Pamro 2022 aims to elevate media measurement and evaluation in Africa

The much anticipated 2022 Pamro Conference was held recently at the Raddison Blu Hotel Waterfront in Cape Town with the theme of ‘Elevating media measurement and evaluation in a resilient Africa’. The annual conference is an opportunity for media owners, marketers, brand managers and advertising executives to share current research methodologies, as well as challenges, successes and failures.

One of the highlights of the first day of the conference was a presentation which unpacked the findings of the 2022 South African Social Media Landscape Report.

Oresti Patricios, CEO of Ornico posed the challenge, “How can we Africans tell our stories on social media?” Social media offers the opportunity to market effectively to consumers looking for content and new products, especially the youth. Changes in marketing perception mean that Instagram and TikTok are now more relevant than Facebook. Marketers therefore need to look at harnessing the power of TikTok in particular, and creating partnerships with influencers to elevate their brands.

As the world gradually expands into Web 3.0 and the metaverse, a virtual world which puts users and consumers first and will evolve according to user decisions and interactions, explained Patricios. Marketers will need to understand who the next power players will be, the independent “Davids” or the tech giant “Goliaths”, as this will affect the presentation of their products to and their interaction with consumers.

One of the most powerful elements of TikTok is its search engine, an important tool available to brand marketers using the platform. Critically, TikTok is a consumer-centric platform which is already aligned with Web 3.0 and the metaverse. Citizens of the African continent need a social media platform to tell their stories and with their inherent sense of community and storytelling talent, they should become strong content-providers on the TikTok platform, said Patricios.

Cathy Heeley, international lead of media analytics at Nielsen (London, UK) focused her presentation on influencer marketing.

Defining influencers as anybody with at least 1 000 followers, she said mega influencers, like Ronaldo appear on Instagram promoting products through their aspirational lifestyles. Nano influencers have a much smaller follower-base, often on TikTok, but can be very successful in engaging with younger consumers such as GenZ, 80% of whom use TikTok as their social media platform.

Pointing out that marketers only have 3.5 seconds to make an impression with their ad, she said good content is the cornerstone of a great influencer campaign. Authentic content drives purchase intent and partnership authenticity breeds loyalty, which is why influencer marketing has become so successful.

Consumers are looking for authenticity from brands and brand trust is paramount. Marketers are discovering that influencers can boost brand connection with consumers by personalising products in a relatable way.

And with a 2.4 return on advertising spend, according to the Nielsen compass, influencer marketing is an increasingly profitable option.

Other speakers on day one of the conference included Pushkar Kulkarni, the founding partner of UK-based Pure Cross Media who discussed the DIY TV currency in Azerbaijan; Geo Terralmage’s Elsie Zwennis who discussed industry tested data to unlock opportunities on the African continent; Ipsos Kenya’s Barnabus Muya who focused on why countries practice ‘media research democracy’; and a Kantar presentation on how to craft content that resonates.

The 2022 Pamro Conference was made possible by Telmar, Nielsen, DStv Media Sales, Ornico, Plus94 Research and Survey54. To watch day one of the 2022 Pamro Conference go to www.PAMRO.org.

The big take-out: Influencers can tell your marketing story on social media.