GroupM is the world's largest media investment group, responsible for one in three ads globally.

Managing a range of global industry-leading assets, GroupM puts its track record of success with the world’s most renowned brands down to its strategic “investments in data, technology and talented people”.

The challenge 

Breaking tradition with the help of technology.

Their core focus on data and people is what first led the GroupM Malaysia team to GWI.

Seeking new ways to drive a deeper understanding of their audience, the team needed a way to go far beyond traditional measures that were no longer enough.

But lacking revealing insight into the unique Malaysian market, the teams were unable to put this into practice.

The action

Gaining deeper insight into unique audiences.

Exploring the breadth and depth of the GWI data set that offers instant access to both global data spanning across 40 countries and market-specific insights, the GroupM team could tap into their unique market in ways that were never before possible.

“Malaysia is a unique market in which ethnicity plays an essential role in terms of audience targeting. We now have access to data on ethnicity using GWI's custom data which has proved extremely valuable to us.”

With over 100 people across the organization accessing the platform, Choo Choo Jiun Shyan, Senior Executive, Insights, GroupM Malaysia highlights the need for fast access to data, which is one of the key benefits for the team.

“It's user-friendly, simple and quick. Data can be generated within seconds.”

The quarterly turnaround of data is another huge advantage, helping the team to keep up with the fast-moving media landscape.

“GWI provides one of the most up-to-date surveys as the data is released quarterly”, he says. “In terms of digital, we need fast data as the digital space can change very fast.”

The result

Trusting data to inform targeting decisions.

“Before we started using GWI, we mainly relied on other sources for penetration and reach data”, says Choo. 

Outlining how the Kuala Lumpur-based team felt they needed a better understanding of their audiences, Choo explains:

“We feel like we want to understand the consumer better, and for that we need more insights from the digital space. Penetration of the website is no longer adequate to support our daily work.”

With the ability to go far beyond what they were used to, the team could now uncover detailed insights into consumer needs, interests, behaviors and perceptions, making their marketing a lot more targeted, and expanding their reach in a more meaningful way.

“As a result of using GWI, our targeting is a lot more specific and we are able to understand our audience on a much deeper scale. It also allows us to reach our audience in a more efficient way.”

Having used the platform for over three years, Choo explains how the team have been particularly impressed with the progress that GWI is making as both the company and the data grows.

Reinforcing how useful the platform has been for the team, Choo says: “We would definitely recommend it to others.

We find it is so useful and up-to-date. The questionnaire is continuously updated and moves with the times, so new elements are always introduced in each wave, which makes it really relevant.”

Pointing out the advantages of finally having a one-source data solution to improve efficiency across the organization, the team can take a more productive approach to their strategy and creative campaigns, making it easier than ever to provide their clients with audience-centric solutions based on insights they can trust.

“Data that points to a specific action or behavior is really useful as these are valuable insights for clients.”