What Market Research Would You Have Suggested Prior to the Hansa Launch?

What market research would you have suggested prior to the Hansa launch?

The South African beer market offers a rich supply of alcohol consumers in world terms. The consumption of beer is and has for a long time been ingrained into the fabric of society. This has resulted in there always been a more than adequate supply of sample population in order to do market research. The beer industry at the time of Hansa's launch had been well established for several decades and had already seen the introduction of many successful brands during its illustrious history.

As a first port of call, I would have suggested that an in depth desk research be done. Collation of data that already existed would have given the brand team early indications as to whether the introduction of a light beer into the South African market would have been accepted and welcomed. Although information would not have been as readily available as it would at present, it would have no doubt assisted in part towards better understanding the consumer's needs and wants. This form of research would have given a quick insight into competitors, businesses, economic and market trends. By looking at past data, the brand team could have analysed previous trends that have shaped the introduction of other brands and the rationale behind it. Since SAB has in its portfolio several brands, the research that went into those products would have been easily accessible.

The greatest insight into the S.A beer market would have been obtained by qualitative market research which I would have suggested the Hansa brand team do. This form of research which aims at understanding rather than measuring and would have provided insight into how people think, what people think and why people think the way they do. The brand team should have performed qualitative market research in the form of group discussions and focus groups. These groups could be used to ascertain if the South African beer market was ready for a light beer, understand the preconceptions the potential target consumers had of light beer and most importantly whether the concept of pilsener was understood by the target market. Questions looking at the move towards health consciousness could have been answered. Using the data collected from this research could have given the brand team the heads up on whether to target a different market. In this regard, Hansa could have been positioned differently aimed at a different market like women for example.

Research into packaging, pricing and distribution should have been performed in greater detail so as to tie the image they would like to portray across to the target market.

Overall, prior to launch of a distinctive product such as Hansa, extensive market research should have been performed to ascertain the markets readiness for it.

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