And with over 12 years’ experience across the African continent, GfK South Africa is well-positioned deliver smart data on Sub-Saharan and other African markets.
GfK is a respected research brand encompassing 13 000 dedicated experts globally, offering unique understandings of an ever changing consumer market. The organisation is constantly working to discover new insights into the way people live, think and shop - every day. With this in mind, the South African operation offers a number of products and services under the Consumer Choices and Consumer Experience divisions. With Consumer Choices primarily encompassing retail panels and audience measurement, and Consumer Experience comprising GfK’s consumer panel (new to South Africa) and customised ad hoc research.
A recent addition in the Consumer Experience stable is DMI (Digital Market Intelligence). DMI helps clients understand the digital landscape and how to leverage channels to support business objectives. From monitoring social media to online behavioral measurement and ad tracking, through to website evaluation and purchase journeys.
Featuring a team of data scientists who turn big data into smart data, GfK enables clients to make keener decisions and to create winning strategies. GfK now analyses and provides information on a broad range of industries including health, financial services, technology, travel & tourism, fashion & lifestyle, media & entertainment, consumer goods, and automotive, to name a few.
GfK provides market insights and growth opportunities, product design and optimisation, brand value optimisation, advertising and communications optimisation, channel and category optimisation, price optimisation, and customer experience and loyalty management across all of these industries.
GfK South Africa acts as the regional hub of the GfK network for the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and does work in countries across the continent, with specialists available to coordinate analysis in both single and multi-country studies. In addition, the local team’s expertise is complemented by the wealth of knowledge and experience they are able to access via the GfK global network.
Key units in GfK feature expert spokespeople who are not only specialists in their fields but who are also able to offer informed opinions to the media.
These thought-leaders include:
Bradley Taylor, country manager for Consumer Experience in South Africa. A veritable hive of information and GfK SA’s head, Taylor is well positioned to talk about everything that is research in Africa. His career in market research started in volumetric estimates and pricing research. Since then he has successfully completed over 200 such studies. The pioneer of three ground breaking methodologies in market research, Taylor is the innovative and passionate leader of the team.
Molemo Moahloli, managing director for GfK Consumer Choices South Africa. Moahloli is a guru on retail panel research in Africa and is one of South Africa’s best people to speak to about retail trends and developments in that sector. Moahloli has been affiliated with GfK Retail & Technology in South Africa since 2001 and has vast experience across all aspects of the Consumer Choices offering, including technical, management, and client services. He is a respected thought-leader on the subject matters of retail, technology, and consumer trends, and has presented at numerous conferences across the continent.
Sally Rothman, director of the GfK Consumer Panel and Retail for South Africa. Rothman is an industry veteran and brings a wealth of consumer panel experience and consumer insights to the table. With a strong background in market research, various joint ventures and marketplace consulting saw Rothman increasingly focusing on consumers, shopping analytics and tactics. She has developed numerous initiatives in growing category management and shopper research in South Africa and is greatly experienced across multiple Consumer Experience offerings.
Joe Boniaszcuk, marketing science director, South Africa. Another industry veteran, Boniaszcuk is a quantitative and statistical expert and is able to provide highly tactical analysis into various industry sectors. With a strong background in data research, Boniaszcuk has a wide of experience in markets across sub-Saharan Africa. He has also presented numerous papers and developed essential systems for research companies over the past few decades.
Lara-Lee Burn, qualitative research director, South Africa. Burn is a qualitative specialist who also boasts in-depth experience of research into Africa. Burn has research experience across the socio-economic, parastatal, FMCG, telecommunications and corporate responsibility sectors. In 2008, having moved across from a career in academia, Burn initiated the qualitative offering for GfK and now leads the qualitative division. Burn has experience of working in more than 18 African countries and has, over the last 10 years, honed her craft, qualitative methodology and her passion for consumer insight.
Sudasha Vandiar, client service manager of DMI, South Africa. Vandiar has extensive experience in digital strategy and solutions and is a great source of information on digital market intelligence. Vandiar has over six years of digital marketing experience. Previously having worked for one of Africa’s biggest digital agencies, she has extensive experience in digital strategy, planning and execution for both digital marketing campaigns and digital solutions driven projects based on diverse business needs. In addition, Vandiar has a strong background in the Telecommunications and the Financial Services industries and is now the Digital Market Intelligence Client Service Lead for GfK South Africa, servicing Sub-Saharan Africa as well.
Kellie Jakobi, Africa director: Consumer Experiences. Jakobi is a quantitative whiz who has intimate knowledge of the African region – having worked in over 25 African countries, and travelled to many of them. As GfK’s Africa director and strategic head on multi-country quantitative projects, Jakobi is able to provide real insights on the continent. Her specialist research areas are pricing and segmentation. She is also an affordability and ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ expert and consults to clients across the region on this specialist topic.
Carolyn Brown, account director Consumer Experiences, South Africa. Both qualitative and quantitative expert. Brown brings over 18 market research industry experience to the GfK team. Brown brings a wealth of experience to the team, ranging from different product categories and different types of research, covering different financial services (banking, assurance & insurance), pharmaceutical, cosmetics, sensory as well as automotive, freight and FMCG products. Brown has experience in markets across sub-Saharan Africa.
For more information, visit
www.gfk.co.za.