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In the first weeks of May, Canadians will be asked to complete the 2016 Census. And this time it’s not just the eight-question short-form collecting essential demographics such as age, family status and language. The mandatory long-form census has been reinstated, and that’s good news for businesses, consumers and citizens alike.
You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. . .
For the 2011 Census, the mandatory long-form census was replaced by a voluntary survey resulting, not surprisingly, in a systematic non-response bias that meant small-area data crucial to many users could not be released. Prior to 2011, key neighbourhood data on income, special populations like immigrants and aboriginal peoples, education, and labour market activity—all were derived from the long-form census. These indicators are essential for decision-making in our new, data-driven culture. The loss of the long-form census was a significant blow to researchers, data scientists, planners and, yes, marketing professionals.
But today we all can breathe a sigh of relief because detailed characteristics of the ever-changing Canadian population will once again be documented in a comprehensive, statistically sound and detailed 2016 Census. Support for the restoration of a “proper” census came from all corners of Canadian society and has reinforced the fact that the Census of Canada is a national treasure to be protected and supported.
Seriously though, in this era of Big Data why do we need the census?
Yet some may wonder, “With so much data about consumers in our data warehouses, in social media and available from surveys, why should marketers really care about the census?”
There are many reasons marketers should support the 2016 Census. Here are my top five:
REASON 1 – The census is the “denominator” of analytics. Market share, untapped potential, share of wallet calculations and many other key measures—all use census–based data to benchmark a brand’s or organization’s users against total population.
REASON 2 – Census-derived demographics are used to sample and weight government and private sector surveys to make them applicable—and more actionable—to a variety of groups and markets.
REASON 3 – Segments derived from small-area census data are used by marketers to link disparate data sources together. Using a multidimensional demographic system like PRIZM5, marketers can look at their transaction and customer data through the same lens they use to view lifestyle, psychographics, location data and channel preferences—which enables them to get the right message to the right segments using their preferred media.
REASON 4 – Small-area census data can help harness unstructured data from digital and social media. Everything happens somewhere: demographics for neighbourhoods and postal codes can help marketers integrate their rich, but anonymous, online data with their extensive CRM, sales and loyalty databases. The result of this integrated approach is the marketers’ Holy Grail: one view of the customer.
REASON 5 – Using census-derived data to leverage surveys and administrative databases, along with a variety of industry-standard modeling techniques, results in a lower response burden on Canadian households. When researchers mine data that already exist and only collect those variables that are “missing,” businesses save resources and consumers benefit.
Marketing professionals can help ensure Canada has a “good” 2016 Census.
Whether you get the short form or the long form (which will be sent to one in four households this time), remember that responding in a timely and accurate way to the Census is important. As business leaders, we should remind our colleagues, friends and family members that the Census is essential to the fundamental operation of the country—from the provision of social services, such as policing and fire services, to managing economic development and addressing climate change.
And, as a bonus, the resulting good data will help us be better marketers!
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Jan Kestle is president and founder of Environics Analytics
