Named events@work, the new research product was jointly developed by AC Nielsen ( Thailand)'s

customised research services department and the agency's global research and development office

in Bangkok. The cost of an events@work analysis of a marketing event will range from Bt60,000 to about Bt100,000.

"Thailand will be the first market in which events@work will be

piloted before it is rolled out into other markets," said Korakoj Nirutnapaphan, AC Nielsen (Thailand)'s director for client services. "Events@work will serve the rapidly growing event-marketing industry in Thailand."

The company expects that nearly Bt10 billion will be spent on event marketing activities this year, up more than 10 per cent over last year.

"We are discussing the project with AC Nielsen in England, which wants to apply events@work in their market," Korakoj said.

AC Neilsen (Thailand)'s senior manager, Sarinporn Jivanun, said that over the past few years, companies had increased their spending on event marketing, or "below-the-line" marketing activities, in order to go beyond the confines of traditional advertising media. Event marketing looks "fresh, touchable and in-trend, and marketers and their products have a higher chance of reaching their target consumers, especially in niche segments", she said.

Most measurements of the effectiveness of event marketing campaigns focus on returns on investment, sales volume, purchase orders, the number of participants and media coverage.

"Events@work will help measure what's left unanswered by usual methods, including the quality of participants, the impact, appeal and persuasiveness of the marketing event, brand recognition and convertibility, brand value and accessibility of key messages communicated by the company, brand connection and affiliation, and long-term impact in terms of brand loyalty.

Sarinporn said events@work would measure events according to four benchmarks:

lEmpathy. Do participants like the event?

lPersuasion. Are they more likely to buy the brand?

lImpact. How well does the event catch customer's attention?

lCommunication. Does the event communicate the desired image and brand?

She said that computer-aided interviews were conducted at event locations, with random interception of at least 200 participants at each location. The system is designed for use with all sizes and types of marketing events in closed or open, single or scattered locations.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation