Sunday, 12 February 2012

Research
August 2010

  • 2CV picks up ITV tracking tasks again

    27-Aug-2010

    UK— Research agency 2CV has won a five-way pitch to be reappointed to carry out broadcaster ITV’s brand and communications tracking activity.

  • 360i appoints insights and planning vice president

    13-Aug-2010

    US— Digital marketing agency 360i has appointed Lee Maicon as vice president of insights and planning.

  • 7-Eleven signs KSS Retail for in-store analytics

    19-Aug-2010

    US— Convenience store operator 7-Eleven has contracted Dunhumby-owned KSS Retail to provide price modelling, forecasting and optimisation services for its shops across the US and Canada.

  • ABC and CAB chief executive throws in the Towell

    9-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Gordon Towell has resigned from his positions as CEO of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and the Circulations Audit Board (CAB) after two years heading up the organisations.

  • ABC polling director goes independent, bags ABC as client

    2-Aug-2010

    US— ABC’s “poobah of polling”, polling director Gary Langer, has left the broadcaster to set up his own survey research design, management and analysis business, Langer Research Associates (LRA).

  • Advertising Research

    19-Jan-2011

  • Affinity and Starcom USA launch digital magazine survey

    17-Aug-2010

    US— Syndicated media research agency Affinity has partnered with Starcom USA to study the use of digital readers in magazine consumption.

  • Against the motion

    3-Sep-2010

    Against the motion

  • Alterian and FSA Datalytics agree Canadian deal

    11-Aug-2010

    US— Marketing engagement technology provider FSA Datalytics has struck a deal with marketing and analytics software firm Alterian to offer the latter’s products and services to its clients in Canada.

  • B2B International opens in London

    20-Aug-2010

    UK— B2B International has announced plans to open a new office in London to act as a base for sales and project delivery in the south-east and in mainland Europe.

  • Bandick to head qual health research at Ipsos in North America

    6-Aug-2010

    US— Mike Bandick has joined Ipsos Understanding UnLtd, the agency’s North American qual division, as vice president of health.

  • Ben Page on how the recession has affected consumers

    10-Aug-2010

    We speak to Ipsos Mori CEO Ben Page on what’s changed in the wake of the recession, and what hasn’t.

  • Blog watcher Converseon turns on Twitter Firehose

    17-Aug-2010

    US— Social media consultancy Converseon has added the Twitter Firehose data feed to its Conversation Miner suite of social media listening and analysis products.

  • BT Retail promotes insight chief to marketing role

    27-Aug-2010

    UK— BT Retail has promoted director of customer insight and intelligence David James to the new position of marketing director for its consumer division.

  • Cambiar appoints partner for research practice

    6-Aug-2010

    US— Management consultancy Cambiar has appointed Monica Wood as a partner in its research impact consulting practice.

  • Canadian Primedia buys Kubas Consultants

    11-Aug-2010

    CANADA— Newspaper and online advertising rep house Canadian Primedia has acquired research and consulting firm Kubas Consultants.

  • CEO Till sees 'continued progress' as Harris cuts full-year losses

    20-Aug-2010

    US— Harris Interactive has cut its losses drastically in fiscal 2010, according to results published yesterday. Annual revenue was down 9% to $168.4m, but operating loss was reduced to $523,000 from $56m the prior year while net loss was cut from $75.3m to $2.2m.

  • Chartbeat gets $3m to support realtime analytics service

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Chartbeat, the developer of a realtime website analytics service, has secured $3m in financing from a host of investors, led by Index Ventures. The company has been running for just over a year and customers include Time.com, the New York Times and Gawker Media.

  • Chime research businesses see improvement

    25-Aug-2010

    UK— Chime has posted improved results for its research division in the first half of this year, after a disappointing performance in 2009.

  • CIMM reaches agreement to fund US launch of Touchpoints multimedia survey

    10-Aug-2010

    US— The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) has reached an agreement with the Media Behaviour Institute (MBI) to fund a US version of the UK’s Touchpoints survey of consumer multimedia usage.

  • Clearspring says Flash cookie complaint is 'factually inaccurate'

    20-Aug-2010

    US— Ad widget company Clearspring says a lawsuit accusing it of privacy violations over its use of Flash cookies for web tracking is “factually inaccurate with respect to the company’s technologies and practices”.

  • ClickTale offers segmented website heatmaps

    18-Aug-2010

    ISRAEL— Web analytics firm ClickTale has introduced a feature to allow users to view ‘heatmaps’ of where different types of user point and click their mouse on webpages, segmented by demographic or behavioural information.

  • CNN to use Arbitron data in Starcom out-of-home TV deal

    25-Aug-2010

    US— CNN Ad Sales and Marketing has struck a deal with media agency Starcom to measure the impact of out-of-home TV advertising using data collected by Arbitron’s PPM technology.

  • Communispace posts 29% rise in first-half revenue

    19-Aug-2010

    US— Online research community builder Communispace has reported a 29% increase in revenue for the first half of 2010 with sales hitting $22.5m, up from $17.4m in the same period last year.

  • Compete dubs John Bremer new chief research officer

    11-Aug-2010

    US— John Bremer has been appointed the new chief research officer at Kantar’s web analytics business, Compete. He joins from Harris Interactive where he was a co-director of the Harris Interactive Center for Innovation.

  • Congressmen push website owners to reveal visitor tracking practices

    9-Aug-2010

    US— Congressman Ed Markey and Joe Barton are calling on major website owners including MSN, Comcast and AOL to divulge how they track visitors to their sites, what information they collect and how its used to target advertising.

  • Cook returns to ARF after two-year sabbatical

    10-Aug-2010

    US— Bill Cook is back at the Advertising Research Foundation to lead its Online Research Quality initiative after taking a two-year sabbatical.

  • Court dismisses action over Minnesota exit poll laws

    9-Aug-2010

    US— A legal challenge to exit polling restrictions in Minnesota has been formally dismissed after the right to conduct surveys of voters near polling places was signed into law.

  • Cross-Tab makes client service hire, adds advisory board member

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Market research outsourcing agency Cross-Tab has appointed Tom Paul as AVP of client services and added former Esomar president Fredrik Nauckhoff to its advisory board.

  • CSM and GroupM China launch combined TV and web study

    16-Aug-2010

    CHINA— WPP-owned GroupM China has teamed up with TV ratings firm CSM Media Research to launch a ‘single-source’ TV and internet measurement study across four major Chinese cities.

  • Daily Kos appoints new pollster after Research 2000 row

    6-Aug-2010

    US— Political blog the Daily Kos has appointed Public Policy Polling to carry out election polling on the site.

  • Deutsche Post takes delivery of online targeting platform

    24-Aug-2010

    GERMANY— Nugg.ad, a self-styled predictive behavioural targeting firm, has been bought by mail services company Deutsche Post.

  • Diary: Singers, swimmers and sweeps

    August 2010

    A roundup of things that caught our eye in and around the research industry this month.

  • Dieringer Research acquires Lein/Spiegelhoff customer base

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Wisconsin-based full service agency The Dieringer Research Group has acquired field service agency Lein/Spiegelhoff’s customer base after the latter company closed down.

  • DMS Insights execs get new responsibilities at uSamp

    10-Aug-2010

    US— Online panel provider uSamp has given new roles to two DMS Insights executives, two months after it bought the firm from AOL.

  • Download exclusive conference material

    3-Sep-2010

    Watch exclusive videos and download presentation materials from our conference portfolio. Online today: broadcaster Andrew Keen on what users want from social media. McDonald’s reveals its customer experience strategy. Professor Nigel Waite on mending broken trust in the finance sector

  • Draft profiling restrictions no risk to research, says Esomar

    24-Aug-2010

    FRANCE— Draft restrictions on the use of profiling techniques will not affect the work of market researchers, according to a clarification sent by the Council of Europe to Esomar.

  • Drive, he said

    August 2010

    I would be prepared to place a sizeable wager on the possibility that research agencies will be somewhat put outover this month’s interview with Steve Gatt, Volkswagen’s insight chief. It’s probably best for you to be seatedbefore you begin reading.

  • Dutch media research bodies create cross-media survey

    25-Aug-2010

    NETHERLANDS— The organisations conducting research for radio, print, internet and TV in the Netherlands have come together to establish a single cross-media survey.

  • Editor's note

    27-Aug-2010

    It’s a UK public holiday on Monday 30 August, so no updates until Tueday 31 August.

  • Euro RSCG 4D Discovery beefs up behavioral marketing with Congruent deal

    23-Aug-2010

    US— Data analytics and CRM agency Euro RSCG 4D Discovery has acquired online marketing agency Congruent Media for an undisclosed amount.

  • Exclusive conference discounts

    3-Sep-2010

    Claim your exclusive discount on research conferences. As a premium member you’ll save up to £245 - so be the first to access your delegate ticket at the premium discount rate.

  • Ex-Greenfield exec to lead Research Now's new Indian office

    2-Aug-2010

    INDIA— Online data collection and panel provider Research Now has expanded into India with the opening of an office in New Delhi.

  • Ex-Leading Edge chief joins former colleagues at Fiftyfive5

    9-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Mark Sundquist has joined Karen Phillips and Darren Kemp as a partner at their recently launched research consultancy Fiftyfive5.

  • Face looks into how researchers use social media

    4-Aug-2010

    UK— Co-creation and social media researcher Face, together with the London Co-Creation Hub, is conducting a study of how market researchers use social media.

  • Fiftyfive5 adds consultant to lead qual offering

    16-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Fledgling research consultancy Fiftyfive5 has appointed Rob Engels as specialist qualitative consultant to shape and lead the firm’s qual offering.

  • Financial Services Research

    8-Sep-2010

    The conference, sponsored by Consensus, was chaired once again by financial journalist Richard Young who artfully engaged the delegates and brought the entire room together to examine and discuss how insight is being used to better understand and communicate with customers in our post-credit crunch world.

  • First Insight launches shopping game to capture customer insight

    13-Aug-2010

    US— Retail software developer First Insight has developed an online game that aims to help retailers gather consumer insight and build better relationships with customers.

  • Fisher hooks Rentrak for local TV ratings

    25-Aug-2010

    US— TV and radio station owner Fisher Communications has signed up to use Rentrak’s StationView Essentials tool to count audience figures in three local markets.

  • Five firms join MarketTools' online quality council

    18-Aug-2010

    US— Three client companies and two online panel firms have joined MarketTools’ TrueSample Quality Council - a body set up by the research services provider to improve its TrueSample online quality technology.

  • FocusVision upgrades video focus group technology

    16-Aug-2010

    US— Focus group video technology firm FocusVision has upgraded its InterVu product by adding new features that it claims will better support client and research needs.

  • Fog descends on Visual IQ with $3m investment

    23-Aug-2010

    US— Marketing intelligence software provider Visual IQ has secured a $3m investment from private equity house Fog City Capital.

  • Food and Drink Research

    3-Sep-2010

    Food and Drink Research was a one-day conference packed with know-how and ideas to help research in an increasingly competitive environment. It updated delegates on the latest trends including how consumers shop for food and drink post-recession.  With a focus on how consumers engage with brand messages in a fragmented landscape; the agenda covered everything from neuroscience to video blogs, ensuring cutting edge of research innovation and discovery.

  • For the motion

    3-Sep-2010

    For the motion

  • Former MRS chairman Andrew McIntosh dies aged 77

    31-Aug-2010

    UK— Former Market Research Society president and chairman Andrew McIntosh, Lord McIntosh of Haringey, died on Friday aged 77 after a battle with cancer.

  • Founder Tim Hughes quits board role at Photon Group

    12-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Photon Group founder Tim Hughes has resigned as a director of the marketing and communications company, which owns research agencies The Leading Edge and Jigsaw.

  • Fovea and Opinium Research launch video survey service

    19-Aug-2010

    UK— Opinium Research has teamed up with video production company Fovea to launch a service testing responses to corporate videos.

  • FT's paid-for circulation measure makes its debut

    13-Aug-2010

    UK— The Financial Times has released the first data from its new measure of combined print and online paid-for circulation, which calculates the number of people who access paid-for FT content every day.

  • GfK optimistic with sales up in Q2

    16-Aug-2010

    GERMANY— GfK has posted ‘pleasing’ results for the second quarter, and increased forecasts for its full-year revenue growth.

  • GfK's Vanderveer warns of health risks to pharma MR agencies

    13-Aug-2010

    US— Pharmaceutical market research agencies “as we know them” may be living on borrowed time, suggests GfK Healthcare CEO Richard Vanderveer.

  • GMI and TXT4CRM link for mobile research

    26-Aug-2010

    US— Research software and services firm Global Market Insite has signed a deal with mobile engagement specialist TXT4CRM to develop a mobile research tool.

  • Government marketing freeze saves £6.5m – but costs 287 jobs

    3-Aug-2010

    UK— The UK government’s freeze on marketing and advertising has saved £6.5m since June – but those savings have come at the cost of 287 jobs at the Central Office of Information (COI).

  • Gravitas Ventures picks Rentrak for on-demand audience measurement

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Gravitas Ventures has signed up to use Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials tool to keep track of its on-demand movie audience numbers.

  • Greenberg blows into Ipsos OTX from The Weather Channel

    23-Aug-2010

    US— Former Weather Channel researcher Ned Greenberg has joined Ipsos OTX MediaCT as vice president of syndicated solutions.

  • Hallmark success for research VP Batiste

    4-Aug-2010

    US— Donovan Batiste has been promoted to vice president for research and media planning at Hallmark Channels, as the network seeks to boost its daytime output.

  • Harris bolsters consumer research team with senior consultant

    12-Aug-2010

    UK— Harris Interactive has appointed Gerardine Padbury as senior research consultant within its consumer research team.

  • Health department puts Dr Foster joint venture under review

    9-Aug-2010

    UK— The future of Dr Foster Intelligence, a healthcare information and data analysis firm co-owned by the Department of Health, is under review. Ownership options are being considered, a spokesman said.

  • Healthcare researcher InforMed acquired for £11.4m

    13-Aug-2010

    UK— United Drug, a group specialising in providing outsourced services to healthcare manufacturers, has acquired healthcare market research and consulting agency InforMed for £11.4m.

  • Hear me out: Let's reject respondents with IQs below 120

    August 2010

    Ever had an idea that you know is great, but everybody else thinks is crazy? Here is your chance to share it with the world of research. This month we hear from Doron Meyassed, managing director, communities at Promise.

  • Hearst Magazines opens mobile app testing lab

    24-Aug-2010

    US— Publisher Hearst Magazines has launched a mobile media application development ‘lab’ to develop and test the next generation of branded content mobile apps.

  • Heathrow operator blasts 'misleading' mystery shopping results

    23-Aug-2010

    UK— BAA, the owner and operator of Heathrow Airport, has disputed the findings of a mystery shopping survey that found the London airport offered the worst tax free-discounts in Europe, claiming that the study is “misleading and incorrect”.

  • Helping them with their enquiries

    August 2010

    Sean Carey of Roehampton University’s Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (Cronem) explains how Surrey Police uncovered ways to improve its relations with ethnic minorities.

  • House of Lords to hold behaviour change inquiry

    3-Aug-2010

    UK— Behaviour change interventions are all the rage in the Conservative–Liberal Democrat government – but are they all they are cracked up to be, asks the House of Lords?

  • IBM agrees $480m deal to acquire marketing software firm Unica

    13-Aug-2010

    US— IBM looks set to acquire its web analytics supplier, the marketing software firm Unica, in a deal worth $480m. The software giant has bid $21 per share for the business and expects to complete the takeover in the fourth quarter.

  • IBM wraps up Coremetrics takeover

    3-Aug-2010

    US— IBM has completed the purchase of web analytics software firm Coremetrics.

  • Ideavibes debuts crowdsourcing tool

    18-Aug-2010

    CANADA— Social media startup Ideavibes has launched a new crowdsourcing tool that it says will help brands rate ideas and solicit online input from customers.

  • IMS Health names new CEO to succeed David Carlucci

    18-Aug-2010

    US— Healthcare researcher IMS Health has appointed Ari Bousbib as its new chief executive officer, replacing David Carlucci who will stay on as chairman for a transitional period.

  • Industry associations form pan-American alliance

    5-Aug-2010

    US— North and South American research industry associations have formed a cross-border alliance to work together in addressing issues relating to standards, education, self-regulation, emerging technologies, business management, and client and respondent relationships.

  • Invoke Solutions raises $1.75m

    27-Aug-2010

    US— Online and mobile research technology supplier Invoke Solutions has completed a $1.75m mixed-securities offering, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • iPerceptions sees Q2 revenues rise and losses reduced

    13-Aug-2010

    CANADA— Web analytics agency iPerceptions increased its revenue while cutting its losses during the second quarter of 2010.

  • IPG appoints managing partner for Emerging Media Lab

    11-Aug-2010

    US— Brian Monahan has been appointed managing partner of Interpublic’s Emerging Media Lab, a high-tech research centre designed to help advertisers learn how consumers use the latest technology.

  • Ipsos promotes OTX ops chief David Shanker to new global role

    10-Aug-2010

    US— Ipsos has appointed former OTX chief operating officer David Shanker as global president of its Observer survey management and data collection practise.

  • Kadence beats recession with revenue up 10%

    2-Aug-2010

    UK— Revenue increased 10% to $12.8m for Kadence International for the financial year ending 30 June. US and UK growth was 6% and 7% respectively, while the agency’s Asian offices raced ahead.

  • Kantar calls on ex-Yahoo VP for global talent role

    4-Aug-2010

    UK— Helen Russell has been named as the new global talent director at Kantar. She was previously vice president of human resources at Yahoo EMEA.

  • Kantar Worldpanel puts grocery data on iPhone app

    10-Aug-2010

    UK— Kantar Worldpanel has launched an iPhone app that provides users with information about the latest grocery market share figures.

  • Knowledge Networks' Maura Clancey dies at 50

    24-Aug-2010

    US— Maura Clancey, Knowledge Networks’ senior vice president of custom research, has died in hospital in New Jersey. She was 50.

  • Lawsuits target Quantcast, Clearspring over use of Flash cookies

    17-Aug-2010

    US— The bad publicity surrounding Flash cookies has led to two legal complaints against companies for allegedly using the technology to track web users’ browsing habits without their permission.

  • Let's let respondents decide what matters

    1-Sep-2010

    Roger Sant, vice president at Maritz Research, says we need to start thinking of respondents as customers – and give them a little more respect.

  • Loudpixel's Levee looks to calm flood of social media data

    26-Aug-2010

    US— Getting your company noticed in the crowded social media monitoring marketplace is hard-work – so one Chicago-based start-up is taking a different tack. It’s built a dashboard in which to bring together data from the myriad tools available to marketers.

  • LSE researchers launch happiness tracking app

    18-Aug-2010

    UK— A pair of researchers at the London School of Economics have launched an iPhone app to discover how people’s feelings are affected by their surroundings.

  • Luck files 'notice of settlement' in court battle with OTX

    12-Aug-2010

    US— The legal battle between Kristin Luck and her former employer OTX looks to have been resolved – a “notice of settlement” has been filed with the court.

  • Marketing Management Analytics names Kim analytics officer

    27-Aug-2010

    US— Marketing Management Analytics (MMA) has hired Ernie Kim as senior vice president and analytics officer.

  • MarketShare Partners snaps up JovianData

    26-Aug-2010

    US— Marketing analytics agency MarketShare Partners has acquired business intelligence and data analytics firm JovianData.

  • MarketTools appoints Zoomerang EVP and general manager

    26-Aug-2010

    US— MarketTools has appointed Alex Terry as executive vice president and general manager of its Zoomerang online survey software business.

  • Masmi backs MD Michalis Michael in DigitalMR agency launch

    12-Aug-2010

    UK— Masmi has taken a stake in DigitalMR, a web-based research and consumer-listening agency founded by its managing director for Western Europe Michalis Michael.

  • Maximiles to acquire German panel provider Panelbiz

    2-Aug-2010

    UK— Online panel provider and customer loyalty firm Maximiles has agreed a deal to acquire German online sample provider Panelbiz.

  • Mediation fails to solve Sunbeam and Nielsen antitrust row

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Nielsen and Sunbeam Television moved a step closer to a courtroom showdown after a mediation session failed to solve the legal dispute between the pair.

  • Millward Brown Canada president joins Hotspex as EVP

    10-Aug-2010

    CANADA— James Conrad, president of Millward Brown Canada, has left the firm and joined online marketing research agency Hotspex as executive vice president.

  • Millward Brown on song with chart contract

    4-Aug-2010

    UK— The Official Charts Company (OCC) has awarded its chart research contract to Millward Brown for a four year term. The research agency has held the account now for 21 years.

  • Mindshare NA forms business science and planning unit

    3-Aug-2010

    US— Mindshare North America has merged its research, analytics and business planning units under one organisational umbrella and appointed Doron Wesly to run the newly-named business science and planning unit.

  • Mobile Insights

    3-Sep-2010

    Mobile phones present rich opportunities for researchers wanting to gain broad and deep ethnographic insights into their target market.For those organisations taking their first steps into mobile market research, appreciating both the similarities and differences between mobile and other research channels is vital for success. Optimising content, engaging respondents, maximising engagement periods and ensuring accurate responses is paramount.This one day conference ...

  • Morrisons insight consultant goes agencyside at GfK

    6-Aug-2010

    UK— Caroline Osborne has left her position with supermarket chain Morrisons to take the role of director at GfK NOP Consumer Products & Retail.

  • MR spend criticised as UK government department reveals £31m research bill

    12-Aug-2010

    UK— Spending by the Labour government on market research and polling came in for criticism this morning from the new Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition as the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) published a breakdown of all expenditure over £500.

  • MRC and NCC Media plan set-top box guidelines

    11-Aug-2010

    US— The Media Rating Council (MRC) has teamed up with advertising sales and marketing agency NCC Media to develop new guidelines for using set-top box data to measure TV viewing.

  • MRS consults on updated kids and online research guidelines

    27-Aug-2010

    UK— The Market Research Society (MRS) is inviting comment on updated guidelines relating to online research and research with children and young people.

  • Nancy Tellet promoted to SVP research role at MTV Networks

    5-Aug-2010

    US— MTV Networks has promoted Nancy Tellet to senior vice president of research and consumer analytics for Latin America, where she will manage all research across the MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and Tr3s brands.

  • Netquest unveils 17 new Latin American panels

    26-Aug-2010

    SPAIN— Online sample provider Netquest has increased its presence in Latin America with the launch of panels in 17 countries.

  • New product round-up

    25-Aug-2010

    US— A round-up of the latest software and technology products aimed at the market research industry.

  • New Scientist turns to NeuroFocus to pick front cover

    5-Aug-2010

    UK— Neuromarketing agency NeuroFocus has been contracted to help select the front cover of the latest issue of New Scientist magazine in a bid to see whether the technology can help sell more copies.

  • Nielsen bags Taiwan web audience measurement task from MSN

    9-Aug-2010

    TAIWAN— Microsoft-owned MSN has signed Nielsen to provide audience measurement services for its online advertising portal properties in Taiwan.

  • Nielsen introduces new TV weighting controls

    16-Aug-2010

    US— Nielsen is to add two new weighting controls to its TV ratings service next year after reviewing existing data with clients and the Media Rating Council.

  • Nielsen raises initial public offering target to $2bn

    17-Aug-2010

    US— Nielsen has revised upwards the amount it hopes to raise through an initial public offering (IPO) later this year, according to a regulatory filing.

  • Nokia picks up app analytics firm Motally amid mobile ad industry shakeup

    20-Aug-2010

    FINLAND— Mobile phone giant Nokia has announced a deal to acquire mobile web and app analytics firm Motally in a move that will help support the development of Nokia’s Ovi app store.

  • O&M China appoints ethnography director for insight unit

    9-Aug-2010

    CHINA— WPP-owned marketing communications agency Ogilvy & Mather China has appointed Michael Griffiths as director of ethnography to help better understand Chinese consumer cultures.

  • Online brand impact studies a damp squib? IAB-funded probe says so

    9-Aug-2010

    US— A two-year investigation into the state of play in internet ad effectiveness (IAE) research has delivered a worrying conclusion: “One cannot be confident whether the findings of most IAE studies are right or wrong.”

  • Online surveys don't have to turn respondents off

    11-Aug-2010

    Deborah Sleep of Engage Research says online surveys are still turning respondents off, and reports on a study into how they can be made more appealing and more effective.

  • Online targeting data marketplace secures $15m in venture capital backing

    4-Aug-2010

    US— Audience targeting data marketplace eXelate has bagged $15m in funding from venture capital firms Menlo and Carmel.

  • Open Mind merges with Hall & Partners in Australia

    2-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Open Mind Research Group has merged with Hall & Partners in Australia, having run a joint venture with the UK-headquartered agency since October last year.

  • Opinium founder Mark Hodson quits online research agency

    17-Aug-2010

    UK— Opinium Research director Mark Hodson is leaving the online research business he helped establish three years ago. He will continue to work with the company in a consulting capacity, said chairman Tony Langham.

  • OzTam to appoint independent chairman after member dispute

    25-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— TV ratings body OzTam is expected to appoint an independent chairman after one of the television networks that owns a stake in it complained to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

  • P&G's Brigham takes on online quality role at Ipsos

    16-Aug-2010

    US— Nancy Brigham has joined Ipsos’ North American interactive services team from Procter & Gamble as a vice president, focusing on respondent access and engagement.

  • Pay-for-performance: coming soon to a market research agency near you?

    20-Aug-2010

    The pay-for-performance model is gaining traction in the ad agency world. Increasingly, agencies are being asked to share in the success – or failure – of the campaigns they create. Research Rockstar’s Kathryn Korostoff wonders: will clients soon expect the same of their research agencies?

  • PeerIndex opens to rank social media 'authority'

    6-Aug-2010

    UK— A new firm has opened for business offering rankings of ‘individual social authority’ across social media sites.

  • People on the move

    19-Aug-2010

    The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: The Research Partnership, PensionDCisions, Herbert Research, Product Perceptions, InsightsNow, G&S Research, Acumen, PharmaGems, GfK Business & Technology, Synovate and Chime.

  • People on the move

    6-Aug-2010

    The latest appointments and promotions from the global market research industry, including the latest from Acritas, QSR International, Principles Research and more.

  • People on the move

    4-Aug-2010

    The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight business. This week: ICM Research, Lightspeed Research, Macquarie Radio Network, Annik Technology Services, Facts International, OnePoint, Kantar Video and Venture Consulting.

  • People on the move

    11-Aug-2010

    The latest round-up of personnel changes in the research and insight business. Companies announcing staff changes include MMR Group, Ogilvy and Mather and HMV Group

  • People on the move

    27-Aug-2010

    The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight business. This week featuring Millward Brown, Maritz Research, eDigitalResearch, Caravan Ingredients and Beyond Analysis.

  • People on the move

    25-Aug-2010

    The latest round-up of personnel changes in the research and insight business. Companies announcing staff changes include Synovate, ABI Research, Insight Research Group and The Lounge Group

  • Photon looks to stock offering to raise A$102m for recapitalisation

    17-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Marketing and communications agency Photon Group is looking to raise A$102.5m through a new stock offering to solve its recent money troubles.

  • Photon posts falling annual revenue and an $87m loss

    24-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Marketing services group Photon – owner of research agency The Leading Edge – has reported a 10% decline in revenue to A$587.3m and a loss of A$87.6m for the year ended 30 June.

  • Pitts returns to Synovate in business consulting role

    19-Aug-2010

    US— Mark Pitts has returned to Synovate as head of consulting for the Americas within its Synovate Business Consulting division.

  • Planet Oi' and CMO Council team up to improve mobile insights

    23-Aug-2010

    US— The Chief Marketing Officer Council has partnered with mobile social media marketing agency Planet Oi’ to explore how companies can improve customer insight, loyalty and interaction.

  • Postal workers union urges boycott of employee surveys

    17-Aug-2010

    US— The American Postal Workers Union is urging members to boycott staff surveys fielded by the United States Postal Service (USPS), fearing the results will be used to “undercut the union” in upcoming contract negotiations.

  • Q2 finds Gartner 'solidly back on track' says CEO

    10-Aug-2010

    US— IT market research specialist Gartner is “solidly back on track”, according to CEO Gene Hall, with second quarter revenues up 16% to $314.2m and net income up 17% to $20.1m.

  • Ray Poynter makes the case for new MR

    25-Aug-2010

    We speak to Ray Poynter about his new book, The Handbook of Online and Social Media Research.

  • Renee Smith named Kantar's chief research officer

    24-Aug-2010

    US— Kantar has appointed Ipsos’s former SVP of global operations Renee Smith as chief research officer and moved Tim Kelsall of Kantar Group company Millward Brown into a senior client strategy role.

  • Rentrak appoints director of client services and promotes trio

    2-Aug-2010

    US— Rentrak has appointed a new director of client services for its Advanced Media and Information (AMI) division and promoted three other members of staff.

  • Rentrak media data business up 132%, helped by EDI acquisition

    4-Aug-2010

    US— Nary a week goes by without news of a TV measurement contract win for Rentrak, so little surprise then that its Advanced Media Information (AMI) division has seen revenues rise 132% for the three months ended 30 June.

  • Research performance eats away at PDI revenue and profit

    5-Aug-2010

    US— Healthcare marketing services group PDI has posted an increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2010 and cut its operating loss for the period – despite lower revenue from its market research agency TVG.

  • Retail Research

    3-Sep-2010

    Retail Research examined how leading UK retailers and manufacturers are employing a combination of innovative and traditional market research techniques to get closer to their customers and sell to them more effectively. The conference included papers on how eye-tracking technology, neuromarketing, virtual reality, RFID, video surveillance and social communities can help uncover customer insights and drive revenue-enhancing retail strategies.

  • Revelry Brands plants stake in Data Garden

    19-Aug-2010

    US— Investment firm Revelry Brands has bought a minority stake in Data Garden, a data analytics agency specialising in the natural foods market.

  • Revenue decline steepens at Datascension

    18-Aug-2010

    US — Data collection outsourcing firm Datascension saw revenue fall by 49.6% in the second quarter of this year, from $3.8m to $1.9m.

  • Saxena returns to Synovate in data collection role

    31-Aug-2010

    INDIA— Sunil Saxena has rejoined Synovate in the role of director with responsibility for the firm’s fieldwork operations in the country. He reports to Mick Gordon, managing director of Synovate India.

  • Shanker names new North American management for Ipsos Observer

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Ipsos Observer president David Shanker is readying a three-pronged assault on the North American marketplace, naming new local leaders for the survey management, data collection and delivery business.

  • Skim sets up new Rotterdam research facility

    20-Aug-2010

    NETHERLANDS— Research agency Skim has established a qualitative research facility in the heart of Rotterdam, called Triggerpoint.

  • Social Research

    3-Sep-2010

    Social Research examined how leading authorities, voluntary organisations and brands are using a compelling mix of innovative and traditional market research techniques to get closer to their customers.We heard how Web 2.0 and new engagement tactics are revealing previously hidden insights. Discovered why social research techniques are becoming common currency in the commercial world for researchers who want to benchmark the true value of brands in 2010 and beyond.

  • Social Media Research

    15-Sep-2010

    Social media has turned the traditional approach to engaging and communicating with consumers on its head. Researchers must understand how to interpret the complex relationship between consumers’ online and offline identities and what this means for findings generated using social media techniques.

  • Specific Media hit with Flash cookie suit

    26-Aug-2010

    US— Online ad network Specific Media has become the latest company to be sued over its alleged use of Flash cookies to track web users’ browsing habits without permission.

  • SSI names Helen Ryan as Singapore country manager

    3-Aug-2010

    SINGAPORE— Helen Ryan, a senior account manager from Survey Sampling International’s London office, has been chosen as the firm’s new country manager for Singapore.

  • Starcom China names research and insights director

    16-Aug-2010

    CHINA— Starcom China has appointed a new national research and insights director, one of a trio of senior appointments announced after winning new business from Mars and Wrigley.

  • Starcom MediaVest signs up to ACB Media Lab study

    26-Aug-2010

    UK— Starcom MediaVest group has become the first media agency to partner with ACB’s 1-3-9 Media Lab research project, a long-term study examining how technology impacts consumer behaviour.

  • StatsCan recommended against census change, admits minister

    12-Aug-2010

    CANADA— Statistics Canada advised against government plans to drop the mandatory long-form census in favour of a voluntary alternative, industry minister Tony Clement has said.

  • Strachan named managing partner at HPI, as Iddiols becomes chairman

    3-Aug-2010

    UK— Juliet Strachan has been promoted to managing partner at HPI. She was previously a senior partner at the firm and takes over from David Iddiols, who now becomes HPI’s chairman.

  • Sunbeam and Nielsen set for mediation over antitrust suit

    12-Aug-2010

    US— Nielsen and broadcaster Sunbeam Television are set to attend a mediation conference in a bid to settle their legal dispute, which has rumbled on since May 2009.

  • Syndicated quality of life study aims to support city planning

    23-Aug-2010

    US— Texas-based Customer Research International and marketing agency PGC Creative have teamed up to offer a syndicated quality of life study to help city leaders identify citizens’ views and priorities and attract new residents and businesses.

  • Synovate buoyed by improving market, revenue up 6%

    27-Aug-2010

    UK— Synovate returned to profitability in the first half of this year, parent company Aegis said today – hailing the turnaround as a key factor in an almost 20% rise in group underlying operating profit.

  • Synovate's Ben Llewellyn maps out the Malaysian market

    10-Aug-2010

    The average researcher won’t have to plot a journey down rivers and through jungles to carry out a mystery shopping visit, but that is exactly the sort of challenge that working in Malaysia presents. Research spoke to Synovate’s new managing director for the country, Ben Llewellyn, to find out more about the Malaysian market, the challenges it faces and what the future holds.

  • Tech investor Silver Lake takes majority stake in China's Allyes

    2-Aug-2010

    CHINA— Technology investment firm Silver Lake has agreed a deal to become the majority stakeholder in digital marketing services agency Allyes Online Media Holding.

  • The etiquette of eavesdropping

    August 2010

    What’s the right way to behave when listening in on online conversations? Jeffrey Henning proposes consumer-driven rules for social media monitoring.

  • The Futures Company adds two senior vice presidents

    24-Aug-2010

    US— WPP-owned trends research consultancy The Futures Company has appointed two new senior vice presidents to strengthen its team in North America.

  • The new normal

    August 2010

    Robert Bain considers how the financial crisis influenced consumer behaviour, and the challenges this presents for research.

  • Thirsty planet

    26-Aug-2010

    Part two of our series on consumer trends shaping the world sees Panoramix Global’s Vickie Abrahamson getting to grips with an impending global water shortage. With water poverty on the rise, companies can’t afford to be seen as wasteful and must take steps to minimise their usage and make a virtue of it, she says.

  • Time to put your foot down

    August 2010

    Volkswagen Group’s economic and insight manager Steve Gatt has had enough of market research that’s inadequate and out of touch with business needs, writes Robert Bain.

  • Tivo licences STB data to Simulmedia for promo measurement

    20-Aug-2010

    US— Tivo has struck a deal to licence its set-top box data on customer viewing habits to Simulmedia, a media marketing firm that plans to use the data to measure the effectiveness of on-air promotions.

  • Tivo set to open up web viewing data stream

    24-Aug-2010

    US— Tivo is to begin reporting data on how much time its set-top box owners spend watching web content via their televisions, alongside its existing measurement of linear and time-shifted TV viewing behaviours.

  • TNS Omnibus debuts new tool for PR agencies

    12-Aug-2010

    UK— TNS Omnibus has launched a service for PR agencies who want to integrate research findings into their communications material.

  • TNS-BMRB examines mode effects in moving social research online

    5-Aug-2010

    UK— Researchers at TNS-BMRB are embarking on a year-long programme of research to explore mode effects in social research and trends work. The research is being carried out in partnership with WPP sister company Lightspeed Research.

  • Toluna CEO targets growth through respondent recruitment

    11-Aug-2010

    US— Toluna CEO Frederic-Charles Petit has announced plans to grow the online panel provider by acquiring more respondents and rolling out the firm’s operations platform on a global scale.

  • Tpoll unveils qualitative software tool

    23-Aug-2010

    UK— Online research agency Tpoll has launched a new tool for conducting online qualitative research.

  • Trinity Broadcasting Network turns to Rentrak for audience measurement

    6-Aug-2010

    US— Christian TV broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network has signed up to use Rentrak’s TV Essentials service to provide audience measurement figures for its range of channels.

  • Ups and downs – Rachael Fraser

    August 2010

    Rachael Fraser, Simpson Carpenter’s director of retail and consumer research, talks stereotypes and spillages.

  • US expansion prompts TORA to rebrand as Future Thinking

    3-Aug-2010

    UK— The Oxford Research Agency is rebranding as Future Thinking as it opens its first office outside the UK. The agency has set up a base in the US led by George Ciardi.

  • Verve expands Sydney team

    23-Aug-2010

    AUSTRALIA— Online brand community firm Verve has expanded its Sydney office team with two new hires.

  • Vision Critical banks on success of virtual branch tool

    11-Aug-2010

    CANADA— First there were virtual store shelves, then virtual stores – now Vision Critical is using computer technology to create a virtual bank branch to test layout concepts with customers.

  • Volkswagen's insight boss on 'inadequate' research

    2-Aug-2010

    Steve Gatt, economic and insight manager at Volkswagen Group, tells us why he believes most of the research he sees is ‘not up to scratch’.

  • Web performance analytics firm Yottaa bags $4m in financing

    31-Aug-2010

    US— Website performance analytics company Yottaa has closed its first round of funding, raising $4m from venture capital firms General Catalyst Partners, Stata Venture Partners and CambridgeWest Ventures.

  • Webtrends acquires online and mobile app developer Transpond

    10-Aug-2010

    US— WebTrends has bought online and mobile app developer Transpond in a move that marks the web analytics firm’s first major foray outside the measurement space.

  • Welcome to Research Premium

    3-Sep-2010

    Research Premium is the free gateway to valuable bonus content for market researchers, clients and end users. Registration grants unrestricted access to the digital edition of Research, conference videos and presentations, exclusive event discounts and live online debates.

  • Western Wats launches 'fused' online sample

    18-Aug-2010

    US— Fieldwork agency Western Wats has unveiled a new online methodology which it says will give users access to more diverse samples, while giving respondents fewer qualifying questions to answer.

  • Why we must measure emotion

    August 2010

    Steven Walden and Qaalfa Dibeehi of customer experience consultancy Beyond Philosophy on why failing to track measures of emotion could lead firms to make the wrong decisions.

  • Will the iPad kill the paper survey?

    5-Aug-2010

    Vivek Bhaskaran of Survey Analytics considers how the iPad could change the fieldwork business.

  • Will Thumbspeak become a hotspot for wireless access to consumers?

    5-Aug-2010

    Dean Wiltse is looking to play mobile matchmaker between companies and consumers with his new company Thumbspeak. We take the service for a test drive.

  • WPP's insight division posts first-half revenue and profits increase

    24-Aug-2010

    UK— Half-year revenue within WPP’s consumer insight division rose 2.4% on a like-for-like basis and accounted for more than a quarter of the group’s total revenue for the period, making it the second-best performing business division within the marketing services giant.

  • YouGov continues US expansion with Harrison acquisition

    10-Aug-2010

    US— YouGov has agreed a deal to buy strategic research and marketing consultancy Harrison Group for an initial consideration of $6m, with a further $7m tied to performance targets.

  • YouGov in line with 2010 expectations after strong second half

    2-Aug-2010

    UK— YouGov has said that trading for the year ending 31 July 2010 was in line with the board’s expectations for the period and that operating profit was “significantly ahead” of 2009.

  • Zee TV signs up for Nielsen ratings

    18-Aug-2010

    US— Indian media group Zee Entertainment Enterprises has signed up to Nielsen’s US audience figures for its Hindi language channel Zee TV.

  • Zipcar uses Razor to segment customer base

    4-Aug-2010

    US— Car sharing firm Zipcar has hired Dallas-based Razor as its customer engagement marketing agency of record.

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