Drivers of online behavior relevant for today's media professionals. We talk to Rajesh Kumar, Deputy MD of TNS Research International Malaysia. 

How would you say online and offline audiences differ? 

Online and Offline audiences don't differ as such - they are mostly the same people. The eco-system and the expression it allows for and the different platforms therein lead to differences in profile of people who will adopt these platforms. And that would lead to differences in behaviour and responses, being driven by the inherent characteristics of the eco-system/platform. For example, from a profile perspective, if a market does not have very high levels of internet penetration, 'early adopters' will be the first set of people online. And their responses to something like a general survey will naturally not be representative of the general mass market. But the same audience could be great for co-creation and ideation. It is important to recognize, that online allows 'choice' and people choose to participate in one activity over another. These choices are made by them driven by their own motivations and needs. That is an important consideration for marketing researchers as well as marketers who are targeting them.  

There are so many online research panels out there. What should agencies and marketers look for when mining for insights?

There are two topics here. On there being many online research panels: the more the merrier. Let them compete and as competition does, let it translate into benefits for the users. The second question is more relevant, which is around using these panels or about mining for online insights in general.

Mining = looking for something. If you don't know what you are looking for, then all the mining in the world will not help in coming up with anything relevant (and that's true whether offline or online). Insights come in various forms. Are you looking for consumer insights like behavioural insights, attitudinal insights or are you looking for trends, patterns and preferences? That should guide the choice of consumers that need to be studied and/or the data (and sources) to sieve through. And that also should help you decide on whether online research panels should be used or not, or even the specific panel provider you should be using.

Online adex is grossly under-reported. What's your reading on actual figures? 

Anything I say, would be a guess-estimate, so will reserve a view on the specifics.

What is more important, when I think of adex today, is the need to readjust our view of adex given the influence capabilities of the digital eco-system. Adex by definition was designed to measure advertising expenditure in a one-to-many world. Today, with many-to-many sharing and influencing happening (even of branded content), the advertiser is not just the brand but the general online population as well. And given the role Word of Mouth plays, surely this many-to-many interaction is influencing brand choices and purchase decisions. How does one understand and leverage that is the key to better ROI in general.

Social Media are the biggest gainers in digital with over 12 million Facebook users in Malaysia and an estimated penetration of 71% of the internet population. What can you tell us about the Social Media user in Malaysia?

Hear me speak at the MMC 2012. And buy the TNS Digital Life report!

In short, I would repeat what I said earlier. People going online and doing different things online (including using social media) do so based on the different consumer motivations that they have and gratification they seek as individuals. Social media is one, just one, of the many platforms that exist in the digital space and people will use it for the gratification this particular platform provides. From a brand owner's perspective, they need to ascertain what role Social media plays in the path to purchase and activate a plan accordingly. It's about playing where you have permission to play, or else you will considered invasive. And really, we need to look beyond the statistics of 12 million people and so on. That only tells part of the story (though, I agree, it sounds very appealing).

How do you see Malaysian marketers approaching the Digital ROI issue?

This is work in progress, a journey. No currency is created overnight and measurement is definitely not easy, especially given the role and influence of earned media in the digital context. But that's both a challenge and an opportunity. Taking a risk is integral to moving forward. Some unlearning and learning will have to be done. For me, it comes back to breaking down digital into smaller units or platforms that play a role through the consumer's path to purchase; investing in the right ones and measuring the success of the same 
(against the role that each platform is designed to play). Easier said than done. But do-able.

The coming Malaysian Media Conference (MMC) 2012 is themed as 'Digital Disclosures'. MMC will attempt to unravel the issues in terms of understanding the new connected user, optimisation of current working processes (role of technology), managing client expectations and Big Data through these exciting times ahead. The Malaysian Media Conference will frame this scenario and the way forward for all thinking media practitioners... Email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to register your participation!