-added elements of the client interaction, particularly in the back end of the project such as debriefing, training, and facilitating workshops, where there is still a preference for human interaction. Furthermore, AI is not yet able to replace human intelli-gence in the area of judgment, e.g. where the AI has got it wrong (as often it does). Nor can AI innovate, e.g. self-learn and see ‘what is next’, and human interaction is still needed in selling research. The implications are that research firms will become leaner but more capable. They are likely to become more ‘top heavy’ as clients seek experienced consultants with the judgment, credibility, and experience to deliver the results to ‘human research buyers’.
DISRUPTORSThe last few years have seen many ‘disruptors’ impact our economy and our way of life. Disruptors fall into three main categories: Online disruptors – for example, social media is changing the way we communicate, interact with each other, and consume media, as well as increasing the retail choic-es available to consumers through e-commerce. In the same way, online travel agents have brought greater choice to the consumer through price comparison sites, and the homestay market brought to us through online aggregators is disrupting the business of traditional ho-tel brands.Tangible disruptors – in the offline world, fundamentally new designs create demand for new products and
Buzzwordsin researchfor 2018The most common buzzwords in research for 2018 will be ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘dis-ruptors’. Several marketing and research con-ferences this year are being organised around these two themes, so for the first digital mag-azine from Asia Research this year, we wanted to examine why these two terms are gaining such prominence in the industry.
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FEATURE
services. Good examples here are the bagless vacuum cleaner, drones, electric scooters, etc. In the food and beverage sector, new cuisines from around the world can also be considered ‘disruptors’. Korean cuisine, for exam-ple, has gained appeal in markets like Singapore, partly through the popularity of Korean pop culture. Social disruptors – for example, through the ‘gig econo-my’, corporations are increasingly contracting indepen-dent workers for short-term engagements rather than employing staff. The obvious benefit for the corporation is the ability to ramp up or down according to demand, while removing all risks associated with traditional em-ployment contracts and the associated overheads. De-spite political hostility to these new work practices, in an economy now ruled by globalisation and technology, it is hard to stop these trends. A report by Intuit predicts that by 2020, 43 percent of workers in the USA will be independent contractors and not employees.Market research has seen many disruptors, particularly
in this decade, of which AI is one. But research itself is try-ing to help clients understand more about what makes a new technology, concept, or trend likely to succeed as a disruptor, and also where it can fail.For 2018, Asia Research will be looking more at AI and disruptors. Within our new digital magazine format, we are organising our articles by specific themes to make it easier for readers to reference them both in our pub-lications and our Knowledge Centre. These include the following: A. Case studies: insights into specific products, cate-
gories, consumer groups, or geographic markets. B. Methodology & academics: showcasing new ap-
proaches to areas such as pricing research, brand-ing and communications, customer experience, shopper insight, qualitative techniques, etc.
C. Technology: the means of accessing respondents, survey platforms/interfaces, data analysis, Artifi-cial Intelligence, etc.
D. Comment: opinion pieces from contributors across a range of subjects that have an impact on the re-search/consumer insight industry.
E. Human Resources (HR): topics relating to HR is-sues affecting the research industry, e.g. recruit-ment, talent management, training, staff surveys, etc.
F. Economy/industry: reviews of the research/con-sumer insight industry, global economic matters, industry overviews with survey elements, etc.
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TECHNOLOGY
At Join the Dots, we’ve dabbled with video diaries for years, experimenting with the latest tech to host, run,
and analyse video projects. We’ve run them across many geographical markets, sectors, and products, and while it’s more difficult to get people to engage with drier top-ics or activities, that just means we have to work harder as researchers to engage consumers with creative tasks, questioning, and moderation. Get people to take part for a brand or product they’re passionate about, and the re-sults can really be quite special. Through mobile video we’ve been taken into supermar-kets with consumers and felt their frustrations at not being able to find a favourite toothpaste or moisturis-er; we’ve observed online Christmas gift shopping; we’ve been in bathrooms (and even in the bath!) observing skincare routines; we’ve seen the contents of kitchen cupboards and cars; and we’ve even had dinner with people – all without the interviewer bias and high field-work costs of traditional methods. For insight specialists, the outputs of video offer so much more than a typical open-ended response and only validate the idea that ‘in the moment’ research can give us so much more than post-rationalised responses. Surveys still have a place, of course, but watching the ag-ony of people trying to work out whether a 3-for-2 deal offers more of a saving than a competitor brand’s $2 off, or watching them navigate limited website information to figure out whether a new toothbrush has both Bluetooth and wireless charging functionality, is eye-opening. We’re right there with them, feeling their emotions and experienc-ing what they’re experiencing. For the consumers, they can take part on their own terms, at their own pace. No awkward accompanied shops or having to fit groups into busy schedules. And, given the
increasing use of Facetime, Skype, Snapchat, and Insta-gram, people will only become more comfortable sharing their experiences on camera. Clarity about what’s expected of participants and getting the incentive right is key during recruitment, but once peo-ple are signed up, they’re typically very happy to share their thoughts, feedback, and ideas, and we’ve often had to ex-tend the maximum video length. Once people are comfort-able, they like to share a lot! And what about the clients? They get closer to the small nudges that affect behaviour which aren’t typically recalled at a later date, including the influence of context and oth-er people. They see first-hand (well, almost!) issues they weren’t necessarily aware of, like products not being locat-ed where customers expect, or competitor brands stand-ing out more on the shelf. They see and hear the emotions at play during the customer journey, something even the best-designed survey can’t possibly compete with.Mobile video is win-win all round. It’s more engaging for participants, who take part on their own terms and show us what’s important to them. It’s better for clients, as it helps them to understand the context, removes the issue of post-rationalisation, and gets them closer to System 1 de-cision-making and emotions. For researchers, it’s more fun to work on and analyse video, if sometimes more time-con-suming as there’s so much footage to work with! If you haven’t tried mobile video yet, I’d strongly advise you to try it on upcoming projects. You might just be sur-prised at the quality and depth of insights you uncover – and just how close you can get to your consumers.
By: Karen Schofield,Managing Director, Join the Dots Singapore
The mobile videorevolutionThere’s no doubt that mobile video is becoming increasingly prevalent in research. It delivers richer insights compared to open questions; helps to bridge the gap between businesses and their cus-tomers by bringing the consumer to life, in context; and allows us to create show-stopping outputs.
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Video StreamingPeople Still Want To PayThe smartphone has made our lives better and worse. With roaming services and Wifi, work tends to follow us around, meaning we feel compelled to respond to work emails outside the office, and even on holiday.
But the mobile has made some mundane activities, such as commuting to work, and time spent waiting
or queuing more bearable, as we can entertain ourselves with games and video.Generous data plans are giving consumers more occa-sions to stream on the go. While nearly all consumers stream free content, e.g. from YouTube, about half of consumers in SE Asia also pay for subscription streaming services, and this can be higher in the emerging markets.In an attempt to create more product differentiation in commoditised markets, telecom companies are bundling streaming services within mobile phone packages. In Indonesia, these are becoming the key selling points of pre-paid subscriptions, and the data plans usually allow for streaming of 10+ films per month through roaming. This option is attractive for consumers who often com-mute 1–2 hours through Jakarta traffic and need to ‘pass the time’.In other markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, com-muting times are lesser, but this makes catching up on TV series a common activity during a commute, and con-sequently drives more demand for TV series than for fea-ture length films.The challenge facing media companies is that their
branding is getting lost within the range of platforms that people use to consume this content. People traditionally develop loyalty to media brands through the TV and the habits formed through channel selection at home. This loyalty still exists, because families continue to value the TV in their home, with the attractions of the big screen and high definition. Despite the facility to stream to the TV, consumers still like the convenience of linear TV, and of the programmer determining what is the best content rather than the consumer making the effort to look for it. But media brands need to develop their strengths and unique positioning in the streaming market – the key success factors include both great content and a great user interface. In light of the sheer diversity and range of platforms, media brands also need to work much harder to maintain the profile of their brands. This will require creating unique content through their own productions, adapting their communications to local markets in terms of affiliate strategies, and local sponsorship and adver-tising.The marketing of media is becoming far more complex, and therefore needs far more research.
By: Piers LeeManaging Director, BDRC Asia
FEATURE
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Many breakthroughs in market research have shak-en the industry up, as emerging technologies and
ideas often do. Does that make such breakthroughs dis-ruptive?Luckily there is an existing theory of disruptive innova-tion, first developed by Clayton Christensen from Har-vard Business School. He is very specific about the differ-ences between the normal ways in which products and services gradually improve over time, as compared with disruptive innovations that reframe a category by focus-ing on simpler solutions based on the needs of non-users. He defines disruption as “a process whereby a smaller company with fewer resources is able to successfully challenge an incumbent business”. He argues that in-cumbent businesses usually focus on improving their existing products and services for the most demanding (and profitable) customers. For example, in market re-search, that might be one of the global research agen-cies making incremental improvements to the accuracy of their forecasting model or advertising testing metrics.Disruptive innovations target overlooked segments and unmet needs – for example, SMEs who cannot afford product forecasts or advertising tests – by providing a more suitable functionality, usually at a lower price. More suitable functionality usually means simpler, cheaper, and/or quicker solutions, ignoring the ‘bells and whis-tles’ of more developed solutions and focusing on a core need. Disruptive innovation is usually much more basic than the sophisticated solutions it challenges.To take a recent example, Christensen and others argue that, while Uber is transforming the transport business, they are not a disruptive company as they are using tech-nology to make existing solutions better (and in many
cases cheaper and easier) but not fundamentally chang-ing the industry. That would require Uber to target peo-ple who currently use public transport rather than taxi services, or existing users who are less demanding and would happily use a more basic service. Uber is an improvement on existing services and not a more basic service, and on their entry into the industry they targeted existing users and not new customer seg-ments. This argument is supported by the way that Uber (and other companies) have developed their services, for example by having many taxi companies join their plat-form.In the market research industry, many technological ad-vances have improved on existing services without fun-damentally changing them. Take, for example, advances from paper and face-to-face research to telephones to online surveys, internet forums, and insight communi-ties. These advances in technology have made research quicker and cheaper (sometimes), without changing the nature of the research that is conducted. However, DIY surveys do potentially fit Christensen’s definition of disruptive innovation by making surveys available to customers who are not currently served by the market research industry. Mobile micro-surveys may also fit with this definition too. Both are examples of approaches that make research accessible to new seg-ments of users. They are not as sophisticated as much research but are ‘good enough’ for what some custom-ers need.
By: Neil GainsFounder and Managing Partner, Tapestry Works
Who Are The RealDisruptors In Market Research?The word ‘disruption’ is commonly used to describe innovation in market re-search and other industries, but how can we differentiate incremental improve-ments from changes that are truly disruptive?
INNOVATION
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The Low Cost Carrier (LCC) airline business is an exam-ple of disruptors succeeding. Starting with short-haul
flights, the LCCs have taken significant market share from the full-service airlines, with low-cost, no-frills but reliable services – benefits that consumers can relate to easily.LCCs are now looking at disrupting the long-haul mar-ket with a similar proposition, but anyone old enough to remember will recall how a low-cost challenger to the long-haul market tried to disrupt this market and failed. Laker Airways introduced the ‘Sky Train’ service in 1978, offering no-frills transatlantic flights at half the price of the full-service airlines. The appeal of the low-cost prop-osition was the same as today, but Laker Airways failed. Why?Established players can use their market dominance to re-pel any potential disruptor, and this is what happened in the case of Laker Airways. The full-service airlines that dominated the transatlantic routes allegedly ‘conspired with each other’ to put Laker out of business. They achieved this by discounting their own flights and cross-subsidising these with more profitable routes. Customers began de-serting Laker in favour of the established rivals that con-tinued to offer a full-service proposition. Unable to service their escalating debts, which reached US $350 million, Lak-er Airways went out of business in 1982.
LESSON LEARNTOne of the greatest ‘serial disruptors’ in business is Richard Branson. Learning somewhat from the Laker experience, his company, Virgin, succeeded in the transatlantic air pas-senger market against arch-rival British Airways through slick branding and by offering a better in-flight experience. This was despite British Airways using so-called ‘dirty tricks’ to deter passengers from Virgin, which resulted in a successful lawsuit against British Airways, a settlement, and a major PR success for Virgin.However, when Branson tried to ‘disrupt’ Coca Cola’s dom-inance of the soft drinks market by launching Virgin Cola in 1994, he faced the same challenge of trying to take on a large, powerful competitor.
In typical headline-grabbing style, Virgin Cola was launched by driving a tank through New York’s streets before smashing it through a wall of Coca Cola cans. This was a symbolic act that effectively declared war on one of the richest and strongest brands in the world. While Coca Cola and Pepsi had been battling each other for decades, Coca Cola saw Virgin’s entry into the market as a very specific threat and responded by setting up a task force to repel Virgin. This included a sharp increase in Coca Cola’s marketing budget and involved putting pressure on third parties not to co-operate with Virgin. In the Laker Airways case study, rivals put pressure on the aircraft manufacturers not to restructure Laker’s debt (lead-ing to Laker’s insolvency), and in Coca Cola’s case they put pressure on distributors not to stock Virgin Cola.The other factor was that Virgin was not following their own rules on disruption. Normally they only seek to break into a new market if they can offer something very different, but in the cola market, people were already getting a prod-uct they liked, at the right price, and Virgin Cola just was not different enough.“Declaring a soft drink war on Coke was madness,” re-calls Richard Branson. “I consider our cola venture to be one of the biggest mistakes we ever made – but I still wouldn’t change a thing.” Based on the Virgin Cola case study, we can conclude that it can be better if disruptors ‘seek to subvert’ rather than to ‘challenge directly’. An example of this is Grab Pay.Grab Pay is a new technology that allows the consum-er to charge up their mobile phone with credits in order to make convenient, cashless payments through their phone. This technology is currently targeting small item purchases (e.g. food and beverage outlets that might not take credit cards) and hence is not taking on the large card brands directly. But over time, and having estab-lished their market presence, Grab Pay could easily move up the value chain to take on the mainstream business of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. This more subtle approach is designed to subvert markets without competitors seeing the threat so directly, and hence not prompting significant counter-action.
Often we hear more about how disruptors suc-ceed than how they fail. However, while many new businesses seek to disrupt – i.e. to find ways to do things better than brands already established in the contested space – most new businesses close down within a few years.
TECHNOLOGY
WHENDISRUPTORSDON’TDISRUPT
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GET THE TECHNOLOGY RIGHTAnother interesting case study of ‘disruptors who fail’ comes from personal transportation. Electric scooters are a common sight today as people speed to work on these great inventions, cutting time and effort, and making the commute more fun. Far cheaper, safer, more convenient, and environmentally friendly than motorcycles, electric scooters hit a mass market of those with relatively short commutes.But this need was identified a long time ago by a successful entrepreneur in the technology sector, Sir Clive Sinclair. Sin-clair had been successful in the home computer market but had an interest in electric vehicles. In 1985 he developed an electrically powered tricycle, the C5, which was targeting a market somewhere between car drivers and cyclists.Similar to Virgin Cola, the C5 had a high-profile launch, but it was seeking to move into a new space where there were no competitors. However, there were two funda-mental errors with this disruptor. Firstly, the electrically powered tricycle was not available in shops until several months after launch, meaning they lost momentum on the launch. Secondly, and most importantly, it was the wrong design. The passenger in the tricycle was seated so low down that other road users could not even see them; this came in for considerable criticism and ridicule from the press for being dangerous and impractical. Furthermore, battery technolo-gy at the time severely limited the range of the C5, and as a ‘vehicle’ it was not easy to carry about. Contrast this with today’s electric scooters – which are
safer, have a longer range, and can be easily carried to recharging points – and you have a winner.So, key lessons in disruption can be summarised as fol-lows: 1. Get the design right: people are very unforgiving
and many want disruptors to fail. Unless the de-sign is good, and the technology works and meets a need, consumers will soon drop you.
2. Get your distribution in place: consumers will lose interest if you are not easy to find, and another disruptor will come along and take your place.
3. Don’t declare war on big brands: however tempt-ing it is to take on the big boys directly, they of-ten have considerable power and will protect their markets accordingly. Seek the subtle means to dis-rupt by moving into a new space, establishing your territory, and then expand out.
TECHNOLOGYwww.asia-research.net
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Technology
Potential DisruptorsWords That Work:The Big-Data Approach To Marketing
Jonathan T. Mall, CEO and founder of neuromar-keting and AI company Neuro Flash, talks to us about how implicit insights from big data are changing the market research industry.
The world of market research is changing. As technolo-gy advances, we are discovering exciting new ways to
revolutionise the industry with more in-depth analytics and more accurate predictions about human behaviour. At the forefront of this change is Dr Jonathan T. Mall, CEO and founder of Neuro Flash, a company that uses neuromar-keting and data science to enhance brand positioning for Fortune 1000 companies.“My background is that of a frustrated cognitive neuro-psychologist,” says Jonathan. “I studied for a long time to better understand how humans think, and the frustration came from being so limited by what you can do in aca-demia.” After finishing his studies, Jonathan went on to work in big data and market research, before setting up his own company in 2015. He was helped on his way by the Microsoft Accelerator course, which helps start-ups to scale up their operations by providing tools, resources, and connections.
So what exactly does Jonathan’s company offer? He says, “We provide words that work, and Fortune 1000 compa-nies utilise our solutions to determine and then optimise their brand positioning on a subconscious level, in any market on the planet.” Essentially, a company comes to Neuro Flash with an idea for their marketing – e.g. they want their brand to be associated with ‘health’. The team then analyse which words consumers in the target market associate with that idea, and provide a list of ‘words that work’, which the company can use in their marketing to strengthen the association between their brand and the idea of health. From beginning to end, this process takes three weeks.At the heart of the process is Jonathan’s proprietary data engine. It is this that computes which words are ideally positioned to convey certain messages, and companies can either request insights on a case-by-case basis, or sign up to a subscription that allows them to make searches themselves. Jonathan says, “Developing the software took about six years of my own personal interest in the topic – the research and early prototypes – and two more years
within Neuro Flash.” This approach to market research has become very popular, and Jonathan says they now offer a product that is “very unique, and people ask for more”.The software itself aims to simulate how consumers think. Over several years, Jonathan has gathered data from dif-ferent global markets by analysing the media that people consume, the channels through which they participate in conversations, and the kinds of words they use. The soft-ware then uses this data to predict behaviour, and it has proven to be very effective. “If you understand what peo-ple read and write,” says Jonathan, “you understand what they think, and that is what we try to achieve using big data.”This cross-disciplinary technology is set to make waves in the market research industry, partly because it solves some of the problems associated with traditional market research, which can involve putting a consumer in an arti-ficial environment. This makes it difficult to know whether their answers are being influenced by other factors, such as social desirability. By observing consumers in their ‘nat-ural’ online habitats, however, more accurate data and word associations can be obtained. Jonathan says, “For most cases, we do know what associations people make, even though they may not voice them very often. We find these associations will give you deeper insights.”There is no question that these new forms of insights will be disruptive for the market research industry, as “you don’t need people with gut feelings, you just need the right algorithm to predict what creates that gut feeling in people.” Jonathan also recognises that many within the industry might feel threatened by this kind of automation, but there is no denying the accuracy of the new technolo-gy, and he hopes to see a future in which computers and people work together to create more accurate predictions based on behaviour.Jonathan’s company is also on the cutting edge when it comes to its style of working, and for Jonathan this is one of the most exciting parts of his job. He says, “We are a remote team that works around the globe – in Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Berlin, London. We are able to be anywhere and build a big-data brain model for China or Japan, to better understand how people within those countries are thinking, all from a different hemisphere. That’s crazy!”The Asian markets hold a particular interest for Jonathan. When he was 19 he spent a year working in the Philippines, and he has also spent time in Singapore. He says, “I’m simply fascinated by the diversity in Asia, and the drive of many countries to really try new things. I think the Asian markets have the guts to go in a certain direction with speed and conviction, and that is truly fascinating.”One of Jonathan’s recent case studies involved a Chinese skin cream. The brand positioning focused on being ‘green’ and ‘natural’, but the company wanted to steer away from more rustic associations and concentrate on luxury and desirability instead. Jonathan’s team were able to find words that are strongly associated with those ideas in the Chinese market, thus helping the company to improve its packaging and become very popular. Other success stories include changing the labels of vegetable products, which resulted in 35% higher consumption after Neuro Flash pro-vided more ‘delicious’ words.Jonathan believes that the main idea all companies should embrace in order to build a strong brand is repetition: “Repetition is always the key, so repeat your brand name and what you stand for with something that will hit the zeitgeist.” Ultimately, it is big-data and neuromarketing companies that are providing the newest and most revolu-tionary ways to do this. Founders talk! Want to be part of this series, get in touch with [email protected]
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Exhibitor registration for Research & Results 2018 has gotten off to a flying start. Companies can book
booths from 6 to 50 square metres. More than 80 mar-ket research agencies have already secured themselves a spot. After two consecutive record-breaking years, the show’s organiser is expecting even more growth in 2018.In October 2017, 180 exhibitors from 25 countries pre-sented their service ranges in their exhibits, in workshops, and in the Innovation Area. “Many of last year’s exhibi-
tors have already booked a booth and coveted workshop slots for 2018. There is also keen interest in the new In-novation Area,” says Heinrich Fischer, Managing Director of the company organising the show. The huge success of the Innovation Area last year is presumably one of the reasons why it is so sought after this year. It offers ex-hibitors an additional opportunity to present innovative trends and tools of the industry in an open forum – in 15-minute slots. By popular demand, there will again be 104 workshops going on in 2018, parallel to the exhibi-tion itself. More than 3,000 people are expected to visit Research & Results 2018. 180 exhibitors from 25 countries (2017 figures) confirm the growing internationality of the show, which is held in German and English.Dates: 24 and 25 October 2018 in the MOC Munich, Ger-many. Entry: free for visitors (registration starts in Sep-tember) For more information: www.research-results.com
Research & Results 2018Book now!
EVENT
THE THEMESWe heard that 2017 was a challenging year for most
companies when it came to attracting and retaining ex-perienced research and insight professionals. The com-ments revealed a persistent need for top talent at almost all levels, specialisations, and sectors, which is not being matched by applicant supply. This was despite a number of mergers, restructures, and business closures which led to a perceived influx of applicants in the market.In previous years, we have commented on how the growth of the sector has exceeded the rate at which ju-nior recruits could be trained, with the knock-on effect
being a shortage of market researchers with 2 to 5+ years’ experience. This is a trend that remains true today, and one which we are seeing further exacerbated by a draining of talent out of market research into the rapidly growing ‘hot’ areas of brand and innovation strategy, big data/customer analytics, CX, and service design.Pleasingly, a number of employers commented that they had more success with graduate recruitment in the past 12 months. Singapore in particular seems to be enjoy-ing a new breed of graduate: those with innate curiosi-ty, a solid work ethic, and excellent creative, digital, and technical skills in the areas of video editing, digital me-dia, and design packages. In Hong Kong, we heard how a number of agencies have clubbed together to attend graduate fairs and pitch market research as an exciting and desirable career path to aspiring graduates, with successful results. At all levels, we found that agencies are looking for can-didates who can deliver real insights from the research. Employers are becoming more discerning as their mar-kets become more competitive and complex. This re-quires people who can bring to life the ‘story’ behind the research, understand the cultural nuances in each mar-ket, and offer true consultancy to their clients. This ap-plies to both qualitative and quantitative specialisations. Local continues to be ‘king’ and we are seeing an in-creased demand for local market experience, with
RecruitmentReviewThe start of the year saw the team at Resources Group catch up with key market research agency employers across the APAC region to hear their views on the recruitment marketplace and the skills that are in greatest demand.
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PEOPLE SECTION
local languages being very sought after, especially for quallies.Finally, our discussions revealed much frustration from many employers who reported an increase in candidates reneging on accepted job offers at the last minute, even when a contract was in place, most notably in the Chi-nese market. This is symptomatic of a talent-short market, with current employers making significant efforts to retain their staff and avoiding the greater cost to replace them.
THE SOLUTIONSAs we go further into 2018, the demand for market re-search talent in Asia shows no sign of abating and the market remains highly competitive. So what can we do?In the short term, it has to be about flexibility: sure, it would be great to have an applicant who ticks every box, but the more open the job spec can be (whether in sal-
ary, level, or local vs foreign hire), the easier it will be to fill the gap in the team. How about exploring candidates from overlapping data industries with excellent core skills in data strategy and client engagement, who can bring a different perspective, and who we can quickly up-skill in market research industry specifics?As for the long term, solutions can only come from more entry-level recruitment and training today, to have ready the research managers and directors of tomorrow. In ad-dition, we need the continuing training and engagement of staff to retain good people within the industry. Em-ployers should not underestimate the importance of an attractive benefits package, positive team culture, and workplace flexibility.
By: Gemma LewisAPAC Director at Resources Group, celebrating 10 years re-cruiting in insights, analytics, and strategy
SIS INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: NEW COUNTRY MANAGER IN CHINASIS International Research has ap-pointed Anita Meng as China Country Manager She will be based in Shang-hai, and will be responsible for client servicing in the Asia Pacific region. Anita’s role will include client servic-ing and operations in China, East Asia, and Asia Pacific. She is also moderator for Consumer, Healthcare, and B2B studies. Anita is fluent in En-glish and Mandarin, and conversant in Japanese. She has lived in China and the US.Anita spent over a year in the New York City office, where she built a team. She is skilled in Qualitative, Quantitative, and Strategy research.
Anita received an MBA in Marketing & Management Consulting from the State University of New York at Buf-falo, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Shanghai Finance University. She held previous consulting positions at Comexposium Shanghai, Business Connect China, and United Business Media China.
ABN IMPACT: NEW EXECUTIVE DI-RECTOR IN HONG KONGInsight community agency ABN Im-pact has appointed Ivy Cheung to the role of Executive Director in Hong Kong. Ivy will be working closely with the senior leadership team in Hong Kong, which includes Executive Direc-tors Larry Wu and Patrick Corr. She will also be heading the qualitative team with Qualitative Director Eva Lai. Ivy Cheung has previously held senior positions with Nielsen and Syn-ovate and is highly regarded by many Hong Kong clients. Ivy will help to sup-port key Insight Community accounts, whilst further developing online and offline qualitative research.“We are really excited to welcome Ivy to the ABN Impact team,” says ABN
Impact HK Managing Director, Scott Lee. “We doubled the size of our in-sight community business in Hong Kong last year and Ivy is exactly the sort of highly experienced insight pro-fessional who will help us continue the exciting journey we are on with our clients.”
IMPACT RADIUS CONTINUES GLOBAL EXPANSIONMarketing intelligence and analytics firm Impact Radius has appointed Adam Furness as the new Managing Director of Asia Pacific, to contin-ue Impact Radius’ mission of global growth. Furness is a seasoned executive who has been scaling the business opera-tions of media, advertising, and tech companies for the past 16 years. Prior to joining Impact Radius, Fur-ness spent four years at RhythmOne (formerly RadiumOne), with his most recent role being Managing Direc-tor Asia Pac. He has also held senior leadership roles in sales, strategy, cross-platform and business devel-opment at Southern Cross Austereo, Macquarie Radio Network, and MI9. Anita Meng Ivy Cheung
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Top APAC VacanciesManaging Director – SINGAPOREEntrepreneurial Group | Sg$Outstanding package & high bonusRare senior position to take charge and develop this �agship research business within one of the region’s up & coming names in sophisticated MR. Commercial management experience in an agency is essential.
Research Director – HONG KONGInnovative Agency | to HK$75,000pm + bonus + bensThis visionary agency is a longstanding leader in the Asia Paci�c region, providing cutting edge research to an enviable portfolio of blue chip clients across travel, tourism, �nance, government, luxury goods and utilities.
Qualitative Associate Director - VIETNAMGlobal Agency | to VN$70m per month Help shape the direction of Qual research within this growing market. FMCG/Consumer Qual experience and mentoring skills a must.
Qualitative Research Manager – SHANGHAIGlobal Comms Research Group | to RMB40,000pmA new opportunity for an experienced Qualitative Research Manager to join this global leader with innovative approaches and help to deliver insightful research & brand communications strategy to high-pro�le clients.
Healthcare Research Manager – SINGAPOREMultinational Agency | to Sg$8,000pm + benefitsGet your blood pumping with this exciting opportunity to join the Singapore team of this market-leading specialist healthcare market research agency. Healthcare experience desirable. Excellent package and prospects.
Quant Senior Researcher – SINGAPORERegional Research & Insights Group | to Sg$5000pmVariety is the theme working with blue chip clients across telecoms, FMCG, banking and retail sectors, delivering regional insights to senior marketers.
For further details on these and many other opportunities in Asia-Paci�c, visit our website or contact the team: Rowan Haylett, Gemma Lewis, Zoe Crouch, Emily Moser and Christabel Sayegh on +61 2 9258 1121 [email protected]
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