Roxana Elliott is Director of Marketing at GeoPoll
What is your professional background ?
At GeoPoll I lead our business development efforts, including managing a team across Africa, working with key partners, and advising on product development. I have worked in the technology sector for over a decade and focused over the past 5 years in the market research and media sector. I have always been passionate about the ability of technology-based solutions to help provide cost effective and innovative ways to help solve business challenges both big and small. Since GeoPoll’s launch we have seen the value that leveraging the mobile phone as a data collection tool has provided for our clients and partners.
What are your strengths ? In which countries are you present ?
GeoPoll value is providing a fast, cost effective, and expertly designed research solutions in emerging markets, particularly in Africa. As opposed to traditional data collection solutions in Africa, notably face to face, GeoPoll takes advantage of the mobile phone ownership across the continent by conducting mobile based surveys. Data collection can be done via various modes including SMS, mobile web, and live calls, and we are present in over 30 countries in Africa including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Africa.
Could you describe your company activities and your strategy in French-speaking African countries ?
GeoPoll is a research provider specializing in conducting research through the mobile phone. We have a panel of respondents and research capabilities throughout Africa and have previously conducted research in French-speaking Africa, however this launch and partnership with Harmonies and PHD Media signals an increased focus for GeoPoll in French-speaking Africa. With the launch of GeoPoll Audience Measurement in Ivory Coast, we are now collecting daily data in Ivory Coast, which opens up many opportunities for us to build our presence in the country and partner with brands and media owners in the country.
You’ve launched daily audience measurement services in Ivory Coast with Harmonies Media Group, what is your ambition ?
We will continue to collect daily audience data in Ivory Coast, as we do in multiple other countries. By collecting daily data over a long period of time we are able to build up a rich history of media consumption in Ivory Coast, allowing media houses and advertisers to see historical data and view trends over time. In collaboration with Harmonies we look forward to supporting media agencies, advertisers, and media owners who can use GeoPoll’s data to improve their programming and audience targeting, and more effectively use their advertising budgets.
Except in Ivory Coast, what is your business development strategy ?
GeoPoll partners with agencies such as Harmonies and PHD Media who know the value of our data and will show their clients how to use it to improve ROI of ad spend and more effectively target their audiences. We also have established client relationships throughout Africa and a business development team with representatives in South, West, and East Africa who work closely with clients looking for audience insights.
How do you proceed ? what measurement method do you use ? which technical mechanisms are used to ensure your survey methodology ?
GeoPoll Audience Measurement is based on an established methodology that was developed in conjunction with Kantar Media. We use a unique mobile-based diary method to collect data on media consumption every four hours, and monitor the demographic composition of our panel on a regular basis. Our data goes through multiple validations, both automated and by GeoPoll’s media research team, in order to ensure it is of the highest quality.
Daily audience measurement is quite expensive. How this service is funded ?
GeoPoll and our partners make an initial investment to bring daily audience measurement data to new countries, and after the service has been established it is sustainable with client subscriptions.
You know that, in Ivory Coast, Mediametrie has been raising ivorian medias and institutions awareness for audience measurement. Is it economically viable to have two audience measurement tools ?
We are excited to see new solutions for audience measurement data collection finally coming to the country. We are confident that those in the market will see the value in our product, which is unique in that it provides daily data which is not included in any other audience measurement service. Not only does GeoPoll’s solution provide the data, part of the reason we have partnered with a local agency is to help provide Ivorian media outlets with local experts to help guide them on how to most effectively use the GeoPoll data.