Simply solving complex problems
Sarah Dexter is the MD and founder of OIL, a consumer insight and communication strategy agency and part of Lowe and Partners SA. She tells Margaret Harris how her inherent love of biology, science and investigation fuelled her drive to run a research con
How would you describe what you do?
Smart research. Simple strategy. At OIL we work on complicated problems and solve them simply. We want to provide simple solutions. We believe that within our context, we should be able to solve every problem. We are passionate about investigation, problem-solving and putting the pieces together. Our clients don’t want us to use fancy jargon and terminology.
What traits does a researcher need?
I’d say a general curiosity about the world is essential, as well as an understanding that to be a true researcher, you never stop. Never stop watching people. Challenge yourself: don’t just accept things like data. Keep questioning and learn to follow your intuition.
You also need humility. Have an open mind by starting off with the premise that you know nothing, and build the argument from there. You are then able to make some leaps. The worst thing with research is when the researcher simply plays you the data back. There must be a level of interpretation, analysis, recommendations or suggestions as to what to do with this research.
Research often tells the client what they already suspect, but why they’re happy to pay for good researchers is that they can then work out where to go from here: inter- nally, externally, how to structure the business. There’s definitely a level of geek involved too: you must get excited when you see data.
Finally, it helps to not have an ego. It’s not about us, it’s about the client.
How did you get into this line of work?
I actually always wanted to be a forensic investigator — and this was way before CSI. I loved medicine, but I knew from a young age that I didn’t want to work with living peo- ple — and all their moaning and groaning. I guess the biology, science and investigating were really what interested me. But I wasn’t able to study that because at the time in the UK, my physics marks weren’t high enough. So, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, but I had very high grades in statistics, maths and English, so I decided to keep my options open, and I did an honours degree in business studies.
What was really nice about that degree is that I could choose a whole lot of different modules — research, law, psychology of organisations — and this is where I really got into research. The more I looked into it, the more I discovered I would always be working on such different topics and with different people. I ended up specialising in statistical forecasting, and I loved it.
What did you do after studying?
I joined an international company and moved into testing, researching, advertising and media, so that was my in. I was then posted to South Africa.
I originally was to be based in Durban for two years, then I was supposed to move on to Singapore, but I just felt that I couldn’t leave the country until I’d worked in Johannesburg. So I decided to come to Johannesburg for a year and, well, that was 1999.
When I left Durban, I joined what is today known as Lowe and Partners. I’ve been with the company ever since, and have evolved with it through the various chapters, and ended up starting OIL.
What do you love about your industry?
Advertising is amazing and it can be great fun. I get a real kick out of seeing some material I was a part of. I still get that buzz. This industry is also young and dynamic and keeps you youthful. I also love the fact that we can all talk about advertising — all of us. We like certain ads and not others. It’s a bit like sport. We all think we’re a coach. And so what we try to do in research and strategy is bring a bit of the business and science back into advertising.
Advertising is actually quite a scientific process. You just need to get magic at the end of it. If you don’t get the results for your clients, advertising is just art, or a movie.
What is essential to success in your game?
Relationships. We have longstanding relationships with our clients and have become trusted advisers to them. The clients want our magic, and they need ad agencies to inject some fun into their brands, but they also need us to be responsible with their money, to care about something — to give a damn. Clients must feel that we have their back. When they feel that, then they can trust you.
What is the one thing you wish clients would rethink when it comes to research?
I wish they’d stop thinking it’s the definitive answer to everything or that consumers have all the answers. I think research is incredibly powerful, but we are dealing with human beings and they are dynamic, so although they tell you that they love a certain brand, they may change their minds at the till for any number of reasons. We change our minds, we get bored, there’s a special offer on another brand — we change our behaviour and choices.
So to address this, we use very traditional research methods, but we also do a lot of the observational stuff. We are constantly investigating consumer habits and choices.
The bottom line is that research is an amazing tool, but it’s part of a toolbox.
Have an open mind by starting off with the premise that you know nothing