MR Beachhead for Starfish

UK-based agency Starfish Research & Strategy is conducting a computer-assisted choice modelling project in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. The project, commissioned by British American Tobacco, covers very remote areas that are rarely involved in market research of any type.

The company will conduct 1,000 Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) interviews across Papua New Guinea in villages and towns, the capital (Port Moresby) and the Islands (Rabual). It will also undertake 450 interviews in the Solomon Islands. Interviews will be conducted by trained local university students, using notebook computers powered by portable generators.

BAT's MR Manager William Apa says the company has been conducting research in Papua New Guinea for more than a decade, but that fieldwork has always been face-to-face, and interviews have been paper-based due to logistics and security concerns. Apa says that Starfish has 'opened a new window' by using new technology to conduct fieldwork in the region. The company is anticipating improvements in quality, cost, and timing.

The aim of the project is to understand various pricing options for BAT's products, to develop a better understanding of brand equities, and develop a financial planning model. Starfish has developed a model that predicts sales volumes and profits.

Nicholas Cameron, MD of Starfish, says that interviewing has been easier than expected, with respondents 'enthusiastic about participation in the study and able to easily deal with the CAPI process'. He sees the project as 'a great sign of confidence in the future of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands'.

The Starfish web site is at www.starfish-research.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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