IRS 2002 to introduce Panorama Reports for brand managers

This year's Indian Readership Survey (IRS) is going to be different. While media planners eagerly wait for the IRS every time, this year brand managers are going to be equally pleased. Sponsored by the Media Research User's Council (MRUC) in conjunction with NFO MBL Research, the IRS, due in July, will include an additional set of Panorama Reports compiled especially for brand managers. These Panorama Reports comprise pre-analysed data to provide insights into categories, brands as well as media relationships for strategic brand management decisions.

Talking about how this idea came about, Gautam Nath, director, corporate services, NFO MBL India, says, "When NFO was approached to conduct the IRS, we had a detailed look at what data the IRS captured and saw that there was a tremendous opportunity to bring out far more value from it. Media measurement was just one use of such a wealth of information. This was the genesis of the Market Panorama Reports. It is for the first time in the history of the IRS that the data would be available in such reporting formats, which extend the value of the study into the brand decision area."

Market Panorama Reports cost between Rs 90,000 for a single product to Rs 250,000 depending on the nature of category in question. "The difference between the purchase as a MRUC member and that as a non-member is such that it makes better sense to become a member and buy it," says Nath.

The Reports have been culled out from the date available across urban and rural India covering over 946 towns and 2,800 villages. Which approximately covers 2.3 lakh homes and twice that numbers of interviewees. This, says NFO MBL executives, would allow valuable inputs for media planners, and account planners as well as a host of brand managers. Moreover, this time new cities and states have been added to the data - taking the city count to 40 from the existing 28 and the number of states to 20 from 17 currently (the new ones being Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh).

The Panorama Reports have been compiled in meticulous detail. The IRS collects product usership information for over 75 product categories and about 50 brands. These are widely used household as well as individual consumption products. The reports comprise 23 categories spanning segments like dairy products, hot beverages, soft beverages, personal care etc and they offer competitive data. "For example, deodorants usership is compared to talcum powders as well as bathing soaps. This gives the decision maker a comparative viewpoint. What makes this information unique is its linkage to media consumption and its national coverage: A real online decision-making tool," sums up Nath. He adds that the IRS 2002 report also offers an opportunity for larger clients to ask for custom-made solutions to aid in marketing decisions, which are based on one-on-one talks with clients across the country.

The IRS 2002 has extensively used the latest Census 2001 report for sampling and for projections. "It was not an easy task to collate this information and we had to go down to the very desks of census officers in several states to obtain this information," says Biplab Ghosh, head, IRS Operations. © 2002 agencyfaqs!