Technology news
Royal Mail taps eBay data for direct marketing targeting tool
UK— The Royal Mail has teamed up with eBay data analysis firm Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems (AERS) to launch a new service to help direct marketers target the households likeliest to buy their products.
TagMan secures $1.3m funding
UK/US— TagMan, which provides software for managing the ‘tags’ that online advertisers use to track the performance of their campaigns, has secured $1.3m in a first round of financing.
NeuroFocus in Australian joint venture with Nielsen
AUSTRALIA— NeuroFocus is set to launch its services in Australia through a joint venture with Nielsen, which bought a stake in the neuromarketing firm in 2008.
Hitwise internet measurement debuts in France
FRANCE— Experian has launched its Hitwise internet measurement service in France. The service will report the internet habits of around 90,000 internet users across 75,000 websites.
Digital Research launches Waggle Omnibus
US— Digital Research has launched a new community-based online qual service, the Waggle Omnibus.
Sands Research and Market Watch team for neuromarketing in Israel
ISRAEL— US-based neuromarketing agency Sands Research has partnered with Israeli market research and polling firm Market Watch to introduce neuromarketing services in the country.
Twitter rolls out Local Trends tool
US— Twitter has launched a new service that allows users to see what the most popular conversation topics are at state and city levels.
Google issues fix for web tracking loophole in Toolbar add-on
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.
DIY online survey tool goes live
US— AskYourTargetMarket, an online, on-demand survey and panel service that offers research for under $30, has gone live.
P&G plans new online store as 'research lab'
US— Proctor & Gamble is to launch a new website to study how people shop and buy online – while selling some of its most popular products direct to consumers.
ORC taps Mzinga for community-building software
US— Infogroup-owned research agency ORC has struck a deal with online social software provider Mzinga to offer clients online market research community services.
ANA hails tests measuring in-home commercial viewing
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.
Metrics Marketing opens eye-tracking lab
US— Interactive marketing agency Metrics Marketing has opened a research lab in Westlake, Ohio, to carry out a range of eye-tracking projects for clients.
Research departments 'uncertain' of social media role
UK— A new study from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) warns of the potential for confusion over the role of research departments in managing social media.
MMA launches digital media effectiveness tool
US— Marketing Management Analytics (MMA) has launched a new tool to help clients measure the effectiveness of digital media alongside other elements of the marketing mix.
E-Tabs to open New Zealand office
UK— Report automation software and services firm E-Tabs is set to open an office in New Zealand in June.
UK launch for Nielsen and Facebook's online ad testing tool
UK— Facebook and Nielsen are rolling out their BrandLift online ad testing tool in the UK, following its launch in the US last September.
Nielsen announces schedule for online/offline TV metric
US— Nielsen will introduce internet meters to households in its National People Meter sample by the end of August, and before the end of the year it will produce the first set of TV ratings to combine figures for shows viewed on televisions and computers.
Precision Polling aims to spark DIY revolution in phone polls
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.
PPM scoops TV measurement Emmy
US— Arbitron has won an Emmy Award for Broadcast Audience Measurement Technology for its portable people meter technology.
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Online video survey tech makes US push at CES
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Arbitron delays PPM switch in New Orleans indefinitely
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Ethnography app debuts on iTunes store
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Vision Critical revamps virtual shopping technology
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Nielsen changes stance on 'live' TV metric
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Compete and WPP's MIG to evolve B3 ad service
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ComScore launches digital ad effectiveness tools
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Confirmit teams up with Plum Voice for IVR surveys
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Tweetminster unveils Twitter sentiment search tool
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ComScore expands Asia Pacific reporting services
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MarketTools offers self-service online community product
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US cell-only households hit 23%
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SIS and Brandtology partner for online buzz tracking
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Online ads target viewers' 'thinking style'
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Peanut Labs unveils gamer panel
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Terapeak launches eBay research iPhone app
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MacroSolve serves up iPhone app for restaurant feedback
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TiVo chief Rogers talks up television measurement offer
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Millward Brown and Moment Systems to measure digital ads in China
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Ipsos integrates gaming services into new practice
Software reviews
Rosetta Studio 3.3 reviewed
Can you get from cross-tabs to PowerPoint in one easy step? Tim Macer reviews a package that claims to deliver on that journey.
Infotools Consoles and Viewers reviewed
Tim Macer reviews a new graphical data delivery tool that could be used as an alternative to dashboard reporting
Ascribe ACM reviewed
Tim Macer reviews the latest incarnation of this verbatim content management and coding environment. Will our reviewer subscribe to the charms of Ascribe?
Dexterity MR Anywhere reviewed
Tim Macer reviews a multi-user online project management, workflow and collaboration tool. Will it smooth out your MR process?
Globalpark EFS reviewed
Tim Macer reviews an online research suite that boasts an integrated panel management module. Will this software prove to be the solution you need?
Confirmit Horizons reviewed
Our technology correspondent, Tim Macer, puts this new mixed-mode interviewing system to the test. It’s certainly powerful, but is it going to be a breeze to use?
The IT crowd gathers at the Casro tech conference
Tim Macer files his report from this year’s optimistic Casro technology conference in New York.
PASW Text Analytics for Surveys (SPSS) reviewed
One of the greatest logistical issues with online research is handling the deluge of open-ended responses that often arrive. While much of the rest of the survey process can be automated, analysing verbatim responses to open questions remains laborious and costly. If anything, the problem gets worse with Web 2.0-style research. A lot of good data gets wasted simply because it takes too long and costs too much to analyse - which is where this ingenious software comes in.
Cognicient Link reviewed
Link allows you to gather together all your survey datasets in one place. Tim Macer decides whether this nifty consolidator delivers on its promise.