Research
September 2010
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2009 was 'dismal' for top 25 with revenue down 3.1%, says Honomichl
2-Sep-2010
US— The research industry’s top 25 agencies saw their 15-year run of growth come to an end last year, with total revenues for the group down 3.1% to $17.4bn.
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2x4 SmartTranslate reviewed
September 2010
Tim Macer reviews a workflow suite designed to take the pain out of translating and managing survey texts.
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Adrian Chedore takes seat on Vision Critical board
3-Sep-2010
CANADA— Former Synovate chief executive Adrian Chedore has been appointed to the board of directors at online research agency Vision Critical. Chedore retired from Synovate in August last year after eight years in the role, but remained as a consultant until the end of 2009.
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Alterian inks $11m deal to buy social media analytics firm Intrepid
1-Sep-2010
UK— Alterian, a marketing software and services firm, has acquired market research and social media analytics consultancy Intrepid in a cash and shares deal worth up to $11.5m.
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Amplified Analytics launches WOM analysis tool
28-Sep-2010
US— Amplified Analytics has launched a new automated word-of-mouth analysis tool, Amplified WOM Analyzer.
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Apple relaxes analytics restrictions – but not for third-party providers
10-Sep-2010
US— Apple is further relaxing restrictions on the use of analytics within iPhone and iPad applications to allow any company engaged in selling in-app advertising to collect user and device data.
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Arbitron re-appoints Erica Farber to board role
16-Sep-2010
US— Erica Farber has been re-appointed as a director of radio audience measurement firm Arbitron. She previously sat on the board of the company from March 2001 to July 2006.
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ARF gets Powers from IBM to fill chief research officer role
17-Sep-2010
US— IBM’s director of brand and advertising research Todd Powers is set to join the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) at the end of the month as chief research officer. He replaces Joel Rubinson, who quit the ARF in July to set up his own consulting practice, Rubinson Partners.
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Asda retail strategy exec joins Nunwood to head shopper insight
10-Sep-2010
UK— Craig Ryder, a former marketing and retail strategy specialist working for supermarket chain Asda, has joined Nunwood as global head of shopper insight, analytics and activation.
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Atomic Labs names vice president of global sales
8-Sep-2010
US— Data collection technology provider Atomic Labs has appointed Len Emmick as vice president in charge of global sales and partnerships.
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Barb's research manager tunes us in to TV measurement challenges
15-Sep-2010
Joe Lewis was recently appointed research manager for the Broadcast Audience Research Board, the UK’s official source of television ratings. He tells us why the UK leads the world in TV measurement and what the future holds for return path data.
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Beiersdorf US moves consumer intelligence director to VP of marketing
24-Sep-2010
US— Cosmetics firm Beiersdorf has promoted its director of consumer intelligence Magnus Jonsson to vice president of marketing for North America.
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Blair's polling nightmare
6-Sep-2010
Tony Blair’s memoir, A Journey, has triggered much discussion and a moderate amount of shoe-throwing. We take a look at what he has to say about polling and focus groups.
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Brain sells: Cutting through the neuromarketing hype
15-Sep-2010
The world of neuroscience is full of grand claims and big personalities. Is something being lost amid the noise?
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BrainJuicer 'on track' with first-half revenue at £7.2m
22-Sep-2010
UK— BrainJuicer CEO John Kearon said today the company was on course to meet full-year expectations after reporting a 49% rise in first-half revenue to £7.2m.
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Burger King consumer insights director joins Millward Brown
20-Sep-2010
UK— Millward Brown has appointed former Burger King consumer insights director Kay Wright as an account director.
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Business analytics firm Anametrix secures $1.15m investment
9-Sep-2010
US— Anametrix, the company founded by former WebSideStory executives Blaise Barrelet and Anders Olsson, has bagged a $1.15m investment, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Buxton appoints Sellers to lead marketing services
16-Sep-2010
US— Retail analytics firm Buxton has hired Jim Sellers to lead its marketing services division. Sellers has held a range of marketing, general management and sales positions, with companies such as FedEx, Coca-Cola and the Royal Bank of Canada.
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Buxton partners with Haagen-Dazs Shops
27-Sep-2010
US— Haagen-Dazs has formed a partnership with customer analytics firm Buxton to identify sites for new shops and increase sales at existing ones.
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Cadbury insights manager moves agencyside with Sundance
6-Sep-2010
UK— Brand development agency Sundance has hired Michelle Kelly from its long-term client Cadbury to join its London-based research team.
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CallMiner plots expansion after $4m investment
3-Sep-2010
US— Speech analytics firm CallMiner has secured $4m in Series C funding from four private equity investors.
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Casro forms social media research task force
2-Sep-2010
US— The Council of American Survey Research Organisations (Casro) has formed a social media research task force to get to grips with the ethical and methodological issues surrounding the use of social networks and blogs for gaining consumer insight.
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Cello opens in Manhattan to drive US growth
14-Sep-2010
UK— Research and consulting group Cello has opened an office in Manhattan to fight for a bigger share of global projects and US research spend after seeing strong growth in profitability from international client work.
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Chime hires Patrick Meakin to lead auto research
2-Sep-2010
UK— Chime Communications has appointed Patrick Meakin to head up the automotive practice in its research and engagement division.
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Cint expands in North America with three new offices
28-Sep-2010
US— Research software and services firm Cint has opened three new US offices in Los Angeles, Princeton and San Francisco.
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Circles of influence
September 2010
Marketers who seek to generate positive word of mouth need to realise that true advocacy is about people not brands, writes Steve Phillips
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Coca-Cola VP says pay-for-performance is on its way
27-Sep-2010
Coca-Cola’s vice president of marketing strategy and insights Stan Sthanunathan caused quite a stir at the opening of the American Marketing Association’s Marketing Research Conference in Atlanta today – not least with the news that he plans to get his market research suppliers to work on a pay-for-performance basis.
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ComScore and PMB to release fused online and print database
17-Sep-2010
CANADA— ComScore and the Print Measurement Bureau (PMB) have collaborated on a data fusion project linking print readership information to data on online behaviour and product usage.
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ComScore debuts social media monitoring tool
21-Sep-2010
US— ComScore has struck a deal with web monitoring firm Radian6 to offer its clients a social media monitoring service.
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ComScore drops Media Metrix setup fee in Southeast Asia
9-Sep-2010
SINGAPORE— ComScore told online publishers in southeast Asia today that it was dropping the fee it previously charged to have websites tagged for measurement by its panel/census hybrid system, Media Metrix 360.
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ComScore hires Wolf Allisat in pursuit of international growth
15-Sep-2010
US— ComScore has appointed Wolf Allisat as executive vice president for international markets to oversee the firm’s overseas expansion strategy.
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Confirmit and IRM extend reseller agreement
9-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Research software supplier Confirmit has renewed its long-running reseller agreement with Information Research and Management (IRM).
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CRM firm Merkle opens Shanghai office
20-Sep-2010
US— Customer relationship marketing agency Merkle has opened its first international office in Shanghai.
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Deja vu for Harris as Nasdaq issues stock price warning
23-Sep-2010
US— Harris Interactive’s share price has been stuck under $1 for the past 30 days – triggering a warning from the Nasdaq stock exchange that its stock could be delisted if the situation doesn’t improve by March next year.
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Deutsche Telekom picks AT Internet for web analytics task
7-Sep-2010
GERMANY— Deutsche Telekom has hired AT Internet to provide web analytics software for its internet services, including t-online.de, fussball.de, wetter.info and Musicload.
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Dialling in to Ipsos MediaCT's radio audience measurement trials
22-Sep-2010
Ipsos MediaCT has embarked on a major trial of its mobile phone-based radio audience measurement system. Research caught up with Jim Ford to find out how the project is going and whether a showdown with Arbitron’s PPM system is on the cards.
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Diary: Visualisation, geolocation and procreation
September 2010
A roundup of things that caught our eye in and around the research industry this month.
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DIY online interview service GutCheck in beta mode
21-Sep-2010
US— GutCheck, a new do-it-yourself online qualitative research service that offers companies the chance to carry out one-on-one, 30-minute interviews with consumers, has launched in beta mode.
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Double MRS Gold Medal winner Andrew Ehrenberg dies at 84
1-Sep-2010
UK— Market researcher and two-time winner of the Market Research Society’s Gold Medal Andrew Ehrenberg died last week aged 84.
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DSGi customer insight director joins Opinion Leader
30-Sep-2010
UK— Shaendel Hallett, global customer insight director for DSG International – owner of electronics retailers Currys, PC World and Dixons – has joined Opinion Leader as client services director.
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Echometrix to pay $100,000 to settle Pulse web monitor probe
17-Sep-2010
US— Marketing intelligence software maker Echometrix has agreed to pay $100,000 to settle an inquiry led by New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo (pictured) into how it gathered information from children’s online conversations and sold it on to marketing companies.
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eDigital Research launches mobile commerce study
30-Sep-2010
UK— A benchmark study that tracks consumer expectations for mobile shopping has made its debut via eDigitalResearch.
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Eight firms to take part in ARF neuroscience validation study
24-Sep-2010
US— The Advertising Research Foundation is about to put the science behind neuromarketing research on trial.
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Entercom signs up for Arbitron radio ratings
14-Sep-2010
US— Radio group Entercom Communications has signed up to receive audience ratings from Arbitron in all the markets where the research firm counts listeners.
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E-Rewards buys Peanut Labs and merges it with Research Now
28-Sep-2010
US— Online fieldwork agency E-Rewards has bought social media sample supplier Peanut Labs, a $5m venture capital-backed business.
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European Commission takes UK to court over ePrivacy rules
30-Sep-2010
UK— The European Commission is taking the UK to court in an attempt to force changes to the country’s laws so they comply with European Union rules on the interception of electronic communications.
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Ex-Cadbury researcher adjusts to life on the agencyside
24-Sep-2010
Former Cadbury insight manager Michelle Kelly has recently joined brand development agency Sundance as a member of its research team. In this Spotlight interview, we ask her to assess the differences between life as a buyer of research and life as a seller.
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Facebook adds 'social endorsement' metric for ads
10-Sep-2010
US— Facebook has introduced a new ad metric for ‘social endorsement’ based on how many users click ‘like’ buttons tied to marketing messages.
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Facts International buys Munro Global's Acefieldwork
27-Sep-2010
UK— Chime Communications’ Facts International has bought rival Acefieldwork from parent company Munro Global in a deal that sees Facts become Munro’s fieldwork supplier.
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Firefish launches quant division, posts sales hike
15-Sep-2010
UK— Qualitative research agency Firefish is launching a quantitative service that will be led by former RS Consulting MD Neil Swan.
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Firefish pitches the Pitch Pack at agency players
29-Sep-2010
UK— Firefish has launched a service that aims to help advertising and marketing agencies gain competitive edge when pitching for work.
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Founder Institute selects AYTM for entrepreneur training
10-Sep-2010
US— DIY survey platform AskYourTargetMarket has been selected as the official research tool for companies participating in the entrepreneur training programme at the Founder Institute, an organisation that helps technology start-up companies accelerate their growth.
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Galceran set to become CEO for TNS Latin America
3-Sep-2010
BRAZIL— Ignacio Galceran is set to join TNS as CEO for Latin America following his impending departure from Synovate, which was announced yesterday.
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GEM appoints IFF Research for eighth year running
3-Sep-2010
UK— IFF Research has been awarded the contract to carry out the fieldwork for the UK Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for the eighth successive year.
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General Sentiment and Q Scores study audience involvement and devotion
10-Sep-2010
US— General Sentiment and Q Scores are collaborating on a series of reports examining audience involvement with TV programming and the strength of their ongoing commitment to their favourite shows.
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GfK names Hearn global healthcare boss
29-Sep-2010
UK— GfK has appointed Stephen Hearn to global head of GfK Healthcare as it looks to align the business globally around a single brand and leadership function.
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Global research turnover down 4.6%, says Esomar report
6-Sep-2010
NETHERLANDS— Esomar’s latest industry study shows the first decline in global market research turnover since it began measuring the worldwide market in 1988.
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Global solutions head Terhanian to leave Harris Interactive
17-Sep-2010
US— Harris Interactive’s president of global solutions George Terhanian has called time on his 13-year career with the online research specialist.
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Government banks 100,000 ideas through 'Spending Challenge' consultation
15-Sep-2010
UK— A government initiative to crowdsource ideas to reduce spending and cut the country’s deficit has closed after receiving over 100,000 submissions.
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Government MR firm Input sold for $60m to software firm Deltek
30-Sep-2010
US— Government market research and analysis firm Input is being bought by project management software firm Deltek for $60m in cash.
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Greenfield integration drives Toluna revenue up 164%
16-Sep-2010
UK— Online panel provider Toluna has posted a 164% increase in revenue for the first six months of the year, which it attributes to growth in all regions and the complete integration of Greenfield Online’s survey business.
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Half-year turnover up 6% at Discovery Group
1-Sep-2010
UK— Turnover at Discovery Group was up 6.5% to £1.46m in the first six months of 2010, while profits shot up 28% year-on-year to £175,000.
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Hall & Partners hires for new shopper insights practice
14-Sep-2010
US— Hall & Partners has hired Vanessa Hartnoll to build and run a new shopper insights practice within the Omnicom-owned market research agency.
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Hall & Partners' Palmer leaves London for Sydney
23-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Nick Palmer, senior director at Hall & Partners London, has been appointed to the newly created post of research director at the firm’s Sydney office.
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Harris Interactive's George Terhanian moves to Toluna
29-Sep-2010
US— George Terhanian is joining Toluna as chief strategy and product officer following his departure from Harris Interactive.
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Harte-Hanks acquires data specialist Information Arts
1-Sep-2010
US— Direct and targeted marketing agency Harte-Hanks has acquired UK-based database marketing and analytics firm Information Arts.
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Healthcare specialist WorldOne opens Tokyo office
1-Sep-2010
JAPAN— Healthcare market research and data collection agency WorldOne has opened an office in Tokyo, which will be led by Katsuhiko Niga and Takahito Asano.
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Hear me out: Don't exclude market researchers from surveys
September 2010
Ever had an idea that you know is genius, but everyone else thinks is crazy? Here is your chance to share it with the world of research. This month we hear from Rachel SImmons, senior client consultant at Nunwood.
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'I don't believe that intrinsically we are social beings'
23-Sep-2010
Andrew Keen, author of Cult of the Amateur, gives an unashamedly sceptical talk at the Social Media Research conference. Keen argues that social media is in fact not social at all, and is making us more isolated and individualistic than ever.
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IAB confirms online audience measurement tender
27-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Australia has confirmed it is to run a tender process to appoint a “sole and exclusive preferred supplier” of online audience measurement services.
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IBM to buy data firm Netezza for $1.7bn
20-Sep-2010
US— IBM is to acquire data warehousing and analytics firm Netezza in a $1.7bn cash deal.
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ICM names Wiseman and Turner as board directors
15-Sep-2010
UK— ICM Group has appointed two new board directors: Andrew Wiseman from Verve and James Turner from FreshMinds.
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Iconoculture and Lafferty set up shop in India
24-Sep-2010
INDIA— US agency Iconoculture and UK-based Lafferty are embarking on new ventures in India.
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Illuminas to conduct research for UK electric car trial
23-Sep-2010
UK— Illuminas has won a year-long contract to provide research in support of trials of electric vehicles organised by EDF Energy in partnership with Mercedes Benz and the Technology Strategy Board.
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Indian magazine body plans reader engagement study – report
8-Sep-2010
INDIA— The Association of Indian Magazines is planning to launch a study to gauge how engaged readers are with its members’ publications.
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Infosurv promotes Carl Fusco to managing director
8-Sep-2010
US— Carl Fusco has been named managing director at online research agency Infosurv. He joined the firm last year as director of operations after a spell as business director and insights consulting partner at Brandscapes Worldwide Consultancy.
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Initiative hires worldwide director of insights and innovation
8-Sep-2010
US— Interpublic media agency Initiative has appointed Kendra Hatcher King to worldwide director of insights and innovation, reporting directly to global CEO Richard Beaven.
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Innerscope Research opens Los Angeles office
22-Sep-2010
US— Biometrics research agency Innerscope has opened an office in Los Angeles to expand its presence on the American West Coast.
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IODA and Next Big Sound team up for social media music tracking
10-Sep-2010
US— Independent music distribution and marketing agency IODA has partnered with social media music analytics firm Next Big Sound to link online sales with what music fans are saying on sites such as Facebook and Last.fm.
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Ipsos ASI launches Big Idea ad testing tool in MENA region
6-Sep-2010
UAE — Advertising research specialist Ipsos ASI has launched its Big Idea ad testing service service in the Middle East and North Africa region.
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Ipsos Loyalty finds Mann for business development role
28-Sep-2010
US— Joe Mann has become the new vice president of business development at Ipsos Loyalty.
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Ipsos MediaCT wins Australian readership survey contract
21-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Print industry body The Newspaper Works has appointed Ipsos MediaCT to carry out a new readership survey for Australian newspapers and magazines.
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Ipsos sees TV opportunity for MediaCell audience measurement technology
22-Sep-2010
UK— Ipsos MediaCT is in talks with television companies with a view to testing its mobile phone-based MediaCell audience measurement technology as means of tracking out-of-home viewing.
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Jennifer Daniel to head Telmar South Africa
24-Sep-2010
US— Telmar, which provides survey and information software to advertisers and media companies, has hired Jennifer Daniel to lead its South African business.
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Kantar fuses Worldpanel and TGI data
27-Sep-2010
UK— Kantar has combined consumer purchase data from its Worldpanel service with information on product consumption, leisure activities and attitudes collected via TGI surveys to create a new service, TGI Worldpanel.
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Kantar Media Audiences hires Boehme for RPD drive
7-Sep-2010
US— Kantar Media has appointed Jeffrey Boehme to the position of chief research officer for North America within the firm’s Audiences business division.
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Kantar Video appoints client service director
13-Sep-2010
US— Sholien Houng-Babalis has been appointed director of client service at Kantar Video, the research group’s video innovation division.
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Keep online survey questions short and simple, study advises
20-Sep-2010
AUSTRIA — Rushing through long or difficult questions in online surveys harms data quality more than any other type of respondent behaviour, a new study suggests.
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Kelkoo pulls 'inaccurate' tax free shopping report after data review
3-Sep-2010
UK— Shopping comparison website Kelkoo has withdrawn a press release that claimed shoppers at Heathrow Airport were offered the worst tax free discounts in Europe after a review of the supporting research uncovered inaccuracies in the data.
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Kellogg consultant Karen Jarvis launches 2020partners
29-Sep-2010
UK— Karen Jarvis, a former new product development consultant with Kellogg’s, has launched 2020partners with brother and sister duo Robert and Lynn Riviere.
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Kids researchers and marketers told to put themselves in Check
30-Sep-2010
UK— Government threats of a crackdown on “irresponsible” advertising and marketing to children have led the communications industry to collaborate on a new website to educate marketers about existing regulations and best practices.
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Kogan takes technology and strategy reins at Communispace
28-Sep-2010
US— Howard Kogan has been named the new technology and strategy officer at online research community builder Communispace.
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Leger Marketing appoints Chuck Chakrapani as Toronto president
8-Sep-2010
CANADA— Former Millward Brown Canada CEO Chuck Chakrapani has joined Leger Marketing as president of the firm’s Toronto office.
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LGBT: the global momentum
29-Sep-2010
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) demographic is gaining significant traction in its quest for gender equality, says Panoramix Global’s Vickie Abrahamson in part three of our series on consumer trends shaping the world. A new era of market opportunities awaits, she says.
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Manthan Systems in Australian expansion
9-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Business intelligence and analytics provider Manthan Systems has opened a new office in Melbourne as it looks to expand in Australia and New Zealand.
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Maven MD to lead research at automotive specialist Lorien Connect
8-Sep-2010
UK— Former Maven Research MD Kathryn Courtenay-Evans has joined automotive research specialist Lorien Connect as head of research.
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Maxus hires I-Level's Lawson as global data and insights director
13-Sep-2010
UK— GroupM media agency Maxus has hired Martin Lawson as global data and insights director. He comes to Maxus following a stint as head of insight at I-Level, the digital agency that was placed into administration in May.
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MediaMath taps KN Dimestore for in-banner surveys
23-Sep-2010
US— KN Dimestore has teamed up with MediaMath to offer in-banner surveys as part of the latter’s digital media trading platform.
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Medix picks Globalpark technology for healthcare panel management
21-Sep-2010
UK— Healthcare market research consultancy Medix has picked survey and panel firm Globalpark’s technology as its preferred feedback management platform.
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Meet the man who wants to make surveys history
10-Sep-2010
In his book Consumer.ology former market research manager Philip Graves argues that companies who buy surveys and focus groups have been fooled by ‘pseudo-science’ and that true consumer insight can only come from observing and analysing behaviour. He talks to Brian Tarran.
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Menzies Distribution picks Roundpoint's mobile survey tool
24-Sep-2010
UK— Newspaper distributor Menzies Distribution is using Roundpoint’s mobile survey tool to conduct customer satisfaction research among independent retailers.
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Millward Brown rebrands qual ops under Firefly banner
14-Sep-2010
US— Millward Brown is to bring its global qualitative operations together under the brand name Firefly Millward Brown.
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Mobile 'cookie' company sued over web tracking practices
17-Sep-2010
US— Another web tracking lawsuit has been filed – this one against mobile ad serving company Ringleader Digital and clients who use its Media Stamp technology to allegedly track web users’ online behaviour across sites without their permission.
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Moving targets
September 2010
Despite initial excitement about the technology, location-based market research has yet to make the transition from ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have’, writes Paul Golden.
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MRA sounds warning over Rush data privacy bill
7-Sep-2010
US— The Marketing Research Association (MRA) has sounded the alarm over another data privacy bill which threatens to put commonly-used demographic data beyond the reach of research agencies and risks putting many out of business.
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MRS publishes deliberative research guidelines
20-Sep-2010
UK— The Market Research Society (MRS) has published guidelines for deliberative research, following a consultation period on draft guidelines.
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MRUC seeks agency for extended Indian Outdoor Survey
20-Sep-2010
INDIA— The Media Research Users Council is looking for a research agency to carry out an expanded version of the Indian Outdoor Survey that will see the advertising study’s scope widen to cover six more cities.
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MTV names Bruner and Schneiderman for digital research team
13-Sep-2010
US— MTV Networks (MTVN) has added two new executives to its digital research team: Rick Bruner takes up the role of vice president of digital ad sales research and Stuart Schneiderman becomes senior director of digital research.
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NeuroFocus announces own neuromarketing guidelines
29-Sep-2010
US — NeuroFocus is offering to share with companies a set of principles for conducting electroencephalography (EEG) studies. The news comes just days after the Advertising Research Foundation announced a ‘trial’ of neuromarketing and biometric research methods.
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New leadership for Synovate in China and Norway
20-Sep-2010
CHINA/NORWAY— Synovate has restructured its leadership and operations in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to form a new Greater China business division, and named a new CEO for its Scandinavian business units.
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New Scientist hails neuromarketing test 'a success'
3-Sep-2010
The results are in: New Scientist magazine has reported a 12% uplift in newsstand sales for its 5 August issue, which used neuromarketing research to test for the most attention-grabbing cover. Is this definitive evidence that neuromarketing works?
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Newmarket International buys Hospitality Information Services
9-Sep-2010
US— Hospitality and entertainment sales software provider Newmarket International has struck a deal to acquire market research agency Hospitality Information Services (HIS).
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Nielsen adapts watermarking technology for interactive TV apps
16-Sep-2010
US— Nielsen is moving from audience measurement into application development, adapting the digital watermarking technology it uses to detect programmes and integrating it into an iPad app to create interactive television.
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Nielsen and Sunbeam 'close' to resolving anti-trust dispute
20-Sep-2010
US— The long-running dispute between Nielsen and Sunbeam Television is a step closer to being resolved after both parties said that they are close to an agreement.
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Nielsen named preferred supplier for New Zealand print research group
29-Sep-2010
NEW ZEALAND— Nielsen has been named the Print Media Industry Research Review Group’s (PMIRRG) preferred supplier of print readership research for a five-year period from January.
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Nielsen unveils TV-like online campaign ratings
27-Sep-2010
US— Nielsen has developed ‘online campaign ratings’ – a measure of an online advert’s audience that the company claims is comparable to its own TV ratings.
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Nielsen, McKinsey joint venture NM Incite launched in India
13-Sep-2010
INDIA— NM Incite, the social media monitoring joint venture between Nielsen and management consultancy McKinsey, has been rolled out to India.
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Nipo pitches software upgrade to get agencies in the DIY game
24-Sep-2010
NETHERLANDS— Nipo Software is working on an update to its Fieldwork System to allow clients and suppliers to co-produce research projects.
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Northcliffe hires Kantar for newspaper readership research
15-Sep-2010
UK— Newspaper publisher Northcliffe Media is working with Kantar Media on a series of readership studies for its regional titles using a telephone research methodology only recently sanctioned by the Joint Industry Committee for Regional Media Research (Jicreg).
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Norway extends TNS Gallup PPM radio measurement contract
29-Sep-2010
NORWAY— The Norwegian National Radio Steering Committee has extended its contract with Kantar subsidiary TNS Gallup to continue measuring listening habits in the country for three more years.
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Nunwood appoints EVP to lead US growth
14-Sep-2010
US— Nunwood has appointed former GfK executive Jane Ormiston as executive vice president of North American operations.
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Oh crumbs! Cookies left unblocked by code errors, say academics
13-Sep-2010
US— Thousands of websites may be dropping cookies on people’s computers against their wishes because of flaws in the codes web browsers like Internet Explorer use to assess site privacy policies, according to Carnegie Mellon researchers.
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Omnicom's BBDO to take control of Clemenger Group
16-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Advertising and communications group Clemenger is set to become majority-owned by Omnicom’s BBDO network in a deal worth a reported $150m.
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Online analytics firm Nedstat sold to ComScore in €29m deal
1-Sep-2010
US— ComScore has acquired Dutch online analytics firm Nedstat in a deal worth €29.2m ($36.7m), boosting its European presence and potentially adding census-level data from thousands of sites to its Unified Digital Measurement (UDM) platform.
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Online focus groups the greener option, says Revelation
28-Sep-2010
US— Switching from offline to online focus groups could help protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions by just under half a metric tonne per project, according to an analysis by energy efficiency consultancy Fluid.
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Opinium Research adds quartet of new starters
21-Sep-2010
UK— Online agency Opinium Research has expanded with the addition of four new members of staff, including two senior research managers.
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OzTam to appoint independent chair after probe
14-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— TV ratings body OzTam is to appoint an independent chairman and director as part of a court-enforceable undertaking agreed with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
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Peanut Labs unveils new Social Media Asia Sample
13-Sep-2010
US— Online sample provider Peanut Labs has launched a new online panel made up of social media users from China, Japan and South Korea.
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People on the move
20-Sep-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research industry, including Firefish, Kadence International, iCharts, Exhibit Surveys and Directions Research.
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People on the move
24-Sep-2010
The latest round-up of personnel changes in the research and insight business. Companies announcing staff changes this weekinclude Simpson Carpenter, Discovery, Research Reporter and EC Harris.
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People on the move
29-Sep-2010
The latest round-up of personnel changes in the research and insight business. Companies announcing staff changes this week include Rentrak, Visual IQ, Mendeley and LogicLab.
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People on the move
10-Sep-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week featuring the latest from AbsolutData, Intrinsiq and The NPD Group.
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People on the move
15-Sep-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week featuring the latest from 1HQ, The Modellers, InsightExpress, The Yankee Group, VisiStat, Phoenix Marketing International and SynGro.
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People on the move
6-Sep-2010
The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: Ace Metrix, Language Connect and Knowledge Networks.
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Perspective to merge with Continental Direct
24-Sep-2010
UK— Data collection agency Perspective is merging with Continental Direct to create a new enlarged business that will trade as Perspective Research Services.
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Photon to merge Bellamyhayden into Naked
20-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Marketing services group Photon has announced that strategy agency Bellamyhayden is to be merged into strategic communications agency Naked.
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Pollster Mark Feierstein confirmed as USAID administrator
17-Sep-2010
US— The US Agency for International Development has confirmed the appointment of Mark Feierstein as assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Prime Technology Ventures leads investment in Cint
15-Sep-2010
SWEDEN— Research software and services firm Cint has been awarded US$13m in private equity financing in a funding round led by Prime Technology Ventures.
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Privacy group lobbies for do-not-track list with anti-Google ad
6-Sep-2010
US— Privacy advocates at Consumer Watchdog are hoping to drum up support for an online do-not-track list with a 540 sq ft digital ad campaign in Times Square, New York.
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Progressive Digital Media buys beverage researcher Canadean
2-Sep-2010
UK— Progressive Digital Media (PDM) has acquired Canadean, a market research business specialising in the beverage industry, for £9m in cash and the issue of 6.9m new PDM shares.
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Rentrak names sales SVP for media and information division
7-Sep-2010
US— Media measurement agency Rentrak has hired Evan Goldfarb as senior vice president of sales for its Advanced Media and Information division, with responsibility for growing the firm’s ad agency client base.
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Researcher jailed over faked child safety tests for lighters
22-Sep-2010
US— A researcher who admitted faking child safety tests for cigarette lighters has been sentenced to eight months in prison plus eight months of home detention.
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Right Network taps Rentrak for on-demand measurement
9-Sep-2010
US— Newly-launched entertainment-on-demand firm Right Network has signed up to use Rentrak’s audience measurement service, OnDemand Essentials.
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Salter>Mitchell wins place on healthcare research roster
6-Sep-2010
US— Research, marketing and PR agency Salter>Mitchell has been awarded a place on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ research roster.
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Sands Research and Inner Truth strike alliance
16-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— US-based neuromarketing agency Sands Research has partnered with Inner Truth to offer each other’s services to their respective clients.
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Schlesinger Associates founder dies aged 84
17-Sep-2010
US— Sarah Schlesinger, the founder of data collection and fieldwork agency Schlesinger Associates, has died at the age of 84.
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Seven Seas picks McCallum Layton for multivitamin NPD work
8-Sep-2010
UK— Vitamins, minerals and supplements supplier Seven Seas has hired research agency McCallum Layton to undertake NPD work around a new multivitamin proposition for children.
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Shortlists revealed for Research Magazine Awards
15-Sep-2010
BSkyB, O2 and Pfizer are among the big-name companies shortlisted for this year’s Research Magazine Awards.
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Size matters for Harris Interactive's new panel
14-Sep-2010
US— Harris Interactive has launched a speciality panel where members can be segmented and surveyed according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) score.
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Smithsonian Institution signs up for Rentrak ratings
16-Sep-2010
US— The Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks, has signed up to use Rentrak’s TV Essentials tool to measure audience figures.
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Social media research – not so new after all?
23-Sep-2010
UK— Social media research might not be such a revolution for the industry after all. Experts argued today that the fundamentals are not so different from what we already know through traditional research.
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Social media risks triggering privacy crisis, warns Andrew Keen
23-Sep-2010
UK — Social media is driving us apart, not bringing us together, and its erosion of privacy will have damaging effects, researchers were warned today.
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SPA to merge with Future Thinking
7-Sep-2010
UK— SPA has been acquired by private equity firm Next Wave Partners with a view to merging the media research specialist with Future Thinking, another of its investments in the research sector.
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Standard & Poor's Crisil buys KPO services firm Pipal
22-Sep-2010
INDIA— Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) firm Pipal Research has been bought by Standard & Poor’s Crisil in a deal worth US$12.75m.
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State of the nation
September 2010
Pollster Deborah Mattinson speaks to us about her new book, which tells how New Labour’s failure to listen to the public wrecked its relationship with voters.
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Stratigent names new president and COO
1-Sep-2010
US— Web analytics and marketing optimisation consultancy Stratigent has named Bill Bruno and Jennifer Veesenmeyer as president and chief operations officer respectively.
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Sun, sea, sand and surveys
September 2010
Sam Elphinstone, research director at 2CV, explains how research helped Malta’s tourist authority assess its efforts to use music to attract younger visitors.
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Synovate appoints automotive head for China
29-Sep-2010
CHINA— Synovate has appointed Klaus Paur as managing director of Synovate Motoresearch, its automotive research group, in Greater China and Korea.
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Synovate names CEO for Middle East and North Africa
30-Sep-2010
EGYPT— Synovate has promoted Tamer El Nagger to CEO of the company’s Middle East and North Africa business units.
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Synovate promotes Iberia MD to regional CEO
2-Sep-2010
US— Synovate has promoted Enrique Domingo, its managing director for Iberia, to CEO of Iberia and Latin America, replacing Ignacio Galceran.
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Target picks Emnos for customer insight project
22-Sep-2010
US— Retail data analysis agency Emnos has won its first major US contract after being picked by general merchandise retailer Target to run a multi-year project to extend the use of customer-focused insight within merchandise and marketing.
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The ingenuity engine
September 2010
The Research Magazine Awards judges are preparing to huddle, deliberate and decide. By the time you read this we will have ploughedthrough this year’s bumper amount of entries in the hunt for the most accomplished agencies and clients across five categories.
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The innovation delusion
6-Sep-2010
Andy Budd is founding partner of user experience design agency Clearleft – just the sort of person you’d expected to get excited about innovation. But at recent design events he’s been warning of a ‘cult of innovation’ and how it can lead businesses up the wrong path. We spoke to him about why this is, and what it means for the research that’s supposed to support innovation.
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The tomorrow people
September 2010
How can the research industry recruit and retain the very best graduates? If you want to create the leaders of tomorrow, you’re going to have to take some pretty firm action today. Six voices come up with some solutions.
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Think tank calls for new focus in public sector research
28-Sep-2010
UK— As cuts loom over local government a new think tank, LGinsight, has urged public sector researchers to “up their game”. The think tank has been established to represent the current thinking of local government researchers and to promote “the true value of their research.”
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Tivo recruiting to build Power Watch ratings panel to 100,000 homes
30-Sep-2010
US— Tivo is upping the size of its opt-in TV audience measurement panel to report on the viewing behaviour of 100,000 US homes.
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TNS launches banking study in Canada
15-Sep-2010
CANADA— TNS has launched its Commercial Banking Momentum Monitor (CBMM) service in Canada to provide banks there with competitive intelligence.
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TNS trio reunite for Raspberry venture
13-Sep-2010
AUSTRALIA— Former TNS regional directors Evette Cordy and Penny Darbyshire have launched a new agency in Melbourne with ex-2CV vice president James Redden.
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TNS warns job seekers over phishing scam
3-Sep-2010
US— TNS has warned job seekers about a possible phishing scam disguising itself as a company recruitment drive.
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TRA to add Experian automotive data to media ROI analytics platform
16-Sep-2010
US— TRA has expanded its long-running partnership with Experian Marketing Services to add automotive sales data to its media ROI measurement platform, Media TRAnalytics.
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Truth invests in creative partnership with Socio Design
2-Sep-2010
UK— Strategic insight consultancy Truth has acquired a stake in creative agency Socio Design, and the two companies plan to integrate their offers over the next 12 months.
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Turner promoted to head of intelligence at Havas's MPG
23-Sep-2010
UK— Havas-owned media agency MPG has promoted Denise Turner, head of insight and effectiveness, to head of intelligence – a new role incorporating all things data.
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TV ratings body Barb appoints research manager
1-Sep-2010
UK— The Broadcasters Audience Research Board (Barb) has appointed Joe Lewis as its new research manager following the promotion of Simon Bolus to research director earlier this year.
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Twitter analytics dashboard to be launched in Q4
23-Sep-2010
US— Twitter has a real-time analytics dashboard in development which it plans to release in the fourth quarter, according to Webtrends blogger Justin Kistner.
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UBM agrees acquisition of paper industry information provider
7-Sep-2010
CHINA— United Business Media has agreed to acquire UM Paper, a firm specialising in providing analytics and information about the global forest products industry, from its owner Samwell Group.
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UK government opens consultation on European web cookie rules
16-Sep-2010
UK— A consultation is under way in the UK on implementing the European Union’s package of telecoms reforms, including amended rules on the use of web cookies.
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UK legislators vote to raise silent call penalty to £2m
17-Sep-2010
UK— MPs have approved a proposal that could see companies fined up to £2m for making silent calls to householders.
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Ups and downs – Ken Parker
September 2010
We ask research practitioners about the best and worst bits of their careers. This month it’s Ken Parker, chairman and founder of Discovery.
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User Vision opens Dubai office
13-Sep-2010
DUBAI— UK-based user experience consultancy User Vision has opened an office in Dubai to service clients in the Middle East and North Africa.
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Vannozzi appointed research director at 2CV
8-Sep-2010
UK— 2CV has appointed customer experience specialist Tom Vannozzi as a research director at its London office.
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Variety greenlights movie buzz chart
30-Sep-2010
US— Entertainment trade publication Variety has struck a deal with social media research firm Fizziology to carry a weekly chart of the most talked about movies in social media.
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Vision Critical scoops Metro International community panel job
21-Sep-2010
UK— Newspaper publishing group Metro International has appointed Vision Critical to manage its 30,000 strong multi-country proprietary community panel.
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Web analytics pros set to work on code of ethics
14-Sep-2010
US— Web analytics professionals are looking to head off rising anxiety over online data privacy by developing a code of ethics for all industry practitioners to follow.
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Webtrends opens Tokyo office
14-Sep-2010
JAPAN— Webtrends has opened an office in Tokyo under the leadership of Kazayuki Kimura, president of Webtrends Japan. He joined the firm earlier from Samuraiz, formerly a software business division of IT Frontier.
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Western Wats opens Toronto service bureau
16-Sep-2010
CANADA— Fieldwork agency Western Wats has opened a service bureau in Toronto in an effort to increase local access to the firm’s panels.
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Western Wats rolls out French and German panels
10-Sep-2010
US— Fieldwork agency Western Wats has launched online panels in France and Germany as it looks to expand in Europe.
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Widmeyer names Cohn as research practice head
22-Sep-2010
US— PR agency Widmeyer Communications has hired Ron Cohn as senior vice president to lead its research and polling practice.
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William Hill Online bets on Unica for web analytics
9-Sep-2010
UK— Bookie and gaming firm William Hill Online has signed up to use Unica’s web analytics services in a bid to improve customer experience and enable faster business decision-making.
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WPP agencies team up for digital marketing insight in Africa
29-Sep-2010
KENYA— Digital agency Wunderman is partnering with WPP sister company TNS Research International to help clients understand and maximise digital marketing opportunities in Africa.
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WPP's Kinetic forms Meta data consultancy
15-Sep-2010
US— WPP-owned media agency Kinetic has launched a data consultancy called Meta, which aims to use client-held customer data like ticketing information and purchase history for consumer insight and targeted marketing.
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Wrigley signs up for TRA's ad effectiveness service
27-Sep-2010
US— Chewing gum maker Wrigley has signed up to use TRA’s ad effectiveness measurement service, which combines TV viewing data with purchase data.
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Yahoo reminds analytics customers over privacy
8-Sep-2010
US— Yahoo has written to its web analytics customers to remind them of their obligations to let site visitors opt-out of having their online behaviour tracked amid growing anxiety over data privacy.
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YouGov Siraj and Al Aan TV strike polling deal
6-Sep-2010
DUBAI— Pan-Arabian TV broadcaster Al Aan has inked a deal with YouGov Siraj to produce polls examining Arab consumers’ take on social and economic issues.