MRF Releases Latest Maps® Data

This release marks a milestone for the South African media and advertising industry, providing an opportunity to analyse four complete years of consumer behaviour and trends, says MRF. 

The MAPS® dataset is becoming the cornerstone of understanding the South African consumer landscape, offering a holistic view of product consumption, brand preferences, media engagement and financial behaviour. With over 20 000 face-to-face interviews conducted annually, spanning every province and municipality in South Africa, MAPS® delivers an understanding of the nation's diverse population aged 15+, adds the foundation. 

"This 2024 MAPS® release is particularly significant as it allows for comprehensive year-on-year trending and in-depth analysis across a four-year period, from January 2021 to December 2024," says Johann Koster, CEO of the MRF. "This longitudinal perspective is invaluable for strategic planning, media buying and understanding the evolving dynamics of the South African market."

To provide the industry with a comprehensive overview of the key findings and opportunities within the 2024 MAPS® data, the MRF says it will be hosting an informative webinar on Thursday, 22 May.

"We encourage all stakeholders in the media and advertising industry to join our upcoming webinar to gain valuable insights from the latest MAPS® data," says Koster. "Understanding these evolving consumer trends is crucial for effective marketing strategies and informed business decisions in the South African context."

Individuals are encouraged to register for the webinar here. 

The MRF says it has already released the 2024 MAPS® dataset to software bureaux for loading and coding, ensuring a seamless transition for users. The data will be officially available to subscribers on Tuesday, 20 May, at 08:00.

Koster highlights the potential insights within the new data, "Our very provisional view of the 2024 data suggests a positive shift for South African consumers. The latter half of the year appears to indicate a potential turning point, with a relaxation of some of the economic pressures experienced in previous years. We are observing that previous declines in many product categories have either stabilised or are beginning to reverse, showing small but encouraging positive changes. While some sectors continue to face challenges, the overall outlook suggests a more resilient consumer."

The South African broadcasting landscape has seen some significant shifts in recent years, but much like other parts of the world, radio and television are showing encouraging signs of resilience. There are indications of stability with less dramatic shifts in both the audio and video ecosystems. The traditional broadcasting mediums seem to have found their space within which to coexist with social media and other online content offerings. These platforms continue to demonstrate their continued importance and evolving role in reaching South African consumers, says MRF.

According to MRF, MAPS® enables three perspectives:

• year-on-year trends revealing long-term market shifts
• release-to-release comparisons highlighting immediate changes, and 
• quarter-on-quarter analysis identifying emerging patterns

This view provides the most current and comprehensive consumer insights available in the market today, says the foundation. 

Key Highlights

According to MRF, key highlights comprise:

• Comprehensive 2024 Data: The new MAPS® release covers the full calendar year 2024 (January to December fieldwork).
• Four-Year Trend Analysis: Enables users to analyse and trend data across four complete calendar years (2021 to 2024).
• Extensive Sample Size: The representative sample of over 20 000 annual interviews provide a robust and representative view of the South African population (15+).
• National Coverage: Data collected across all provinces and municipalities in South Africa.
• Potential Positive Consumer Shifts: Provisional analysis suggests a turning point in the latter half of 2024, with easing economic pressures and stabilising or reversing declines in many product categories.
• Media Trends: Consumption and brand data together with cross-media insights, all in one dataset.
• Webinar Invitation: The industry is invited to a webinar on either Wednesday, 21 or Thursday, 22 May, for a detailed overview of the findings.
• Data Availability: The 2024 MAPS® dataset will be available to users on Tuesday, 20 May, at 08:00.

For more information, visit www.mrfsa.org.za. You can also follow the MRF on Facebook or LinkedIn.

*Image courtesy of contributor