Jan Hofmeyr

From changing religions to a research method

There have been dramatic advances in the human and brain sciences since 2000. Yet the marketing research industry worldwide continues to use many methods which date back almost 40 years. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the marketing research industry is one of the most conservative in the world. In this session you will learn about the many ways in which marketing research can be improved, taking into account the latest knowledge about how the mind works.

  • Learn how evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and modern non-linear mathematics are changing marketing research
  • Discover the many ways in which current approaches are weak and can be improved
  • Implication 1: most definitions of brand equity are too limited. Learn a new and revolutionary approach
  • Implication 2: most measures of advertising effect are based on the wrong questions. Learn what questions should be asked.
  • Implication 3: currently we measure brand image incorrectly. Learn new methods based on the heuristics of decision making
     

About Jan Hofmeyr

Jan Hofmeyr graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1979 with a Ph.D. in the psychology of religious belief formation. In 1985, he developed a theory of religious conversion which subsequently became a marketing research tool called ‘The Conversion Model™’. He left university in 1989 to work full-time on the global launch of The Conversion Model™. It has since become the most widely used measure of brand commitment in the world.

In 2005, Jan left the company he was working with to join Synovate as their International Director of Innovation in brand and communications research. He has since helped to revolutionize the measurement of brand equity and communications effectiveness.

His invetions include:

  • Developer of the Conversion Model™, 1988. The Conversion Model™ is a survey based measure of the commitment of people to any thing. It is the most widely used commercial measure of psychological commitment in the world – 120 countries, 300+ product categories. Annual revenue associated with the Conversion Model™ is about R1 billion p.a.
  • Developer of Brand Value Creator, 2006. The Brand Value Creator builds on Jan’s original theory of brand relationships, but integrates new elements e.g. market barriers; into a comprehensive brand management framework. It was launched by Synovate in November 2006 and is already associated with revenue of about R400 million p.a.
  • Developer/co-developer of Connections 2008, a new approach to testing the effectiveness of communications. Launched by Synovate in March 2008. 

Jan is an award winning speaker and author. In 2001 he co-authored ‘Commitment-Led Marketing, a book published by Wiley and Son, UK.