Research
Brian Tarran Editorial
Brian is responsible for the news section of the website, and all news-related analysis and comment pieces.
Stories by this contributor.
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TRA signs GroupM as Media TRAnalytics client
9-Mar-2010
US— TRA has secured WPP-owned media agency network GroupM as a client for its Media TRAnalytics tool, which merges second-by-second TV viewing data with shopper purchase data in a bid to help marketers plan, buy and evaluate the effectiveness of their advertising.
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2009 was 'pretty shocking', but still Truth posts growth of 32%
9-Mar-2010
UK— Insight consultancy Truth is preparing to move Stateside this year following growth of 32% in 2009, taking turnover to just over £5m.
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WebSideStory founder returns with new business Anametrix
9-Mar-2010
US— A team of former WebSideStory executives – including founder Blaise Barrelet – have gone to market with a new business anaytics platform that aggregates online, offline and external databases for insight purposes.
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BrainJuicer proves resilient in the face of research recession
9-Mar-2010
UK— BrainJuicer finance chief James Geddes revealed this morning that the online research agency’s growth in 2009 was below expectations – but with revenue up 27% to £11.8m investors shouldn’t have much to complain about.
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Bader named chief strategy officer at Initiative
8-Mar-2010
US— Media agency Initiative has created a new position of global chief strategy officer and hired former MediaVest digital director Eric Bader to fill it.
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Ex-FreshNetworks exec launches social media consultancy
8-Mar-2010
UK— Former FreshNetworks community manager Holly Seddon has launched a digital training and consultancy called Spoke Digital with partners James Seddon and Ilana Fox, specialising in social media, community engagement and content.
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Millward Brown puts avatars on trial in survey of Oscar nominees
5-Mar-2010
US— The words ‘Avatar’ and ‘Oscar’ have gone hand in hand in the run-up to this weekend’s Academy Awards, so it seems fitting that Millward Brown employed avatars as virtual interviewers for an online survey asking who will win Best Picture.
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Rosslyn Research and Viewpoint relocate post-acquisition
5-Mar-2010
UK— Sister companies Rosslyn Research and Viewpoint Field Services are set to move into shared offices in April following their sale to Rivington Street Holdings.
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'Less worse' turns to 'stability' – WPP reports 2009 results
5-Mar-2010
UK— WPP’s consumer insight revenue was down 9.5% on a like-for-like basis in 2009, the company said today. The results show a steady improvement in performance towards the tail end of what the marketing services group described as a “brutal” year.
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Ex-JD Power researchers rev-up new automotive research offer
4-Mar-2010
UK— Former JD Power researchers Chris Brown and Sue Barnes have launched an auto-industry focused agency called Brownsauce, with a full-service offer covering research design, customer satisfaction research, brand tracking and project management.
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Mattinson, Cooke depart Chime leaving Beale as acting research CEO
4-Mar-2010
UK— All change for Chime’s research and engagement division – joint chairs Deborah Mattinson and Viki Cooke have departed the group to launch a new venture, leaving Crispin Beale to run the show as acting chief executive.
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Reed merges Mardev and DM2-DecisionMaker businesses
4-Mar-2010
US— Reed Business Information has merged its direct marketing and data management businesses, Mardev and DM2-DecisionMaker, to form a new company providing marketing, data and analysis services to b2b marketers.
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Facebook teams with Omniture for ad buying and analytics
3-Mar-2010
US— Facebook has unveiled a partnership with Omniture to aid the buying of ad space on the social networking site, followed up by post-campaign analysis.
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Twitter management and analytics platform sold to ExactTarget
3-Mar-2010
US— CoTweet, the developer of a Twitter account management and analytics platform, has been bought by email and interactive marketing firm ExactTarget.
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ICM handed audience recruitment task for UK election debates
3-Mar-2010
UK— Research agency and opinion pollster ICM has been picked by a consortium of broadcasters to recruit studio audiences for Britain’s first televised election debates.
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AOL's UK-based research team take voluntary redundancy
3-Mar-2010
UK— All four members of AOL’s UK-based European research team are set to leave the internet company, having accepted voluntary redundancy as part of a corporate-wide cost reduction exercise.
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BBE spins off video ad-serving and analytics platform
2-Mar-2010
US— Online video network BBE has spun off Vindico, its video ad-serving, tracking and analytics platform, into a separate division headed by newly appointed president Matt Timothy.
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Fewer marketers to cut use of research in 2010, MENG survey finds
2-Mar-2010
US— The latest survey of Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG) members holds positive news for the research industry – half as many respondents expect to cut their MR spend this year compared with 2009.
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Spedding and Chopra set out to unearth pharma research 'gems'
2-Mar-2010
UK— Two former Synovate senior executives have launched a new firm to invest in and support the development of businesses in the healthcare market research space.
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Firms splash the green on cleantech researchers
1-Mar-2010
US— Big news from Solarbuzz and Cleantech, two firms focused on environmental technology markets – the former has been acquired while the latter has secured a $3.2m investment.
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Hall & Partners Vanella Jackson elected MRS chairman
1-Mar-2010
UK— Vanella Jackson, the global chief executive of Hall & Partners, has been elected as the next chairman of the Market Research Society (MRS).
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Mediamark partners with MBI for proposed 2011 launch of US Touchpoints
1-Mar-2010
US— 2011 has been earmarked as a potential launch date for the US version of the UK’s Touchpoints multimedia survey and planning database.
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Australia first port of call for Peanut Labs' international rollout
26-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— Sample provider Peanut Labs has scoured Australia’s social networking sites to recruit 226,000 respondents for research purposes.
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Microsoft partners with ComScore for custom online ad targeting
26-Feb-2010
US— Microsoft Advertising has partnered with ComScore to bolster its custom online targeting service, CPG Online Effect.
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Nielsen reports 2009 revenue of $4.8bn, flat on 2008
26-Feb-2010
US— Nielsen’s business is measuring what people watch and what people buy – and, according to results out today, business has been reasonably good in spite of the global economic downturn.
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WAA puts social media measurement definitions out to consultation
26-Feb-2010
US— Do you know your ‘grab installs’ from your ‘seed installs’? And if not, how do you measure them? The Web Analytics Association (WAA) has published a set of standard definitions for social media measurement that aim to overcome such issues.
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OTX movie head fires up Screen Engine consultancy
26-Feb-2010
US— Kevin Goetz has left his post as president of the worldwide motion picture research group at OTX and launched a new consultancy called Screen Engine.
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Annik goes to market with new panel brokerage business
25-Feb-2010
INDIA— Outsourced research services provider Annik Systems is getting in on the panel brokerage game with the launch of a new business called FieldworkPlus.
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Out Now's LatAm gay study expands into seven European countries
25-Feb-2010
UK— Out Now Consulting’s study of gay consumers in Latin America has expanded into Europe and has attracted corporate sponsorship from Berlin Tourism Marketing and Delta Air Lines.
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Have you heard? IPA Touchpoints to get WOM metric
25-Feb-2010
UK— The latest wave of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s (IPA) Touchpoints survey of media usage will feature a word-of-mouth metric to help brand owners identify ‘conversation catalysts’ in their product areas.
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GfK reports 2009 sales down 4.6% to €1.16bn
25-Feb-2010
GERMANY— GfK’s sales were down 4.6% to €1,164m in 2009 – but with a marked improvement in business in the final three months of last year, the research group is expecting a return to growth this year.
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'Ready for battle' – Ipsos predicts growth for 2010 after 2009 decline
25-Feb-2010
FRANCE— 2009 marked the end of Ipsos’s 30-year run of growth with sales down 3.6% to €943.7m. The company called it “a year of learning”and has vowed to come out fighting in 2010.
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CRAM International founder Peter Cooper dies aged 73
23-Feb-2010
UK— Peter Cooper, the founder of specialist qualitative research agency CRAM International, died on 12 February. He was 73.
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Daystar takes a shine to Rentrak TV Essentials
23-Feb-2010
US— Another win for Rentrak’s TV Essentials audience measurement service: Christian TV network Daystar has signed a multi-year agreement to buy viewing data.
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One to One Interactive buys customer experience researcher
23-Feb-2010
US— Marketing agency One to One Interactive (OTO) has acquired customer experience, research and design agency Fhios, merging it with its neuromarketing research division OTOinsights.
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BoA hires Nunwood for insight portal task
23-Feb-2010
UK— Nunwood has bagged a new client for its Fizz knowledge management platform. Bank of America’s Europe Card Services division has hired the agency to build an online research library.
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Australian outdoor media industry gets a Move on
23-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— A new industry-funded audience measurement system for outdoor media made its long-awaited debut today, promising more accurate data on who actually sees billboards and poster advertising.
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ForeSee Results hires for international growth
22-Feb-2010
UK— Customer satisfaction researcher ForeSee Results has appoined a vice president of international markets to spearhead the agency’s growth outside the North American market.
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Casro finds optimism returning in US research market
22-Feb-2010
US— Optimism continues to return to the US market research industry, with a recent survey by the Council of American Survey Research Organisations (Casro) finding a 10-point rise in those predicting a recovery for 2010.
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IMS looks to capitalise on physician payment disclosure laws
22-Feb-2010
US— The proliferation of laws in the US requiring disclosure of money spent by drugs companies on marketing to doctors is causing headaches for many in the research industry
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TV research veteran Rella moves agencyside with OTX
22-Feb-2010
US— Veteran TV industry researcher Betsy Rella has moved agencyside, joining OTX as senior vice president for client development in the company’s media insights division.
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Media Square chairman Roger Parry sets July departure date
22-Feb-2010
UK— Roger Parry has called time on his stint as non-executive chairman of Media Square, saying he plans to step down from the role after the marketing services group’s AGM in July.
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Zahawi stands for Parliament and steps down as YouGov CEO
22-Feb-2010
UK— YouGov founder Nadhim Zahawi is to step down as chief executive of the online research agency in order to stand as an MP in the forthcoming general election.
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Nick Sparrow resigns as ICM chairman and head of Creston Insight
19-Feb-2010
UK— Nick Sparrow has resigned as chairman of the ICM Research Group, the company he co-founded 21 years ago. His departure comes four years after ICM’s sale to marketing services group Creston in a deal worth up to £37m.
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Visible Measures develops Trends app for online videos
19-Feb-2010
US— After five years in business, Visible Measures has amassed a host of data on the performance of online video campaigns – some of which it is now making available through a web-based benchmarking application called Trends.
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Basis replaces SPA as IPC's Origin Panel partner
18-Feb-2010
UK— The consumer research division of magazine publisher IPC Media has hired Basis Research as the research partner for its Origin Panel of 7,500 women.
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Ex-Buckingham MD joins InSites Consulting in London
18-Feb-2010
UK— Former Buckingham Research managing director Paul Nola has joined Belgian online research agency InSites Consulting as research director in the firm’s London office.
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Singapore's MediaCorp first for Media Metrix 360 in Asia
18-Feb-2010
SINGAPORE— ComScore has launched its hybrid web audience measurement service Media Metrix 360 in Asia, and bagged Singaporean media giant MediaCorp as its first client.
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Scout Analytics taps typing rhythm for web measurement
17-Feb-2010
US— Scout Analytics, a startup web analytics firm, has developed a unique solution to the problem of accurately measuring website audiences – recording the typing rhythms of web users.
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Optimisa readies for launch of unified research brand
17-Feb-2010
UK— Optimisa is looking to put its recent woes behind it and is ready to go to market with a re-engineered research offer, uniting its three previously separate MR agencies – Quaestor, Buckingham Research and Andrew Irving Associates – under a common brand.
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TNS, Compete collaborate on website optimisation
17-Feb-2010
US— Sister companies TNS and Compete are combining their web research services for a new offer that aims to identify areas where websites are failing while offering recommendations to enchance performance.
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Rees joins Charterhouse team as new survey bags £1m in subs
15-Feb-2010
UK— Sharon Rees, the former head of financial and professional services research at TNS, has joined financial and business research specialist Charterhouse Research as a director.
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Deloitte buys Pathfinder Solutions to boost analytics offer
15-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— Business and marketing insights firm Pathfinder Solutions has been bought by Deloitte, bolstering the consulting firm’s analytics and information management arm.
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ANA hails tests measuring in-home commercial viewing
15-Feb-2010
US— Ratings for individual commercials moved a step closer in the US this month with an announcement from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) of the successful completion of tests to measure ad viewing in the home.
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The Leading Edge hires Blackbox director for Singapore role
12-Feb-2010
SINGAPORE— The Leading Edge has hired Steve Nuttall as managing partner for its Asian research business, based in Singapore.
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Drummond Madell adds new faces to quant and qual teams
12-Feb-2010
UK— London-based research agency Drummond Madell has bulked up its quantitative and qualitative research teams with the addition of four new staff.
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Mixpanel secures backing from PayPal and Bebo founders
12-Feb-2010
US— Mixpanel, a web application analytics company, has received financial backing from two major online players, Max Levchin and Michael Birch, respectively the founders of PayPal and Bebo.
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HPI test-drives community research with FairGround
11-Feb-2010
UK— HPI is dipping its toes into online community waters with a site that invites people interested in issues around fairtrade and ethical consumerism to connect, debate and take part in polls and surveys.
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Flamingo fills senior roles in US and Asia Pacific
11-Feb-2010
UK— Flamingo International has implemented a senior-level shake-up, naming a new chief executive and chief operating officer for North America, a new regional MD for Asia and a new boss in Singapore.
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UKOM releases first data from online audience planning system
10-Feb-2010
UK— The first data from the UK’s industry-backed online audience measurement and planning system was released today, with the BBC coming out on top with the highest concentration of ABC1 social grade visitors, followed by Wikipedia and Amazon.
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IMS reports 3% rise in Q4 sales, 6% decline for 2009
10-Feb-2010
US— IMS Health has reported a 3% rise in revenue for the final quarter of 2009, in what is likely to be its last results announcement before becoming a privately-held company.
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Tilling new ground in mobile media measurement
10-Feb-2010
With census-level data on 2.5m mobile internet users, Ground Truth promises to add depth and perspective on mobile media usage. We sat down with marketing VP Evan Neufeld to find out why he believes 2010 will be the year mobile makes its mark as an advertising medium.
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Outsell adds Gilbane Group to company fold
9-Feb-2010
US— Information industry analyst Outsell has added a new company to its fold – The Gilbane Group, which carries out research in the areas of content and publishing technology.
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Liz Sykes out as MD at Field Initiatives
9-Feb-2010
UK— Field Initiatives managing director Liz Sykes has left the firm after almost 14 years as part of a restructure designed to reduce costs within the fieldwork business, according to Michael Hague-Moss, chairman of parent company RDSi.
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InfoGroup ends a challenging 2009 on a note of optimism
9-Feb-2010
US— InfoGroup’s research division booked a quarter-on-quarter improvement in revenue for the final three months of 2009 – ending an otherwise difficult year on a note of optimism.
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Rentrak chief sees Nielsen as 'frenemy' as measurement business grows
9-Feb-2010
US— Any company like Rentrak looking to make a name for itself in media measurement will eventually run into the ratings juggernaut that is Nielsen. Does that make the firm friend or foe?
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Mobclix deal mobilises Nielsen's Prizm segmentation
8-Feb-2010
US— Nielsen’s Prizm has found itself another partner – the segmentation system is to be integrated into the Mobclix mobile ad exchange for buying and selling mobile advertising inventory.
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Media consultant and researcher Frank N. Magid dies
8-Feb-2010
US— Media consultant and research agency boss Frank N. Magid died on Friday (5 February) aged 78 following a battle with lymphoma.
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Recall woes prompt Toyota pledge to improve customer feedback loop
5-Feb-2010
JAPAN— Toyota has pledged to improve its customer research capabilities in light of a mass recall of cars over fears that accelerator pedals on certain models can get stuck.
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EIAA expands Marketscope study to cover 15 European countries
5-Feb-2010
UK— The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) is expanding the coverage of its Mediascope Europe survey to measure media consumption patterns in five additional markets.
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GSMA and ComScore set out to make 2010 the year of mobile
5-Feb-2010
In advertising, money follows eyeballs – but you need metrics that show what people are looking at. Little surprise, then, to see so much enthusiasm greet the launch of the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics product, a move many see as marking the dawn of the era of mobile.
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Healthcare surveys start again in Minnesota
4-Feb-2010
US— Minnesota is back open for pharmaceutical market research following clarification to a rule that seemingly prohibited healthcare practitioners from taking part in surveys.
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Creston reports improved performance in third quarter
4-Feb-2010
UK— Insight and communications group Creston this morning reported an improved business performance for the three months ending 31 December, but warned that the economic climate “remains challenging”.
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IMS Health's $5bn takeover clears antitrust hurdles
4-Feb-2010
US— The regulatory path is clear for IMS Health’s $5.2bn takeover by investment groups TPG Capital and the CCP Investment Board, the firm announced this morning.
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IQ wraps-up sale of Rosslyn Research and Viewpoint Field
2-Feb-2010
UK— Rosslyn Research and Viewpoint Field changed owners this week, following their sale by IQ Holdings to Rivington Street Holdings.
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BBC hires New Look's Taylor to lead research in online and future media
2-Feb-2010
UK— The BBC has appointed former New Look researcher Davie Taylor as research manager for online, future media and technology.
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Euro agencies pool panel resources to form new online fieldwork firm
2-Feb-2010
NETHERLANDS— A group of research agencies from across Europe have pooled their online panel resources to form a new online fieldwork business called Panelteam.
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Adobe condemns cookie respawning in comments to FTC
2-Feb-2010
US— Flash developer Adobe is not happy with web companies using its technology to recreate deleted cookies and continue tracking the browsing habits of web users without permission.
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ComScore Japan names ex-Viacom man as sales VP
1-Feb-2010
JAPAN— Former MTV ad sales man Daizo Nishitani has joined web measurement firm ComScore as vice president of sales for Japan.
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Noted marketing academic Michael Thomas dies
1-Feb-2010
UK— Michael Thomas, a marketing academic and past president of the Market Research Society, has died after a battle with cancer.
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BrainJuicer names ex-TomTom CMO as operations chief
1-Feb-2010
UK— Alex Batchelor, the former chief marketing officer of sat nav maker TomTom, has joined BrainJuicer as chief operating officer, in a move designed to free up agency boss John Kearon to pursue global expansion opportunities.
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People on the move
29-Jan-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global research and insight industry. This week: Metro Research, Dow Jones, Cloud9 Analytics, Business Logic Systems, IAB Ireland, Lightspeed Research, Harris Interactive, Gongos Research and LogicLab.
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Screen Digest named research partner for IAB Europe AdEx
29-Jan-2010
UK— Media analyst firm Screen Digest has been named as the new research partner for the IAB Europe’s AdEx report, which compiles figures on the size of the online advertising market across Europe.
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Andrew Irving renews independence with the launch of AIMR
29-Jan-2010
UK— Andrew Irving sold his research consultancy for £300,000 a little over three years ago. Now he’s back with a new business, AIMR.
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MediaCom names new insight heads in Asia Pacific and LatAm
28-Jan-2010
UK— MediaCom Worldwide has named Robert Fry and Gastón Betoled as heads of insight in Asia Pacific and Latin America respectively.
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Adding a measure of quality to web audience ratings
28-Jan-2010
At the heart of the recent row over ComScore’s hybrid web audience measurement system was a dispute over the best way to measure the size of a website’s audience. But what about audience quality? It’s a question Crowd Science CEO John Martin hopes online advertisers will increasingly ask.
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Google issues fix for web tracking loophole in Toolbar add-on
27-Jan-2010
US— Google has issued a quick fix for its web-browser add-on, Google Toolbar, blaming a bug in the code for allowing it to continue tracking Toolbar users’ web surfing habits after the programme has seemingly been disabled.
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Harris in the black: firm reports first quarterly profit in 21 months
27-Jan-2010
US— Harris Interactive has reported being in the black for the three months ended 31 December. Operating income for the quarter was $600,000 while net income was $1.3m.
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Youth Research boss pleads guilty to federal fraud charges
26-Jan-2010
US— Karen Forcade, the president of now-defunct research agency Youth Research Inc, has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in connection with faked child safety tests for cigarette lighters. She is due to be sentenced at a later date.
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Ground Truth aims to shake-up US mobile metrics industry
26-Jan-2010
US— Ground Truth, a new mobile metrics firm, made its debut today – boasting access to mobile operator data for more than 2.5m mobile internet users in the United States.
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Sacked InfoGroup exec claims $1m in unpaid severance
26-Jan-2010
US— Research and database marketing group InfoGroup is facing a lawsuit from sacked senior executive Stormy Dean, who claims he is owned more than $1m in unpaid severance and bonuses.
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Pettit named chief research officer at Conversition Strategies
25-Jan-2010
CANADA— Social media research agency Conversition Strategies has hired Ipsos’s former vice president of online panel analytics, Annie Pettit, as its new chief research officer.
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Analytics firm Flurry claims Apple tablet preview
25-Jan-2010
US— It’s the question that has the tech world gripped – what new piece of kit is Apple set to announce on Wednesday? The consensus says it’s a tablet PC, and app analytics firm Flurry claims to have observed the device in testing.
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ComScore defends against Mahalo CEO's boycott call
25-Jan-2010
US— ComScore was forced on the defensive this weekend when the CEO of search engine Mahalo urged a boycott of the web measurement firm over its decision to charge websites for inclusion in its hybrid measurement system, Media Metrix 360.
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Middleton moves from Moxie research role to Performics
22-Jan-2010
US— Publicis-owned search marketing agency Performics will get a new president from 1 April – Daina Middleton moves into the role from social marketing specialist Moxie Interactive, a sister firm, where she currently oversees research and insight.
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BBC picks 2CV to study on-screen portrayal of homosexuals
22-Jan-2010
UK— Research agency 2CV is working with the BBC on a study looking at the way in which lesbian, gay and bisexual people are portrayed across the corporation’s TV, radio and internet output.
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UK government opens up online data hub, Data.gov.uk
21-Jan-2010
UK— The UK government has thrown open an online data hub to members of the public, promising easy access to government-held information that can be downloaded and re-used as people and businesses see fit.
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Ipsos appoints ex-TNS Sofres MD as country manager in France
21-Jan-2010
FRANCE— Ipsos has appointed Yannick Carriou as managing director for France, replacing Giorgio Caporusso who has left the company to join confectionery firm Ferrero Group in Italy.
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Nielsen bags Black Crow Media as radio ratings client
21-Jan-2010
US— TV measurement giant Nielsen has bagged another customer for its radio ratings service, with which it is challenging Arbitron’s dominance in 51 small and medium-sized markets.
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Strategy and futures director Martin Hayward leaves Dunnhumby
20-Jan-2010
UK— Martin Hayward has left his role as director of strategy and futures at Dunnhumby after more than five years with the database analytics firm, which is best known for its work on retailer Tesco’s Clubcard.
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Sway secures $2m investment to boost Shoutlet social media platform
20-Jan-2010
US— Social media research and marketing agency Sway has secured $2m in Series A funding to support the growth and development of its Shoutlet content distribution platform.
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Herdman joins Kadence Indonesia in qual role from RI
18-Jan-2010
INDONESIA— Kadence International has hired Dawn Herdman as qualitative director in its Jakarta office, heading up a team of four that currently works for clients in the FMCG, banking and healthcare markets.
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Precision Polling aims to spark DIY revolution in phone polls
18-Jan-2010
US— Cheap survey design tools have sparked a DIY revolution in online research. Now, a Seattle-based startup is seeking to do the same thing with telephone polling.
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Essential names Leithal's Lacey as qual associate director
18-Jan-2010
UK— Steven Lacey, the former head of Leithal Thinking in London, has joined media research specialists Essential Research as associate director for qualitative.
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Luma partners with Research Now for Add+Impact 2.0
18-Jan-2010
AUSTRALIA— Ad research agency Luma has struck a partnership with panel provider Research Now to offer advertisers a new online creative testing tool.
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Karnes offers pearls of wisdom to research SMEs
18-Jan-2010
Harris Interactive’s former head of corporate development Kyle Karnes says small and medium-sized businesses need a strong and clear focus on growth and differentiation to survive the challenges of 2010. Brian Tarran reports.
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'No false dawn' – Bellwether continues to point to rosier marketing outlook
18-Jan-2010
UK— More quasi-good news from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s (IPA) Bellwether Report – UK marketing spend fell for the ninth quarter running in Q4 2009 but the rate of decline was the lowest for almost two years.
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People on the move
15-Jan-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global research and insight industry. This week: Sands Research, ComScore, Market Fusion Analytics, Kadence International, Getmemedia, Synovate, Evolution Market Research, eBureau, Zimmerman Advertising, Silver Fern Research, Decision Resources and ICM.
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Web analytics expert warns against 'risky' use of Flash cookies
15-Jan-2010
US— Flash cookies are emerging as a more reliable web audience measurement alternative to traditional HTTP cookies – but a leading analytics expert has warned companies they risk trouble if they use these “super-cookies” to override consumer privacy preferences.
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Tree to be uprooted in proposed £2m sale to Chime
15-Jan-2010
UK— Marketing services group Cagney looks set to sell Tree, its research and data analysis agency, to Chime Communications in a cash deal worth £2m.
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IRI reshuffles management in key European markets
15-Jan-2010
SPAIN/US— Information Resources has promoted European marketing director Eva Vila Massanas to managing director in Spain, replacing Angelo Massaro.
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Ratings rift rocks Turkish television industry
14-Jan-2010
TURKEY— The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) has thrown the Turkish TV industry into turmoil with plans to withdraw its channels from the ratings system run by AGB Nielsen, which is commissioned by joint industry committee TIAK.
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MRS publishes revised code ahead of April enforcement date
14-Jan-2010
UK— The Market Research Society’s (MRS) revised code of conduct is being issued this month, ahead of its enforcement in April. Changes in the code include a new rule barring the use of client goods or services as incentives in a research project.
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McDonald quits Firefly for Leading Edge role
14-Jan-2010
UK— The Leading Edge has named Simon McDonald as UK managing partner. McDonald has spent the past seven years running his own consultancy Firefly Research.
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VCs pump $7m into mobile app analytics firm Flurry
13-Jan-2010
US— Mobile app analytics firm Flurry has secured investment totalling $7m, following hot on the heels of its merger with rival Pinch Media.
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Analytics strong for Ebiquity in first half, but ad monitoring slows
13-Jan-2010
UK— Ebiquity has reported healthy growth in its media auditing, consultancy and marketing effectiveness practices for the first half of the year, but its advertising monitoring business suffered amid the challenging economic environment.
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Arena BLM founder Makin named Work Research chairman
13-Jan-2010
UK— Media research company Work has hired Arena BLM’s chief strategic officer Charlie Makin as chairman, where he will advise the company on business strategy and the development of new products.
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Analytics firm Covario acquires SEO specialist Netconcepts
13-Jan-2010
US— Covario, a provider of interactive marketing analytics software and services, has acquired search engine optimisation (SEO) specialist Netconcepts as it looks to claim a bigger slice of a market worth an estimated $2.5bn.
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Former Harris M&A man launches Red Pearl Advisors
12-Jan-2010
US— Harris Interactive’s former head of corporate development Kyle Karnes has launched a consulting firm to advise market research and marketing services agencies on growth strategies and mergers and acquisitions.
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ActiveGroup hires Foreman to ramp up European activities
12-Jan-2010
UK— Focus group video streaming company ActiveGroup is set to make a concerted push for dominance in the European market with the appointment of Dan Foreman as head of international business development.
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Shareholders back sale of IQ research businesses
12-Jan-2010
UK— Shareholders in IQ Holdings today approved the sale of the company’s businesses Viewpoint Field and Rosslyn Research in an all-share deal valued at £1.5m.
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Healthcare data firm SK&A sold to Cegedim
12-Jan-2010
US— Healthcare data and research firm SK&A has been sold to Cegedim Dendrite, a CRM services business focused on the life sciences industry.
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Juicing on listening – ARF publishes new playbook
12-Jan-2010
US— Listening to customers is important, says the Advertising Research Foundation – and if you don’t believe it, just ask Tropicana. A packaging redesign for the juice drink brand met a firestorm of protest last year, forcing makers PepsiCo to change the packaging back just six weeks later.
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Ten companies sign up to 'collaborate around insight'
11-Jan-2010
UK— Diageo, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble are among 10 companies taking part in an ambitious project that invites brands to work together on developing new brand and product ideas and new avenues for research through in-depth analysis of existing data.
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Lithium bags $18m for customer community push
11-Jan-2010
US— Online community builder Lithium Technologies has snared $18m in financing to fund growth of its social network platform, which is already used by brands such as AT&T, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble and Sony PlayStation.
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Gartner looks to kill off libel action with call for dismissal
11-Jan-2010
US— Gartner will go to court next month in a bid to put an end to a libel action brought against it by a software company angry at being called a “niche” vendor.
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New strategic partner for Manthan Systems in the US
8-Jan-2010
US— Manthan Systems, a retail analytics and intelligence firm, has appointed management consulting group Parker Avery as a strategic partner in the US.
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MarketTools offers self-service online community product
8-Jan-2010
US— MarketTools is launching a self-service product for creating online communities next week, priced at what it claims is “a fraction of the cost” of competing full-service offers.
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Online video survey tech makes US push at CES
8-Jan-2010
US— Technology developed in Australia that allows for the creation of a survey interface around online videos is being demoed in the US this week as part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
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Synovate in tribute to Nigel Jackson after fatal ski accident
8-Jan-2010
UK— Colleagues of Synovate executive Nigel Jackson have paid tribute to a man they describe as “a supportive, dedicated, massively hard-working leader” who died while skiing in the French Alps on Christmas Day.
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Opinium names Masmi's Endersby as managing director
7-Jan-2010
UK— Online research agency Opinium has hired James Endersby as managing director. He was until recently co-managing director of Masmi UK.
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MarketStar and NPD Group strike market intelligence alliance
7-Jan-2010
US— Retail research specialist The NPD Group has formed a strategic alliance with Ominicon-owned MarketStar to offer clients a range of market planning services.
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Ex-Drummond Madell and GfK execs roll out Volante
7-Jan-2010
UK— Three ex-Drummond Madell executives and a former GfK NOP director have joined forces to launch a brand research agency called Volante Research.
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IQ agrees sale of Viewpoint Field and Rosslyn Research
7-Jan-2010
UK— IQ Holdings has agreed to sell its Viewpoint Field and Rosslyn Research divisions to Rivington Street Holdings (RSH), a minority shareholder.
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Sony teams with CBS for research on home 3D experience
7-Jan-2010
US— Sony is to work with broadcaster CBS to research what audiences want from 3D video and display technology in the home.
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UK web analytics market grows 9% to £85m, says Econsultancy
7-Jan-2010
UK— Web analytics spending in the UK grew 9% last year to £85m, according to a report published by digital marketing website Econsultancy.
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Flurry in mobile app data partnership with ComScore
6-Jan-2010
US— Analytics firm Flurry has struck a partnership with ComScore to integrate its data on mobile application usage with information ComScore collects on mobile web browsing habits.
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Dunnhumby buys price modelling and optimisation firm
6-Jan-2010
UK— Database marketing and analytics firm Dunnhumby has acquired KSS Retail, a developer of price modelling and optimisation software.
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2010 predictions – research for research's sake is over, says Forrester
6-Jan-2010
US— Happy New Year – or will it be? According to a new Forrester report, research buyers will continue to demand proof of ROI on their research projects, while vendor consolidation and insourcing is expected to make life difficult for the supplyside of the industry – even as recessionary pressures start to ease.
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Quantcast secures $27m investment to support Media Program
6-Jan-2010
US— Web measurement firm Quantcast has bagged a $27.5m investment to back a new year push for its Media Program – a platform to allow marketers and website owners to buy and sell access to online audiences.
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SeeWhy bags $2m funding for web conversion tool
18-Dec-2009
US— Web analytics firm SeeWhy has secured an extra $2m investment from existing shareholders as it looks to bolster sales and support for its website conversion tool.
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Cossette agrees to sweetened takeover offer from Mill Road
1-Dec-2009
CANADA— Marketing services group Cossette has accepted a sweetened takeover bid from US private equity group Mill Road Capital.
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Kadence posts growth, despite second-half challenges
1-Dec-2009
UK— Kadence International has reported a 9% increase in turnover for 2009 – despite a harsh slowdown in business in the second half of the year.
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COI recruits roster to build behaviour change expertise
30-Nov-2009
UK— The Central Office of Information, the UK government’s marketing department, is putting together a roster of experts in behaviour change theory and models in a bid to make its communications campaigns more effective.
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Harris bids to advance Asia ambitions with ASL debut
30-Nov-2009
HONG KONG— Harris Interactive is introducing its online qualitative research offering Advanced Strategy Lab (ASL) in Asia – beginning with a client meeting in Hong Kong earlier today.
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GfK looks to gauge sales impact of ad campaigns with new panel
30-Nov-2009
UK— GfK is launching a panel in the UK that combines household purchase data with information on online and offline media consumption in order to gauge the sales impact of ad campaigns.
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Pulse sees revenue rise, but IPO costs leave firm at a loss
30-Nov-2009
MALAYSIA— Research outsourcing firm Pulse Group has booked revenue growth of 7% for the financial year ended 31 May in spite of the “difficult economic environment”.
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CBS tool tracks UK videogames market buzz
27-Nov-2009
UK— Web publisher CBS Interactive is bringing its videogames customer analytics tool GameSpot Trax to the UK, six years on from its launch in the US.
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Business mission sparks Wildfire deal for DDB China
27-Nov-2009
SINGAPORE— Word-of-mouth agency Wildfire has signed a deal with ad agency DDB China to add influencer marketing campaigns to its offering.
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Foreman departs Opinium with new role under wraps
27-Nov-2009
UK— Dan Foreman is leaving online research agency Opinium – 14 months after joining the firm in a strategic development role.
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Former Viewpoint exec gets all Zen with new fieldwork business
26-Nov-2009
UK— Former Viewpoint Field executive Al Anderson has launched a fieldwork agency called Zen Research, based in Surrey.
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Offshore transparency debate ignores quality issue, says Annik chief
26-Nov-2009
INDIA— A leading player in offshore market research has raised concerns that the recently-launched Foundation for Transparency in Offshoring (FTO) risks diverting the debate around outsourcing away from the issue of quality.
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BBC invites pitches for 'next gen' analytics tool
26-Nov-2009
UK— The BBC is on the hunt for a “next generation web analytics tool” for which it is willing to spend up to £6.9m over three years. The broadcaster is expecting to invite a minimum of five agencies to tender.
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Update: Cossette rejects Cosmos takeover bid
25-Nov-2009
CANADA— Cossette’s board of directors has rejected a takeover offer of $7.87 per share from Cosmos Capital, the group headed by former Cossette vice-chairman François Duffar.
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IAB Europe says nothing to fear from EU cookie rules
25-Nov-2009
BELGIUM— Advertisers have nothing to fear from new European Union rules requiring consumers to opt-in to accept cookies, says the IAB Europe – pointing to a preamble to the directive that says browser settings can be taken as a form of consent.
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Arbitron to defend PPM at House committee hearing
25-Nov-2009
US— Arbitron is to appear before a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to defend its portable people meter-based (PPM) ratings against claims they are damaging to radio stations targeting ethnic minorities.
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British Gas embarks on 'listening' exercise
24-Nov-2009
UK— British Gas has mounted a major newspaper ad campaign to recruit a panel of customers who will be invited to share views and suggestions with the energy company’s managers.
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Solomon resigns as head of Media Research Users Council
24-Nov-2009
INDIA— The general manager of the Media Research Users Council has resigned amid plans to merge the organisation’s print readership survey with a rival offering produced by the National Readership Studies Council.
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Cosmos teases higher bid in Cossette takeover battle
24-Nov-2009
CANADA— Cosmos Capital is reportedly prepared to up its takeover bid for marketing services group Cossette to C$8.10 per share providing it is granted access to the company’s books and likes what it sees.
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Google inks Tivo deal for TV Ad viewing data
24-Nov-2009
US— Google has sought to bolster measurement capabilities for its TV ad-buying platform by licencing second-by-second set-top box data from DVR firm Tivo.
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Mediamark bags GroupM as third AdMeasure client
23-Nov-2009
US— Mediamark has bagged GroupM as the third client of its AdMeasure service, which the research agency is looking to establish as the ad measurement currency for major consumer magazines.
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Blue chips failing in use of insight, says study
23-Nov-2009
US— It’s a familiar refrain at conferences, but a new survey from Boston Consulting Group adds stats to back up the claim that even the biggest companies in the world fail to make the most of their market research.
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Will the ends justify the means in offshoring transparency?
23-Nov-2009
The Foundation for Transparency in Offshoring should be welcomed for its efforts to educate clients about the extent of offshoring in the research industry. But the way it seeks to do so risks tapping into heightened post-recession protectionist sentiment.
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FTO seeks 'openness' in offshore MR practices
20-Nov-2009
US— Offshoring is big business and many research agencies are seeing it as a way to make costs savings – but a new organisation claims many offshorers are failing to be upfront about the practice.
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Microsoft looks to deliver metrics for 1 vs. 100 advertisers
20-Nov-2009
US— Microsoft is commencing a pilot test with Nielsen to provide metrics on who saw what adverts featured in its Xbox Live quiz game 1 vs. 100. The test goes live following tonight’s launch of the second season of the game.
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IQ considers sell-off amid tough trading conditions
20-Nov-2009
UK— IQ Holdings is considering putting its IQ Research, Viewpoint Field and Rosslyn Research subsidiaries up for sale amid “difficult” trading conditions.
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Coremetrics makes play for Omniture customers
19-Nov-2009
US— Coremetrics is making a hard play to snatch customers away from rival web analytics firm Omniture, following the latter’s acquisition by Adobe.
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Duffar ups Cossette bid to challenge Mill Road offer
19-Nov-2009
CANADA— A bidding war is looming over marketing services group Cossette after former vice-chairman François Duffar upped his takeover bid to match a competing offer from a private equity group.
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Zoomerang makes Salesforce AppExchange debut
18-Nov-2009
US— MarketTools has released its Zoomerang Survey software as an application add-on for the Salesforce CRM system.
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CMOR rallies for reform of Universal Service Fund
18-Nov-2009
US— MR industry lobbyist CMOR has added its voice to calls to reform the Universal Service Fund, claiming the ever-changing fees levied on telephone users amount to a tax on phone surveys.
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Fine launches Australia Online Research post-STW
18-Nov-2009
AUSTRALIA— Brian Fine, the former chairman of The Online Research Unit (ORU), has set up a new online panel company called Australia Online Research (AOR).
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Revenue drop eases for Datascension in third quarter
17-Nov-2009
US— Data collection firm Datascension continued to see revenues fall in the third quarter of 2009, but the rate of decline has eased from a 29% year-on-year decrease in Q1 to a drop of 10.7% for the three months ended 30 September.
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Strategy Refresh for former Cancer Research insights man
17-Nov-2009
UK— A former head of strategy and consumer insight for Cancer Research UK, Bryan Miller has launched a marketing and fundraising consultancy called Strategy Refresh.
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Media measurement coalition updates request for information
17-Nov-2009
US— The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement has issued a revised request for information on set-top box measurement following a meeting with leading data suppliers earlier this month.
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Tesco retains Leapfrog for Customer Question Time programme
17-Nov-2009
UK— Tesco has retained research agency Leapfrog to manage all research services for its Customer Question Time programme.
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Marketing softco Unica wins web analytics task for IBM
13-Nov-2009
US— Marketing software firm Unica has signed a multi-year agreement to serve as IBM’s standard web analytics platform following a “highly competitive evaluation”.
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Compete and Cannondale probe retail impact of online ads
13-Nov-2009
US— Kantar companies Compete and Cannondale are fusing their respective datasets in an effort to understand how online activities and exposure to web advertising impacts on in-store purchase behaviour.
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Social media studies find pros and cons for buzz trackers
13-Nov-2009
US— Social media savvy businesses have been quick to tap new communications channels to monitor what people are saying about their brands, according to a Business.com survey. But now for the bad news – most aren’t paying for the tools they use to track mentions of their companies.
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Voxco in licensing deal with Gillian Kenny Associates
12-Nov-2009
UK— Survey software company Voxco has signed a licencing agreement with Gillian Kenny Associates (GKA) for its Command Center Software as a Service platform.
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ComScore makes Massive breakthrough with in-game ads
12-Nov-2009
US— Microsoft’s in-game ad network Massive has been working with ComScore to develop a way of measuring whether the adverts gamers see influence their online behaviours.
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Confirmit reveals 'app store' ambitions for Flex
12-Nov-2009
UK— Confirmit is setting out to build the market research industry’s version of Apple’s iPhone App Store with its new ‘Flex’ offering that will allow for the development of plug-in functionality for its flagship survey software platform.
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100 jobs to go at Omniture following buyout
11-Nov-2009
US— Omniture is to cut 9% of its workforce, or around 108 positions, following its acquisition last month by software company Adobe.
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Publicis Dialog invites consumers to 'Join the Conversation'
11-Nov-2009
UK— CRM agency Publicis Dialog is looking to forge stronger customer relationships for its clients through a new online panel and community called ‘Join the Conversation’.
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EU cookie rule passes, but ad impact still unclear
11-Nov-2009
BELGIUM— The European Union has agreed a package of telecoms reforms which includes new opt-in requirements for the use of online cookies.
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D&B and Carlyle named as possible InfoGroup bidders
11-Nov-2009
US— Information business Dun & Bradstreet and private equity firm Carlyle have been named as possible bidders for InfoGroup, the database marketing and MR company.
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Private equity trumps Cosmos bid for Cossette
11-Nov-2009
CANADA— Marketing services group Cossette has agreed to be bought out by a US private equity firm in a deal worth C$131m – trumping a C$88m hostile bid from the company’s former vice-chairman François Duffar.
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Rentrak reports 63% growth in media information business
10-Nov-2009
US— Rentrak’s media information business has reported growth of 63% for the three months ended 30 September, with revenue rising to $5m off the back of its Essentials multimedia measurement services.
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Itracks patent is valid, says Patent Office
10-Nov-2009
US— An online focus group patent held by data collection firm Itracks is valid, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office – undermining claims made by rival company Artafact.
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SDI Health secures private equity backer
10-Nov-2009
US— Healthcare data and analytics firm SDI has a new backer – private equity group Tailwind Capital, which has invested an undisclosed amount in the business.
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Former TNS consultant joins Opinium as associate director
9-Nov-2009
UK— Online research specialist Opinium has hired former TNS consultant Matthew Webster as associate director.
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Coke and McDonald's sign up to new Twitter analytics platform
9-Nov-2009
US— Twitter has been toying with the idea of making money from its users by offering them paid-for analytics tools – but another company, San Francisco-based CoTweet, has beaten them to it.
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Peering through the gloom to brighter times ahead
9-Nov-2009
Results season has just passed and for many US agencies, things are looking up. Certainly the gloom of recession appears to be lifting, so we asked Casro’s 2010 chairman Kevin Menk to give us his take on what next year has in store.
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Casro readies US push for ISO quality standard
9-Nov-2009
US— The Council of American Survey Research Organisations is to make a big push next year for US agencies to get ISO certified, following uptake by their counterparts in Europe and Australia, among other places.
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Emap taps Doctors.net for joint research and comms projects
6-Nov-2009
UK— Publisher Emap has forged an alliance with Doctors.net.uk to develop and run communications and market research programmes with key healthcare decision makers.
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Dentsu and Intage team for marketing intelligence offers
6-Nov-2009
JAPAN— Ad agency Dentsu has agreed a tie-up with research firm Intage with the aim of developing new marketing intelligence offers.
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Fox Audience Network signs data-sharing deal with WPP
5-Nov-2009
US— News Corporation’s Fox Audience Network (FAN) has struck a data-sharing deal with WPP designed to bolster both parties’ understanding of online audiences.
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MRIA seeks to banish 'chill' around research in government
5-Nov-2009
CANADA— A symposium could be held next year as part of MR industry efforts to convince the government of the value of research, following a collapse in survey spend.
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Round one goes to Gartner in libel battle
5-Nov-2009
US— Gartner has succeeded in dismissing a libel complaint brought by a software company angry at being described as a ‘niche’ player – though the vendor has been granted leave to file an amended complaint.
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Ofcom tweaks two-second rule on silent calls
4-Nov-2009
UK— Ofcom has tweaked its rules around silent calls to give businesses more time to present homeowners with a recorded information message if an operator is not available when a cold call is made.
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People on the move
4-Nov-2009
A roundup of the latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight business. This week: ActusMR, CMI, ImpreMedia, Harris Interactive, Cognosis, E-Tabs, Illuminas, R/GA London, Conversion Associates and Merkle.
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TGI gets a boost from TNS acquisition
4-Nov-2009
UK— Kantar’s international network of brand purchase, consumer attitude and media use surveys has expanded to 67 countries following parent company WPP’s acquisition of TNS last year.
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Firms probe digital media's influence on doctors
3-Nov-2009
US— ComScore and ImpactRx have gone to market with a new tool tying doctors’ online and mobile media habits to their prescription writing activities.
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InfoGroup sees further decline in MR revenue
3-Nov-2009
US— InfoGroup’s marketing research revenue fell 16% to $24m for the third quarter of 2009, with an operating loss of $700,000 for the division compared to operating income last year of $1.4m.
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Masmi names ex-Asda researcher as Saudi MD
3-Nov-2009
SAUDI ARABIA— Former Asda marketing research manager Nigel Clarkson has joined research group Masmi as MD for Saudi Arabia.
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OnePoll looks for international growth ahead of AIM listing
2-Nov-2009
UK— Online survey firm OnePoll is looking to boost its international research capabilities ahead of a planned initial public offering next year.
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Prizm makes online debut through DataLogix tie-up
2-Nov-2009
US— Nielsen’s lifestyle segmentation Prizm is making its online debut through a partnership with DataLogix’s Affiniti Data Platform.
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Gartner Q3 sales down but key metrics improve, says CEO
2-Nov-2009
US— IT analyst Gartner has reported a second consecutive quarter of double-digit declines in revenue and operating income – but key business metrics have improved, said CEO Gene Hall.
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Industry trends study finds hope mixed with apprehension
2-Nov-2009
US— Researchers are hopeful that the industry will soon see a return to better times – but concerns persist that the downturn has created problems for the business that will prove hard to fix.
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Research Panel Asia launches with China offering
30-Oct-2009
JAPAN— Online media business EC Navi has launched Research Panel Asia with the goal of establishing online survey panels throughout the Asia region.
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Duffar's Cosmos Group readies hostile bid for Cossette
30-Oct-2009
CANADA— Former Cossette vice chairman François Duffar is preparing to go hostile with his bid to acquire control of the marketing services group he helped establish.
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ComScore to cut workforce by 8% to fund investments
30-Oct-2009
US— ComScore is to axe 8% of its workforce in order to maintain investment in Media Metrix 360, the hybrid web measurement solution it sees as a big growth bet for the future.
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WPP sees improved performance from insight division in Q3
30-Oct-2009
UK— WPP has boasted of a “marked improvement” in the financial performance of its consumer insight division in the third quarter, with like-for-like revenue down 10% compared to a decline of 13.4% in the second quarter.
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Forrester preparing for growth despite Q3 sales dip
29-Oct-2009
US— Forrester Research is gearing up for growth next year, despite a 9% fall in third-quarter revenue to $53.9m and a 7% decline in operating income to $7.9m.
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MarketShare picks Optimor's Cain for Euro analytics role
29-Oct-2009
UK— Marketing analytics firm MarketShare Partners has appointed Millward Brown Optimor executive Peter Cain to lead its European analytics team and spearhead its global consumer goods practice.
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IPerceptions posts C$1m revenue, C$1m loss for Q3
29-Oct-2009
CANADA— Web analytics firm iPerceptions has posted a 10% rise in revenue to C$1.2m for the three months ending 30 September – but losses also increased to C$1m for the period.
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Judge lifts exit poll restrictions but New Jersey appeals
27-Oct-2009
US— News organisations were granted a reprieve on Friday from a court ruling barring them from surveying voters within 100 feet of polling stations in New Jersey – but the state is appealing the decision.
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InfoGroup sacks former CFO Stormy Dean
27-Oct-2009
US— InfoGroup, owner of database marketing firms and MR agency Opinion Research Corporation, has sacked its former chief financial officer Stormy Dean.
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Omniture shareholders back Adobe's $1.8bn takeover
23-Oct-2009
US— Adobe is to complete its acquisition of web analytics firm Omniture today, having secured just under 87% of the company’s shares at the close of the offer period last night.
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Cognicient links with German sales partner
23-Oct-2009
GERMANY— Data integration software firm Cognicient is looking to expand its client base internationally through a partnership with German research software company 2x4.
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Research Panel adds Japanese data to Trend Monitor study
23-Oct-2009
JAPAN— Online fieldwork firm Research Panel is to start contributing data on Japanese consumer attitudes to a multi-country study run by Korean firm Trend Monitor.
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Google looks to deliver display campaign insights with new tool
22-Oct-2009
US— Google is setting out to help display advertisers measure the brand lift of their online campaigns with a new tool that looks at changes in consumers’ search and browsing habits post-ad exposure.
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Gartner seeks dismissal of libel suit from email software vendor
22-Oct-2009
US— IT analyst Gartner is to appear in court tomorrow to argue for a dismissal of a lawsuit accusing it of defamation and trade libel over its repeated description of a software supplier as a ‘niche’ vendor.
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Cinelatino in deal for VOD viewing data
21-Oct-2009
US— Spanish-language film channel Cinelatino has signed a deal to source video-on-demand viewing data from media measurement firm Rentrak.
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InfoGroup agrees tentative settlement over SEC probe
21-Oct-2009
US— Research and database marketing firm InfoGroup has reached a tentative settlement agreement with a regional office of the Securities and Exchange Commission after a two-year investigation into the company’s spending and accounting practices.
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Omnicom strikes research partnership with Pulse Group
21-Oct-2009
MALAYSIA— Omnicom Media Group has partnered with research services firm outsourcing Pulse Group to provide support for consumer studies throughout the Asia Pacific region.
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Arbitron silent on status of New York PPM settlement
20-Oct-2009
US— Arbitron is tight-lipped on whether it will face renewed legal action from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, having apparently failed to secure Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its radio ratings services in the New York market.
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CIA investment fund backs Visible Technologies
20-Oct-2009
US— Is social media analysis a form of online spying? Blog watcher Visible Technologies might baulk at such a description but, for its new strategic partner, spying is the name of the game.
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Hall & Partners ventures into Australia with McCann at the helm
16-Oct-2009
AUSTRALIA— Hall & Partners has launched in Australia through a joint venture with local firm Open Mind Group. Research International executive Louise McCann has been appointed managing partner of the business.
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Fizzback taps venture capital firm in £1.6m funding round
16-Oct-2009
UK— Customer engagement and feedback analytics firm Fizzback has secured £1.6m in funding in a financing round led by Nauta Capital with participation from existing investor Advent Venture Partners.
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Toluna and Research Now triumph in AIM awards
16-Oct-2009
UK— Rival online research companies Toluna and Research Now each clinched a prize at last night’s awards dinner for company’s listed on the AIM stock exchange.
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TNS trumps AGB Nielsen in race for Turkish TV ratings contract
16-Oct-2009
TURKEY— TNS has won a four-year contract to run Turkey’s TV audience measurement system, seeing off incumbent supplier AGB Nielsen.
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App promises to turn iPhone into ethnographic toolkit
16-Oct-2009
BELGIUM— Ethnographic research specialist EverdayLives is weeks away from launching an application that turns an iPhone into a data collection tool for in-field researchers.
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Nielsen lands McKinsey man for media and ad solutions task
15-Oct-2009
US— McKinsey man Steve Hasker has been hired by Nielsen in the new role of president for media product leadership and advertiser solutions.
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Omniture halves losses and boosts third-quarter revenue
15-Oct-2009
US— Omniture halved its losses and boosted revenue by 13% to $87.9m for the three months ended 30 September, according to figures published today.
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IAB hunts new research head to replace Lynas
15-Oct-2009
UK— The Internet Advertising Bureau is looking to appoint a new head of research to replace Nicki Lynas, the former PricewaterhouseCoopers executive who joined the industry body last year.
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Bounty inks young family panel deal with EasyInsites
15-Oct-2009
UK— Online parenting club Bounty is partnering with research firm EasyInsites to build a panel of young families, with a recruitment target of 30,000 members.
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Engage Group restructures debt and agency focus
15-Oct-2009
UK— Testing market conditions and a heavy debt burden have led to a major restructure at Engage Group, including a change of ownership.
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Analytics firm iPerceptions acquires Wasp product line
14-Oct-2009
US— Web analytics firm iPerceptions has bought a suite of products designed to be used by companies to check whether their web analytics packages are set up to accurately measure site audiences.
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Woopra live tracking tool moves out of closed beta
14-Oct-2009
US— Woopra, a web analytics application allowing live tracking of site visitors, moved out of beta testing this week and opened its doors to paying customers.
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ASC elects Snap co-founder Wills as chairman
14-Oct-2009
UK— The Association for Survey Computing has elected Peter Wills as chairman, succeeding Laurance Gerrard who has spent the past three years in the role.
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Agencies recruited to Learndirect research roster
14-Oct-2009
UK— Fifteen agencies have been recruited to a research roster by e-learning organisation Ufi, the company behind Learndirect.
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ARSgroup strikes deal with MarketTools for online research
13-Oct-2009
US— Ad testing specialist ARSgroup has struck a deal with MarketTools to move much of its online research in Europe and the US on to the latter’s online community, panel management and survey platform MarketTools.com.
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TV ratings firm aMap promotes Eapen to CEO
13-Oct-2009
INDIA— Audience Measurement and Analytics has promoted Joseph Eapen (pictured) to chief executive, replacing Amit Varma who has left the company.
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UKOM names Radio Ad Bureau founder as chairman
13-Oct-2009
UK— Radio Advertising Bureau founder Douglas McArthur is to chair the UK Online Measurement Company as it readies for the launch of its audience planning system.
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Strategy chief Behbehani leaves radio ratings firm Arbitron
12-Oct-2009
US— Taher Behbehani has left Arbitron after only six months in the role of chief strategy and business development officer – one of three new roles created by CEO Michael Skarzynski as part of his restructuring of the radio ratings firm’s executive team earlier in the year.
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Bellwether finds budget cuts easing among UK marketers
12-Oct-2009
UK— Cuts to overall marketing budgets continued to ease in the third quarter, according to the latest Bellwether report. But spend in the ‘all other’ category including research, PR and sponsorship remained hardest hit by the recession.
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MRA lobbies for exemption from Maine child data law
12-Oct-2009
US— The Marketing Research Association is lobbying to exempt research from a law in Maine that prohibits the sale or transfer of personal data about state residents under the age of 18.
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Vision Critical lands Asda shopper panel task
8-Oct-2009
UK— Vision Critical is to take over the running of the Asda Pulse of the Nation panel from TNS in November, Research has learned.
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Leading Edge founder a Secret Millionaire
8-Oct-2009
AUSTRALIA— The Leading Edge founder Derek Leddie is appearing on the latest series of The Secret Millionaire – a reality TV show in which wealthy people go undercover to live and work in impoverished neighbourhoods.
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Third of docs say Sunshine Act will put them off surveys
8-Oct-2009
US— Almost one third of physicians say they will be put off participating in market research studies if a law is passed requiring them to disclose all survey incentives worth more than $20 from drug or medical device companies .
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Greenstone takes control of marketing optimisation softco
8-Oct-2009
UK— Database marketing firm Greenstone has acquired a controlling stake in The Customer Partnership (TCP), a provider of marketing optimisation software.
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ComScore pitches hybrid measurement to UK's Jicwebs
7-Oct-2009
UK— ComScore may have lost out to Nielsen in the race to become the UK Online Measurement Company’s web audience measurement supplier, but it’s not taking defeat lying down.
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Tailored advertising and online tracking: Americans ‘don't want them’
7-Oct-2009
US— A new academic study says advertisers are misguided to think they can win public support for online tracking and behavioural targeting with the promise that marketing and editorial content can be tailored to their interests.
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Adobe gets the nod from antitrust regulators on Omniture deal
6-Oct-2009
US— Antitrust regulators have signed off on Adobe’s $1.8bn deal to acquire web analytics software firm Omniture, which is set to complete this quarter.
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Visible Measures tops up $10m financing round
6-Oct-2009
US— Web video measurement firm Visible Measures has added to the $10m in funding it received earlier this year through an additional investment by DAG Ventures.
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Ipsos ups frequency of 'business elite' media survey
6-Oct-2009
US— Ipsos’s survey of the media usage of Europe’s “business elite” is to be released annually from this year. Data had previously been released every two years.
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Clothing survey fuels development of childhood obesity index
5-Oct-2009
UK— Research funded by clothing retailers is being used as the basis of a body volume index (BVI), which its developer hopes will provide a better gauge of childhood obesity in the country.
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Casro to publish guidelines on digital fingerprinting
5-Oct-2009
US— Guidelines on the use of digital fingerprinting technology are to be published later this month by the Council of American Survey Research Organisations, setting out requirements for disclosure, transparency and privacy protection when using the online survey fraud safeguard.
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Done deal – IBM completes $1bn takeover of SPSS
5-Oct-2009
US— IBM completed its acquisition of SPSS on Friday after shareholders in the MR software and analytics firm approved the $1.2bn deal. The takeover was agreed in July after a six-month courtship which saw two lower-priced bids from IBM rejected by the SPSS board.
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SampleWorx intros online marketplace in Australia
2-Oct-2009
AUSTRALIA— Telephone sample supplier SampleWorx has developed a service to connect buyers and sellers of online research.
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Exit surveys banned within 100 feet of NJ polling places
2-Oct-2009
US— New Jersey’s supreme court this week reintroduced a ban on exit polling within 100 feet of state polling places, overturning an attorney general directive that allowed news media to survey voters after they had cast their ballots.
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Is ARF roadmap to online quality the true path?
1-Oct-2009
There’s a familiar ring to the Advertising Research Foundation’s Quality Enhancement Process for online research. But with big names like Coke and Unilever backing the scheme, it might just be the breakthrough the industry needs.
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Pajot named vice chairman of IMS Health
1-Oct-2009
US— Healthcare and pharmaceutical data firm IMS Health has named Gilles Pajot as vice chairman, a new position reporting to David Carlucci, IMS chairman and chief executive.
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Asda promises customers a say on product decisions
1-Oct-2009
UK— Retailer Asda is promising customers a greater say in what products appear on store shelves through an initiative called Chosen by You, which builds on the work of its shopper survey panel Pulse of the Nation.
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Japanese JV and Peruvian buy for GfK Custom
1-Oct-2009
GERMANY— GfK has partnered with NTT Data Corporation for a joint venture in Japan and taken a majority stake in a Peruvian research agency as part of efforts to bolster its international custom research offer.
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Macromill sells stake in AIP Corporation and buys Brand Data Bank
1-Oct-2009
JAPAN— Macromill has sold its majority shareholding in panel company AIP Corporation and purchased marketing database firm Brand Data Bank.
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Privacy group logs FTC complaint over Echometrix
30-Sep-2009
US— A privacy group is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Echometrix, the maker of marketing intelligence software that analyses teens’ online conversations, alleging unfair and deceptive behaviour and violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
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Leapfrog restructures management around key verticals
30-Sep-2009
UK— Cello-owned research agency Leapfrog has restructured its senior management team into separate areas - health and wellbeing, retail, and brand, communications and media.
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Coke and Unilever to trial ARF online quality programme
29-Sep-2009
US— Later today the Advertising Research Foundation is set to unveil a process it has developed in collaboration with industry partners which is designed to improve quality in online research.
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Nielsen confirmed as UK web currency supplier
29-Sep-2009
UK— Nielsen has been confirmed as the official supplier of a web audience measurement system funded by media owners, data from which is intended to be used as currency for buying and selling online advertising.
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Laid-off ICT employee calls off claim for compensation
29-Sep-2009
US— A compensation claim by a former employee of a research call centre in Pennsylvania that was shut down last year by data collection firm ICT Group has been dismissed voluntarily.
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Rentrak gets stuck in to measuring TV 'stickiness'
28-Sep-2009
US— Audience size isn’t everything, says Rentrak. The firm, which has ambitions to become a key player in the media research field, today launched a new ‘stickiness’ index to rate the most engaging TV programmes and channels.
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Hansa 'renews' Indian reader survey contract
28-Sep-2009
INDIA— Hansa Research is reported to have secured a three-year contract to run the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) – despite plans to merge that survey with its rival from next year.
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SPSS settles with founder Nie over trademark dispute
28-Sep-2009
US— SPSS has reached a settlement in a legal dispute with its founder Norman Nie over the use of the ‘SPSS’ trademark.
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Microsoft invites brands through the LookingGlass
24-Sep-2009
US— Microsoft is planning a move into social media analysis with a new tool code-named LookingGlass, which was unveiled yesterday at Advertising Week in New York.
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Game on for IAB with ad measurement rules
24-Sep-2009
US— Guidelines for measuring exposure to advertising in PC and console games have been published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
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Shoppercentric hires Ipsos veteran as director
24-Sep-2009
UK— Former Ipsos retail and shopper research MD Sharon Hodgson has joined Shoppercentric as a director.
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Arbitron disputes House committee claims on PPM sampling 'problems'
23-Sep-2009
US— Subpoenaed documents from the Media Rating Council show “persistent problems” with minority audience samples for Arbitron’s portable people meter radio measurement system, according to a congressional committee. Arbitron, however, says the committee’s conclusions are “erroneous”.
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Emnos partners Payback into Poland
23-Sep-2009
POLAND— Retail data analytics agency Emnos has opened an office in Warsaw to support the Polish expansion of the German loyalty card programme Payback.
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IBM follows SPSS deal with RedPill acquisition bid
22-Sep-2009
SINGAPORE— Hot on the heels of its deal to buy SPSS, computing giant IBM has agreed to acquire the business of customer analytics services firm RedPill Solutions.
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Mesh opens 'experience database' to media planners
22-Sep-2009
UK— In the three years since its launch, communications research agency Mesh Planning has catalogued over 100,000 interactions between consumers and brand touchpoints. Now the firm has compiled all that information into a planning database.
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Rentrak continues to build out measurement offer
21-Sep-2009
US— Rentrak is continuing to build out its media measurement offer, adding Steven Walsh and Jeremy Gabor as senior vice president and director of sales respectively.
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Omniture strikes deal with ComScore for 'unified' measurement
21-Sep-2009
US— In an attempt to close the gap between site-specific and panel-based web traffic data, Omniture and ComScore said today they were working together on developing a unified system for digital audience measurement.
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IMS offers outsourcing services to drugs companies
16-Sep-2009
US— IMS Health has been cutting costs internally through outsourcing and offshoring. Now it is looking to do the same for its pharmaceutical clients.
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Ex-SSI chief joins rival Authentic Response as CEO
16-Sep-2009
US— Former Survey Sampling International (SSI) boss Jim Follett has joined rival Authentic Response as chief executive.
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CMOR urges caution over Maine data-handling law
16-Sep-2009
US— Industry lobbyist CMOR is urging researchers to check that their data sets and research plans comply with a new law in Maine that prohibits the sale or transfer of personal data about state residents under the age of 18.
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IQ Holdings raises £150,000 through loan note issue
15-Sep-2009
UK— IQ Holdings, the owner of IQ Research, Viewpoint Field & Studios and Rossyln Research, has raised £150,000 for working capital purposes through the issue of convertible unsecured loan notes.
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Bauer Radio in hot water over Costa Coffee research claim
15-Sep-2009
UK— Bauer Radio is in hot water with regulator Ofcom over research claims made by Costa Coffee in its sponsorship of competitions on three radio stations.
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Cello income and profits down, but group positive on second half
15-Sep-2009
UK— Cello’s research and consulting business reported income and profit declines today for the first six months of 2009, though the firm is hopeful for operating profit growth in the second half.
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MR set to benefit if UK scraps product placement ban
14-Sep-2009
UK— Scrapping the ban on product placement on British television could net research agencies millions in additional revenue as marketers seek to measure the effectiveness of this new brand-building channel.
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MRI touts expanded AdMeasure as print ad 'currency'
14-Sep-2009
US— Mediamark Research (MRI) is touting an expanded version of its AdMeasure service as a syndicated industry currency for print ad measurement.
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Putting wisdom of crowds to good work
14-Sep-2009
Four years ago, clientside researcher Ed Martin set about developing a way to fund millions of dollars worth of charitable programmes by tapping into the billions spent on MR each year. The result is Pause to Support a Cause.
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Campaign seeks to boost charitable giving through surveys
14-Sep-2009
US— A survey panel has launched with the lofty aims of boosting charitable donations while engaging typically hard-to-reach communities in the market research process.
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Ipsos creates Hispanic research centre in US
10-Sep-2009
US— Ipsos’s public affairs practice has launched a dedicated research centre to study the US’s burgeoning Hispanic population.
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Cossette shuts out co-founder from sale process
10-Sep-2009
CANADA— Cossette has refused to open its books to its former vice chairman François Duffar, who is bidding to buy the marketing services group through his investment vehicle Cosmos Capital.
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Esomar reports 2008 global MR revenue up 4.5% to $32bn
8-Sep-2009
NETHERLANDS— Global market research revenues reached $32bn in 2008, up 4.5%, or 0.4% after inflation, according to the latest figures from Esomar.
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Synovate debuts community panels
8-Sep-2009
HONG KONG— Synovate has gone to market with its community panels offering, which has been developed in partnership with Vision Critical.
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FCC urged to consider need for tougher online privacy protections
8-Sep-2009
US— The Federal Communications Commission is being urged to consider whether there is a need for additional consumer privacy protections in light of public concern over online targeting.
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Vishney launches Vivid quant offer in Sydney
8-Sep-2009
AUSTRALIA— Former Essential Research executive Alex Vishney has joined Vivid Research in Sydney to head the agency’s quantitative offer.
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Devilfish tests the market research waters
7-Sep-2009
UK— Devilfish Gambling, the owner of a poker site fronted by renowned British card player David ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott (pictured), is branching out – into market research.
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Social marketer adds Powered-up analytics capabilities
7-Sep-2009
US— Powered, a social marketing firm that runs campaigns for the likes of Sony, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola, has updated its branded online community platform with “enhanced” measurement and analytics capabilities.
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Lee named Asia CEO of auto specialist Enprecis
7-Sep-2009
US— Automotive customer research firm Enprecis has set up an Asian subsidiary, which will be headed by Ike Lee, an investor in the business.
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PSB chairman Don Baer takes board role at DailyMe
4-Sep-2009
US— Don Baer, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton turned chairman of polling firm Penn, Shoen & Berland, has been appointed to the board of DailyMe, an online personalised news site.
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Ci goes to market with new retail research team
4-Sep-2009
UK— Cheshire-based agency Ci Research has formed a new retail research team headed by former Iceland and Littlewoods researcher Gareth Hodgson.
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Hitwise debuts web measurement service in Brazil
4-Sep-2009
BRAZIL— Hitwise’s internet measurement service made its debut in Brazil this week, with Google-owned sites occupying four slots in a ranking of the ten most visited domains in the country.
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RIM to quiz BlackBerry users for insights
4-Sep-2009
US— Smartphone manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) is recruiting a panel of BlackBerry owners, IT administrators and company partners to take part in monthly surveys.
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Ugam bolsters US offer with new business and ops hires
3-Sep-2009
US— Outsourcing firm Ugam Research Solutions has bolstered its US presence with new hires in the areas of account management, project management and business development.
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Borderless Access hires Lightspeed sales director
3-Sep-2009
US— Borderless Access, the online panel company launched earlier this year by India-based research outsourcing firm Cross-Tab, has hired Jason Tiffer as director of sales.
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Research Partnership names Gaj as director in US
3-Sep-2009
US— Pharma market research specialist The Research Partnership has appointed Chris Gaj as a director at the company’s operations in Philadelphia.
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$3m bonus earmarked for Cossette senior executives
3-Sep-2009
CANADA— Senior executives of marketing services group Cossette could share a bonus pot worth C$3.5m if an acquisition of the group goes ahead.
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Sunbeam files amended complaint in Nielsen antitrust case
3-Sep-2009
US— Sunbeam Television has filed an amended complaint in its anti-trust action against Nielsen, after a court dismissed its earlier complaint.
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Severn Trent Water picks Maven for three-year visitor study
2-Sep-2009
UK— Maven Research has been commissioned by Severn Trent Water to run a three-year study of visitors to the utility firm’s recreational sites.
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Researcher to represent England in Miss Earth contest
2-Sep-2009
UK— England’s Miss Earth contestant is not just a pretty face – she’s also a market researcher with online agency Attain Insight.
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MSW names Insight Engineers as UK partner
2-Sep-2009
UK— New York-based research group McCollum Spielman Worldwide (MSW) is partnering with UK agency Insight Engineers to push its brand and communications research approaches in the European market.
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Evo US relaunched as Think Conservatory following MBO
2-Sep-2009
US— Evo Research & Consulting in New York has relaunched as Think Conservatory after the demise of its UK parent company.
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IRI acquires sister company The Hendry Corporation
2-Sep-2009
US— Information Resources (IRI) is acquiring sister company The Hendry Corporation, which provides consumer goods firms with market structure modelling and business simulation software to help them optimise their marketing strategies.
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Introducing Research Live blogs
2-Sep-2009
Today we’re pleased to announce the launch of blogs on Research Live. When we overhauled the site in June we wanted to provide new avenues for you to have your say on what we write about. Now it’s your turn to do the writing.
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Nurago launches Digital Club for insights into online activity
1-Sep-2009
UK— Research technology firm Nurago has launched a service that uses a web browser plug-in to track the online activity of 8,000 people. The technology records what sites they visit, the ads they see and the videos they watch.
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TiVo 'not looking to dislodge Nielsen'
1-Sep-2009
US— Nielsen faces many challenges to its dominance in the TV ratings business - but it need not completely fear TiVo, according to Tom Rogers, CEO of the digital video recorder firm and aspiring media measurement player.
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SPSS investors to vote on IBM bid in October
1-Sep-2009
US— Shareholders in research and analytics software firm SPSS are to have their say on the company’s sale to IBM at a special meeting on 2 October. If approved, the takeover is expected to be complete before the end of the year.
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Research Now gains IT expertise through Computer Weekly
27-Aug-2009
UK— Reed Business Information (RBI) and Research Now have revealed the first fruits of their b2b panel partnership – the KnowIT panel of IT professionals.
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Ipsos cuts 400 jobs in first half – and there's more to come
27-Aug-2009
FRANCE— More jobs are set to go at Ipsos in the second half of the year as CEO Didier Truchot today predicted a further 12 to 18 months of weakness in the research and marketing industries.
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The surprising face of ‘co-opertition’
27-Aug-2009
‘Co-opertition’ is a relatively recent addition to the business lexicon. But 'cooperating to compete' is a growing trend, as demonstrated by Nielsen and IRI's agreement to share back-end consumer panel resources.
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Nielsen and IRI partner on consumer panel recruitment
26-Aug-2009
US— Arch rivals Nielsen and Information Resources (IRI) are creating a joint venture company to recruit, maintain and process data from a common set of households to fuel each firm’s consumer purchase panels.
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WPP's like-for-like insight revenue down 10% in first six months of 2009
26-Aug-2009
UK— Like-for-like revenue was down 10% in WPP’s consumer insight division in the first half of 2009 as the impact of the recession intensified, leading to worse than anticipated results.
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Cossette board departure 'not tied to takeover bid'
25-Aug-2009
CANADA— Marketing services group Cossette has lost one of its board directors in the middle of a takeover battle – but the departing member insists there has been no rift over the company’s handling of the situation.
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Restructure for Opinion Leader as change in gov't looms
25-Aug-2009
UK— Chime Communications is to restructure its Opinion Leader business, mindful that a possible change in government next year could lead to a change in research priorities.
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Rival Indian readership studies to merge
25-Aug-2009
INDIA— Rival media research surveys the Indian Readership Survey and the National Readership Survey have been given the go-ahead to merge, according to local press reports.
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Telmar wins software task for revamped Postar planning system
24-Aug-2009
UK— Out-of-home audience research body Postar has awarded Telmar the contract to supply the software for its revamped outdoor media planning system following a competitive tender.
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Tokyo café offers diners a taste of new products
24-Aug-2009
JAPAN— A café has opened up in Tokyo where there’s more than just food and drink on the menu. Customers are given tokens with every purchase they make which they can exchange for samples of new products.
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Patent row kicks off between Arbitron and Digimarc
21-Aug-2009
US— Arbitron’s portable people meter (PPM) has a fresh controversy to deal with. Digital watermarking firm Digimarc is claiming that a key component of the radio ratings system infringes on its patents.
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SPSS founder denied jury trial in row over trademark
21-Aug-2009
US— SPSS co-founder Norman Nie has been denied a jury trial in his dispute with the research and analytics software company over its use of the ‘SPSS’ trademark.
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Q4 continues run of disappointment for Harris
21-Aug-2009
US— Harris Interactive saw revenue fall 32% to $43.5m in the three months ending 30 June, its sixth consecutive quarter of sales declines - yet CEO Kimberly Till expressed optimism for the new financial year.
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Trendsta hopes to make waves with WOM/MR fusion
20-Aug-2009
US— How do you sell to a generation of kids that have mastered the art of tuning out marketing messages? Newly-launched agency Trendsta has come up with a way that fuses word-of-mouth marketing, buzz tracking and consumer research.
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New business FLOs for Rentrak, adds mobile TV client
20-Aug-2009
US— Mobile TV service FLO has contracted Rentrak to provide audience and viewership impression data to serve as currency for advertising sales on the 15-channel network.
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Lightspeed's Hedde named global president at Ipsos ASI
19-Aug-2009
US— Former Lightspeed Research boss Anne Hedde has been appointed president of Ipsos ASI Global, the specialist advertising research arm of the Ipsos Group.
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Research Now appoints Asia client development team leader
19-Aug-2009
AUSTRALIA— Online panel specialist Research Now has named Martin Filz as head of its newly formed client development team for Asia.
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Quantcast fixes cookie resurrection loophole
17-Aug-2009
US— Online measurement firm Quantcast has fixed a loophole in its system whereby cookies could be “re-spawned” after a user had deleted them, allowing behaviourial tracking to go on.
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Ban on client incentives raises fears over survey participation
14-Aug-2009
UK— Client and agency researchers have expressed concern over an incoming ban on the use of client goods or services as incentives following a revision to the MRS code of conduct.
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Core data business gives Nielsen 'stability'
13-Aug-2009
US— Stability in its core data business and cost-cutting measures are helping Nielsen weather the recession, finance chief Brian West said today as the company reported a 6% decline in second quarter sales.
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Privacy pros and cons aired in White House cookie debate
13-Aug-2009
US— White House proposals to lift a ban on the use of cookies on federal government websites have met with a mixed response, with the American Civil Liberties Union warning of a “sea change” in government privacy policy.
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Buy aims to boost MDLinx's reach among cancer specialists
13-Aug-2009
US— Healthcare panel firm MDLinx is hoping to gain access to a wider pool of cancer specialists following the acquisition of The SmartestDoc, a company that operates a popular oncology quiz website.
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Commitment to MR 'as strong as ever', says SPSS
12-Aug-2009
Amidst all the reports about IBM’s $1.2bn bid to buy software firm SPSS and the hype over the possibilities for predicitive analytics post-acquisition, one question has largely gone unanswered - whither market research?
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Data points to cultural difference in community participation
12-Aug-2009
US— Researchers at Communispace are investigating whether culture affects the types of activities people are willing to take part in within online communities.
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Unser replaces Lucas as NPD retail business head
11-Aug-2009
US— Consumer and retail research firm The NPD Group has named Don Unser as head of its retail business group, replacing Bill Lucas who retires at the end of September.
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ComScore introduces Ad Metrix in Canada
11-Aug-2009
CANADA— Web audience measurement firm ComScore has introduced into Canada its Ad Metrix service, which reports on where display ads are viewed online and the demographic composition of the audiences reached.
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SPSS turned down IBM twice before agreeing $1.2bn deal
11-Aug-2009
US— SPSS turned down IBM’s acquisitive advances twice before agreeing a $1.2bn deal last month, according to documents recently filed by the research and analytics software provider.
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Diamond deal for Peanut Labs' sample business
7-Aug-2009
US— Players of online fantasy game Runes of Magic will be invited to take part in surveys through a deal struck between the game’s distributor Frogstar Amercia and MR sample supplier Peanut Labs.
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Ads you can Digg go live on news site
7-Aug-2009
US— News aggregator Digg is beta-testing its unusual new advertising system, where users vote for their favourite creatives while ‘burying’ those they do not like.
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Vinspired aims to give voice to youth - and data access
7-Aug-2009
UK— Youth charity Vinspired is backing an open-source research project that aims for a better understanding of young people - while helping them to understand their peers better.
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Webtrends releases version 9 of flagship analytics platform
6-Aug-2009
US— Hot on the heels of its acquisition of Widemile last week, Webtrends has released version 9 of its web analytics platform.
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BigChampagne upgrades analytics dashboard
6-Aug-2009
US— Music audience measurement firm BigChampagne has overhauled its BC Dash reporting tool with the aim of giving users more flexibility in how sales, download and streaming charts are displayed and analysed.
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New P&G chief talks up value of research in innovation
6-Aug-2009
US— Procter & Gamble’s $350m annual outlay on consumer research seems secure under new chief executive Bob McDonald, who yesterday talked up its role in helping the consumer goods firm innovate and grow revenues.
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IBM target SPSS reports second-quarter revenue down 8%
5-Aug-2009
US— IBM takeover target SPSS saw revenue and profit fall 8% and 12% respectively in the second quarter of 2009 as a promising “full pipeline” of business proved difficult to convert into actual sales, according to Jack Noonan, CEO of the survey and analytics software firm.
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TNS to measure Australian pay-TV viewing habits
5-Aug-2009
AUSTRALIA— TNS has secured a three-year contract to develop and manage a set-top box data collection service, through which it will report viewing information for subscription satellite and cable TV services.
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Cossette asks investors to hold fire on Cosmos bid
5-Aug-2009
CANADA— Marketing communications group Cossette has asked shareholders to hold fire on responding to a takeover proposal from one of the firm’s co-founders.
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Gartner posts double-digit declines in revenue and profit
4-Aug-2009
US— IT market researcher Gartner has reported double-digit decreases in second quarter revenue and profits, with sales down 22% to $270m.
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InfoGroup MR revenue down 16% to $24m in Q2
4-Aug-2009
US— InfoGroup’s market research revenue fell 16% year-on-year to $24.7m in the second quarter of 2009, but sales were up slightly on the first three months of the year, the company revealed today.
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Law firms probe value of IBM's takeover bid for SPSS
4-Aug-2009
US— A handful of law firms have initiated investigations into IBM’s $1.2bn bid to buy research and analytics software maker SPSS, with a view to determining whether the deal provides fair value to investors.
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The Research Alliance adds Clarity to network
3-Aug-2009
AUSTRALIA— Recently-launched Sydney-based agency Clarity Strategic Research has joined The Research Alliance (TRA), a multinational network of research firms.
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What is 'research'? CMOR seeks the answer
3-Aug-2009
US— Research industry lobbyist CMOR, part of the Marketing Research Association, is asking for input on a proposed legal definition of ‘research’.
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Blyk youth surveys axed with UK shutdown
3-Aug-2009
UK— Blyk, a mobile virtual network operator that offered young people free calls for taking part in surveys and receiving ads, is winding up its service in the UK market.
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Recession squeezing indies' fees, says ICG
3-Aug-2009
UK— One third of independent consultants have seen their fees per project decline, while 41% say they have reduced their daily charges in response to the recession.
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TiVo offers 'Pure Programme Ratings' to TV advertisers
31-Jul-2009
US— TiVo has some new data for advertisers from its Stop Watch TV ratings service – but they won’t much like what they hear. ‘Pure Programme Ratings’ from the digital video recorder company found some shows lose as much as 84% of their audience to ad skipping during commercial breaks.
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ComScore calls out Nielsen over US panel size claims
31-Jul-2009
US— ComScore has called out rival Nielsen over claims that the latter’s expanded NetView panel “will be the largest of its kind in the US”.
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Forbes points the way using Marketshare's Compass
30-Jul-2009
US— Marketshare Partners has struck an alliance with business news publisher Forbes to offer select advertisers access to the latter’s marketing resource allocation software Compass.
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JD Power continues to feel pinch from auto industry woes
30-Jul-2009
US— Marketing information firm JD Power & Associates continued to see weakness in the automotive sector in the second quarter of 2009.
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IMS Health general counsel set for departure
29-Jul-2009
US— IMS Health’s general counsel Robert Steinfeld is to leave the company at the end of the month after 10 years with the healthcare information firm.
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White House taps Linkedin for business focus group
29-Jul-2009
US— Networking site Linkedin has been tapped by the White House as a giant focus group to gauge the views of businessmen and women.
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Market Insight Corp readies for China launch
29-Jul-2009
CHINA— Market Insight Corporation (MIC) is gearing up to launch its MyProductAdvisor website in China, which collects anonymous product preference information from consumers to inform market planning and new product development.
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Synovate names research manager to UK tech team
29-Jul-2009
UK— Synovate has appointed Gareth Jones as research manager within its technology sector team in the UK.
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Karlsberg to head McCallum Layton analytics offer
29-Jul-2009
UK— Research and marketing insight consultancy McCallum Layton has promoted Angela Karlsberg to the position of head of analytics.
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Congressmen press GAO to investigate Arbitron's PPM ratings system
29-Jul-2009
US— Nine members of the House Judiciary Committee have written to the Government Accountability Office to call for an investigation of Arbitron’s portable people meter radio ratings system.
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Ipsos inks deal to buy MRBI from WPP
29-Jul-2009
IRELAND— Ipsos is to acquire Market Research Bureau of Ireland (MRBI) from WPP, which was ordered to sell the business following its takeover of TNS.
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IRI adds partners in consulting and innovation
28-Jul-2009
US— Information Resources has added two senior partners to its consulting and innovation practice: Krishnakumar Davey and Ed See.
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IBM to acquire survey and analytics software firm SPSS for $1.2bn
28-Jul-2009
US— IBM is to acquire survey and predictive analytics software provider SPSS in an all-cash deal worth $1.2bn. ‘Big Blue’ is offering $50-a-share for the company, which sells a range of data collection, statistical and modelling software packages.
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Analytics startup Space Pencil gets $3.8m backing
28-Jul-2009
US— Web analytics startup Space Pencil has raised $2.8m and $1m in two separate funding rounds, according to regulatory filings.
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Jonkheid murder case postponed until September
28-Jul-2009
SOUTH AFRICA— The case of two brothers accused of murdering Consumer Psychology Lab founder Klaas Jonkheid has been postponed for further investigation.
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Paris office for online panel firm E-Rewards
27-Jul-2009
FRANCE— Online panel firm E-Rewards has opened an office in Paris headed by newly-appointed sales managers Katia Levy and Virginie Le Rat.
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White House seeks to lift cookie ban for federal websites
27-Jul-2009
US— White House officials are looking to overturn a nine-year ban on the use of cookies on federal government websites.
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House approves $139m funding for health statistics surveys
27-Jul-2009
US— The House of Representatives on Friday approved $139m in funding for the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveys for the 2010 fiscal year.
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Pollsters vindicated by Yudhoyono's election victory
24-Jul-2009
INDONESIA— Pollsters faced accusations of inaccuracy and bias in the run-up to Indonesia’s presidential election on 8 July, but their exit polls proved largely on the money.
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IFF to measure vaccination campaign impact
24-Jul-2009
UK— IFF Research has won the contract to measure the impact of a government campaign to raise awareness of a vaccination to protect young women against cervical cancer.
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Study identifies prejudice in anonymous customer feedback
24-Jul-2009
CANADA— Women and ethnic-minority workers score lower ratings than their white male counterparts on anonymous customer feedback forms, according to a university study.
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IMS Health to axe 850 jobs across the globe
23-Jul-2009
US— Healthcare information provider IMS Health is to cut 850 jobs globally over the next 12-15 months, with 170 set to go in the US, according to CEO David Carlucci.
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Ebiquity turns a profit as revenue rises 7% to £18.4m
22-Jul-2009
UK— Media intelligence firm Ebiquity has reported revenue up 7% to £18.4m for the year ended 30 April 2009, with growth driven by the company’s analytics division.
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Cossette forms committee to consider its options
22-Jul-2009
CANADA— Bid target Cossette has formed a special committee to consider a takeover proposal from one of its co-founders and to review “the various strategic options available” to the marketing communications group.
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Web Analytics Association merges with Spanish counterpart
20-Jul-2009
US— The Web Analytics Association has merged with its Spanish-language counterpart, the Asociación Española de Analítica Web.
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Cossette receives takeover bid from former executives
20-Jul-2009
CANADA— Marketing communications firm Cosette has received a takeover approach from a group of investors that includes two of its former executives.
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Market Probe acquires pharma research business from Maritz
20-Jul-2009
US— Milwaukee-based research firm Market Probe has acquired the pharmaceutical research group of rival Maritz for an undisclosed sum.
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COI research spend climbs 30% to £29m
20-Jul-2009
UK— The Central Office of Information, the UK government’s marketing arm, spent £29.4m on research in the 2008/09 financial year, up 30% on the previous year.
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Scantron names ex-deputy education secretary as president
17-Jul-2009
US— A former deputy secretary of the US Department of Education, William “Bill” Hansen, has been appointed president of Scantron, which provides survey and assessment services to education, commercial and government organisations.
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Optimisa shareholders vote in favour of AIM delisting
17-Jul-2009
UK— Investors in research and intelligence group Optimisa have voted to delist the firm’s shares from the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) as part of cost-cutting efforts.
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Agency studies the 'green' gap between attitudes and behaviours
17-Jul-2009
UK— People say they buy ‘green’ when often they don’t. Leeds-based agency The Buzzz has launched a new business unit to explore the barriers to responsible consumerism.
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The big picture: Arbitron maps US cell-onlys
17-Jul-2009
US— Radio ratings firm Arbitron has mapped the penetration of cellphone-only households down to the local market level. It estimates that cellphone-only penetration rates vary from as low as 5% in Hamptons-Riverhead, New York, to as high as 38% in Bryan-College Station, Texas.
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Critical Mass gets Curious about online communities
16-Jul-2009
US— Omnicom-owned digital marketing agency Critical Mass has set up a research division that will build and manage online market research communities for brand owners.
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Nunwood posts 15% rise in first-half sales
16-Jul-2009
UK— Research consultancy Nunwood has reported a 14.9% rise in sales in the first half of 2009, with turnover up £640,000 year-on-year to almost £5m.
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Livingstone heads analytics at Targetbase Claydon Heeley
16-Jul-2009
UK— Direct marketing and data analytics firm Targetbase Claydon Heeley has appointed Angela Livingstone as head of analytics.
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UK researchers to face new background checks next year
16-Jul-2009
UK— Researchers who carry out interviews with children and vulnerable adults in places such as schools or care homes will be required to submit to new background checks before November 2010, when a new Vetting and Barring Scheme comes into force.
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Researchers to meet US legislators over physician payment laws
16-Jul-2009
US— A series of meetings between researchers and federal legislators are being planned for August as part of continuing efforts to secure an exemption for survey incentives from physician payment disclosure laws.
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Compete probes impact of unclicked ads
15-Jul-2009
US— Web measurement firm Compete has developed a new service designed to help advertisers and web publishers understand what people do online after seeing an advert.
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Microsoft claims top spot in UK Superbrands survey
15-Jul-2009
UK— Microsoft has regained its position as Britain’s biggest brand, according to the latest Superbrands survey of 2,000 consumers. Luxury watchmaker Rolex were second, beating last year’s winner Google into third place.
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Florida AG sues to stop PPM ratings becoming 'currency'
15-Jul-2009
US— Florida attorney general Bill McCollum is suing Arbitron to prevent radio ratings based on its portable people meter measurement system from becoming currency in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood market.
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Singh named managing director of Euro RSCG Discovery
14-Jul-2009
US— Euro RSCG has named Jatinder Singh as managing director of its North American data analytics, CRM and behavioral marketing agency network Euro RSCG Discovery, reporting to CEO Zain Raj.
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KickApps adds community insights dashboard
14-Jul-2009
US— Social media tools company KickApps has unveiled a community insights dashboard through which clients can track discussions, identify influencers and understand sentiment among users of their websites.
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Quattro forms mobile analytics alliance with Havas's Mobext
14-Jul-2009
US— Mobile ad network Quattro Wireless is partnering with ad group Havas to develop more sophisticated analytic tools to help brands better understand the impact of mobile marketing on their overall campaigns.
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NeuroFocus launches quick-turnaround package design tests
14-Jul-2009
US— NeuroFocus is eyeing a bigger slice of the $100 billion-plus package design industry with a new 24-hour-turnaround research offer that uses brainwave measurement to assess consumer responses.
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PPM critics call for second congressional investigation
14-Jul-2009
US— Critics of Arbitron’s portable people meter-based radio ratings system are lobbying for a second congressional investigation into claims minority broadcasters have been adversely affected by the introduction of the technology.
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Senate confirms Groves as US Census boss
14-Jul-2009
US— Robert Groves was confirmed as the new director of the US Census Bureau yesterday afternoon, just months before the 2010 population count.
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Greek gov't pushes for two-week ban on election polls
13-Jul-2009
GREECE— The Greek government is planning to ban pollsters from releasing opinion poll results in the two weeks leading up to elections, according to local media reports.
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CMOs see budgets down 20% in Q1, says Forrester
13-Jul-2009
US— More than two-thirds of chief marketing officers surveyed by Forrester had their budgets cut in the first quarter of 2009, with the majority reporting reductions of 20% or more.
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Conversition's TweetFeel analyses Twitter sentiment
13-Jul-2009
US— Social media research agency Conversition has developed a website through which people can search Twitter for mentions of brands, celebrities and products, and to see whether the tweets are positive or negative.
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Bellwether Q2 suggests 'worst is over', says IPA president
13-Jul-2009
UK— Fewer companies reported cuts to marketing budgets in the second quarter of 2009 than in the first three months of the year. The survey of 300 companies found 38% decreased spend while 10% increased - compared to 45% and 7% respectively in Q1.
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Ex-Home Depot CMO to head Emerging Media Lab
9-Jul-2009
US— Former Home Depot marketing chief John Ross has been appointed president of Interpublic’s Emerging Media Lab, which acts a testbed for new media platforms and consumer technology.
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MPs rap Diageo marketing boss over research into pub culture
9-Jul-2009
UK— Diageo’s chief marketing officer Andy Fennell faced a grilling from MPs today over research his company had commissioned into male pub drinking.
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Survey Geek vs. The Cord-Cutters
9-Jul-2009
Self-confessed ‘survey geek’ and blogger Reg Baker brings us up to speed on the rising numbers of cell-only households and the challenges these ‘cord-cutters’ pose to telephone research in the US.
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State of the industry survey paints bleak picture for UK
9-Jul-2009
UK— Almost two-thirds of UK research professionals have seen a decline in budgets in the past six months, and one-third are predicting further cuts to come, according to MR agency RSM.
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Kadence names Nielsen director as Malaysian MD
9-Jul-2009
MALAYSIA— Research agency Kadence has appointed Benjamin Webb as managing director of its Malaysian operation, which is based in Kuala Lumpur.
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Double appointment for Double Helix in Europe
8-Jul-2009
UK— Healthcare-focused research consultancy Double Helix has made two appointments to its business in Europe.
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Maven appoints Craigmile as research director
8-Jul-2009
UK— Maven Research has hired former Harris Interactive, Harte-Hanks, City Research Group and NOP researcher Graham Craigmile as research director.
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Quantcast silent on reports of $50m financing round
8-Jul-2009
US— Online measurement firm Quantcast was tight-lipped today over reports that it was in the process of raising $50m with a third funding round.
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Communispace crowd-sources acquisition opportunities
7-Jul-2009
US— Communispace makes its money by helping brands improve their businesses by tapping the collective brain power of their online communities. Now the company is putting that money where its mouth is.
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Creston's £3m placing to help fund Newvista expansion
7-Jul-2009
UK— Marketing services group Creston is looking to fund an international expansion of its Newvista online research business with a share placing.
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Verve replaces Lightspeed as Which? panel manager
7-Jul-2009
UK— Product testing organisation Which? has picked Verve to replace Lightspeed Research as manager of its survey panel following a four-way pitch.
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Fieldwork boss warns against compromising on quality
7-Jul-2009
UK— Fieldwork agency boss Tony Bird is urging buyers of interviewing services not to sacrifice quality in favour of cost amid severe price competition in the marketplace.
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Maktoob shops new syndicated trends study in Middle East
6-Jul-2009
UAE— Maktoob Research is launching a syndicated study of shopping trends across Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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TNS UK Custom asks staff to take unpaid leave
6-Jul-2009
UK— TNS Custom is asking its UK employees to take two weeks’ unpaid leave before the end of the year in order to stave off the threat of redundancies.
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Sky Italia appoints ex-TNS iTram boss
6-Jul-2009
ITALY— Sky Italia has hired Andrea Mezzasalma, TNS’s former global head of internet, TV and radio audience measurement, as head of audience research and insights.
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Ad industry reacts to behavioural targeting outcry
3-Jul-2009
US— Advertising industry bodies have come up with a seven-point plan to regain consumer trust and head off the threat of potentially restrictive new privacy laws following the outcry over behavioural targeting practices.
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Pollsters overturn data publication restrictions
3-Jul-2009
INDONESIA— Some good news for Indonesian pollsters for once – the country’s constitutional court has ruled in favour of allowing them to publish exit poll results after ballots close in next week’s presidential elections.
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GfK upgrades German TV measurement technology
3-Jul-2009
GERMANY— GfK is upgrading the metering technology it uses to measure TV audiences in Germany, adding the capability to monitor time-shifted and out-of-home viewing.
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Auditor warns against government intervention in radio ratings
2-Jul-2009
US— Industry regulation of audience measurement services remains “preferable” to government intervention, the Media Rating Council has told the Federal Communications Commission.
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Predictive analytics – what Next?
2-Jul-2009
UK— Clothing retailer Next has signed up to use predicitive analytics technology from MR software firm SPSS in an effort to boost online marketing effectiveness.
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Millward Brown merges IMS and Lansdowne in Dublin
2-Jul-2009
IRELAND— Millward Brown is merging its IMS and Lansdowne businesses in Dublin into a single company called Millward Brown Lansdowne.
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Doctors' union calls for patient survey to be scrapped
30-Jun-2009
UK— The British Medical Association (BMA) is calling on the government to scrap its national patient survey, warning that local doctors stand to lose millions in funding “unfairly” based on the results.
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Congressional committee probes Arbitron's PPM
30-Jun-2009
US— A Congressional committee is investigating Arbitron’s portable people meter (PPM) ratings system over allegations that it underrepresents minority groups.
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Supreme Court rejects review of prescription data law
30-Jun-2009
US— Justices deny request for judicial review of a New Hampshire law that blocks the use of physicians’ prescribing information for marketing purposes.
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ComScore expands Asia-Pac deal with GroupM
29-Jun-2009
US— ComScore has won an expanded brief to provide online measurement data to digital media specialist GroupM Interaction across the Asia Pacific region.
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Globalpark updates Enterprise Feedback Suite
29-Jun-2009
US— Globalpark has released version 7 of its Enterprise Feedback Suite, which incorporates many new features intended to help transform research panels into communities.
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United Minds probes Sweden's political divides
29-Jun-2009
SWEDEN— Business intelligence firm United Minds has launched a new poll monitoring public attitudes towards Sweden’s main politicial parties.
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ISBA's Twinn calls for clarity on EU cookie restrictions
29-Jun-2009
FRANCE— British advertising representatives are pushing for clarification on proposed European rules that threaten to restrict the use of cookies for online advertising and ad tracking purposes.
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Voodoo puts Vice-like grip on youth trend watchers
25-Jun-2009
UK— A reader research project for trends bible Vice Magazine has handed London-based qual ageny Voodoo Research a ready-made panel of what they describe as “future-focused” individuals.
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CTR probes audience for China's mobile digital displays
25-Jun-2009
CHINA— Digital out-of-home media owner VisionChina is working with CTR Market Research on a study of audiences for digital TV screens installed on public transport systems.
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Former Gallup chairman Alec Gallup dies aged 81
25-Jun-2009
US— Alec Gallup, the former co-chairman of the Gallup Organisation, died of a heart ailment on Monday (22 June) aged 81.
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IQ promotes Viewpoint director to board
24-Jun-2009
UK— IQ Holdings, the parent company of research businesses IQ and Viewpoint Field & Studios, has appointed Gale Blears to the board of directors.
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Microsoft backs research into search brand power
24-Jun-2009
US— Fresh from the launch of Bing, Microsoft is collaborating on research to explore the potential brand-building benefits of search engine marketing.
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Rainbow Media hires ex-Nielsen man as research SVP
24-Jun-2009
US— Long-time Nielsen executive Thomas Ziangas has joined TV producer Rainbow Media as senior vice president of research.
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TiVo and Quantcast partner for TV and web measurement
23-Jun-2009
US— Audience measurement upstarts TiVo and Quantcast are partnering on an initiative to evaluate the correlation between TV viewing and online activity.
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Cookie threat delayed as EU talks continue
23-Jun-2009
BELGIUM— Marketers have won a temporary reprieve from European Union rule changes that would force them to get express consent before dropping a cookie on a persons’ computer.
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COI promotes six in research department
22-Jun-2009
UK— Six staff receive promotions in the research department at the Central Office of Information, the UK government’s marketing arm.
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MP Binley says his 'conscience is clear' over flat rental
22-Jun-2009
UK— Brian Binley MP says his “conscience is clear” after it was revealed that taxpayers’ money was used to pay the rent on a flat owned by his marketing and research firm BCC Marketing Services.
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Research Now builds Momentum for mobile surveys
22-Jun-2009
UK— Research Now is launching a three-pronged assault on the mobile phone survey market under the banner of ‘Momentum’.
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Google corners web analytics market, says study
19-Jun-2009
UK— Eighty per cent of companies are using Google Analytics to track website performance, compared to 66% last year, according to the new Online Measurement and Strategy Report.
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US research revenue up 1.6% in 2008, says Honomichl
18-Jun-2009
US— Research agencies in the US saw domestic revenue grow just 1.6% last year to $8.9bn, according to the latest estimates from industry commentator Jack Honomichl.
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Livek named Rentrak CEO, Rosenbaum remains chairman
17-Jun-2009
US— Media research veteran Bill Livek has been appointed CEO of digital audience measurement company Rentrak, replacing Paul Rosenbaum who remains chairman of the board.
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Stimulating World wins qual task for 2011 UK Census
17-Jun-2009
UK— The Office for National Statistics has hired qual agency Stimulating World to test advertising concepts and designs, messages and final materials for the 2011 Census.
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MySpace cuts US workforce by 30%
17-Jun-2009
US— MySpace said today it was axing 30% of its workforce in a restructure affecting all its US divisions.
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Deputy CEO of Lanka MR Bureau retires
17-Jun-2009
SRI LANKA— Nihal de Silva, deputy chief executive of the Lanka Market Research Bureau (LMRB), has retired.
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MP rented flat from his own marketing services firm
17-Jun-2009
UK— MP Brian Binley claimed more than £50,000 in expenses over three years to rent a London flat owned by the marketing services company he founded.
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Console giants collaborate on in-game ad standards
16-Jun-2009
US— Console manufacturers Microsoft and Sony have collaborated with the Interactive Advertising Bureau to produce a draft set of guidelines on the measurement of in-game advertising.
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Ipsos replaces TNS on IPA's Touchpoints survey
16-Jun-2009
UK— The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has ditched TNS in favour of Ipsos Mori to run the third wave of its Touchpoints survey of multimedia usage in the UK.
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Illuminas names Fong associate director for Asia Pacific
16-Jun-2009
HONG KONG— Former HSBC executive Pat Fong has joined research agency Illuminas as associate director for the Asia Pacific region, reporting in to MD Matthew Carr.
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Mediamark publishes first print ad ratings for magazines
16-Jun-2009
US— Time Inc and Starcom USA become the first clients of Mediamark Research’s print ad ratings service, which has been in development since last July.
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Ipsos Mori partners with Trajectory for trends study
15-Jun-2009
UK— Ipsos Mori is teaming up with trends consultancy Trajectory Partnership for the latest wave of their Real Trends insight monitor.
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'2008 was Year Zero for consumer trends'
15-Jun-2009
Paul Flatters is a forecaster – but one who is still smiling. He wouldn’t be, he admits, were he one of the countless numbers of economic forecasters who failed to spot the recession as it loomed.
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COI picks ABCe for government web audit task
15-Jun-2009
UK— The Central Office of Information has hired web auditor ABCe as part of a “comprehensive” assessment of how much government websites are used and whether they provide value for money.
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EU proposal 'threatens web analytics'
12-Jun-2009
BELGIUM— Digital marketing agency Bigmouthmedia has sounded the alarm over an amendment to European law that threatens to derail the web analytics industry.
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ICT calls for dismissal of ex-employees' claims
11-Jun-2009
US— ICT Group denies that former employees of a market research call centre in Pennsylvania are entitled to compensation for the short-notice closure of the facility last year.
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Everett named global HR director for Ipsos
10-Jun-2009
UK— Mike Everett is to take on the role of global HR director for Ipsos, moving up from CEO of Ipsos Mori, the group’s UK business.
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New Day dawns at Lightspeed Research as Anne Hedde departs
9-Jun-2009
US/UK— David Day is to take over as CEO of Kantar-owned online panel company Lightspeed Research, following the departure of incumbent Anne Hedde.
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Julian Bond leaves Research International after 27 years
9-Jun-2009
UK— Julian Bond has left Research International (RI) after a 27-year career with the WPP-owned agency.
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Police seize lab forging Opinion Research Corp payroll cheques
8-Jun-2009
US— Police in Reno, Nevada, have closed down a counterfeiting operation that was forging payroll cheques from Opinion Research Corporation.
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One small step: MRC signs investment bank
4-Jun-2009
US— Market & Research Corporation (MRC) has put pen to paper with an unnamed investment bank to help it finance the acquisitions of two research agencies and a marketing firm, it was revealed today.
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When the cookie crumbles
4-Jun-2009
Web measurement firm Effective Measure claims to be setting “a new benchmark in visitor privacy” with a system that would allow consumers to permanently opt out of having their online activity tracked. Brian Tarran speaks to chief privacy officer Roger Kermode.
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UK cord-cutters to overtake landliners
4-Jun-2009
UK— The rising number of cellphone-only households is often flagged as a major issue for US researchers - but what about their counterparts in the UK?
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Lawyers cry foul over demise of behavioural targeting firm NebuAd
3-Jun-2009
US— Lawyers for a group of consumers suing defunct behavioural targeting firm NebuAd are refusing to accept reports of its demise – claiming it is all an illusion.
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Four men held over Klaas Jonkheid murder
2-Jun-2009
SOUTH AFRICA— Four men will appear in court on Thursday charged with the murder of market researcher Klaas Jonkheid.
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E-Rewards names ex-Googler as German MD
2-Jun-2009
GERMANY— Online panel provider E-Rewards has hired ex-Google salesman Alexander Hagmeister as managing director for the German region.
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Massachusetts: surveys not subject to physician disclosure rules
1-Jun-2009
US— Massachusetts has exempted research from regulations requiring the disclosure of payments to physicians - rules that threatened to derail much survey research in the state.
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South African police probe murder of Klaas Jonkheid
1-Jun-2009
SOUTH AFRICA— Police are investigating the suspected robbery and murder of Klaas Jonkheid, a noted market researcher and owner of The Consumer Psychology Lab.
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Steve Morris completes handover at Arbitron
29-May-2009
US— Today marked the end of an era for radio ratings firm Arbitron as long-standing chairman Steve Morris was replaced by Philip Guarascio. Morris announced his intention to retire at the start of the year when he gave up his position as chief executive
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‘I’d like to be standing up in January saying, “Well, here it is”’
29-May-2009
As efforts to launch a common planning currency for online media near completion, UK Internet Advertising Bureau chief executive Guy Phillipson talks Brian Tarran through the final hurdles that lie ahead.
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Omniture drills into Facebook applications
28-May-2009
US— Omniture has launched a new tool for its SiteCatalyst web analytics customers to help them measure the popularity and success of Facebook applications.
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Nielsen Online named UKOM front-runner
28-May-2009
UK— Nielsen Online has emerged as the UK Online Measurement Company’s (UKOM) favoured supplier of industry-agreed web audience data.
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Seeing the future in social media
28-May-2009
Analysis of social media conversations is proving to be a useful proxy for companies who want to know how their brand or product is perceived in the marketplace. But is online talk a reliable indicator of the state of play in the offline world?
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Coca-Cola strategy and insights chief takes online quality mantle
27-May-2009
US— The Advertising Research Foundation has named Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy and insights VP Stan Sthanunathan as the new co-chair of its Online Research Quality Council.
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Virtual Surveys names Lawrence to the board
26-May-2009
UK— Online survey and community builder Virtual Surveys has appointed Graeme Lawrence to the board as director of sales and marketing.
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Next Fifteen calls time on takeover talks
26-May-2009
UK— Next Fifteen, the PR group that owns Redshift Research, is to remain independent - at least for the time being - after takeover talks with rivals Chime and Huntsworth were cut short.
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Playing the team game
May 2009
The video games industry has grown-up fast and its use of research is continuing to evolve. In an interview with Brian Tarran, Electronic Arts’ Michel Coulon recounts a transformational moment in the publisher’s history.
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States of the union
March 2009
Andy Morrison, the new Casro chairman, talks to Brian Tarran about how the US research business is faring in the face of the economic storm