Benefits of Improved Marketing

The indicator assesses the percentage of target households who increased their income as a result of using the marketing practices promoted by the intervention (for example, collective sale, production and sale of different crop varieties, sales to new markets, etc.).

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) List all the main marketing practices promoted by the project.

2) Conduct interviews with the heads of a representative sample of households, asking them about the following information:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTION (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: In the past [specify the time frame], did you start using any new marketing practices in order to receive higher income for your [specify the product/service]?

A1: yes / no

(ask the following question only if the previous answer is “yes”)

Q2: Can you please list all the marketing practices you used? (keep probing by asking: “Have you used any other practices?”)

A2: pre-define as answer options the practices promoted by your intervention + include as the first option “did NOT use any of the promoted marketing practices”

(ask the following question only if the respondent used at least one of the promoted marketing practices)

Q3: You mentioned that you [specify all the practices that the project promoted and the respondent used – do not mention those that s/he used but the project did not promote]. In your opinion, to what extent has the use of these practices influenced the income of your household? Would you say that they helped increase the income, did not have any impact on the income, or even had decreased the income?

A3: increased income / no impact on income / decreased the income / does not know

3) To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of respondents who claimed that the practices promoted by the project have increased the household income by the total number of respondents who used at least one of the promoted practices. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to percentages. 

Disaggregate the data by the respondent’s location and the type of income generating activity.

1) Ensure that the data collectors are able to recognize whether the marketing practices mentioned by the respondent were those that the project promoted or not. During the training of data collectors, use many examples, scenarios and role-plays. Strengthen further the data collectors’ skills during the subsequent piloting and supervision.

2) If you want to measure the extent to which the respondents’ households have increased their income, you can ask them the following question:

Q4: How big was the increase in your household’s monthly income that you achieved as a result of using these marketing practices? 

When asking about this question, ensure that the enumerators do not ask about households’ actual income – they should just focus on by how much money has the income (on average, per month) increased. Make sure that you pre-test asking this question. If you sense that people are reluctant to give an accurate answer, consider asking whether the monthly income has increased, for example, by less than 20 USD, 20 to 50 USD, by between 50 and 100 USD, by 100 USD and more, etc. – people might be more willing to answer if they do not have to state the exact amount.

3) It is recommended that you also measure which of the marketing practices used the respondents perceive as most effective. You can assess their effectiveness by asking:

Q4: In your experience, what was the marketing practice that helped you the most to increase your household income? Please select only one, most effective practice.

A4: include a list of marketing practices promoted by the project + as the first option include “other practice not promoted by the project – specify: ……………”

Q5: Could you please tell me what the second most effective marketing practice was? Again, please mention only one.

A5: include a list of marketing practices promoted by the project + as the first option include “other practice not promoted by the project – specify: ……………”