Marketing

I have many references in this field for different sectors. For all these studies and surveys I use up to date market research tools: desk research, interviews of experts, qualitative studies of attitudes and opinions and surveys based on opinion polling.

Water

 

Date	1985
Location	Haïti, Port aux Princes.
Company	CEGOS Group of consultants in association with SAFEGE, an engineering design office that is a subsidiary of Lyonnaise des Eaux company.
Position	Psycho-socio-economics expert in charge of a survey of the drinking water supply and distribution in Port au Prince (Haiti) for the capital's water supply plan (on behalf of the CAMEP).
Description	- Study of motivation of water consumers. - Inquiries based on opinion polling using a sample of 1,000 households representative of the entire population of the city in Haitian Creole. Sampling method used was the random route. Data processing was done by using multivariate data analysis. - Results made it possible to quantify the estimated solvent demand of drinking water over 5 years by district and therefore, determine the site and the size of the water pipelines.
Financing	Caisse Centrale de Coopération Économique (later Agence Française de Développement).

Media

Water 

Study of water supply and distribution in Bangui (Central African Republic). Multi-disciplinary study in association with the SAFEGE, an engineering design office that is a subsidiary of Lyonnaise des Eaux Company. Financing by Caisse Française de Développement, 1984. 

Transportation

Development of Libreville Transportation Plan. Transportation Ministry of Gabon, January-April 1981. 

Commercialisation circuits 

Marketing constraints involved in a cereal regulation operation in Senegal, 1987. 

Study of marketing food products in Libreville, Gabon, for the Cameroon Ministry of Trade and Industry. EDF financing, 1985-1986. 

Study of marketing channels for food products in Cameroon (retailers - wholesalers - shippers - producers). Ministry of Commerce and Industry. EDF financing, 1985-1986. 

Preliminary study concerning commercialisation of food products in Cameroon, analysis and development project. Ministry of Agriculture of Cameroon. Technical Assistance financing by World Bank, 1980. 

Feasibility study concerning creation of a hypermarket and of a shopping centre in the Indénié district of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 1976

Agriculture, stock-farming and food products

Industrial processing of millet, sorghum and corn (maize) in Senegal. Food Aid Counterpart Funds, 1988. 

Study of the impact of techniques for spreading agricultural knowledge among Cameroon farmers. Ministry of Agriculture, World Bank financing, 1985. 

Marketing study concerning fish consumption in Addis Ababa, 1979. Fisheries Production and Marketing Corporation, Ethiopia, EDF financing.

Study of commercialisation of certain fish species with a view to establishing lagoon aquaculture farms on Ebrié lagoon. Côte d'Ivoire Animal Production Ministry, 1978

Study of commercialisation circuits for pork, poultry, eggs and cold meats, and development plan for short-cycle animal products, 1974. Ivory Coast Animal Production Ministry

Women 

Study of an action plan to ensure women a fair share of development fall-out and the creation of socio-economic indicators so as to guarantee the proper impact on the status of Cameroon women. (300 semi-directive talks, poll-based inquiry) on behalf of Cameroon's Ministry of Women's Affairs, 1987-1988. 

Study of Côte d'Ivoire family life (marriage, contraception, abortion, desired number of children, maternity, nursing, weaning, vaccination, birth certificates, children's schooling, family hygiene, family budgets), 1979. Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Women's Affairs, FNUIAP financing. 

Consumer products 

"Budget-Consumption" survey concerning African household expenditures in Libreville, Gabon, 1983. 

Study of the Côte d'Ivoire market for electric batteries, Union Carbide, 1980. 

Study of changes in fashions, habits, and preferences of Côte d'Ivoire citizens in the clothing field, 1980. R. GONFREVILLE Factory. 

Study of savings, loans and of the bank's image: "Société Générale de Banque en Côte d'Ivoire" in 1979. 

Study of the Abidjan insecticide market and tests of the SUPER-TIMOR product, 1979, SOFACO, ROUSEL-UCLAF Group. 

Survey of the Cameroon beer market, 1979. Guiness-Cameroon S.A. 

Study of Cameroonian reading habits, 1978. CLE publishing house of Yaoundé. 

Survey of the Côte d'Ivoire market for soft drinks for Coca-Cola Mid-Africa, Nairobi, 1973.

Key words of my experience : 

Market Studies 

Industrial market research
Analysis of distribution channels, 
Search for products, markets, clients and partners, 
Price studies, 
Desk research. 

Motivation Studies 

Qualitative studies of attitudes and opinions, 
Pre-tests and post-tests of advertising campaigns.

Inquiries based on opinion polling

Sampling methods by quota, random and systematic, samples of 500 to 2000 persons, 
Inquiry languages: French, English, Russian, Arabic and various Creoles.

Wide use of all types of processing pertaining to multivariate data analysis.

    - Analysis of variances,

    - Analysis of correspondences,

    - Factorial analysis,

    - Analysis of canonical typology, etc. ...

My working tools

Working in countries in which the social organisation is very different from that one finds in Western Europe and North America, I have developed specific methods for market surveys and qualitative research. Valid market research is a key to success, but more difficult to implement in countries with a transition economy.

Industrial market research

This type of research can be carried out only by conducting in-depth interviews of certain people who have a good knowledge of a part of the market of the product or service being studied. Generally, I search for information which I cannot find " on the market place " and the best solution consists of interviewing the person able to provide the data which my client needs.

Qualitative research 

One of my specialities is attitude and opinion research, which answers the questions:

"How do people truly feel about X ?" "Why?", 
"What are their behavioural intentions or behaviours?" "Why?",

"How can I change their beliefs, behavioural intentions or behaviours?",

"How can I capitalise on their beliefs, behavioural intentions or behaviours?",

According to the products or services being studied, I use the group meeting (no more than 7 persons) or the semi-directed face-to-face individual interview recorded with a tape recorder.
Before starting, I always write an interview guide which contains open questions and which is designed with a funnel shape (as for pouring wine through a bottle). The first questions are general, those that follow are more specific.

As far as possible, I use drawings or photographs which make it possible for the people interviewed to express their perception in a more in-depth manner, their attitudes, their opinions and the images that have of the product.

Inquiries based on opinion polling

Some of the specific and original techniques I use are:

The recruitment and training of the pollsters, 
The sampling method used (systematic or more often, random sampling),

The abacus of dimension of the sample determines the sample size required to obtain the degree of accuracy of results my client wants,

The drafting of the questionnaire in the language of the person interviewed,
In addition to traditional cross sorting, I use multidimensional analyses of the data, those which make it possible to structure the data (factorial analyses, correspondences analyses, typology) and those which make it possible to explain a behaviour (segmentation, multiple regression, discriminating analysis, canonical typology).

I sub-contract the data-processing treatments to the company "Socio-Logiciels" based in Paris.