Research
July 2009
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60 Second Soapbox – Thom Noble
July 2009
Thom Noble, European managing director of neuromarketing agency NeuroFocus, is shocked at how little research has evolved in 50 years.
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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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Adcentricity launches out-of-home research service
21-Jul-2009
US— Digital out-of-home media firm Adcentricity has launched a research service to help advertisers evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns.
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Added Value moves Drinkwater to Sydney
20-Jul-2009
AUSTRALIA— WPP-owned marketing insight agency Added Value has moved Peter Drinkwater to its Sydney office where he will take the role of director of insight and brand development.
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Added Value takes 51% stake in Saffron Hill
16-Jul-2009
UK— WPP-owned marketing insight firm Added Value has acquired a 51% shareholding in Saffron Hill Research, a full-service agency based in Singapore and the Philippines. The firm lists BAT, Epson, Microsoft, Nokia and Johnson & Johnson among its clients.
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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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Albanian election poll heralds 'new era' for research, says Zogby
10-Jul-2009
ALBANIA— John Zogby says the successful running of election polls in Albania shows that the country has entered a new era for opinion research.
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Allegiance makes Inquisite acquisition
15-Jul-2009
US— Feedback management software developer Allegiance has acquired online survey software firm Inquisite for an undisclosed amount. Its clients include AT&T, Dell, Intel, Visa, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens and Xerox.
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Alterian snaps up social media tracker Techrigy
15-Jul-2009
UK— Alterian has acquired New York-based social media monitoring and analytics software firm Techrigy in an all-share deal that could be worth up to $4.1m.
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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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Appointments and promotions – roundup
3-Jul-2009
Appointments and promotions in the global market research industry, including: Fanscape, Portrait Software, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, InsightExpress, Screen Digest, ForeSee Results, Edigital Research, Wyndham Hotel Group, Cambridge Market Research and Qforma.
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Arbitron lowers 2009 revenue forecast
21-Jul-2009
US— Radio ratings firm Arbitron has lowered its revenue forecast for 2009, blaming tough economic conditions and the downturn in advertising.
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Arbitron: FCC 'has absolutely no authority' to regulate PPMs
3-Jul-2009
US— Arbitron has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it has “absolutely no authority to impose regulations” on its portable people meter-based (PPM) radio ratings system.
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Auditor raises questions over Sarkozy's €400,000 polling bill
20-Jul-2009
FRANCE— France’s national audit office has raised questions over €400,000 spent by President Nicolas Sarkozy last year on opinion polls whose results also appeared in the press.
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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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Australian newspaper body plans measurement tender
17-Jul-2009
AUSTRALIA— An industry body created to prove the effectiveness of newspapers as an advertising medium is on the hunt for an agency to provide readership measurement metrics.
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B2B research spend 'resilient', Circle survey finds
17-Jul-2009
UK— Business-to-business market research spend over the next 12 months is set to be “resilient”, according to the results of Circle Research’s B2B Barometer.
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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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Bottom line on top managers
July 2009
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BT backs away from Phorm's Webwise technology
6-Jul-2009
UK— BT has decided against deploying Phorm’s targeted advertising software, Webwise, choosing to devote resources to “other opportunities”.
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BT says privacy concerns not an issue with Phorm
8-Jul-2009
UK— BT has gone on record to say that privacy issues played no part in its decision not to deploy Phorm’s targeted advertising technology, Webwise.
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Buzz tracking firm raises $3m with share offering
14-Jul-2009
US— Buzz tracking company Collective Intellect has raised $3m in a share offering. The firm uses automated tools to analyse online content and provide feedback on what people are saying about brands.
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Cegedim acquires patient data firm Hospital Marketing Services
30-Jul-2009
FRANCE— Healthcare research agency Cegedim Strategic Data has acquired UK-based Hospital Marketing Services for an undisclosed amount.
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Cegedim buys pharma intelligence firm Nomi
1-Jul-2009
FRANCE— CRM company Cegedim has acquired the Nomi Group, which provides information and intelligence services to the pharmaceutical industry, from its parent company Bisnode.
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Cello warns of mixed first half with gross profit down 10%
3-Jul-2009
UK— Cello warned that gross profit will be down around 10% for the first half of 2009, in a mixed trading update released today.
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Changes at the top at Attentio
7-Jul-2009
BELGIUM— Social media analytics agency Attentio has promoted Amaia Lasa to CEO and reorganised other senior management positions.
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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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COI appoints 108 agencies to roster
2-Jul-2009
UK— The Central Office of Information, the government’s marketing communications arm, has appointed 108 firms to its market research agency roster, half of whom are new additions.
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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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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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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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ComRes's Greig Baker on polling
31-Jul-2009
Greig Baker is head of operations at polling firm ComRes. He talks to us about his professional and private preoccupations in our Spotlight feature.
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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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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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Conquest aims for ‘gut’ reaction with new testing tool
3-Jul-2009
UK— Conquest Research has launched iSpark, an online tool to measure consumers’ “gut reactions” to new products.
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Consumer spend trends could outlast recession, says IRI
10-Jul-2009
US— Consumer research house Information Resources Inc (IRI) has predicted that US consumer spend is likely to remain sluggish beyond economic recovery.
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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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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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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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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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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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Crossing the pond
14-Aug-2009
How wide is the gulf between the research industries in the US and the UK? We asked Owen Jenkins, a Brit in the US, and Charles Jennings, an American in the UK, for their impressions of the differences, the ups and the downs of being an outsider.
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C-sat firm Confero appoints business development manager
31-Jul-2009
US— Customer experience measurement agency Confero has appointed Janet Morrison as business development manager.
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Datamonitor grows in first half of 2009
28-Jul-2009
UK— Market intelligence firm Datamonitor delivered “another six months of top-line growth”, according to parent company Informa’s half-year results.
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DeBiase out, Kent named general manager at TNS Media
27-Jul-2009
US— TNS Media North America has appointed Terry Kent as general manager following the departure of Dean DeBiase.
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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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Double Lives – Roger Banks
July 2009
Researchers reveal how their out-of-hours pursuits impact on the 9-to-5. This month it’s Roger Banks, managing director of Incite, and also a gliding instructor at the London Gliding Club.
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EasyInsites chosen for Surrey Chamber of Commerce task
6-Jul-2009
UK— The Surrey Chamber of Commerce has contracted online agency EasyInsites to design, build and maintain an online research panel.
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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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EMI Music appoints insight VP in digital marketing reshuffle
23-Jul-2009
UK— EMI Music has reshuffled its digital marketing operations following the recent arrival of Cory Ondrejka as executive vice president.
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'Encouraging' first half for BrainJuicer
8-Jul-2009
UK— Online research agency BrainJuicer saw revenue grow 22% during the first half of 2009, according to a trading statement released today.
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Engage Research's Deborah Sleep
17-Jul-2009
In this continuing series, Engage Research director Deborah Sleep admits to a beach nightmare and tells young researchers to ‘go for it’.
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Enthuze secures $1.65m funding
16-Jul-2009
US— Texas-based consumer research agency Enthuze has been awarded $1.65m by the technology investment house Satai and the South Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization.
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Equity fund invests in Kenya's Research Solutions Africa
20-Jul-2009
KENYA— Private equity house TBL Mirror Fund has invested £196,000 (25m Kenyan Shillings) in full-service agency Research Solutions Africa (RSA).
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E-Rewards appoints SVP of international operations
24-Jul-2009
UK— Online panel provider E-Rewards has appointed former TNS director Mark Walton as senior vice president of international operations.
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Ex-Common Knowledge exec launches sales consultancy
28-Jul-2009
US— Paul Kirch, the immediate past-president of the northwest chapter of the Marketing Research Association, has launched a new sales management consultancy aimed at the market research industry.
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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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Ex-ITV research manager given Clear Channel Outdoor role
27-Jul-2009
UK— Emma Jones, the former commercial research and insight manager at broadcaster ITV, has joined outdoor media owner Clear Channel Outdoor as UK research and insight manager.
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Fed to peg impact of recession through re-interviews
28-Jul-2009
US— The Federal Reserve Board is planning to re-interview more than 4,000 people who took part in its 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) to gauge the impact of the recession.
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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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Financial research agencies merge
1-Jul-2009
UK— Research agencies NMB and H2B have merged to create what they claim will be the “UK’s leading research company dedicated solely to the financial services sector”.
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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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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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Former eBay CMO joins Marketshare advisory board
15-Jul-2009
US— Mike Linton has been appointed to the board of advisers at marketing analytics agency Marketshare Partners.
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Former GfK NOP man Stracey given InterQuest community role
22-Jul-2009
UK— InterQuest has appointed Daniel Stracey as community research manager.
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Former Qualcomm analysis director charged with insider trading
21-Jul-2009
US— The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Qualcomm’s former director of strategic marketing analysis with insider trading.
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Forrester 'on target' during second quarter
30-Jul-2009
US— Forrester Research has reported declines in second-quarter and first-half revenue and income – but chairman and CEO George Colony said the firm’s performance was “on target”. Q2 revenue was down 3% year-on-year to $61.6m, while net income declined 28% to $6.2m.
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German online research body forms mobile group
2-Jul-2009
GERMANY— Online research association AGOF has formed a working group to establish a currency for mobile audience measurement.
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Getting the measure of ROI on ad spend
July 2009
How do you go about providing a successful solution for measuring ad ROI? Robert Bain finds that staying focused on your own ROI is a good start.
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GfK acquires Ifop Music and stake in Watch Media
7-Jul-2009
GERMANY— GfK Retail and Technology has acquired French music sales tracking firm Ifop Music – one of two purchases announced today.
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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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GfK ups stake in Indian joint venture with Nielsen
2-Jul-2009
INDIA— GfK has become the majority owner in ORG-GfK, the joint venture it runs with Nielsen, increasing its stake from 40% to 50.1%.
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Gierhart becomes research boss at Neiman Marcus
10-Jul-2009
US— Wanda Gierhart has been appointed senior vice president and chief marketing officer at US retail group Neiman Marcus.
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Granite Broadcasting picks The Media Audit over Nielsen
27-Jul-2009
US— Granite Broadcasting has ditched Nielsen ratings in four TV markets, choosing instead to sign with International Demographics and its qualitative audience survey The Media Audit.
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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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Groves sworn in as Census Bureau director
23-Jul-2009
US— Robert Groves was sworn in yesterday as the new director of the US Census Bureau, just eight months before the count is set to take place.
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Harris chief Till taps TNS again for TMT unit leader
31-Jul-2009
US— Harris Interactive CEO Kimberley Till has hired Michael Saxon from TNS as SVP of the Technology, Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications business unit.
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Hartley named as new VP for GfK Customer Loyalty
6-Jul-2009
US— GfK Custom Research North America has appointed Thomas Hartley as vice president of GfK Customer Loyalty.
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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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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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If there's one thing I've learnt... Mark Long
July 2009
The best advice I got was… “Go to Highbury not White Hart Lane, son.” Thanks Dad. On a more serious note, I was told by a researcher whom I respected to give agencyside life a try, and I’ve never regretted it.
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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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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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IMS Health hires chief privacy officer
2-Jul-2009
US— Kimberly Gray has joined healthcare data firm IMS as chief privacy officer. She will be responsible for ensuring privacy laws are complied with in the company’s activities in the US, Canada and Latin America.
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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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Indian newspaper surveys move towards merger
22-Jul-2009
INDIA— The producers of India’s two rival newspaper readership surveys – the Indian Readership Survey and the National Readership Survey – are moving closer to a merger.
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Ipsos France deputy CEO given Syntec role
16-Jul-2009
FRANCE— Ipsos France’s deputy CEO Patrice Bergen has been elected president of the board of directors at the Syntec Marketing Research and Opinion organisation.
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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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Ipsos Loyalty adds mystery shopping experts
6-Jul-2009
US— Mark Greene and Dolores Forget have joined Ipsos Loyalty’s new mystery shopping division as vice president and director respectively.
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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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IRI pours out Liquid Modelling solution in UK
10-Jul-2009
UK— Information Resources Inc (IRI) has launched Liquid Modelling, an analytics tool for manufacturers and retailers, in the UK.
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Is piracy the new market research?
16-Jul-2009
Matt Mason, author of The Pirate’s Dilemma, speaks to us about how businesses can learn to see pirates as a source of market insight.
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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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JiWire to use Nielsen Claritas data for wi-fi targeting service
24-Jul-2009
US— Mobile audience media agency JiWire has agreed a deal with Nielsen Claritas for a new service that aims to help marketers better target advertising to consumers who use the company’s 25,000 wi-fi hotspots.
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John Gerzema on research and the 'brand bubble'
20-Jul-2009
We speak to John Gerzema, co-author of The Brand Bubble, about how research can help brands to cope with new consumer realities.
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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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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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Kantar merges TNS panel business into Lightspeed
1-Jul-2009
UK— Kantar is merging TNS’s 6th Dimension online panel business with Lightspeed Research.
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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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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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Krüger promoted to lead consumer division at TNS Infratest
17-Jul-2009
GERMANY— Jens Krüger has been promoted to head of the consumer and retail division at TNS Infratest.
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Lightspeed promotes Jethwani to VP of client ops
7-Jul-2009
US— Tara Jethwani has been promoted to vice president of client operations at Lightspeed Research in the Americas.
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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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Majestic MRSS launches in Indonesia
23-Jul-2009
INDONESIA— Full service research agency Majestic MRSS has opened a new office in Jakarta and hired Teju Harjono as executive director of operations.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Millward Brown promotes two in Greater China
6-Jul-2009
HONG KONG— Millward Brown has named Malini Pani as chief client officer for Greater China and Rupam Borthakur as managing director of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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MMR Group promotes Mat Lintern to MD
13-Jul-2009
UK— Mat Lintern has been promoted to managing director of MMR Research Worldwide and online agency Qubiq-Online by MMR Group.
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Nationwide opts out of Phorm
22-Jul-2009
UK— Nationwide Building Society has become the latest company to tell Phorm it does not want its web pages scanned by the firm’s targeted advertising software, Webwise.
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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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New GSRU head promises stronger links with research community
23-Jul-2009
UK— The new head of the Government Social Research Unit (GSRU), Cressy MacDonald, has outlined her desire to develop stronger links with research agencies, councils and societies.
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New MP rules put research at risk, says ComRes chief
1-Jul-2009
UK— Andrew Hawkins, CEO of pollsters ComRes, has attacked new legislation that would require MPs to declare all their outside interests – including any incentives they receive for taking surveys.
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New non-exec directors and CFO at Aegis
16-Jul-2009
UK— Aegis has appointed three new non-executive directors and a new group finance chief as incumbent Alicja Lesniak (pictured) retires.
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Nielsen and IAB Australia plan hybrid web measurement
23-Jul-2009
AUSTRALIA— The Interactive Advertising Bureau and Nielsen Online are developing a hybrid web audience measurement solution for Australia.
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Nielsen expands NY and LA TV samples
1-Jul-2009
US— Nielsen is increasing the size of of its Local People Meter samples in New York and Los Angeles from 800 to 1,000 households.
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Nielsen launches web audience measurement in Taiwan
21-Jul-2009
TAIWAN— Nielsen has launched a new internet audience measurement service in Taiwan.
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Now Carphone Warehouse shuts door on Phorm
7-Jul-2009
UK— Carphone Warehouse, the owner of internet provider Talk Talk, has become the second ISP in two days to decide against introducing Phorm’s Webwise targeted advertising software.
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Nunwood hires CFO to spearhead expansion strategy
28-Jul-2009
UK— Nunwood has appointed financial strategist Kieran Marsh to the newly created role of chief financial officer to oversee its “substantial” growth plans.
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Nunwood hires trio of new staff
6-Jul-2009
UK— Nunwood has boosted its ranks with the addition of three new senior members of staff.
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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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Obama pollster invests in new online qual technology
8-Jul-2009
US— iModerate, the online qual services firm co-founded by President Obama’s pollster Joel Benenson, is overhauling its research platform for autumn 2009.
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Omniture appoints corporate development vice president
22-Jul-2009
US— Brian Andersen has been appointed vice president of corporate development at analytics software firm Omniture, where he will be responsible for mergers and acquisitions.
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Omniture reports record second-quarter revenue
23-Jul-2009
US— Analytics software firm Omniture has reported a 22% rise in revenue to a record $87.6m for the second quarter of 2009, up from $71.6m.
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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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OTX appoints MTVN researcher to new family and youth business
24-Jul-2009
US— OTX Research has appointed Donna Sabino to lead its new youth and families research practice.
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OTX appoints SVP for TV entertainment arm
2-Jul-2009
US— David Klein has been appointed senior vice president of the TV entertainment division at consumer research and consulting agency OTX.
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P&G told to pull TV ad over 'misleading' survey claims
2-Jul-2009
UK— The Advertising Standards Authority has told Procter & Gamble to stop broadcasting a TV ad for Clairol Nice ’n Easy hair dye, because claims made in the ad on the basis of survey results are ‘likely to mislead’.
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Palm founder on research and gut instinct
3-Jul-2009
Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm, shares his experience on the roles of research and intuition in developing new product ideas.
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Panelbiz adds to management as CEO takes outside role
8-Jul-2009
GERMANY— Miriam Keilbach has joined online panel provider Panelbiz, while CEO Oliver Weyergraf takes on the additional job of CEO at online rental marketplace Erento.
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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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Parliament shoots itself in the foot
6-Jul-2009
UK politicians are to introduce tough new rules on disclosure in a bid to quell public anger over the expenses scandal. The Parliamentary Standards Bill will require MPs to declare all their outside interests – including any incentives they receive for taking surveys. But this puts their participation in research at risk, argues ComRes CEO Andrew Hawkins.
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People on the move
13-Jul-2009
The latest appointments and promotions in the global research and insight industry. This week: news from AMR Research, Sky, GeoAnalytics, Progressive, Maktoob, WDMP and Servint.
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People on the move
27-Jul-2009
The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research industry.
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People on the move
21-Jul-2009
The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research industry
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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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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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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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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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Preeti Reddy to take the reins at Sri Lanka's LMRB
21-Jul-2009
SRI LANKA— Tissa de Alwis, managing director of the Lanka Market Research Bureau (LMRB), is to step down at the end of July after 25 years.
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Prompt RI introduces 'snapshot' ad testing service
27-Jul-2009
SOUTH AFRICA— Eye tracking firm Prompt Research Insights has introduced a system to asses how well print and billboard ads are recognised in a single glance.
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Pulse Group introduces mobile and IVR capabilities
9-Jul-2009
MALAYSIA— Research outsourcing firm Pulse Group is adding mobile and IVR (interactive voice response) solutions to its range of data collection services in Asia.
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Quamnet picks Hitwise for competitive intelligence
8-Jul-2009
HONG KONG— Online financial services portal Quamnet has contracted Experian Hitwise to provide competitive intelligence to feed into the development of ad strategies.
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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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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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Research in Asia: It's not all plain sailing
July 2009
A new survey of the Asian research market suggests initial views of the downturn’s impact may have been a little over-optimistic. But while spending is down, it’s an open market for agencies with the right stuff.
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Research International Germany becomes TNS Infratest RI
1-Jul-2009
GERMANY— Research International’s German business will trade from now on as TNS Infratest RI, following the merger of TNS and RI in February.
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Research Now growth beats predictions
1-Jul-2009
UK— Online panel and fieldwork provider Research Now has reported a 24% rise in revenue to £23.6m for the six months ended 30 April 2009.
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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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Researchers win exemption from German opt-in law
7-Jul-2009
GERMANY— The research industry in Germany has succeeded in securing an exemption from new data protection rules in a law that squeezed through on the last day of parliament before the summer break.
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RS Consulting MD Neil Swan reveals all
7-Aug-2009
In the latest Spotlight interview Neil Swan, managing director of RS Consulting, talks to us about his professional and personal bugbears.
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Saarf boss defends brand research over budget claims
13-Jul-2009
SOUTH AFRICA— The South African Advertising Research Foundation has defended its brand research against suggestions it should be dropped over cost concerns.
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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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Screen Digest and Media Partners Asia join forces
30-Jul-2009
HONG KONG— Media intelligence firms Media Partners Asia and UK-based Screen Digest have inked a deal to collaborate on research and consulting services.
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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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Senators push for vote on Obama's Census nominee
13-Jul-2009
US— Democrats in the Senate are hoping to force a vote on the confirmation of Bob Groves as director of the Census Bureau, after Republican senators blocked an earlier vote.
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Setting research free
21-Jul-2009
Do-it-yourself tools are opening up market research to the masses. But Richard Thornton (pictured) and Bo Mattsson of Cint argue that the DIY trend is about much more than just survey tools, and could have a profound impact on the role that research plays in business.
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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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Six new life members for New Zealand research society
10-Jul-2009
NEW ZEALAND— The Market Research Society of New Zealand has elected six new life members.
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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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Smarter policing through social science
3-Jul-2009
As head of the Strategic Research & Analysis Unit in the Metropolitan Police, Professor Betsy Stanko leads the organisation in its mission to make the best use of social science in support of organisational policy development – and the direction of policing in London.
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Sorrell casts gloomy eye on prospect of advertising recovery
10-Jul-2009
US— WPP CEO Martin Sorrell has predicted an “anemic and mild” recovery for the advertising market in 2010, but remains optimistic about the prospects for consumer insight.
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Spotlight: IFF Research's Katie Oldfield
10-Jul-2009
Katie Oldfield is associate director at IFF Research. She offers us her professional take on jargon, tough projects and the next big thing.
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Spotlight: Synovate's UK CEO Jill Telford
3-Jul-2009
Jill Telford gives us the lowdown on what makes her angry about research, what clients get wrong and how a new focus should be put on listening.
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Spring's Emotimeter aims to grab gut reaction to ad campaigns
20-Jul-2009
UK— Spring Research has launched a new online service to “capture the basic emotion” a consumer feels when seeing an advert.
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Spring's Steve Phillips takes to the Spotlight
24-Jul-2009
What makes Steve Phillips tick? In the latest Spotlight interview he talks to us about ambition, the recession and a profound flaw in MR methodology.
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SSI expands in Asia Pacific and Latin America
8-Jul-2009
US— Survey Sampling International has opened new offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, and launched expanded panels in Brazil and Mexico.
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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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Sternberg out as Magna reorganises
13-Jul-2009
US— Veteran media researcher Steve Sternberg has left his role as executive vice president of audience analysis at Magna Global after the Interpublic-owned media agency reorganised the division.
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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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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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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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Taking the pulse of the drive for online research accuracy
3-Jul-2009
As the online quality debate rumbles on, Knowledge Networks CEO Simon Kooyman argues for the creation of central database to capture information on an ongoing basis on how many surveys a respondent takes and in what categories.
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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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The IT crowd gathers at the Casro tech conference
July 2009
Tim Macer files his report from this year’s optimistic Casro technology conference in New York.
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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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TNS Gallup lands new net measurement deal in Norway
15-Jul-2009
NORWAY— The Norwegian Media Businesses’ Association (MBL) has renewed TNS Gallup’s contract to provide internet audience measurement data in the country - moving from a site-based to a user-based system.
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TNS Infratest to cut workforce by 4% following RI merger
9-Jul-2009
GERMANY— TNS Infratest has said it expects to reduce its total workforce by around 4% as part of a restructure following its merger with Research International.
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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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Toluna completes Greenfield Online acquisition
17-Jul-2009
FRANCE— Toluna has completed the $40m acquisition of the internet survey business of Greenfield Online and its subsidiary Ciao after securing shareholder backing earlier this week.
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Toluna shareholders approve Greenfield Online deal
13-Jul-2009
FRANCE— Toluna shareholders approved plans to acquire the survey businesses of Greenfield Online and Ciao at a general meeting held earlier today.
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Truth, lies and market research
16-Jul-2009
One of the key priorities of our trade is to design research in a way that elicits honest answers from people, says Mike Jaxa-Chamiec of FreshMinds. But even with sound design and the best of intentions, market research can fail.
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TV Dragon takes a bite out of MR blocker Truecall
16-Jul-2009
UK— TV entrepreneur Peter Jones has bought a 12.5% stake in Truecall, a firm that designed a robotic answering machine to block unwanted calls from market research agencies, telemarketers and malicious callers.
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Two accused denied bail in Jonkheid murder case
10-Jul-2009
SOUTH AFRICA— Two brothers charged with the murder of researcher Klaas Jonkheid were denied bail yesterday. Charges against two other men have been dropped, according to police.
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UK and Australia set for network-based mobile ratings
20-Jul-2009
UK/AUSTRALIA— The GSM Association is working with mobile operators and media associations in the UK and Australia to introduce network-centric measurement systems.
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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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UK sales up 40% at Kadence in 2008/09
22-Jul-2009
UK— Kadence International has reported a 40% increase in UK sales to £4m for the financial year 2008/09.
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Upturn won't mean a let-up in pressure, say UK researchers
14-Jul-2009
A new survey suggests the UK market research sector is facing its toughest period for at least eight years. Just how low is confidence at the moment – and is the downturn going to lead to longer-term changes in the way the research sector operates? John Madden, partner at RSM, explores the implications of the survey’s findings.
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US Hispanics rate products higher than others, survey says
10-Jul-2009
US— Hispanics tend to give higher ratings in product surveys than non-Hispanics, according to a study by Jeffry Savitz, professor of marketing research at the University of North Texas.
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Variety and Visible Measures launch online trailer chart
21-Jul-2009
US— Internet measurement firm Visible Measures and entertainment publisher Variety have launched a weekly chart of the top performing online film trailers.
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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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Vovici appoints Greg Stock as CEO
1-Jul-2009
US— Enterprise feedback management and survey software maker Vovici has appointed Greg Stock as chairman and chief executive officer.
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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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Webtrends agrees Widemile deal
31-Jul-2009
US— Web analytics firm Webtrends has agreed a deal to acquire Widemile, a provider of multivariate testing and site optimization technologies and services.
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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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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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World of temptation
July 2009
‘DIY’ online survey and analytics tools are an increasingly tempting option for conducting research for minimal cost, or no cost at all. Tim Phillips ponders the effect they could have on the industry.
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Zogby on polling challenges in Albania
10-Jul-2009
Voters in Albania went to the polls on 28 June, and Zogby International was there for the first time to conduct exit polls. We speak to John Zogby and Sam Rodgers about the challenges and lessons of polling in a young democracy.