There are indications of stability with less dramatic shifts in both the audio and video ecosystems.
The traditional broadcasting mediums seem to have found their space to coexist with social media and other online content offerings.
These platforms demonstrate their continued importance and evolving role in reaching South African consumers.
The latest Marketing All Product Survey (Maps) dataset, encompassing the full calendar year of 2024 (January – December 2024 fieldwork) will be released tomorrow, Thursday, 22 May by the Marketing Research Foundation (MRF).
The MRF has already released the 2024 Maps dataset to software bureaux for loading and coding, ensuring a seamless transition for users with the data officially available to subscribers on Tuesday, 20 May 2025.
This highly anticipated release marks a significant milestone for the South African media and advertising industry, providing an unparalleled opportunity to analyse four complete years of consumer behaviour and trends.
Johann Koster, CEO of the MRF. highlights the potential insights within the new data.
"Our very provisional view of the 2024 data suggests a positive shift for South African consumers.
“The latter half of the year appears to indicate a potential turning point, with a relaxation of some of the economic pressures experienced in previous years.
“We are observing that previous declines in many product categories have either stabilised or are beginning to reverse, showing small but encouraging positive changes.
“While some sectors continue to face challenges, the overall outlook suggests a more resilient consumer."
"This 2024 MAPS® release is particularly significant as it allows for comprehensive year-on-year trending and in-depth analysis across a four-year period, from January 2021 to December 2024," states Koster.
"This longitudinal perspective is invaluable for strategic planning, media buying, and understanding the evolving dynamics of the South African market.
"Understanding these evolving consumer trends is crucial for effective marketing strategies and informed business decisions in the South African context."
Maps delivers unparalleled market intelligence as South Africa's only quarterly consumer dataset, enabling three critical perspectives:
This multi-dimensional view provides the most current and comprehensive consumer insights available in the market today.
"We encourage all stakeholders in the media and advertising industry to join our upcoming webinar to gain valuable insights from the latest Maps data," urges Koster.
