OTX casts Ipsos UK's Wright as lead for UK premiere
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US-based film industry research specialist OTX has hired Ipsos UK board director Ian Wright to lead its charge into Europe.
The online research agency is setting up shop in the UK after six years in business. OTX was founded by Shelley Zalis, a former Ipsos-ASI executive.
Annual turnover at the agency is around $35m, with an estimated 50% derived from its work with the film industry – which includes the test screenings of movies, as well as online pre-tests of trailers and DVD cover designs.
However, aside from its clients in the film and related entertainment industries, OTX works in the consumer goods market, having invested in online technology that allows respondents to explore virtual shops and store shelves using their home PCs.
Wright explained that the growth in online research in Europe over the past year-and-a-half had influenced the company's decision to expand.
He told Research: “OTX looked across the pond and spotted that online was becoming a mainstay.”
But despite the gains made by online as a data collection medium, Wright believes the industry is still only using “a tiny percentage” of the internet's capabilities – with many simply replicating CATI studies online.
Wright's decision to join OTX comes after more than 12 years at Ipsos UK, where he started life as a temp before working up to a board director position.
He left the agency at the end of last year, ahead of Ipsos UK's formal merger with research and polling agency Mori, which it acquired for £88m in October.
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