We live in a highly interconnected world. It is common that we have contact and business with people and brands from very different geographies. This has led Market Research agencies to expand the territorial scope of their services. It is no longer enough to carry out projects within the borders of a given country. However, the latter situation entails a number of circumstances to keep in mind.
The complexity of delving into data and information from different spaces can be covered by having the necessary resources and skills. In this blog post we are going to focus on desktop studies. In general, these investigations are limited to reviewing secondary literature. However, this does not diminish the difficulties inherent in the subject. That is why today we list four challenges when it comes to getting to know several territories at the same time.
Concepts. Each country is a world by itself and the matter becomes more complex when third parties such as companies and sectoral organizations are involved. Although one may believe that for the same topic all sources handle the same concept of a given topic, the reality is completely different. It is necessary to find out if the concepts between sources are equivalent or very close to being equivalent before even thinking of making analyses and comparisons. If not, each database will have to be looked at cautiously. This task becomes more laborious, if possible, when different countries are involved.
Language. LATAM is not characterized by considerable language differences among its members. However, there are dialects among some countries that are worth knowing in order to rule out whether or not such information exists or not. Spanish is very prone to these cases and there are many situations where the same phenomenon has different denominations. The case becomes more complicated if it is necessary to compare sources from countries where very different languages are spoken. In our continent we find Portuguese, English, French, Guarani, Creole and others.
Temporality. There are many databases that we can consult without major difficulty based on their accessibility and cost. The recommendation at this point is to be very attentive to the timing described by the chosen source. In conjunctural issues, there is already a generalized practice whereby different countries generate statistics at the same time. An example of this is the population and housing census. However, there are cases where this does not happen and makes it difficult to contrast findings.
Continuity. At each site, concerns and priorities may change. In recent years we have witnessed how certain institutions and topics have been hidden or discontinued; even those that were considered indispensable and with a long tradition of updating. Some sources can be very useful to us, but it turns out that they are now closed or not maintained. In part, brands look to Market Research agencies to fill those gaps when public sources neglect a given case.
Although the issues described above may seem insurmountable, the opposite is true. With proper training and attention to detail it is possible for market analysts to reconcile the differences between each country’s findings and generate reports with valid contrasting points. Before doing a study involving several countries, check the feasibility of your project. Also consider that an initial feasibility may change during execution. Stay tuned for this case.
In Acertiva we have more than two decades of experience in carrying out projects between the different sites that are part of the American continent. Count on our team of analysts and strategic allies to meet your branding needs. Contact us today so that together we can write your next success story.
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