Client FAQ

The Brand Surgeon is an independent South African market research consultancy based in Sandton, Johannesburg. For over 25 years we have helped brands, businesses, NGOs and other research agencies understand consumers and business customers through qualitative and quantitative research. We are members of SAMRA and ESOMAR and have completed more than 1,500 projects for over 80 clients.

We find, recruit and talk to the right consumers and business people, then turn what they say into clear insight. We run full research projects end to end, or any single part of one: research design, questionnaires, recruitment, fieldwork, moderation, focus group venues, data analysis and reporting.  

The Brand Surgeon is based in Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng. Our sister company, Real Life Research Rooms, is our focus group and events venue in Sunninghill, Sandton (www.realliferooms.co.za). We run market research nationally across all nine South African provinces, online and face to face, and in 14 other African markets.

The Brand Surgeon has been in business for over 25 years. Founder and Managing Director Alison Steven built the company after senior marketing roles at Unilever, Pepsi / Pizza Hut and Pret A Manger (UK), so we understand research from the client side as well as the agency side.

Yes – of course! The Brand Surgeon is a full-service market research agency. We can take your brief, design the research, write the questionnaire, recruit, run the fieldwork (online, WhatsApp, telephonic or face to face), moderate focus groups and in-depth interviews at our sister venue Real Life Research Rooms, analyse the data and present clear, actionable insights in a report or workshop.

We are also skilled and experienced in doing just one or two parts of a project, such as recruitment and moderation, or project management and incentive payments. You tell us what you need!

Yes. The Brand Surgeon is a member of SAMRA (the South African Marketing Research Association) and ESOMAR, the global research body. We follow both codes of conduct, which govern research ethics, respondent consent, data protection and quality.

Look for four things: membership of SAMRA or ESOMAR, proven experience with your audience and industry, the ability to actually reach and recruit the people you need, and a team that will give you senior attention. The Brand Surgeon offers all four, backed by 20+ years and 1,500+ completed projects.

Large networks are built for big tracking studies. The Brand Surgeon is built for flexibility, speed and complex briefs. We are also able to maximise your research budget – we have found proven ways to squeeze as much as possible out of a budget and to be innovative when it is tight! You deal directly with experienced researchers, not layers of account managers, and our own respondent database lets us find niche audiences that panels struggle to reach. Clients regularly tell us we are more cost-effective too.

Our strength is finding the right people – our USP (unique selling proposition) is the quality of our respondents. We always say “rubbish in, rubbish out”! The Brand Surgeon has spent over 25 years building and curating its own database of 43,000 opted-in South African respondents, so we recruit niche, high-income and hard-to-reach audiences that others cannot.

We pair that with senior research attention, strong moderation, our own research venue, local and African market understanding, and the ability to combine rapid quantitative validation with qualitative explanation. We are small, agile and focused on actionable recommendations, not data volume.

We work with brands, corporates, NGOs, innovation and design agencies, and other market research companies. Clients and partners include (but are not limited to) Sago, BMC, Kellogg’s, Spur, Alliance Française, Netcare, Lucky Beard, The Unlimited, B2 Insight, NeuralSense, Peppercorn, Anchor Yeast, FNB UX and IX, and NGOs such as Action Breaks Silence and Christel House in Cape Town.

The Brand Surgeon has over 450 five-star Google reviews. Our client testimonials and references speak to difficult recruitment, survey technology, nationwide fieldwork, clear recommendations and personalised service. One specialist qualitative agency has used The Brand Surgeon for its recruitment for 15 years.

Yes. We size research to the budget and the decision. A start-up might need six in-depth interviews or one focus group to test an idea before launch; a corporate might need a national survey. Both get the same care.

Yes. Many clients have their own insights team and use us to extend it. We can take on fieldwork, recruitment, moderation or analysis while your team keeps ownership of the project and the client relationship.

Use qualitative research (focus groups, interviews) to understand why people think and behave as they do, and to explore new ideas. Use quantitative research (surveys) to measure how many people think or do something. Many projects combine both, and we will recommend the right mix for your objective.

 Yes. We run focus groups in Johannesburg from our own research venue, with client viewing and catering, as well as online focus groups for respondents anywhere in South Africa. We handle recruitment, moderation, hosting, recording and reporting, or any part of that.

Yes. We host online focus groups and interviews on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and similar platforms, with live client viewing. Online groups reach respondents in smaller towns and across provinces, and they suit busy professionals who cannot travel to a venue.

An in-depth interview is a one-on-one conversation, usually 45–90 minutes, between a trained interviewer and one respondent. Use IDIs for sensitive topics, senior or expert respondents, decision-making journeys, or when group dynamics would get in the way. We run IDIs face to face, online and by phone.

Most focus groups have 6 to 8 respondents and last about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Mini-groups of 4 to 5 work well for niche or senior audiences, and paired interviews (dyads) or triads suit topics such as couples’ decisions or parents and children.

Yes. Our experienced moderators run groups and interviews in English and other South African languages. We also work happily alongside your own moderator if you prefer to lead the sessions yourself.

Yes. We test new product ideas, packaging, names, pricing and positioning with your target consumers, in groups, interviews, in-home placements or surveys. Concept testing before launch is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the risk of a new product failing.

Yes. We pre-test ads, storyboards, animatics, social content and campaign ideas with the right audience before you spend on media, and we can test how well finished campaigns land afterwards. Results show what is understood, what is remembered and what drives action.

 Yes. We recruit qualifying households, place products with them, and collect feedback through diaries, surveys, calls or follow-up interviews. We have run home-use tests for categories such as baby care, food and personal care.

Yes. We observe people in their real lives: in-home visits, accompanied shopping trips and day-in-the-life studies. Watching behaviour in context often reveals needs that people would never mention in a focus group.

Yes. We facilitate creative brainstorming and co-creation workshops that bring together consumers, your team and sometimes experts to generate and refine ideas. These are ideal at the start of innovation projects or when a brand needs fresh thinking.

 Yes. We design, script and run online surveys to our own South African respondent panel and to targeted lists. We manage quotas, quality checks and incentives, and deliver clean data, tables, dashboards or a full report.

Yes. The Brand Surgeon runs its own South African consumer and business panel of 44 182 registered members, each with a detailed profile. Because we know who is on it, we can target specific audiences quickly and reduce screening costs.

Yes. Our recruiters and interviewers run computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and face-to-face interviews in field. Mixing online, phone and in-person methods is often the best way to reach South Africans who are less active online.

Yes. We script surveys from your questionnaire or help write and refine it first. We test the logic, routing and quotas before launch and can host the survey on our platform or yours.

Yes. We measure customer satisfaction, Net Promoter Score (NPS) and the full customer experience through surveys and interviews. We help you see where customers are lost, what keeps them loyal and what to fix first.

Yes. We run brand awareness, usage and attitude studies and repeat brand health trackers, so you can see how your brand compares with competitors and how perceptions shift over time.

 Yes. We run mystery shopping in stores, branches, restaurants, call centres and online, to measure service standards and the real customer experience against your brand promise.

Yes. We clean, code and analyse data and deliver results as data tables, live dashboards, written reports, presentations or interactive workshops. You choose the level of detail, from raw data for your analysts to a boardroom-ready story.

 Yes. Recruitment-only is one of our most requested services. We screen and recruit respondents for focus groups, interviews, usability tests and surveys, confirm attendance, and manage incentives. You run the sessions; we make sure the right people turn up.

Yes. Recruiting high-net-worth individuals, affluent and high-LSM consumers is one of our recognised strengths. Clients have told us they know of no one else in the country who does it as well. We handle these respondents discreetly and with tailored incentives.

Yes. We recruit business owners, executives, managers, IT decision-makers, procurement heads and other B2B respondents for interviews and surveys. Senior respondents expect a professional approach and flexible scheduling, which we provide.

 Yes. We recruit healthcare professionals such as GPs, specialists, pharmacists and nurses, as well as patients and caregivers for specific conditions, following ethical and confidentiality requirements for medical research.

 Yes. We recruit healthcare professionals such as GPs, specialists, pharmacists and nurses, as well as patients and caregivers for specific conditions, following ethical and confidentiality requirements for medical research.

Yes. Finding low-incidence audiences is what we are known for: specific brand users, people with particular medical conditions, new parents, luxury car owners, farmers, small business owners and more. Our detailed panel profiles let us target people panels miss.

Yes. We recruit children, teenagers and parents with full parental consent and in line with SAMRA and ESOMAR guidelines for research with minors. We have worked on kids’ offerings for brands such as Spur.  

Every respondent is screened against your criteria, and many are re-screened by phone before the session. We check for repeat or professional respondents, limit how often people take part, and use digital fraud checks on online surveys. Clients consistently tell us our drop-off rates are very low.

 Yes. Our Real Life Research Rooms venue in Sunhill Centre, Tana Road, Sunninghill, Sandton, South Africa is set up for focus groups, interviews, workshops and product tests, with a client viewing area, catering and recording. It is easy to reach from Sandton, Midrand, Fourways and Rosebank.

 Yes. Agencies, consultants and brands can hire our venue on its own, with optional catering, hosting, recording and streaming. Many clients combine venue hire with our recruitment.

One-way mirror and/or separate viewing room with live video feed. Clients can watch sessions live without disturbing respondents, and we can stream to colleagues who cannot attend in person.

Yes. We offer online streaming of face-to-face sessions so remote teams, including international clients, can watch live. Sessions can be audio and video recorded, with transcripts and translations on request.  

Yes. We transcribe interviews and focus groups and translate transcripts and research materials between English and other South African languages, checked by our own team for accuracy.  

Yes. We regularly host projects for agencies based in Cape Town, Durban and abroad. We take care of recruitment, venue, catering, streaming and on-the-ground logistics so your team can fly in, or watch remotely.

Yes. FMCG is a core sector for us. We run concept and pack tests, product and taste tests, home-use tests, shopper research, U&A studies and ad testing for food, beverage, personal care, household and baby care brands. .

We have done research in almost every industry, including FMCG, retail, food and beverages, alcohol, tourism and hospitality, banking and financial services, telecoms, ICT, B2B and professional services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, NGOs, government, automotive, transport and logistics, mining, energy and green tech, agriculture, and media and entertainment.

Yes. We study how South Africans choose where and what to buy, through shop-alongs, in-store intercepts, shopper surveys and mystery shopping. Retailers use the results to improve ranges, layout, promotions and service.

Yes. We research customer experience, product ideas, digital banking and app journeys, financial behaviour and brand positioning for banks, insurers, investment houses and fintechs, including affluent and high-net-worth customers.

Yes. We research doctors, pharmacists, nurses, patients and medical scheme members for pharmaceutical companies, hospital groups and medical insurers. Work includes product concept testing, patient journeys and healthcare professional (HCP) interviews.

Yes. We test menus, new dishes, kids’ offerings, store concepts and customer experience for restaurant groups, quick-service brands, hotels and tourism businesses.

Yes. We recruit the right users and run usability tests, user interviews and prototype testing for apps, websites and digital services, either moderating ourselves or supporting your UX and design team. Innovation and design agencies such as Lucky Beard use us for exactly this.

Yes. We research mobile, data and device users, small-business technology buyers and IT decision-makers for telecoms, ICT and software companies, covering pricing, product ideas, customer experience and switching.

Yes. We support NGOs, non-profits and public sector bodies with community research, programme feedback, monitoring and evaluation, and public awareness studies. Charities such as Action Breaks Silence have used our research and data to strengthen their reporting.

Yes. We research farmers, agribusinesses, mining and industrial buyers, and energy and green-tech customers, typically through B2B interviews and targeted surveys that reach specialised decision-makers.

Yes. International and local agencies use The Brand Surgeon as their South African fieldwork partner for recruitment, moderation, venues, CATI, face-to-face and online fieldwork. We follow your materials, timelines and quality standards and report progress daily if needed. 

Yes. A large share of our work is for other research agencies and independent consultants, locally and internationally. We act as your behind-the-scenes fieldwork partner, delivering under your brand with full confidentiality.

 Yes. We can run recruitment, fieldwork, moderation, transcription or analysis under your agency’s name. Your client relationship stays yours, and we sign NDAs as standard.

Yes. You can buy any single stage: research design, questionnaire writing, survey scripting, recruitment, fieldwork management, moderation, data cleaning and coding, analysis or reporting. We fit in wherever you need extra hands.

Yes. We advise on local sampling, language, culture and incentive norms, adapt materials for South African respondents, and manage the full local operation. Remote teams can watch sessions through live streaming.

Cost depends on the method, the audience, sample size, how hard the respondents are to find, and how much analysis you need. A small set of interviews costs far less than a national survey. Send us your brief and we will give you a clear, itemised quote, usually within 24–48 hours.

The main costs are recruitment, respondent incentives, moderation, venue and catering, and reporting. Niche or senior audiences cost more to recruit and incentivise than general consumers. We quote per group or per project and can show options, such as online versus in-person, to fit your budget.

A recruitment-only project or a few interviews can be done in one to two weeks. A full qualitative study typically takes 3-4 weeks from brief to report, and a survey depends on sample and complexity. We can move faster when deadlines demand it.

Complete the Get a Quote form on our website or email alison@thebrandsurgeon.co.za with your objectives, audience, preferred method, timing and budget. We will come back with questions or a proposal and quote.

We review it, call you to clarify anything unclear, then send a proposal with a recommended approach, timeline and itemised quote. Once you approve, we agree the screener and materials, run recruitment and fieldwork with regular updates, and deliver the agreed outputs.

Yes. We will suggest ways to get reliable answers for less, such as fewer but sharper groups, online sessions, or using our panel rather than costly free-finding. Tell us your budget upfront and we will design to it.

Yes. We sign NDAs as standard, and all our staff, moderators and respondents are bound by confidentiality. New product ideas and client materials are kept strictly confidential.

Yes. We comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Respondent data is held securely with restricted access, and results go to clients anonymised and aggregated or pseudonymised, never with respondents’ contact or identity details.

We follow SAMRA and ESOMAR codes, screen and verify every respondent, limit how often each person takes part, run logic and fraud checks on surveys, and have senior researchers oversee each project. Quality control runs through recruitment, fieldwork, transcription and analysis.

We use digital fingerprinting, duplicate and IP checks, speed and consistency checks, and attention questions to remove fraudulent or careless responses. Because we know our own panel members, we avoid many of the fraud problems seen on open panels.

Yes. We pay respondents fair incentives by bank transfer, e-wallet or airtime, and manage the full process on your behalf. Respondents consistently praise us for paying on time, which is why they keep turning up and taking part.

Yes. Your findings, concepts, brand names and data belong to you and are never shared. Our team works under confidentiality agreements, and respondents agree not to disclose what they see in sessions.

We follow SAMRA and ESOMAR codes, screen and verify every respondent, limit how often each person takes part, run logic and fraud checks on surveys, and have senior researchers oversee each project. Quality control runs through recruitment, fieldwork, transcription and analysis.

Yes. We work with international brands and agencies that need research in South Africa. Our founder has lived and worked in South Africa, the USA and the UK, so we bridge global briefs and local realities.

South Africa is diverse in language, culture, income and access to technology. A local team knows how to reach people panels miss, how to phrase questions so they land, and what incentives are fair. That local knowledge protects the quality of your results.