NEWS28 July 2011

Ipsos says Synovate will help meet new needs of clients

Europe Financials

FRANCE— Ipsos offers a bleak outlook for developed market economies in its half-year results, warning of rising taxes and depressed consumer demand in the debt-laden countries of western Europe and the United States. So as clients look to emerging economies for growth, so does Ipsos – helped by its planned acquisition of Synovate.

To meet the new needs of clients, Ipsos says, it needs to improve its geographical coverage – in Asia, for instance – and “to grow in order to have greater resources and become more efficient”.

From a cost-savings perspective, Ipsos says benefits of the Synovate deal would come from global negotiations with suppliers, pooling of production centres and insourcing, consolidation of online panels, communication, IT and other organisational and operational efficiencies achievable over a larger revenue base.

The acquisition is still to be approved by shareholders of Aegis, Synovate’s parent company, but over the next few months Ipsos says it will be working on merger plans with teams from both companies. The end results should be the creation of the third largest research group in the world, with a staff of roughly 16,000 people.

Aside from the Synovate news, Ipsos has reported a strong first-half performance with revenue up 5.6% to €558.2m. Organic growth was 6.3%.

Emerging markets reported sales up 14.2%, compared to 3.1% in developed markets – not helped by “very specific and temporary phenomena” in Japan where sales fell by 23%, and in the UK where revenues were down 15% due to public sector budget cuts (although the firm is expecting a better second half).

Globally, opinion and social research was down 7.8% to €61.3m, marketing research up 4.7% to €253.6m, advertising research up 3% to €121.7m and CRM research up 15.4% to €59.3m. Media research was the star performer, with sales up 23.1% to €62.3m.

Operating profit was €46.9m, an increase of 8.9%.

@RESEARCH LIVE

2 Comments

13 years ago

It may be great for the economic bottom line, but it's not good for the people who actually work there as Ipsos has a pillage & purge reputation

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13 years ago

lots of dry numbers and region-wise strategies being provided here. The byline however for all agencies really is talent management. Maybe this is not discussed publicly, but there does seem to be no strategy because all the top agencies continue to lose their best staff consistently and what you get the top usually are fast-promoted guys who cant give me, a client, the necessary value-addition that comes from experience, interest, training and dedicated time that I pay a premium for. This applies not just to Ipsos, synovate but every other top global agency.

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