Research
Feb 2010
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60 Second Soapbox – Lesley Dudleston
Feb 2010
?Lesley Dudleston, research director at Principles Research, wants the industry to start talking to people in plain English.
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Actis takes $50m stake in outsourcing firm Integreon
19-Feb-2010
US/INDIA— Private equity investment house Actis has acquired a “substantial minority stake” in research and business services outsourcing firm Integreon.
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Adobe condemns cookie respawning in comments to FTC
2-Feb-2010
US— Flash developer Adobe is not happy with web companies using its technology to recreate deleted cookies and continue tracking the browsing habits of web users without permission.
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Agency wanted for Sport England survey
12-Feb-2010
UK— Sport England, the government agency responsible for encouraging people to take part in sporting activities, is looking for a research agency to carry out The Active People Survey.
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Ahead for numbers
Feb 2010
Data analytics is becoming an increasingly mainstream way to squeeze more value from information. Doug Edmonds, managing director of 2CV, offers some tips for those who feel daunted.
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ANA hails tests measuring in-home commercial viewing
15-Feb-2010
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.
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Annik goes to market with new panel brokerage business
25-Feb-2010
INDIA— Outsourced research services provider Annik Systems is getting in on the panel brokerage game with the launch of a new business called FieldworkPlus.
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Arbitron says it's poised for 2010 growth with '09 revenue up 4%
18-Feb-2010
US— Radio ratings firm Arbitron predicted modest growth for 2010 as it reported an 8.5% rise in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2009 and a 4.4% increase for the full 12 months.
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Australia first port of call for Peanut Labs' international rollout
26-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— Sample provider Peanut Labs has scoured Australia’s social networking sites to recruit 226,000 respondents for research purposes.
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Australian outdoor media industry gets a Move on
23-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— A new industry-funded audience measurement system for outdoor media made its long-awaited debut today, promising more accurate data on who actually sees billboards and poster advertising.
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Bark to take 10% stake in neuromarketing agency Mindmetic
9-Feb-2010
DENMARK— Advertising agency Bark Group has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 10% stake in UK-based neuromarketing agency Mindmetic.
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Basis replaces SPA as IPC's Origin Panel partner
18-Feb-2010
UK— The consumer research division of magazine publisher IPC Media has hired Basis Research as the research partner for its Origin Panel of 7,500 women.
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BBC hires New Look's Taylor to lead research in online and future media
2-Feb-2010
UK— The BBC has appointed former New Look researcher Davie Taylor as research manager for online, future media and technology.
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Bertelsen to steer Siegel+Gale's insights practice
24-Feb-2010
US— Branding giant Siegel+Gale has appointed Lisa Bertelsen as global director of its research insights practice.
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BlueKai scoops $21m in private equity funding
2-Feb-2010
US— Online data provider BlueKai has secured $21m in series C fundraising led by GGV Capital and existing investors Redpoint Ventures and Battery Ventures.
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BoA hires Nunwood for insight portal task
23-Feb-2010
UK— Nunwood has bagged a new client for its Fizz knowledge management platform. Bank of America’s Europe Card Services division has hired the agency to build an online research library.
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Book researcher BML acquired by Bowker
8-Feb-2010
US— Publishing services firm Bowker has acquired UK-based book researcher BML for an undisclosed amount. BML, which runs the Books & Consumers survey and the BookZone research panel, will be integrated into Bowkers business intelligence division.
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BrainJuicer names ex-TomTom CMO as operations chief
1-Feb-2010
UK— Alex Batchelor, the former chief marketing officer of sat nav maker TomTom, has joined BrainJuicer as chief operating officer, in a move designed to free up agency boss John Kearon to pursue global expansion opportunities.
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Brett Marchand named new Cossette president and COO
9-Feb-2010
CANADA— Marketing services group Cossette has appointed Brett Marchand as president and chief operating officer of the company’s global operations.
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Cambiar and Gordon & McCallum partner for client service
10-Feb-2010
US— MR consulting agency Cambiar has formed a strategic partnership with Gordon & McCallum, a research consulting business based in Australia and New Zealand.
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Casro finds optimism returning in US research market
22-Feb-2010
US— Optimism continues to return to the US market research industry, with a recent survey by the Council of American Survey Research Organisations (Casro) finding a 10-point rise in those predicting a recovery for 2010.
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Cint appoints global panels vice president
3-Feb-2010
US— Research software and services firm Cint has appointed Sandy Casey as vice president of global panel operations.
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Compete and 24/7 Real Media team up for targeted advertising
9-Feb-2010
US— Kantar-owned web measurement firm Compete has joined forces with WPP’s 24/7 Real Media digital marketing agency to help clients ensure that their online ads are seen by specific consumer segments
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ComRes names Peter Harlock as chief executive
23-Feb-2010
UK— Peter Harlock has taken on the job of chief executive of research agency ComRes, with founder Andrew Hawkins moving to the role of executive chairman.
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ComScore appoints former AOL man to CTO role
5-Feb-2010
US— ComScore has appointed Chris Nicotra as chief technology officer, replacing Greg Dale who was promoted to chief operating officer.
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ComScore in deal to buy ad researcher ARSGroup
11-Feb-2010
US— ComScore has move to bulk up its ad measurement capabilities with an all-cash deal to acquire advertising research agency ARSGroup.
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ComScore Japan names ex-Viacom man as sales VP
1-Feb-2010
JAPAN— Former MTV ad sales man Daizo Nishitani has joined web measurement firm ComScore as vice president of sales for Japan.
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Convatec signs Vision Critical to power nurse panel
24-Feb-2010
US— Vision Critical is providing the research technology behind a recently launched portal from meditech firm Convatec.
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Court orders Spanish radio broadcaster to resume PPM encoding
12-Feb-2010
US— Arbitron has been granted a temporary restraining order to force a radio broadcaster to resume encoding its broadcasts so that they can be detected by the firm’s portable people meter (PPM) technology.
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Court sides with Arbitron against SBS
17-Feb-2010
US— A New York court has ordered radio station owner Spanish Broadcasting System to keep encoding its broadcasts so they can continue to be measured by Arbitron’s portable people meter-based ratings service.
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CRAM International founder Peter Cooper dies aged 73
23-Feb-2010
UK— Peter Cooper, the founder of specialist qualitative research agency CRAM International, died on 12 February. He was 73.
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Creston reports improved performance in third quarter
4-Feb-2010
UK— Insight and communications group Creston this morning reported an improved business performance for the three months ending 31 December, but warned that the economic climate “remains challenging”.
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DataCo inks analytics deal with DM firm UMG
16-Feb-2010
US— DataCo has entered an agreement to provide analytics and consulting services to direct marketing firm United Marketing Group (UMG).
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Daystar takes a shine to Rentrak TV Essentials
23-Feb-2010
US— Another win for Rentrak’s TV Essentials audience measurement service: Christian TV network Daystar has signed a multi-year agreement to buy viewing data.
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Deloitte buys Pathfinder Solutions to boost analytics offer
15-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— Business and marketing insights firm Pathfinder Solutions has been bought by Deloitte, bolstering the consulting firm’s analytics and information management arm.
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Diary: Say goodbye to socks, locks and jocks
Feb 2010
A look back at what’s been occupying our attention this month.
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Digital Research launches Waggle Omnibus
4-Feb-2010
US— Digital Research has launched a new community-based online qual service, the Waggle Omnibus.
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Double Lives – Rob Sheldon
Feb 2010
Life’s a game of two halves for Rob Sheldon, managing director of Accent, and also a football coach.
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Drummond Madell adds new faces to quant and qual teams
12-Feb-2010
UK— London-based research agency Drummond Madell has bulked up its quantitative and qualitative research teams with the addition of four new staff.
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eDigital Research gauges feeling among Aston Villa fans
25-Feb-2010
UK— Aston Villa Football Club has deployed eDigitalResearch’s panel management system to run online surveys gauging fan opinion.
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EIAA expands Marketscope study to cover 15 European countries
5-Feb-2010
UK— The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) is expanding the coverage of its Mediascope Europe survey to measure media consumption patterns in five additional markets.
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E-Tabs to open New Zealand office
2-Feb-2010
UK— Report automation software and services firm E-Tabs is set to open an office in New Zealand in June.
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EU tightens personal data outsourcing rules
16-Feb-2010
EUROPE— The European Union has introduced new rules to stop overseas outsourcing firms from subcontracting personal data processing without the client’s consent.
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Euro agencies pool panel resources to form new online fieldwork firm
2-Feb-2010
NETHERLANDS— A group of research agencies from across Europe have pooled their online panel resources to form a new online fieldwork business called Panelteam.
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Ex-1HQ executives launch Brand Potential
10-Feb-2010
UK— A trio of former colleagues at brand agency 1HQ have launched a new consultancy that sets out to work with companies to help “accelerate” brand growth.
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Ex-Buckingham MD joins InSites Consulting in London
18-Feb-2010
UK— Former Buckingham Research managing director Paul Nola has joined Belgian online research agency InSites Consulting as research director in the firm’s London office.
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Five firms form co-creation 'collective'
24-Feb-2010
UK— Five companies have come together to form a ‘collective’ of organisations and individuals interested in promoting and developing co-creation.
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Flamingo fills senior roles in US and Asia Pacific
11-Feb-2010
UK— Flamingo International has implemented a senior-level shake-up, naming a new chief executive and chief operating officer for North America, a new regional MD for Asia and a new boss in Singapore.
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For your information
26-Feb-2010
The legal framework underpinning data protection laws in Europe is under review. So what does this mean for the research industry? Here, Efamro president Stig Holmer offers his view on current EU thinking, and argues that a new data protection directive is likely.
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ForeSee Results hires for international growth
22-Feb-2010
UK— Customer satisfaction researcher ForeSee Results has appoined a vice president of international markets to spearhead the agency’s growth outside the North American market.
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Former Synovate and RI bosses form agency in Thailand
22-Feb-2010
THAILAND— Two former managing directors of Synovate and Research International in Thailand have set up their own agency, ABN Research.
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Forrester plans investment after 'beating plan' for 2009
10-Feb-2010
US— Forrester Research has reported revenue drops in the fourth quarter and for 2009 as a whole, but chairman and CEO George Colony said the firm was moving into 2010 with a view to investing for growth.
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Future Foundation founder joins The Communications Agency
4-Feb-2010
UK— Melanie Howard has been appointed to the newly created role of director of insight at branding consultancy The Communications Agency.
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Gallup retains top research slot in Superbrands 2010
24-Feb-2010
UK— Gallup has topped the list of market research firms in the latest Business Superbrands Top 500 survey, for the second year in succession.
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Gartner chief expects 'double-digit revenue growth' in 2010
10-Feb-2010
US— Gene Hall, CEO of IT industry analyst Gartner, predicts that the firm will see double-digit revenue growth this year after posting a 11% decline in sales for 2009.
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Gelia snaps up media research specialist NorthEast Media
1-Feb-2010
US— New York-based marketing communications agency Gelia has acquired media research, planning and buying firm NorthEast Media for an undisclosed amount.
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Genpact to acquire Symphony Marketing Solutions
4-Feb-2010
US— Outsourced business services firm Genpact has acquired data analytics agency Symphony Marketing Solutions for an undisclosed amount.
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GfK reports 2009 sales down 4.6% to €1.16bn
25-Feb-2010
GERMANY— GfK’s sales were down 4.6% to €1,164m in 2009 – but with a marked improvement in business in the final three months of last year, the research group is expecting a return to growth this year.
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GfK's mobile sales tracking service unveiled in Ireland
12-Feb-2010
IRELAND— GfK has launched its Mobile Telecom retail panel in the Republic of Ireland, which collates electronic point-of-sale data to report on the best selling handsets and tariffs in the market.
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Ground control
Feb 2010
Enterprise feedback management puts research in the hands of people who can take immediate action on the ground. Amy Pressman, president of Medallia, fights the case for EFM and claims that researchers have nothing to fear.
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GSMA and ComScore set out to make 2010 the year of mobile
5-Feb-2010
In advertising, money follows eyeballs – but you need metrics that show what people are looking at. Little surprise, then, to see so much enthusiasm greet the launch of the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics product, a move many see as marking the dawn of the era of mobile.
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Harris and Rentrak to measure mobile digital TV viewing
2-Feb-2010
US— Harris Interactive and Rentrak have been hired by the Open Mobile Video Coalition to study consumer habits during the coalition’s Mobile DTV Consumer Showcase event.
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Harris Interactive wins double cinema contract
3-Feb-2010
UK— The Cinema Advertising Association has appointed Harris Interactive to conduct its ongoing Film Audience Measurement and Evaluation (Fame) and Film Monitor research studies.
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Has anyone seen the future of research?
12-Feb-2010
The future of the research industry is still up for grabs, if talk at the Fast Forward London event is anything to go by.
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Have you heard? IPA Touchpoints to get WOM metric
25-Feb-2010
UK— The latest wave of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s (IPA) Touchpoints survey of media usage will feature a word-of-mouth metric to help brand owners identify ‘conversation catalysts’ in their product areas.
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Healthcare surveys start again in Minnesota
4-Feb-2010
US— Minnesota is back open for pharmaceutical market research following clarification to a rule that seemingly prohibited healthcare practitioners from taking part in surveys.
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Hitwise internet measurement debuts in France
9-Feb-2010
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.
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HPI allies with Starfish for ethnic research
3-Feb-2010
UK— HPI Research has formed a strategic alliance with Starfish Research to provide a specialist focus on minority ethnic communities.
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HPI test-drives community research with FairGround
11-Feb-2010
UK— HPI is dipping its toes into online community waters with a site that invites people interested in issues around fairtrade and ethical consumerism to connect, debate and take part in polls and surveys.
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IAB's Tim Elkington puts his best foot forward
26-Feb-2010
We speak to the Internet Advertising Bureau’s head of research, Tim Elkington, about the UK’s new online audience planning system.
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Idaho research call centre axes jobs
3-Feb-2010
US— Data collection firm Mountain West Research Center has cut an unspecified amount of jobs at its Pocatello call centre in Idaho.
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If there's one thing I've learnt... Lenard Goedeke
Feb 2010
The best advice I’ve had was… when my father said to me at the age of twelve that I should continue playing and enjoying life as long as possible.
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IMS Health's $5bn takeover clears antitrust hurdles
4-Feb-2010
US— The regulatory path is clear for IMS Health’s $5.2bn takeover by investment groups TPG Capital and the CCP Investment Board, the firm announced this morning.
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IMS looks to capitalise on physician payment disclosure laws
22-Feb-2010
US— The proliferation of laws in the US requiring disclosure of money spent by drugs companies on marketing to doctors is causing headaches for many in the research industry
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IMS reports 3% rise in Q4 sales, 6% decline for 2009
10-Feb-2010
US— IMS Health has reported a 3% rise in revenue for the final quarter of 2009, in what is likely to be its last results announcement before becoming a privately-held company.
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InfoGroup ends a challenging 2009 on a note of optimism
9-Feb-2010
US— InfoGroup’s research division booked a quarter-on-quarter improvement in revenue for the final three months of 2009 – ending an otherwise difficult year on a note of optimism.
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Initiative Australia hires research and consumer insights chief
5-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— Philip Booth has been appointed strategic research and consumer insights manager at media agency Initiative Australia. He joins the firm from communication research group Pollinate, where he was head of the qual team.
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Interesting times
15-Feb-2010
What are the key trends shaping our lives and businesses in 2010? Scary, that’s what.
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IQ wraps-up sale of Rosslyn Research and Viewpoint Field
2-Feb-2010
UK— Rosslyn Research and Viewpoint Field changed owners this week, following their sale by IQ Holdings to Rivington Street Holdings.
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JD Power and Better Business Bureau strike content sharing deal
17-Feb-2010
US— The Better Business Bureau and JD Power & Associates have formed an online content sharing agreement to help consumers research and identify trustworthy businesses.
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Keeping council with customers
Feb 2010
Last year Norwich Union set aside the name it has had for 200 years and became Aviva. Gareth Mason looks at how the firm turned to its customers to help manage and communicate the change in brand.
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Knowledge Networks pre-approved as US Government survey supplier
24-Feb-2010
US— Government procurement body the General Services Administration has handed Knowledge Networks a 20-year survey services contract, effectively pre-approving the online researcher as a supplier to federal agencies.
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Lightspeed Research named MMA partner
4-Feb-2010
UK— The Mobile Marketing Association has appointed Lightspeed Research as its official European research partner.
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Liz Sykes out as MD at Field Initiatives
9-Feb-2010
UK— Field Initiatives managing director Liz Sykes has left the firm after almost 14 years as part of a restructure designed to reduce costs within the fieldwork business, according to Michael Hague-Moss, chairman of parent company RDSi.
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Maritz's Sant on 'the gatekeepers of all information'
26-Feb-2010
Maritz Research’s Roger Sant is the latest interviewee to put himself into the Research Spotlight.
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Market Probe Europe adds new faces
4-Feb-2010
US— Full service research agency Market Probe Europe has announced four new hires, starting with the appointment of Nanno Palte as vice president.
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MarketTools names chief development officer
9-Feb-2010
US— MarketTools has promoted Lynn Christensen from vice president of engineering to chief development officer.
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Media consultant and researcher Frank N. Magid dies
8-Feb-2010
US— Media consultant and research agency boss Frank N. Magid died on Friday (5 February) aged 78 following a battle with lymphoma.
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Media Square chairman Roger Parry sets July departure date
22-Feb-2010
UK— Roger Parry has called time on his stint as non-executive chairman of Media Square, saying he plans to step down from the role after the marketing services group’s AGM in July.
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MediaVest appoints analytics guru
17-Feb-2010
US— Pathikrit SenGupta has been appointed senior vice president and analytics director at Publicis-owned media agency MediaVest.
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Metrics Marketing opens eye-tracking lab
11-Feb-2010
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.
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Microsoft partners with ComScore for custom online ad targeting
26-Feb-2010
US— Microsoft Advertising has partnered with ComScore to bolster its custom online targeting service, CPG Online Effect.
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Mixpanel secures backing from PayPal and Bebo founders
12-Feb-2010
US— Mixpanel, a web application analytics company, has received financial backing from two major online players, Max Levchin and Michael Birch, respectively the founders of PayPal and Bebo.
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MMA launches digital media effectiveness tool
3-Feb-2010
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.
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Mobclix deal mobilises Nielsen's Prizm segmentation
8-Feb-2010
US— Nielsen’s Prizm has found itself another partner – the segmentation system is to be integrated into the Mobclix mobile ad exchange for buying and selling mobile advertising inventory.
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Mobile ad network Millennial buys TapMetrics
24-Feb-2010
US— Mobile analytics firm TapMetrics has been bought by mobile advertising network Millennial Media.
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More things research can learn from other walks of life
17-Feb-2010
Sometimes it’s useful to cast the net wide in the search for inspiration and insight. Here are a few lessons that MR practitioners can learn from the worlds of football, Hollywood, graffiti and more.
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MTV partners with Quantcast for online ad targeting
17-Feb-2010
US— MTV Networks has signed up to web measurement firm Quantcast’s Media Program to help online video advertisers target specific audiences.
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NeuroFocus in Australian joint venture with Nielsen
11-Feb-2010
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.
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New research director joins Leapfrog
16-Feb-2010
UK— Leapfrog Research & Planning has hired Amanda Souter as a research director to work across the brand, communications and media and health and wellbeing divisions.
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Nick Sparrow resigns as ICM chairman and head of Creston Insight
19-Feb-2010
UK— Nick Sparrow has resigned as chairman of the ICM Research Group, the company he co-founded 21 years ago. His departure comes four years after ICM’s sale to marketing services group Creston in a deal worth up to £37m.
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Nielsen brings ad engagement research service to UK
24-Feb-2010
UK— Nielsen has launched its advertising engagement measurement service, Nielsen IAG, in the UK to quantify how closely viewers are paying attention to programmes and adverts.
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Nielsen moves to dismiss latest Sunbeam antitrust complaint
11-Feb-2010
US— Nielsen has made a third bid to dismiss allegations of antitrust violations brought by Sunbeam Television, arguing that the broadcaster has failed to present a substantive claim for monopolistic abuse.
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Nielsen promotes Mathur to South Asia MD
8-Feb-2010
INDIA— Piyush Mathur has been promoted to managing director of Nielsen’s South Asia business, replacing Partha Rakshit who is retiring after 28 years with the company.
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Nielsen reports 2009 revenue of $4.8bn, flat on 2008
26-Feb-2010
US— Nielsen’s business is measuring what people watch and what people buy – and, according to results out today, business has been reasonably good in spite of the global economic downturn.
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Nielsen to measure Samsung out-of-home signage
19-Feb-2010
US— Samsung Electronics America has signed Nielsen to provide ongoing audience measurement for its digital out-of-home signage networks, PROM.
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Noted marketing academic Michael Thomas dies
1-Feb-2010
UK— Michael Thomas, a marketing academic and past president of the Market Research Society, has died after a battle with cancer.
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Ofwat appoints four-year research roster
3-Feb-2010
UK— Ofwat, the UK’s economic regulator for water and sewerage companies, has appointed 18 research providers to a new four-year roster.
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One to One Interactive buys customer experience researcher
23-Feb-2010
US— Marketing agency One to One Interactive (OTO) has acquired customer experience, research and design agency Fhios, merging it with its neuromarketing research division OTOinsights.
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Opinion Leader tends to nurse and midwives survey task
19-Feb-2010
UK— Health advisory body the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) has contracted Opinion Leader to carry out a quantitative survey of concerns around nursing and midwifery.
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Opinion Leader to run medicine regulation research project
25-Feb-2010
UK— Opinion Leader has been commissioned to conduct research among healthcare professionals and members of the public on whether regulatory information about medicines should be posted online.
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Opinion Matters teams up with kids' newspaper for panel
16-Feb-2010
UK— Children’s newspaper First News has partnered with research agency Opinion Matters to launch a panel of 7-14-year-olds.
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Optimisa readies for launch of unified research brand
17-Feb-2010
UK— Optimisa is looking to put its recent woes behind it and is ready to go to market with a re-engineered research offer, uniting its three previously separate MR agencies – Quaestor, Buckingham Research and Andrew Irving Associates – under a common brand.
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ORC taps Mzinga for community-building software
17-Feb-2010
US— Infogroup-owned research agency ORC has struck a deal with online social software provider Mzinga to offer clients online market research community services.
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OTX movie head fires up Screen Engine consultancy
26-Feb-2010
US— Kevin Goetz has left his post as president of the worldwide motion picture research group at OTX and launched a new consultancy called Screen Engine.
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Out Now's LatAm gay study expands into seven European countries
25-Feb-2010
UK— Out Now Consulting’s study of gay consumers in Latin America has expanded into Europe and has attracted corporate sponsorship from Berlin Tourism Marketing and Delta Air Lines.
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Outsell adds Gilbane Group to company fold
9-Feb-2010
US— Information industry analyst Outsell has added a new company to its fold – The Gilbane Group, which carries out research in the areas of content and publishing technology.
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PAC ups Media Square ownership to 28.5%
15-Feb-2010
UK— Investment house Prime Active Capital has upped its stake in marketing communications group Media Square from 21% to 28.5% after buying 3,350,000 shares at 15 pence each.
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People on the move
24-Feb-2010
The latest appointments in the global market research industry, including Nielsen, CMI, Cint, Facts International and more.
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People on the move
3-Feb-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global research and insight industry. This week: Synovate, Supervalu, Ipsos ASI, Schlesinger Associates and more.
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People on the move
16-Feb-2010
The latest appointments and promotions from the global marketing research industry, including Australia Online Research, Kadence International and Gongos Research.
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PPM Coalition calls for FCC probe in light of Arbitron's legal dispute with SBS
15-Feb-2010
US— Customers of Arbitron’s PPM radio ratings system have called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the system, after the research firm took action to force a broadcaster to continue encoding its signals.
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Radio industry 'not harnessing potential' of online research
8-Feb-2010
US— The radio industry is not harnessing the full potential of online research, according to a study by US radio researcher Kelly Music Research.
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Radio stations attack Indian ratings system
16-Feb-2010
INDIA— Radio station owner Reliance Media World has accused the Media Research User Council’s ratings system of undercounting the number of listeners in smaller towns.
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'Ready for battle' – Ipsos predicts growth for 2010 after 2009 decline
25-Feb-2010
FRANCE— 2009 marked the end of Ipsos’s 30-year run of growth with sales down 3.6% to €943.7m. The company called it “a year of learning”and has vowed to come out fighting in 2010.
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Recall woes prompt Toyota pledge to improve customer feedback loop
5-Feb-2010
JAPAN— Toyota has pledged to improve its customer research capabilities in light of a mass recall of cars over fears that accelerator pedals on certain models can get stuck.
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Rees joins Charterhouse team as new survey bags £1m in subs
15-Feb-2010
UK— Sharon Rees, the former head of financial and professional services research at TNS, has joined financial and business research specialist Charterhouse Research as a director.
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Rentrak adds Dish Network data to TV Essentials
8-Feb-2010
US— Rentrak has struck a deal with satellite TV broadcaster Dish Network to integrate the latter’s set-top box data into its TV Essentials audience measurement service.
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Rentrak chief sees Nielsen as 'frenemy' as measurement business grows
9-Feb-2010
US— Any company like Rentrak looking to make a name for itself in media measurement will eventually run into the ratings juggernaut that is Nielsen. Does that make the firm friend or foe?
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Research departments 'uncertain' of social media role
4-Feb-2010
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.
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Rory Sutherland on research and behavioural economics
1-Feb-2010
The IPA president on how behavioural economics could help market research improve the ‘dismally slight’ influence it has had in the boardroom in recent years.
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Rosetta Studio 3.3 reviewed
Feb 2010
Can you get from cross-tabs to PowerPoint in one easy step? Tim Macer reviews a package that claims to deliver on that journey.
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Sands Research and Market Watch team for neuromarketing in Israel
2-Feb-2010
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.
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SBS not cowed by PPM encoding order
18-Feb-2010
US— Radio station owner Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) appears uncowed by a court order earlier this week forcing it to resume encoding its broadcasts for measurement by Arbitron’s portable people meter-based (PPM) ratings system.
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Scarborough adds cell-only households to more local market samples
17-Feb-2010
US— Media and consumer research agency Scarborough is adding cellphone-only (CPO) households to the sample for its Top-Tier Local Market studies in an additional 20 local markets.
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Scout Analytics taps typing rhythm for web measurement
17-Feb-2010
US— Scout Analytics, a startup web analytics firm, has developed a unique solution to the problem of accurately measuring website audiences – recording the typing rhythms of web users.
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Shareholders give thumbs-up to IMS Health takeover
9-Feb-2010
US— IMS Health shareholders have voted to approve the healthcare researcher’s $5bn takeover by investment groups TPG Capital and the CCP Investment Board.
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Simon Bolus becomes research director at Barb
1-Feb-2010
UK— The Broadcaster’s Audience Research Board (Barb) has appointed Simon Bolus to the post of research director from April 2010.
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Singapore's MediaCorp first for Media Metrix 360 in Asia
18-Feb-2010
SINGAPORE— ComScore has launched its hybrid web audience measurement service Media Metrix 360 in Asia, and bagged Singaporean media giant MediaCorp as its first client.
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SPSS adds three new analytics software clients
19-Feb-2010
US— Tesco Mobile heads a trio of firms who have signed up to use SPSS’s predictive analytics software to gain insights into customer behaviours and help improve retention rates.
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Statistics Authority's power 'should be extended'
23-Feb-2010
UK— Representatives of the three main political parties said yesterday that the powers of the UK Statistics Authority should be extended.
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STRC Research unveils millionaire panel
15-Feb-2010
UK— STRC Research has launched a new panel of Middle East-based millionaires which it plans to offer as a research resource to luxury goods brands.
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Synovate appoints healthcare chief for Thailand
1-Feb-2010
THAILAND— Jocelyn Phinijarom has been appointed head of healthcare research at Synovate in Thailand, with a focus on developing the firm’s ethical and consumer healthcare business.
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TagMan secures $1.3m funding
16-Feb-2010
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.
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That's a wrap! Rentrak completes takeover of box office data firm
1-Feb-2010
US— Rentrak has completed the $15m acquisition of Nielsen EDI, the ratings firm’s film industry research business.
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The Leading Edge hires Blackbox director for Singapore role
12-Feb-2010
SINGAPORE— The Leading Edge has hired Steve Nuttall as managing partner for its Asian research business, based in Singapore.
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The new order is the old order
Feb 2010
According to a new Forrester report it appears that recession-struck research buyers will no longer commission “research for research’s sake”.
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The size of the matter
Feb 2010
‘Dunbar’s Number’ is a theory that the human brain can only manage a maximum of 150 friendships. Robin Dunbar, who posited the theory, is currently updating his work to see if the Facebook effect has made any difference. Here - in an article first published in 2007 - Jamie Hamilton applies Dunbar’s learnings to online research communities.
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Thoughts into action
Feb 2010
Market researchers like to believe that they have a good understanding of what makes people tick. But are we keeping on top of the latest thinking about human behaviour and how it can be influenced?
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Tilling new ground in mobile media measurement
10-Feb-2010
With census-level data on 2.5m mobile internet users, Ground Truth promises to add depth and perspective on mobile media usage. We sat down with marketing VP Evan Neufeld to find out why he believes 2010 will be the year mobile makes its mark as an advertising medium.
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TNS, Compete collaborate on website optimisation
17-Feb-2010
US— Sister companies TNS and Compete are combining their web research services for a new offer that aims to identify areas where websites are failing while offering recommendations to enchance performance.
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Toluna says 2009 sales to top £49m after 'strong' year
1-Feb-2010
UK— Online panel provider Toluna has boasted of a “strong” financial performance in 2009 with reported revenues set to top £49m for the year, according to a trading update.
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Tribal DDB taps Visible Technologies for social media launch
12-Feb-2010
US— Digital marketing agency Tribal DDB Worldwide has struck a deal with Visible Technologies to give its clients access to the latter’s TruCast social media analysis products.
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TV research veteran Rella moves agencyside with OTX
22-Feb-2010
US— Veteran TV industry researcher Betsy Rella has moved agencyside, joining OTX as senior vice president for client development in the company’s media insights division.
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UKOM releases first data from online audience planning system
10-Feb-2010
UK— The first data from the UK’s industry-backed online audience measurement and planning system was released today, with the BBC coming out on top with the highest concentration of ABC1 social grade visitors, followed by Wikipedia and Amazon.
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Venture capitalists pump $4m into Effective Measure
18-Feb-2010
AUSTRALIA— Online audience measurement firm Effective Measure has secured $4m in private equity funding. The cash will be used to support “growing demand” for its services, the firm said.
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Visible Measures develops Trends app for online videos
19-Feb-2010
US— After five years in business, Visible Measures has amassed a host of data on the performance of online video campaigns – some of which it is now making available through a web-based benchmarking application called Trends.
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WAA puts social media measurement definitions out to consultation
26-Feb-2010
US— Do you know your ‘grab installs’ from your ‘seed installs’? And if not, how do you measure them? The Web Analytics Association (WAA) has published a set of standard definitions for social media measurement that aim to overcome such issues.
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YouGov and News International team up for daily polls
18-Feb-2010
UK— YouGov has launched a new daily polling service in partnership with News International to track voting intentions and gauge public opinion on topical issues ahead of the upcoming general election.
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Youth researcher Dubit hits back at press criticism
15-Feb-2010
UK— Youth research and marketing agency Dubit has gone on the offensive after several newspaper reports over the weekend accused the firm of paying children to “plug junk food”.
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Zahawi stands for Parliament and steps down as YouGov CEO
22-Feb-2010
UK— YouGov founder Nadhim Zahawi is to step down as chief executive of the online research agency in order to stand as an MP in the forthcoming general election.