BANGKOK: KFC Thailand has used mobile consumer surveys to better understand its consumer market, using the data to fuel advertising investment, product testing and a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour.
“Our ecosystem has changed in Thailand,” said Anhul Chauhan, CMO of Yum! Brands Thailand at the IIeX Asia-Pacific event in Bangkok, as he explained that the brand used to operate in the fast food category.
“That category is now gone,” he declared. “There is no such thing as a fast food category. There is something called an eating-out industry, and we’ve had to reframe it.”
Thai consumers use social media to share their experiences with others and this has had a big impact on strategy, according to Chauman. “Thai consumers use it to show ‘Here is who I am. Here is what I am consuming’, mostly on Facebook. It’s very unique – that’s affected our categories significantly.”
While Thailand is a difficult market to get clear insights out of, a mobile-first approach was the natural fit since mobile phone penetration is soaring.
Yum! Brands recruited participants from Facebook and LINE, signing up more than 1,000 people to an app-based survey in just 24 hours, with participants representing the target audience both geographically and demographically. (For more on how KFC Thailand used app-based surveys to better understand their consumers, click here: KFC Thailand draws consumer insights with mobile.)
As a result, KFC Thailand has been able get a clearer view of not only where the brand was stronger or weaker, but also the habits of varying demographics. It has also been able to carry out other research tasks such as concept tests and advertising evaluations.
Chauman believes that taking the mobile approach allows genuine insights to inform business strategy. “Understanding the market in the broader context helps us do that – very far upstream at the business strategy point.
“It can flow all the way through to execution in terms of testing, or advertising, or concepts, or whatever. So I think it’s incredibly powerful. With the right partnership, it has a lot of potential.”
“Our ecosystem has changed in Thailand,” said Anhul Chauhan, CMO of Yum! Brands Thailand at the IIeX Asia-Pacific event in Bangkok, as he explained that the brand used to operate in the fast food category.
“That category is now gone,” he declared. “There is no such thing as a fast food category. There is something called an eating-out industry, and we’ve had to reframe it.”
Thai consumers use social media to share their experiences with others and this has had a big impact on strategy, according to Chauman. “Thai consumers use it to show ‘Here is who I am. Here is what I am consuming’, mostly on Facebook. It’s very unique – that’s affected our categories significantly.”
While Thailand is a difficult market to get clear insights out of, a mobile-first approach was the natural fit since mobile phone penetration is soaring.
Yum! Brands recruited participants from Facebook and LINE, signing up more than 1,000 people to an app-based survey in just 24 hours, with participants representing the target audience both geographically and demographically. (For more on how KFC Thailand used app-based surveys to better understand their consumers, click here: KFC Thailand draws consumer insights with mobile.)
As a result, KFC Thailand has been able get a clearer view of not only where the brand was stronger or weaker, but also the habits of varying demographics. It has also been able to carry out other research tasks such as concept tests and advertising evaluations.
Chauman believes that taking the mobile approach allows genuine insights to inform business strategy. “Understanding the market in the broader context helps us do that – very far upstream at the business strategy point.
“It can flow all the way through to execution in terms of testing, or advertising, or concepts, or whatever. So I think it’s incredibly powerful. With the right partnership, it has a lot of potential.”
Sourced from WARC
