Figures were not disclosed, but Creston said the division, which includes ICM and Marketing Sciences, had seen its strongest performance since the same period last year. The division’s revenue for the first half of last year was down 2%, and for the full year it was down 7.5% to £14.8m – while the group as a whole grew.

The group said that the growth of existing and new clients, such as Sainsbury’s and Castrol, along with ICM’s appointment to the BBC research roster for the first time, had given the division added “momentum” for the remainder of the year.

Creston also said the division is investing in the group’s Insight Health offering, which aims to pool expertise from Creston’s research and healthcare agencies “to maximise client opportunities”.

Reported revenue for the group as a whole was up 12% in the three months to 30 June 2011, or 2% on a like-for-like basis. The group’s full-year revenue in the previous year was up 7% like-for-like, to £67.8m.