News30 October 2009

Research Panel Asia launches with China offering

JAPAN— Online media business EC Navi has launched Research Panel Asia with the goal of establishing online survey panels throughout the Asia region.

News30 October 2009

Research revenue down at Progressive Digital Media

UK— Research revenue fell 4% during the year ending 30 April 2009 at Progressive Digital Media, formerly TMN Group, according to results released today.

News30 October 2009

Ipsos promotes Gronberger to head of ASI division

US— Ipsos has promoted Alex Gronberger to chief executive of its ASI advertising research business.

Feature30 October 2009

When did you last see a research presentation that was fun?

Mike Browning and Bert Bower have set out to turn the traditional debrief on its head by combining MR expertise with educational theory to make sure that findings make a real difference in client organisations. Robert Bain spoke to Browning to find out about the firm’s approach.

News30 October 2009

Nunwood strengthens US team

US— Nunwood has appointed three new staff to its New York office, one of whom has ventured across the Atlantic from the company’s UK headquarters in Leeds.

News30 October 2009

Duffar's Cosmos Group readies hostile bid for Cossette

CANADA— Former Cossette vice chairman François Duffar is preparing to go hostile with his bid to acquire control of the marketing services group he helped establish.

News30 October 2009

ComScore to cut workforce by 8% to fund investments

US— ComScore is to axe 8% of its workforce in order to maintain investment in Media Metrix 360, the hybrid web measurement solution it sees as a big growth bet for the future.

News30 October 2009

Harris starts new fiscal year with 23% revenue drop

US— Harris Interactive has reported a 23% drop in revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, though it has cut its losses for the three-month period ended 30 September.

News30 October 2009

WPP sees improved performance from insight division in Q3

UK— WPP has boasted of a “marked improvement” in the financial performance of its consumer insight division in the third quarter, with like-for-like revenue down 10% compared to a decline of 13.4% in the second quarter.

Opinion30 October 2009

A refreshing lack of consensus on online communities

There was much talk of online communities at Esomar’s Online Research Conference this week – but not much agreement on what they are, what they’re for, or how best to use them. Good, says Vovici founder Jeffrey Henning.

News29 October 2009

Ciao Surveys MD Alberto Abisso departs

GERMANY— Alberto Abisso has left Ciao Surveys after five years following Toluna’s acquisition of parent company Greenfield Online.

News29 October 2009

Forrester preparing for growth despite Q3 sales dip

US— Forrester Research is gearing up for growth next year, despite a 9% fall in third-quarter revenue to $53.9m and a 7% decline in operating income to $7.9m.

News29 October 2009

EC ramps up legal action over secret Phorm trials

UK— The European Commission has launched the second phase of infringement proceedings against the UK over the way it handled tests of Phorm’s online targeted advertising software.

News29 October 2009

Synovate names Australia CEO to new global role

AUSTRALIA— Synovate has appointed Brent Stewart to the newly created role of global chief executive of strategic units, from his current position as CEO for Australia and New Zealand.

News29 October 2009

Bob Meyers appointed TRA president and COO

US— Advertising ROI measurement agency TRA has appointed Bob Meyers as president and to the newly created role of chief operating officer.

News29 October 2009

MarketShare picks Optimor's Cain for Euro analytics role

UK— Marketing analytics firm MarketShare Partners has appointed Millward Brown Optimor executive Peter Cain to lead its European analytics team and spearhead its global consumer goods practice.

News29 October 2009

River Research makes a million in first year

UK— River Research has reported turnover of £1.2m for its first year in business, adding clients including Vodafone, Carphone Warehouse, TalkTalk and Arcadia. The firm also made it on to the COI’s research roster.

News29 October 2009

IPerceptions posts C$1m revenue, C$1m loss for Q3

CANADA— Web analytics firm iPerceptions has posted a 10% rise in revenue to C$1.2m for the three months ending 30 September – but losses also increased to C$1m for the period.

Opinion29 October 2009

Researchers in Chicago ponder the future of MROCs

Research communities were a hot topic at Esomar’s online conference, but questions remain over what the future holds for them, with agencies espousing various approaches.

News29 October 2009

Out Now expands LGBT survey across LatAm

ARGENTINA — Out Now Consulting is expanding its previously announced study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender consumers in Argentina to cover Brazil, Uruguay and Chile.

Opinion29 October 2009

Getting to grips with new ideas, and dusting off some old ones

Annie Pettit says the Esomar Online Research Conference in Chicago signalled a fundamental change in thinking – throwing up exciting new ideas, as well as re-examining some old ones, and questioning long-held assumptions.

News28 October 2009

Marketing optimisation firm Allant in private equity buyout

US— Private equity firm MidOcean Partners has taken a majority stake in the Allant Group, which provides database marketing, analytics and predictive intelligence services.

News28 October 2009

MMR Group appoints biz dev director

UK— MMR Group has appointed Susanne Goller as business development director across its MMR and Qubiq Online research businesses and Paul Brewer as senior database specification writer.

News28 October 2009

Vision Critical and Communispace honoured in Groundswell Awards

US— Companies using social media for research have been recognised in Forrester’s Groundswell Awards, winners of which were revealed at the firm’s Consumer Forum in Chicago yesterday.

News28 October 2009

MarketTools launches cross-platform version of TrueSample

US— MarketTools has released a cross-platform version of its TrueSample online panel cleaning software.

News28 October 2009

Rentrak tracks Russian box office sales

US— Media measurement firm Rentrak has launched its Box Office Essentials service in Russia, providing studios with data on ticket sales from 800 cinemas in the country.

News28 October 2009

Behavioural targeting fears 'unfounded', says IAB

UK— Most internet users are unaware of online behavioural advertising, but most are also comfortable with it once they know how it works, according to a new survey.

News28 October 2009

New Zealand MR bodies slam Labour for 'deceiving' poll participants

NEW ZEALAND— The Market Research Society of New Zealand and the Association of Market Research Organisations have blasted the Labour Party after one of its MPs polled the public using a defunct company name.

News28 October 2009

Social media research blows through Windy City

US— Researchers report from the frontlines of social media research at Esomar’s Online Research Conference in Chicago.

News27 October 2009

Property website makes Rightmove with Vovici software

UK— Property website Rightmove has contracted Vovici to capture and mine feedback data from site visitors.

News27 October 2009

MDC Partners forms new insight division

US— Marketing and communications group MDC Partners has formed a new consumer insights group.

News27 October 2009

CIMM targets STB and cross-platform measurement with first RFPs

US— The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement ( CIMM) has released its first requests for proposals as it looks to develop new TV audience measurement systems.

News27 October 2009

Initiative hires Jeffrey Graham to lead measurement initiative

US— Interpublic media and marketing agency Initiative has appointed Jeffrey Graham to lead an initiative aiming to embed performance measurement and monitoring into its processes.

News27 October 2009

Judge lifts exit poll restrictions but New Jersey appeals

US— News organisations were granted a reprieve on Friday from a court ruling barring them from surveying voters within 100 feet of polling stations in New Jersey – but the state is appealing the decision.

News27 October 2009

Sundance names project director for South East Asia

UK— Brand development agency Sundance has appointed Jessica Bower as a project director to focus on activities in South East Asia.

News27 October 2009

Sue Frost joins Truth as brand director

UK— Strategic insight consultancy Truth has appointed Sue Frost as a brand director. She joins from Big Green Door where she was strategic director.

News27 October 2009

InfoGroup sacks former CFO Stormy Dean

US— InfoGroup, owner of database marketing firms and MR agency Opinion Research Corporation, has sacked its former chief financial officer Stormy Dean.

News26 October 2009

Cooke takes helm at KantarHealth as Riddell leaves

UK— Elaine Riddell has stepped down from her position as joint CEO of KantarHealth to “pursue other opportunities”.

News26 October 2009

Out Now Consulting to conduct Argentina's 'first gay study'

ARGENTINA— Out Now Consulting is to carry out the first ever study into gay and lesbian consumers in Argentina.

News26 October 2009

Salvoni adds Asia to Europe remit for Harris

UK— Robert Salvoni, managing director of Harris Interactive Europe, will now also take charge of the firm’s Asian business, after current president Anthony Venus leaves the company next month.

News26 October 2009

ZL calls Gartner stance on libel suit 'misleading'

US— ZL Technologies, a software firm that has launched a defamation suit against Gartner for describing it repeatedly as a ‘niche’ vendor, has called Gartner’s claim that its reports constitute “non-actionable opinion” misleading.

News26 October 2009

Ex-Nielsen men to help firms maximise research return

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND— Nielsen emigrees Alastair Gordon and David McCallum have launched a consultancy, Gordon & McCallum, that aims “to help agencies maximise their performance and clients optimise their research spend”.

News26 October 2009

Research Now opens in Spain

SPAIN— Online fieldwork agency Research Now has opened a new office in Madrid to serve its Spanish clients.

News26 October 2009

Nielsen pumps another $2.5m into CRE think tank

US— The Nielsen Company has pumped a further $2.5m into its Council for Research Excellence, as it pursues research into set-top box data and multimedia research.

News26 October 2009

Peter Kneale to leave TNS for Incite

UK— Peter Kneale, the joint managing director of TNS Research International’s consumer division, is leaving the company to join Incite.

News26 October 2009

Opinium puts itself in poll position for 2010 election

UK— Opinium Research will conduct a weekly online poll tracking voter intention in the run up to the UK General Election in 2010.

News26 October 2009

EasyInsites to set up Review Centre panel

UK— EasyInsites has been appointed by product review website Review Centre to build a panel of its users, which will be opened up to third party researchers through the Cint Panel Exchange.

News26 October 2009

Former Synovate man Jeffrey appointed Ipsos Markinor CEO

SOUTH AFRICA— Ipsos Markinor has appointed Ian Jeffrey as its new chief executive officer.

News26 October 2009

Brierley to remain chairman of expanded e-Rewards

UK— Hal Brierley, chairman and CEO of e-Rewards, is to retain his role of chairman after the completion of the agreed takeover of rival panel provider Research Now.

News26 October 2009

FreshMinds Research's Alistair Leathwood flies in the face of danger

Alistair Leathwood is managing director of FreshMinds Research and, as he reveals in this interview, is not afraid to put himself in the way of danger.

News23 October 2009

Casro announces 2011 chair and new board members

US— The Council of American Survey Research Organisations ( Casro) has announced its new chair for 2011 and added three new board members.

News23 October 2009

Omniture shareholders back Adobe's $1.8bn takeover

US— Adobe is to complete its acquisition of web analytics firm Omniture today, having secured just under 87% of the company’s shares at the close of the offer period last night.

News23 October 2009

HPI strikes Brazilian licensing deal with AboutPeople

BRAZIL— HPI has struck a licensing deal with Sao Paulo-based start-up agency AboutPeople, giving it exclusive use of HPI’s bespoke techniques in the Brazilian market.

News23 October 2009

2CV's Vincent Nolan takes to the Spotlight

Vincent Nolan is founder of 2CV and chairman of Cello Research Group. He’s also the latest industry figure to offer his personal and professional view in our Spotlight series.

Feature23 October 2009

Talking change and relevance with Esomar's new director general

Finn Raben was given the top job at Esomar after a long career on the agency side, latterly as Synovate’s CEO for Southern Europe. In this interview he stresses the importance of making industry associations more relevant to their constituents, but warns of the challenges in doing so.

News23 October 2009

Research Now agrees £85m e-Rewards takeover

UK— Research Now has agreed to an £85m takeover by rival online panel firm e-Rewards. Early indications are that the deal will go ahead with 69% of Research Now shareholders having already given their backing.

News23 October 2009

Cognicient links with German sales partner

GERMANY— Data integration software firm Cognicient is looking to expand its client base internationally through a partnership with German research software company 2x4.

News23 October 2009

Research Panel adds Japanese data to Trend Monitor study

JAPAN— Online fieldwork firm Research Panel is to start contributing data on Japanese consumer attitudes to a multi-country study run by Korean firm Trend Monitor.

News23 October 2009

Sense and Nesta invite brands to 'co-create insight'

UK— Sense Worldwide and innovation fund Nesta are inviting brands to join a pilot project to “collaborate around insight” through a Web 2.0 knowledge platform and a series of workshops.

News22 October 2009

Google looks to deliver display campaign insights with new tool

US— Google is setting out to help display advertisers measure the brand lift of their online campaigns with a new tool that looks at changes in consumers’ search and browsing habits post-ad exposure.

News22 October 2009

Angus Reid Strategies to provide polls for political blog

UK— Angus Reid Strategies has been appointed by the PoliticalBetting.com blog to provide it with polling data ahead of the next general election.

News22 October 2009

Kadence appoints insight director for Singapore

UK— Kadence International has appointed Greg Clayton as insight director for its Singapore office. He joins the firm from RS Consulting where he spent seven years working in both qual and quant research.

News22 October 2009

Gartner seeks dismissal of libel suit from email software vendor

US— IT analyst Gartner is to appear in court tomorrow to argue for a dismissal of a lawsuit accusing it of defamation and trade libel over its repeated description of a software supplier as a ‘niche’ vendor.

News22 October 2009

Q3 revenue down at IMS, but CEO reports 'improved performance'

US— IMS Health has reported a 6% drop in revenue to $540.8m for the third quarter of 2009 compared to the previous year, with net loss for the period of $9.3m.

Feature22 October 2009

Stan Sthanunathan on why quality doesn't matter

Stan Sthanunathan, insight boss at Coca-Cola and co-chair of the Advertising Research Foundation’s Online Research Quality Council, told conference delegates yesterday that ‘quality doesn’t matter’. We talked to him afterwards to find out more.

News22 October 2009

Speedfacts founder von Hessen given Globalpark role

UK—Online panel software provider Globalpark has appointed Boris von Hessen as managing director of its Enterprise Feedback Solutions service.

News22 October 2009

Ipsos and Livra build online 'opinion community'

ARGENTINA— Ipsos and its South American subsidiary Livra have launched an online ‘opinion community’, ThatSaid.com.

News22 October 2009

FreshMinds buzzing about social media monitoring

UK— FreshMinds Research has rolled out social media monitoring services to measure how consumer conversations on the web affect brands.

News22 October 2009

GfK launches global electronic sales database

GERMANY— GfK Retail and Technology has launched a worldwide sales database for electronic goods.

News22 October 2009

E-Rewards makes takeover approach for Research Now

UK— Online panel provider e-Rewards has made an indicative offer to buy online fieldwork agency Research Now, the company announced late yesterday.

Opinion22 October 2009

Your workout with the MR Motivator

With handy tips, encouragement, and lots of exclamation marks, motivational speaker Gwyn Taylor offers the tired market research world a bit of a boost.

News21 October 2009

EU Health and Cint team up for medical panel

UK— Healthcare professional database firm EU Health has formed a partnership with online panel provider Cint to build a panel of medical specialists.

News21 October 2009

Cinelatino in deal for VOD viewing data

US— Spanish-language film channel Cinelatino has signed a deal to source video-on-demand viewing data from media measurement firm Rentrak.

News21 October 2009

Synovate appointed to football footfall task

UK— Premiership football club Manchester City has installed Synovate’s automated Shopper Count footfall system at its shop at the City of Manchester Stadium.

News21 October 2009

People on the move

The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research industry. This week: Dunkin’ Brands, Bravo Media, Synovate, Swift Research, Quant Presky Maves, B2B International, The Oxford Research Agency, eXelate and more.

News21 October 2009

InfoGroup agrees tentative settlement over SEC probe

US— Research and database marketing firm InfoGroup has reached a tentative settlement agreement with a regional office of the Securities and Exchange Commission after a two-year investigation into the company’s spending and accounting practices.

News21 October 2009

Japan's Intage plots Chinese expansion after Hyperlink buy

JAPAN— Full-service agency Intage is looking to strengthen its position in the Chinese market after finalising an $11.9m deal to buy Hyperlink Market Research from its parent company Xinhua Sports and Entertainment ( formerly XFMedia).

News21 October 2009

Omnicom strikes research partnership with Pulse Group

MALAYSIA— Omnicom Media Group has partnered with research services firm outsourcing Pulse Group to provide support for consumer studies throughout the Asia Pacific region.

News21 October 2009

IMS Health confirms it is exploring 'strategic alternatives'

US— The board of directors at IMS Health said last night that a special committee had been formed to look into “a variety of strategic alternatives” for the firm, following reports that private equity groups were circling the company.

News20 October 2009

Doctors.net.uk rolls-out online qual service

UK— Online medical network Doctors.net.uk has launched a new web-based qualitative research service which enables clients to hold online discussions with physicians.

News20 October 2009

SPSS founder Nie to lead statistical 'REvolution'

US— Statistical software firm REvolution Computing has appointed SPSS founder Norman Nie as its new president and CEO and received $9m in private equity funding.

News20 October 2009

Arbitron silent on status of New York PPM settlement

US— Arbitron is tight-lipped on whether it will face renewed legal action from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, having apparently failed to secure Media Rating Council ( MRC) accreditation for its radio ratings services in the New York market.

News20 October 2009

IMS Health shares leap on private equity takeover talk

US— Shares in healthcare research giant IMS Health rose by 21% to $17.84 yesterday on the back of a report that the company is in talks with private equity firms over a possible sale.

News20 October 2009

CIA investment fund backs Visible Technologies

US— Is social media analysis a form of online spying? Blog watcher Visible Technologies might baulk at such a description but, for its new strategic partner, spying is the name of the game.

News20 October 2009

GfK Asia unveils weekly Korean mobile sales tracker

KOREA— GfK Asia has started offering a weekly tracking service that keeps tabs on mobile phone sales throughout Korea.

News20 October 2009

Maine legislature votes to repeal child data law

US— A committee of the Maine legislature has voted to repeal a privacy law that threatened the work of research agencies by prohibiting the sale or transfer of personal data about state residents aged under 18.

News19 October 2009

GfK NOP Media launches Rate It! youth panel

UK— GfK NOP Media has launched a new panel made up of more than 1,500 eight to 15-year-olds.

News19 October 2009

ICF wins $5m contract to assess disaster recovery programmes

US— Professional services firm ICF International has won a five-year contract worth up to $5m with the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA) to conduct surveys assessing the performance of disaster recovery programmes.

News19 October 2009

Synovate expands oncology monitor and creates new global role

US— Synovate has expanded its Global Oncology Monitor into eight new markets and created a new role to lead the service.

News19 October 2009

Pressure from online alternatives ‘could stunt research recovery’

UK— MR’s recovery from the recession could be held back by stiff competition from new online intelligence gathering methods, Morgan Stanley warns.

News19 October 2009

News organisations challenge NJ exit poll ban

US— New Jersey is the latest US state to see media firms challenge a law banning exit polls within 100 feet of voting sites.

News19 October 2009

Educational publisher picks Globalpark for community project

UK— Pearson Education and Edexcel have contracted Globalpark to set up an online community of more than 5,500 teachers.

News19 October 2009

Cossette reveals interest from 'several' potential buyers

CANADA— Marketing services group Cossette has told shareholders that it has received “several” written expressions of interest from potential buyers after launching a strategic review to find new owners earlier this year.

News19 October 2009

Business services sector tops September insolvency list

UK— The business services sector has again topped the list for the number of insolvencies seen in September, according to Experian’s monthly insolvency index.

News19 October 2009

Good Data scores $2.5m VC funding

US— San Francisco-based analytics start-up Good Data has secured $2.5m in venture capital funding to support the commercial launch of its business intelligence platform.

News16 October 2009

Hall & Partners ventures into Australia with McCann at the helm

AUSTRALIA— Hall & Partners has launched in Australia through a joint venture with local firm Open Mind Group. Research International executive Louise McCann has been appointed managing partner of the business.

News16 October 2009

Gibson sets out State of Play

UK— Letesia Gibson, formerly a qual researcher with brand consultancy Distillery and Sadek Wynberg Millward Brown, has launched a new insight consultancy, State of Play.

News16 October 2009

Marketshare inks Compass deal with Ogilvy & Mather

US— Marketing analytics firm Marketshare Partners has inked a deal with Ogilvy & Mather to broaden the advertising agency’s analytical offerings.

News16 October 2009

Fizzback taps venture capital firm in £1.6m funding round

UK— Customer engagement and feedback analytics firm Fizzback has secured £1.6m in funding in a financing round led by Nauta Capital with participation from existing investor Advent Venture Partners.

News16 October 2009

Toluna and Research Now triumph in AIM awards

UK— Rival online research companies Toluna and Research Now each clinched a prize at last night’s awards dinner for company’s listed on the AIM stock exchange.

News16 October 2009

MRS reveals full shortlist for Research Awards 2009

UK— Nominees for this year’s Research Awards have been announced by the Market Research Society across eleven categories.

News16 October 2009

Clarabridge strikes partnership deal with Confirmit

US— Clarabridge has teamed up with research software firm Confirmit to add survey capabilities to its text analytics platform – a move designed to allow firms to collect and analyse customer feedback through “a single integrated solution”.

News16 October 2009

TNS trumps AGB Nielsen in race for Turkish TV ratings contract

TURKEY— TNS has won a four-year contract to run Turkey’s TV audience measurement system, seeing off incumbent supplier AGB Nielsen.

News16 October 2009

App promises to turn iPhone into ethnographic toolkit

BELGIUM— Ethnographic research specialist EverdayLives is weeks away from launching an application that turns an iPhone into a data collection tool for in-field researchers.

News15 October 2009

Nielsen lands McKinsey man for media and ad solutions task

US— McKinsey man Steve Hasker has been hired by Nielsen in the new role of president for media product leadership and advertiser solutions.

News15 October 2009

Omniture halves losses and boosts third-quarter revenue

US— Omniture halved its losses and boosted revenue by 13% to $87.9m for the three months ended 30 September, according to figures published today.

News15 October 2009

Celebrity buzz gets The Nod with Attentio

UK— Celebrity recommendations website TheNod.com and Attentio have struck a deal to track and analyse celebrity brand associations.

News15 October 2009

Comscore reveals its GamePlan to market

US— Comscore has launched GamePlan, an audience targeting tool aimed squarely at gaming publishers and developers.

Opinion15 October 2009

From a blur to an oasis?

In response to this month’s cover feature on blurring definitions, Geoff Gosling of the MRS Market Research Standards Board calls for some clarity about the purpose of research.

News15 October 2009

IAB hunts new research head to replace Lynas

UK— The Internet Advertising Bureau is looking to appoint a new head of research to replace Nicki Lynas, the former PricewaterhouseCoopers executive who joined the industry body last year.

News15 October 2009

UKOM promises to open up the web for brands

UK— Clients of the forthcoming industry-agreed online planning system for the UK said yesterday that it will open up the web for brand advertising, at a launch event held by the UK Online Measurement Company.

News15 October 2009

Bounty inks young family panel deal with EasyInsites

UK— Online parenting club Bounty is partnering with research firm EasyInsites to build a panel of young families, with a recruitment target of 30,000 members.

News15 October 2009

Engage Group restructures debt and agency focus

UK— Testing market conditions and a heavy debt burden have led to a major restructure at Engage Group, including a change of ownership.

News15 October 2009

Ogilvy's Rory Sutherland talks value at TED

In this presentation to the TED conference Rory Sutherland, vice president of advertising group Ogilvy, makes a highly engaging case for the real value of advertising.

News14 October 2009

TRA rolls-out Optimizer ad targeting service

US— Ad ROI measurement firm TRA has launched a tool to help advertisers more accurately reach their target audiences using data from its single-source database of TV viewing behaviour and purchase information.

News14 October 2009

Analytics firm iPerceptions acquires Wasp product line

US— Web analytics firm iPerceptions has bought a suite of products designed to be used by companies to check whether their web analytics packages are set up to accurately measure site audiences.

News14 October 2009

Research Panel picks Confirmit to aid overseas business plan

JAPAN— Online panel supplier Research Panel has signed up to use Confirmit’s software-as-a-service research platform to assist with its plans to capture business from international clients.

News14 October 2009

Marketing firm launches iPhone buzz tracking app

US— Digital marketing agency iCrossing has launched an iPhone app that keeps tabs on what is being said across a range of social media sites.

News14 October 2009

Woopra live tracking tool moves out of closed beta

US— Woopra, a web analytics application allowing live tracking of site visitors, moved out of beta testing this week and opened its doors to paying customers.

News14 October 2009

ASC elects Snap co-founder Wills as chairman

UK— The Association for Survey Computing has elected Peter Wills as chairman, succeeding Laurance Gerrard who has spent the past three years in the role.

News14 October 2009

Cint launches in Australia and adds panel partner

AUSTRALIA— Research software and services firm Cint has launched in Australia and added a new client to its online Panel Exchange service.

News14 October 2009

Filz set to succeed Buchanan as Research Now Asia MD

AUSTRALIA— Martin Filz will take over as managing director for Asia Pacific at online agency Research Now on 1 November. He replaces current MD Jason Buchanan.

News14 October 2009

Agencies recruited to Learndirect research roster

UK— Fifteen agencies have been recruited to a research roster by e-learning organisation Ufi, the company behind Learndirect.

News13 October 2009

ARSgroup strikes deal with MarketTools for online research

US— Ad testing specialist ARSgroup has struck a deal with MarketTools to move much of its online research in Europe and the US on to the latter’s online community, panel management and survey platform MarketTools.com.

News13 October 2009

$2m more pumped into media monitor Visible Technologies

US— WPP has increased its investment in social media monitoring agency Visible Technologies with a third cash injection.

News13 October 2009

TV ratings firm aMap promotes Eapen to CEO

INDIA— Audience Measurement and Analytics has promoted Joseph Eapen ( pictured) to chief executive, replacing Amit Varma who has left the company.

News13 October 2009

SponsorMap launches experiential marketing testing tool

US— Sports sponsorship measurement agency SponsorMap has launched a new service to measure the impact of brand-owned experiential marketing events on consumers.

News13 October 2009

Analytics firm Kampyle expands Japanese presence

JAPAN— Online feedback analytics agency Kampyle has strengthened its presence in Japan with a local partnership and a new Japanese language website.

News13 October 2009

IFF hires director for brand marcoms research

UK— B2B and public sector specialist IFF Research has appointed Sue Burden as director of its brand marketing and communications research team.

News13 October 2009

Arbitron adds five new PPM markets

US— Arbitron has commercialised its portable people meter radio ratings service in five new markets.

News13 October 2009

BT's Nicola Millard on social media, trendwatching and customer service

Nicola Millard, customer experience futurologist at BT Global Services, made quite a splash at the 5th Annual Online Research Conference.

News13 October 2009

UKOM names Radio Ad Bureau founder as chairman

UK— Radio Advertising Bureau founder Douglas McArthur is to chair the UK Online Measurement Company as it readies for the launch of its audience planning system.

Opinion13 October 2009

Does the client?agency relationship need spicing up?

Morgan Arnell of InsightOut argues that the research industry’s client?agency model is failing to deliver the goods.

News13 October 2009

Former Synovate man Raben appointed Esomar director general

NETHERLANDS— Esomar has filled the role of director general, which has been vacant since April, with the appointment of Finn Raben.

News12 October 2009

Strategy chief Behbehani leaves radio ratings firm Arbitron

US— Taher Behbehani has left Arbitron after only six months in the role of chief strategy and business development officer – one of three new roles created by CEO Michael Skarzynski as part of his restructuring of the radio ratings firm’s executive team earlier in the year.

News12 October 2009

Andy Grout joins JRA as research director

UK— JRA Research has appointed Andy Grout to head up its London office as research director.

News12 October 2009

'No documentation exists' to verify Mayor's mother's survey

US— The mother of a city mayor has said she has no records of a telephone survey on gas tax that she was paid $2,000 to carry out.

News12 October 2009

Emak Worldwide vows to fight former CEO's damages claim

US— Marketing services group Emak Worldwide has vowed to “vigorously defend” itself against a lawsuit filed against it by shareholders including former CEO Donald Kurz.

News12 October 2009

TNS and RI complete UK merger

UK— The merger of TNS’s UK custom division and Research International has been completed and the combined firm has been rebranded as TNS Research International UK.

News12 October 2009

Forrester sees increasing forays into online communities

US— A new study from Forrester has found that a third of market researchers are using or planning to use online communities in the next 12 months – but a similar number have never even heard of them.

News12 October 2009

Circle Research names Booth as client director

UK— Andy Booth has been appointed as client director at B2B agency Circle Research. He specialises in research into travel, tourism and logistics and distribution and has spent 30 years working in the business intelligence sector.

News12 October 2009

YouGov posts a loss after 'very challenging' year

UK— YouGov has posted a loss of £0.7m for the financial year ending 31 July, in what CEO Nadhim Zahawi called a “very challenging” period for the research industry.

News12 October 2009

Bellwether finds budget cuts easing among UK marketers

UK— Cuts to overall marketing budgets continued to ease in the third quarter, according to the latest Bellwether report. But spend in the ‘all other’ category including research, PR and sponsorship remained hardest hit by the recession.

News12 October 2009

MRA lobbies for exemption from Maine child data law

US— The Marketing Research Association is lobbying to exempt research from a law in Maine that prohibits the sale or transfer of personal data about state residents under the age of 18.

News9 October 2009

Nielsen defends its 'pure panel' approach to UK web currency

UK— Nielsen Online has defended the panel-based methodology it intends to use to supply the UK’s currency web measurement system, after rival ComScore proposed a ‘hybrid’ approach, combining panel and server data.

News9 October 2009

ComScore launches mobile insight service

US— ComScore has launched a new service to give marketing and advertising clients insight into mobile consumers.

News9 October 2009

MetrixLab appoints ex-RI VP to lead NPD expansion

NETHERLANDS— Online researcher MetrixLab has appointed Alexander Kleijngeld to head the expansion of its international innovation division.

News9 October 2009

Omniture and Havas Digital strike software deal

US— Web analytics software firm Omniture has struck a deal with Havas Digital, the interactive arm of Havas Media, that will see its SearchCenter customer data technology offered to Havas’s clients.

News9 October 2009

IAB introduces one-stop behavioural tracking opt-out

The UK’s Internet Advertising Bureau ( IAB) has launched a centralised site where web users can opt out of having their online activity tracked by behavioural targeters.

News9 October 2009

Linkdex launches with $1m private equity funding

US— A new agency providing search intelligence for marketers has been launched after receiving $1m in funding from Amadeus and Angels Seed Fund.

News9 October 2009

TNS and Ipsos ASI take ad testing online

UK/US— TNS and Ipsos ASI have launched online tools for testing out ad creative.

News9 October 2009

Study finds gap between measurement and action

US— Only a quarter of companies are fully integrating marketing measurement into their marketing planning, according to a survey.

News8 October 2009

Vision Critical lands Asda shopper panel task

UK— Vision Critical is to take over the running of the Asda Pulse of the Nation panel from TNS in November, Research has learned.

News8 October 2009

People on the move

The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research industry. This week: Mindset Media, R&D Leverage, iPerceptions, imc2, Archibald Ingall Stretton, NORC, Inuvo and x+1.

News8 October 2009

Leading Edge founder a Secret Millionaire

AUSTRALIA— The Leading Edge founder Derek Leddie is appearing on the latest series of The Secret Millionaire – a reality TV show in which wealthy people go undercover to live and work in impoverished neighbourhoods.

News8 October 2009

Social media analyser Amplified State launches

UK— Former media buyer and content producer Spencer Friend has launched a new social media monitoring agency, Amplified State.

News8 October 2009

Third of docs say Sunshine Act will put them off surveys

US— Almost one third of physicians say they will be put off participating in market research studies if a law is passed requiring them to disclose all survey incentives worth more than $20 from drug or medical device companies .

Feature8 October 2009

Blog analysis – where's the ROI?

Gartner’s Gareth Herschel says his clients are not seeing a return on their investments in blog and social media analysis. We spoke to Herschel about how companies can pin down that elusive ROI.

Opinion8 October 2009

Three tips for a clear picture of your market: Zoom in, zoom out and focus

Jeffrey Henning, VP of Vovici, reports from this year’s AMA Marketing Research Conference, and offers his tips for getting a clear snapshot of what’s happening in your market.

News8 October 2009

Rentrak bags Jewelry TV measurement deal

US— Audience measurement firm Rentrak has been awarded a contract by Jewelry Television to identify and target consumers who watch TV shopping channels.

News8 October 2009

Greenstone takes control of marketing optimisation softco

UK— Database marketing firm Greenstone has acquired a controlling stake in The Customer Partnership ( TCP), a provider of marketing optimisation software.

News7 October 2009

Q Interactive makes Vente acquisition

US— Online lead generation agency Q Interactive has acquired online survey and permission-based marketing firm Vente from Experian.

News7 October 2009

ComScore pitches hybrid measurement to UK's Jicwebs

UK— ComScore may have lost out to Nielsen in the race to become the UK Online Measurement Company’s web audience measurement supplier, but it’s not taking defeat lying down.

News7 October 2009

Innerscope names former Arbitron exec as sales and marketing EVP

US— Innerscope Research, a media research firm specialising in the application of biometric and neuroscience techniques, has appointed Linda Dupree as executive vice president of sales and marketing.

News7 October 2009

Emnos appoints former Sainsbury's insight chief

UK— Retail data analysis agency Emnos has appointed Sainsbury’s former head of customer insight Alan Lowthorpe as director of its gaming and leisure sector business.

News7 October 2009

Ex-Synovate director Lenard Goedeke goes it alone

GERMANY— Lenard Goedeke, former head of Synovate’s Danish business, has set up his own research agency in Hamburg. The new venture is called LeGo Research and its first client is the Hamburger Sparkasse bank.

News7 October 2009

Tailored advertising and online tracking: Americans ‘don't want them’

US— A new academic study says advertisers are misguided to think they can win public support for online tracking and behavioural targeting with the promise that marketing and editorial content can be tailored to their interests.

News7 October 2009

Poll picks 'cheesy' name for Vegemite iSnack2.0

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND— Kraft Foods has renamed its new Vegemite spread Vegemite Cheesybite after 30,000 consumers voted in online and telephone polls.

News6 October 2009

Adobe gets the nod from antitrust regulators on Omniture deal

US— Antitrust regulators have signed off on Adobe’s $1.8bn deal to acquire web analytics software firm Omniture, which is set to complete this quarter.

News6 October 2009

FTC sets rules on research use in ad endorsement guidelines

US— The Federal Trade Commission has set out disclosure requirements for the use of research findings in advertising in reissued guidance governing endorsements and testimonials.

News6 October 2009

CBS research chief takes advisory role at Marketshare Partners

US— Marketing analytics agency Marketshare Partners has appointed David Poltrack, chief research officer at CBS Corporation, to its board of advisers – its latest high-profile addition.

News6 October 2009

Visible Measures tops up $10m financing round

US— Web video measurement firm Visible Measures has added to the $10m in funding it received earlier this year through an additional investment by DAG Ventures.

News6 October 2009

Knowledge Networks acquires ad effectiveness agency Dimestore

US— Knowledge Networks has acquired online ad effectiveness testing agency Dimestore Media. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

News6 October 2009

Ipsos ups frequency of 'business elite' media survey

US— Ipsos’s survey of the media usage of Europe’s “business elite” is to be released annually from this year. Data had previously been released every two years.

News6 October 2009

Passenger launches SaaS community platform

US— Passenger has released a software-as-a-service version of its online community platform, boasting a 24-hour set-up time and needing “zero involvement” from outside community or IT managers.

News5 October 2009

Clothing survey fuels development of childhood obesity index

UK— Research funded by clothing retailers is being used as the basis of a body volume index ( BVI), which its developer hopes will provide a better gauge of childhood obesity in the country.

News5 October 2009

Wiseman joins Verve as Optimisa hires Norman as research chief

UK— Andrew Wiseman, CEO of Optimisa’s research businesses, is leaving to set up a new office in Leeds for online community specialist Verve. He is to be replaced at Optimisa by Michelle Norman, former UK CEO of Synovate.

News5 October 2009

Arbitron pledges to up PPM sample sizes

US— Arbitron has made another pledge to increase sample sizes for its portable people meter ( PPM) radio audience measurement system, this time promising 10% more panel members aged 18 to 54 by mid-2011.

News5 October 2009

Investment for music buzz tracker Next Big Sound

US— Next Big Sound, which measures the online popularity of music acts to provide analytics and insight for band managers and music industry professionals, has secured funding from venture capital firm The Foundry Group.

News5 October 2009

Casro to publish guidelines on digital fingerprinting

US— Guidelines on the use of digital fingerprinting technology are to be published later this month by the Council of American Survey Research Organisations, setting out requirements for disclosure, transparency and privacy protection when using the online survey fraud safeguard.

News5 October 2009

Jan Hofmeyr on the struggle between innovation and inertia

We speak to the Synovate director about the research industry’s love–hate relationship with innovation.

News5 October 2009

Done deal – IBM completes $1bn takeover of SPSS

US— IBM completed its acquisition of SPSS on Friday after shareholders in the MR software and analytics firm approved the $1.2bn deal. The takeover was agreed in July after a six-month courtship which saw two lower-priced bids from IBM rejected by the SPSS board.

News2 October 2009

People on the move

The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research industry. This week: AXA UK, KantarHealth, Detectent, International Communications Research, ComScore, Marketing Sciences, SCB Partners, MMR/Qubiq-Online and Heinz.

News2 October 2009

BrainActive expands eastern European panels

ROMANIA— Online agency BrainActive Market Research has increased its panel sizes in Russia, Poland and Turkey by “approximately 40%”.

News2 October 2009

SampleWorx intros online marketplace in Australia

AUSTRALIA— Telephone sample supplier SampleWorx has developed a service to connect buyers and sellers of online research.

News2 October 2009

Quantum brought in as unease over Vegemite iSnack2.0 spreads

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND— Kraft Foods has turned to Quantum Market Research to resolve consumer unrest over the name of its new cheese-based Vegemite spread.

News2 October 2009

Rentrak appoints Chemerow to new COO role

US— Media measurement agency Rentrak has appointed David Chemerow to the newly created role of chief operating officer.

News2 October 2009

Exit surveys banned within 100 feet of NJ polling places

US— New Jersey’s supreme court this week reintroduced a ban on exit polling within 100 feet of state polling places, overturning an attorney general directive that allowed news media to survey voters after they had cast their ballots.

Feature1 October 2009

Is ARF roadmap to online quality the true path?

There’s a familiar ring to the Advertising Research Foundation’s Quality Enhancement Process for online research. But with big names like Coke and Unilever backing the scheme, it might just be the breakthrough the industry needs.

News1 October 2009

Pajot named vice chairman of IMS Health

US— Healthcare and pharmaceutical data firm IMS Health has named Gilles Pajot as vice chairman, a new position reporting to David Carlucci, IMS chairman and chief executive.

News1 October 2009

Phoenix Strategic Partnerships scoops Canadian passport project

CANADA— The Canadian government has contracted research agency Phoenix Strategic Perspectives to gauge public reaction to new electronic passport security features.

News1 October 2009

Catinét outsources fieldwork to Norstat

DENMARK— Full-service research agency Catinét is to outsource all its fieldwork activities to data collection firm Norstat as part of a five-year deal.

News1 October 2009

Shortlists revealed for Research Magazine Awards

UK— The shortlists for the Research Magazine Awards 2009 have been announced. The awards were judged over five categories and the winners will be announced on 14 December at the Lancaster London hotel.

News1 October 2009

Retailer Bank appoints Retail Eyes for customer service task

UK— Fashion retailer Bank has hired Retail Eyes to design and run a programme to improve the way staff engage with shoppers.

News1 October 2009

Asda promises customers a say on product decisions

UK— Retailer Asda is promising customers a greater say in what products appear on store shelves through an initiative called Chosen by You, which builds on the work of its shopper survey panel Pulse of the Nation.

News1 October 2009

Japanese JV and Peruvian buy for GfK Custom

GERMANY— GfK has partnered with NTT Data Corporation for a joint venture in Japan and taken a majority stake in a Peruvian research agency as part of efforts to bolster its international custom research offer.

News1 October 2009

Macromill sells stake in AIP Corporation and buys Brand Data Bank

JAPAN— Macromill has sold its majority shareholding in panel company AIP Corporation and purchased marketing database firm Brand Data Bank.

News1 October 2009

Arbitron forms cross-platform measurement group

US— Arbitron has formed a cross-platform measurement group that will use portable people meter ( PPM) technology to measure how media is consumed across TV, radio, internet, mobile and place-based media.

Feature1 October 2009

A bit of a blur?

Research has worked hard over the years to set itself apart from marketing and advertising. But as relationships between companies and consumers change, Robert Bain asks whether this approach still makes sense.

Feature1 October 2009

Are they being served?

Roger Sant, vice president at Maritz Research Europe, argues that we need to transform the way we go about measuring and managing the customer experience.

Feature1 October 2009

A life beyond segmentation

Segmentation is a tempting way to get a handle on who your consumers are. But Bryan Urbick warns that it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Feature1 October 2009

60 Second Soapbox – Inka Crosswaite

Inka Crosswaite, semiotics and cultural insight analyst for Added Value South Africa, wants to see fewer numbers and more research into consumers’ culture.

Feature1 October 2009

Globalpark EFS reviewed

Tim Macer reviews an online research suite that boasts an integrated panel management module. Will this software prove to be the solution you need?

Opinion1 October 2009

Taking your eyes off the prize

The Research Magazine Awards judging panel has always had a hard time of it. We battle with a wealth of entries, the considerable force of persuasive evidence and the responsibility of knowing that our decisions really can give a fillip to a firm’s commercial success.