News20 June 2011

YouGov Siraj launches Pakistan panel

UAE— Online researcher YouGov Siraj has launched a proprietary, research-only panel in Pakistan and has already signed up 10,000 respondents.

News20 June 2011

Publicis buys China's Genedigi Group

CHINA— Communications house Publicis Groupe has acquired Chinese marketing communications and public relations agency Genedigi Group for an undisclosed amount.

News13 July 2010

People on the move

The latest promotions and appointments in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: COI, Bellomy Research and Forrester

News12 July 2010

Harris and Ipsos to poll Canadians on green energy issues

CANADA— Harris-Decima and Ipsos-Reid have been awarded government contracts to investigate public perceptions of green energy issues.

News1 July 2010

Globalpark snaps up web software firm WP-Experts

GERMANY— Survey software maker Globalpark has acquired WP-Experts, which makes rich internet applications and online portals for business, for an undisclosed amount.

News30 June 2010

WorldOne opens Brazilian office

BRAZIL— Healthcare research data collection agency WorldOne has opened a new office in Brazil to manage its existing panellists across Latin America.

News30 June 2010

TPSi opens oncology unit

US/UK— Strategic brand consultancy the Planning Shop International ( TPSi) has opened a business unit focusing on oncology.

News30 June 2010

Kantar Media combines web monitoring with survey data

UK— Kantar Media is launching a service that combines publishers’ web monitoring data with custom online surveys.

News30 June 2010

Daily Kos threatens legal action over suspect polls

US— Political analysis blog the Daily Kos has vowed to take legal action against pollster Research 2000 after a trio of statisticians raised doubts about the reliability of the firm’s work.

News30 June 2010

Qmarkets wins grant for prediction market software

ISRAEL— Qmarkets, which makes software for prediction markets, has been awarded a grant from the Israeli government toward a $900,000 R&D project to develop new software.

News30 June 2010

SurveyMonkey embarks on European expansion

UK— SurveyMonkey has embarked on a European expansion with the launch of several dedicated websites to offer its DIY survey tool in local markets.

News29 June 2010

ComRes to roll out automated phone polling service

UK— ComRes is to make available the automated phone survey service that it used to test reaction to the party leaders’ debates.

Opinion29 June 2010

Don't mention the ISO

An online discussion of the relevance of ISO standards to the US research industry has generated plenty of heat, but not much light.

News29 June 2010

InsightExpress adds senior director to custom research team

US— InsightExpress has appointed Cary Nadel as a senior director in its custom marketing research team.

News29 June 2010

Infogroup shareholders green light takeover deal

US— Infogroup shareholders voted today in favour of selling the company to private equity firm CCMP Capital for $468m, or $8 per share.

News29 June 2010

Nielsen bags TAM renewal deal in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND— Broadcasters Sky, TVNZ and TVWorks have awarded Nielsen a new eight-year contract to continue supplying television audience measurement services in New Zealand.

News29 June 2010

Kantar Video bulks up executive staff ahead of launch

US— Kantar Video has announced a raft of senior appointments ahead of the launch of its new range of video measurement and tracking tools.

News29 June 2010

People on the move

The latest promotions and appointments in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: Ipsos, SAARF and MSPA Europe.

News29 June 2010

Barb to field test new TV viewing meter for PCs

UK— The Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board ( Barb) is launching a temporary panel to field test a new meter that will keep tabs on television that is watched through a PC or laptop.

News28 June 2010

At Random picks Run-E survey database tool

GERMANY— Fieldwork agency At Random International has signed up to to use software developer Run-E’s SampleMaker survey database tool.

News28 June 2010

New board members for Austrian research association

AUSTRIA— Emanuel Maxl has been re-elected as chair of the Austrian research association VMÖ.

News28 June 2010

4th Screen Advertising rolls out mobile targeting tools

UK — Mobile ad agency 4th Screen Advertising has launched a new platform to help advertisers better target their audience and keep track of engagement.

News28 June 2010

Campbell Davies joins Shoppercentric in new qual role

UK— Shoppercentric has appointed Kristen Campbell Davies as a director with a remit to refine the agency’s qual research methods.

News28 June 2010

Creston hails 'resilient' performance for financial year

UK — Insight and communications group Creston has posted a slight drop in revenue for the financial year ending March 31, but CEO Don Elgie has hailed the firm’s “resilient performance against a challenging economic backdrop”.

News28 June 2010

Pharma-Insight partners with healthcare research centre

GERMANY— Healthcare researcher Pharma-Insight has entered a partnership with the University of Wuppertal’s centre of expertise in public health and healthcare management.

News25 June 2010

Ipsos MediaCT nets Al Jazeera Sports football deal

DUBAI— Al Jazeera Sports has signed Ipsos MediaCT to conduct recall tests with football fans in the Middle East during the World Cup and next season’s UEFA Champions’ League.

News25 June 2010

DJS Research doubles turnover

UK— DJS Research has doubled its turnover from £450,000 to £910,000 for the 2009/10 financial year.

News25 June 2010

WPP merges healthcare marketing agencies

US— WPP has merged healthcare marketing networks Ogilvy Healthworld and CommonHealth into a single entity, creating what it calls a “global powerhouse” in the industry.

News25 June 2010

People on the move

The latest promotions and appointments in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: E-Tabs, Rivet and HPI Research.

News25 June 2010

Techneos upgrades SODA mobile survey service

US— Techneos has added several new features to the latest version of its SODA mobile survey tool.

News25 June 2010

Anametrix gains foothold in Spain, China, Australia and Israel

Anametrix has struck four new global reseller agreements for its InstaVista analytics platform.

News25 June 2010

SSI appoints APAC access and engagement director

US— Survey Sampling International has appointed Jessica Sullivan as director of access and engagement for the Asia Pacific region.

News25 June 2010

Apple flavour added for Livra panellists

Livra Panels has launched an iPhone app that allows respondents to vote on user-generated polls.

News25 June 2010

Peanut Labs debuts social media panels in Italy and Spain

US— Peanut Labs has launched two new panels made up of social media users in Italy and Spain, two of the world’s biggest users of social media sites.

News24 June 2010

Multichoice readies new viewer panel with TNS Research Surveys

SOUTH AFRICA— Pay-TV company Multichoice is working with TNS Research Surveys on a viewer panel which uses return path data from digital satellite set-top boxes to monitor TV watching habits.

News24 June 2010

Arbitron reshuffles leadership pack

US— Arbitron CEO William Kerr has announced a raft of changes to the firm’s executive leadership team that he says is designed to build a stronger partnership with customers, and axed two senior execs in the process.

News24 June 2010

Invoke Solutions to form concept optimisation and analytics units

US— On its tenth anniversary online and mobile research technology provider Invoke Solutions is splitting its business in to two separate units.

News24 June 2010

Siegel+Gale expands research team with double hire

US— Ad and branding agency Siegel+Gale has strengthened its research and insights team with two new appointments.

News24 June 2010

Rentrak wins Cowles Media contract and plans MRC accreditation

US— Rentrak has scooped Cowles Media Company as a client of its local market TV viewing data service while announcing plans to seek Media Rating Council ( MRC) accreditation for its national audience measurement offering.

News24 June 2010

UK government rolls out 'Spending Challenge' consultation

UK— David Cameron today kicked off a promised consultation exercise on ways to reduce government spending, asking public sector workers and members of the public to share their ideas on where to make cuts.

News24 June 2010

Sample supplier uSamp acquires AOL's DMS Insights

US— Online panel provider uSamp has acquired web research agency DMS Insights from AOL. DMS ( also known as Digital Marketing Services) will keep its name and the firm’s management and production team will remain in place.

News23 June 2010

Ipsos OTX kicks off annual survey of media use in young families

US— Ipsos OTX MediaCT has kicked off an annual study into the media habits of young families, involving 2,000 online kids aged six to 12 and their parents.

News23 June 2010

People on the move

The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: The Oxford Research Agency, Charm Communications, Site Intelligence, Hypatia Research, Collective, Cedar Fair, Hassan Associates, JWT New York, Movado, Ipsos Health, ComScore, Allen & Gerritsen and JRA Research.

News23 June 2010

Flash technology partnership for Confirmit and Annik

US— Confirmit has partnered with research IT and operations company Annik to promote the latter’s SurveyFlashTools to users of its survey software platform.

News23 June 2010

European Commissioner promises public consultation on data protection

BELGIUM— The European Commissioner responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship has promised to launch a public consultation into online data protection issues across the EU, but believes that industry self-regulation should remain at the core of any new legislation.

News23 June 2010

Ticketmaster picks Omniture for site analytics task

US— Ticketmaster has signed up to use Omniture’s analytics software on its main website. The SiteCatalyst product will be used to identify online trends on Ticketmaster.com, and engage with customers based on their geographic location, behavioural trends or other criteria.

News23 June 2010

TRA licences Media Trust IP to extend ROI analytics services

US— TRA has licensed intellectual property from the Media Trust partnership to add new measurements of advertising ROI to its Media TRAnalytics system which matches ad exposure to actual purchase behaviour.

News23 June 2010

UCLA researchers 'predict behaviour' through neuroscience

US— Researchers can use neuroscience to draw information from respondents that they would not be able to describe in a conventional survey, according to a university study.

News23 June 2010

Trajectory looks to the future of Glimpses database post-acquisition

UK— Trends forecaster Trajectory Partnership has acquired the Glimpses trends database from curator The Tomorrow Project.

News22 June 2010

SurveyMonkey buys DIY phone pollster Precision Polling

US— SurveyMonkey, the DIY online survey platform, has acquired Precision Polling – a counterpart of sorts operating in the telephone polling arena.

News22 June 2010

Rosenblatt moves in with Cello Group sister company Face

UK— Qual research agency Rosenblatt has moved in with Cello Group sister company, the co-creation firm Face, with the two companies now sharing administrative and commercial functions.

News22 June 2010

ICM Direct and Red C launch Irish online panel

IRELAND— UK-based data collection agency ICM Direct has teamed up with Irish full-service research agency Red C to launch a version of its Newvista online panel in the country.

News22 June 2010

Tobii promises 'more natural' research with eye-tracking specs

SWEDEN— Tobii has designed a pair of glasses equipped with eye-tracking technology that they claim will allow researchers to gain a greater level of insight into consumer behaviour while their subject is in a natural environment.

Opinion22 June 2010

Slave to technology, or master of it?

Tech expert Tim Macer reports back on a packed Casro Technology Conference, highlighting papers on quality, ethics, design and delivery issues. “The sheer array of what was on offer demonstrates how difficult it has become for research firms to be master of their technology, and not slave to it and its unintended consequences,” he says.

News22 June 2010

Loop Analytics and MSW Research target smartphone market

US— Loop Analytics and MSW Research have formed a partnership focused on offering research, insights and strategy services to clients in the mobile industry.

News22 June 2010

Panel provider uSamp awarded $10m in funding

US— Online sample supplier uSamp has received $10m in Series C funding. The firm said that the cash will be used to fuel company growth through acquisition and to develop its next-generation panel management platform.

News22 June 2010

Arbitron acquires assets of Integrated Media Measurement Inc

US— Arbitron has acquired the trade name, technology portfolio and patents of Integrated Media Measurement Inc ( IMMI) for an undisclosed amount.

News21 June 2010

ViewSpace viewing facilities to open for business

UK— A focus group viewing facility called ViewSpace will open its doors next week in Old Beaconsfield on the outskirts of London.

News21 June 2010

Glasgow puts £5m marketing and research framework out to tender

UK— Glasgow City Council has put a host of marketing and research services worth an estimated £1.2m per annum up for grabs.

News21 June 2010

Blog watcher Attentio opens in Singapore

SINGAPORE— Belgian social media monitoring firm Attentio has opened an office in Singapore that will act as a headquarters for its activities across Asia.

News21 June 2010

Arbitron unveils new PPM360 technology

US— Arbitron has launched a new version of its portable people meter ( PPM) device that it claims will be able to better follow the lifestyles of consumers on the go.

News21 June 2010

SEC settles insider trading case against ex-Qualcomm analysis director

US— Andres Leyva, the former director of strategic marketing analysis at wireless technology firm Qualcomm, has paid a civil penalty of almost $35,000 to settle charges of insider trading.

News21 June 2010

FDA orders tobacco giant to hand over market research

US— The Food and Drug Administration has ordered tobacco firm Philip Morris to hand over all market research relating to the rebranding of its Marlboro Lights cigarettes as ‘Marlboro Gold’.

News18 June 2010

BrightRoll brings together video ad measurement services

US— Video advertising network BrightRoll has unveiled a new reporting suite that uses measurement tools from ComScore, Nielsen, Vizu and InsightExpress to help clients assess ROI on online campaigns.

News18 June 2010

COI ponders payment by results

UK— Market research companies employed by the the Central Office of Information could soon be subject to a system of payment by results.

News18 June 2010

Mesh and Cranfield University land analytics grant

UK— Cranfield University and Mesh Planning have been awarded an £83,000 government grant to develop a suite of analytics tools.

News18 June 2010

US government health survey could move to private contractor

US— The organiser of the National Health Interview Survey is considering taking on a private contractor to run the survey from 2014.

News18 June 2010

Satmetrix launches European benchmark study

UK— Customer loyalty agency Satmetrix has rolled out its Net Promoter Industry Benchmarks survey across the UK, France and Germany.

News18 June 2010

Webtrends seals Associated Press World Cup deal

US— The Associated Press has signed up Webtrends to provide analysis and measurement for its World Cup mobile app and website.

News18 June 2010

DePaul University and IBM team up for new analytics centre

US— IBM has part-funded the launch of a new data analysis centre at DePaul University in Chicago.

Opinion18 June 2010

Families are changing. Why isn't research?

Families are changing, and the 2.4 children stereotype is long gone. Qual researcher Debbie Newbould looks at how the research industry is responding to these changes

News17 June 2010

Nielsen to run set-top box data tests in three markets

US— Nielsen is to run new tests of using set-top box data to measure TV audiences and comparing it to existing services in three markets.

News17 June 2010

US research industry posts 3.5% decline in 2009 revenues

US— Research revenue in the US fell 3.5% to $8.6bn last year, according to Inside Research’s Jack Honomichl – with 30 of the top 50 firms reporting a decline in sales.

News17 June 2010

Echo Stats adds NPD division

US— Florida-based market research consultancy Echo Stats Research has launched a new division to focus on new product development work.

News17 June 2010

People on the move

The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: Attensity Group, MEC, Synovate MMA, Ipsos, Truviso, Networked Insights, IPA, Loop Analytics, Nestle, Vision Critical, GfK, US Census Bureau and Mott MacDonald.

News17 June 2010

AOL sells Bebo for a song

US— AOL has found a buyer for Bebo, the youth-centric social network it put up for sale earlier this year.

News17 June 2010

BrainJuicer names brand man Zantingh to lead Asia venture

CHINA— BrainJuicer’s long-awaited foray into China is under way, following the appointment of Han Zantingh as managing director of consultancy initiatives in Shanghai.

News17 June 2010

WPP backs TV ad analytics firm Ace Metrix

US— WPP has invested in Ace Metrix as part of a strategic partnership that will see the TV ad analytics firm’s services promoted to WPP clients, while jointly developing new tools and approaches to measuring and improving advertising effectiveness.

News17 June 2010

Trade Commission to research deceptive marketing

US— The Federal Trade Commission is embarking on a study into consumer susceptibility to fraudulent and deceptive marketing.

News17 June 2010

Mobile marketers prepare for take-off

More than 300 advertisers, agencies and brands gathered in London yesterday for the IAB Engage for Mobile event, which aimed to promote mobile marketing and advertising.

News16 June 2010

Adenyo boosts predictive analytics capabilities through KinetX asset buy

CANADA— Mobile marketing software company Adenyo has acquired a number of IP and software assets and a specialised business unit from aerospace engineering consultancy KinetX, which Adenyo says will boost its predictive consumer analytics capabilities.

News16 June 2010

EEDAR and Nielsen expand data-sharing deal to UK market

UK— A data-sharing deal between Nielsen and Electronic Entertainment Design and Research ( EEDAR), focused on the analysis of videogame marketing campaigns, is being extended from the US to the UK.

News16 June 2010

Webtrends CEO: Coremetrics takeover 'ruined most of my day'

US— IBM’s bid to buy Coremetrics has set tongues wagging about whether Webtrends – the last of the big independent web analytics players – will be next on the auction block. But Webtrends CEO Alex Yoder says the company has no plans to go shop itself.

News16 June 2010

GroupM signs for Arbitron radio ratings

US— GroupM has signed a multi-year deal with Arbitron to receive radio ratings from all the firm’s portable people meter ( PPM) and diary markets.

News16 June 2010

Costa cleared by ASA following Starbucks complaint of flawed research

UK— Costa has seen off a challenge from rival coffee chain Starbucks who had complained to the Advertising Standards Authority ( ASA) that a taste test quoted in a print ad campaign was flawed.

News15 June 2010

TNS names new managing director for Canada

CANADA— Michael Ennamorato has been promoted to managing director of TNS Canada, replacing Michael LoPresti in the role.

News15 June 2010

Macromill in deal to buy market research business of Yahoo Japan

JAPAN— Online research firm Macromill is to take over the running of the market research business of Yahoo Japan Value Insight Corporation ( YVI) in an all-share deal.

News15 June 2010

Kantar Media unveils Foresight tool to aid paid content strategy

UK— Kantar Media has launched a predictive tool to help web publishers devise their paid content strategies.

News15 June 2010

Sampson takes over from Sparrow as ICM chairman

UK— Creston has appointed former Kantar executive Justin Sampson as chairman of ICM Research Group, replacing ICM founder Nick Sparrow.

News15 June 2010

Essentials customers drive Rentrak revenue

US— Multi-screen media measurement firm Rentrak has posted a 12% rise in revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 but a decline in sales for the year as a whole.

News15 June 2010

IBM makes new analytics buy, snaps up Coremetrics

US— IBM has bought web analytics firm Coremetrics – following up on its acquisitions of RedPill Solutions and SPSS last year.

Feature15 June 2010

NPD in the Dream Factory

We speak to Ipsos OTX’s Vincent Bruzzese about his work in Hollywood testing movies before they reach the big screen, and why consumer research doesn’t necessarily mean more ‘cookie-cutter fare’ in the multiplex.

Opinion15 June 2010

Insight – buried alive?

A couple of weeks ago Nick Johnson declared insight dead and heralded the era of ‘diffusion’. Anthony Tasgal recognises many of the symptoms that Johnson points out, but says the diagnosis is premature.

News14 June 2010

GfK appoints new head of retail and technology to management board

GERMANY— GfK has appointed Gerhard Hausruckinger to its management board, with specific responsibility for the company’s retail and technology division.

News14 June 2010

20|20 Research unveils QualLink tool for hybrid studies

US— Fieldwork firm 20|20 Research has launched a new technology that allows clients to carry out qualitative work on quantitative respondents.

News14 June 2010

Forrester rolls out survey on tech consumers in Brazil and Mexico

US— Forrester today launched a regular series of studies examining the uptake of technology and attitudes towards products and services in two of Latin America’s fast-growing consumer markets.

News14 June 2010

Nielsen and McKinsey establish social media joint venture

US— Nielsen and management consultancy McKinsey & Company have formed a joint venture to help clients improve their business performance through the use of intelligence drawn from social media sites.

News14 June 2010

Report says FTC to probe Apple effect on mobile ad market

US— Officials at the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC) look set to investigate concerns that changes to Apple’s developer rules could potentially restrict competition in the mobile advertising market, according to a Bloomberg report.

News14 June 2010

Turkish president lends support to overturn ban on Google services

TURKEY— Google has gained a valuable ally in its fight to lift restrictions affecting its services in Turkey – the country’s president Abdullah Gul.

News14 June 2010

Draft privacy bill poses major challenges to research industry

US— A draft data privacy bill risks making it harder for researchers to reach respondents, thus impacting the accuracy of survey results, according to an analysis by the Marketing Research Association.

News11 June 2010

AERS adds PayPal data to eBay market research tool

CANADA— The developer of a market research tool used by eBay sellers has partnered with PayPal to take raw transaction data and enable users to analyse and monitor sales trends.

News11 June 2010

OpinionLab launches direct feedback app for smartphones

US— Users of Apple’s iPhone can now download a free app allowing them to send feedback direct to a company based on their experience at a retail location.

News11 June 2010

Welker becomes chair of German online research society

GERMANY— The German Society for Online Research ( DGOF) has announced that Martin Welker has been appointed chair, replacing Olaf Wenzel, who has stood down for personal reasons.

News11 June 2010

Esomar prices study finds US most expensive research market

NETHERLANDS— The USA is the most expensive research market, followed by Switzerland, France, Sweden and Japan, according to an Esomar study of project prices in 100 countries.

News11 June 2010

Panel firms come together to weed out repeat respondents

US— A group of panel companies has come together to help prevent respondents from taking part in too many surveys on similar topics.

News11 June 2010

Football Supporters' Federation to probe fan interaction with World Cup

UK— The World Cup kicks off in a couple of hours – and so does a qual research project commissioned by the Football Supporters’ Federation to study how English fans follow, consume and interact with the tournament.

News11 June 2010

Twitter buys analytics firm Smallthought Systems

US— Twitter is stepping up its commitment to analytics with the acquisition of Smallthought Systems, developers of the web analytics dashboard Trendly.

News10 June 2010

Nimbus adds EEG data to virtual shopping system

US— Virtual shopping company Nimbus has added neuromarketing capabilities to its 3D virtual reality research tool.

News10 June 2010

Researcher ABH buys BBE's automotive consulting unit

GERMANY— Research agency ABH Marketingservice has purchased the automotive unit of business consultancy BBE Retail Experts.

News10 June 2010

Rentrak scores brace of audience measurement deals

US— TV station WFAA and broadcaster Schurz Communications have signed up to use Rentrak’s audience measurement service for local markets, StationView Essentials.

News10 June 2010

Apple keeps third-party analytics ban in revised developer rules

US— Apple is sticking to its guns in banning third-party analytics software from iPhone and iPad apps, but the company will let app developers collect user or device data that is necessary to serve advertising, according to revised app development rules.

Feature10 June 2010

Rebuilding the 'House of Influentials'

Crispin Beale is intent on rebuilding the one-time jewel in Chime’s research crown – Opinion Leader. We sat down to discuss where the business has been and where it’s heading.

News10 June 2010

Crayon acquires Acquity business and assets from administrators

UK— Digital media agency Crayon has acquired data analytics and media integration specialist Acquity – a day after it was placed into administration.

News10 June 2010

Zokem's mobile analytics scoops funding for international expansion

FINLAND— Mobile analytics start-up Zokem has secured €2m in funding to fuel its growth over the next 12 months.

News10 June 2010

Air industry veteran lands at Marketing Research Association

US— The Marketing Research Association ( MRA) has named David Almy – a veteran of air industry associations – as its new chief executive officer following the resignation of Larry Brownell last year.

News10 June 2010

iSuppli to acquire media researcher Screen Digest

US— Electronics industry analyst iSuppli Corporation has inked a deal to acquire media-focused research agency Screen Digest.

Opinion9 June 2010

Your cuts, your way

George Osborne’s announcement yesterday of a consultation on the coming public spending cuts has met with a predictable reaction.

News9 June 2010

Interactive Advertising Bureau launches Tablet Task Force

US— Hot on the heels of the iPad launch, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has formed a task force to create an infrastructure to support advertising opportunities on tablets and e-readers.

News9 June 2010

Kenshoo adds Experian Hitwise data to keyword bid management tool

US— Search marketing firm Kenshoo is to integrate data from Experian’s Hitwise Search Intelligence service into its SearchTM keyword bid management system.

News9 June 2010

Google 'cutting away' at the market share of paid-for analytics, says report

UK— Google’s free web analytics package continues to grow market share at the expense of paid-for tools, with 87% of companies now using the software, according to the latest Online Measurement and Strategy Report from Econsultancy and Lynchpin Analytics.

News9 June 2010

E-Rewards and MarketTools strike TrueSample deal

US— Online panel provider E-Rewards has struck a deal with MarketTools to offer the latter’s TrueSample panel cleaning software to clients.

News9 June 2010

Consumers keen on co-creation, says Gongos survey

US— The vast majority of consumers want to play a bigger role in the development of new products or the enhancement of existing ones, according to the results of a study by Gongos Research.

News9 June 2010

Quantcast gets MRC accreditation for Quantified Publisher web traffic data

US— Quantcast has received accreditation from the Media Rating Council ( MRC) for website traffic data produced by its Quantified Publisher programme, which uses proprietary measurement tags.

News9 June 2010

Trading 'purity' for 'pragmatism' – Communispace makes case for new model MR

US— “It is time to decouple the notion of ‘quality’ from purity. Today it is more important for research to be actionable than irrefutable,” says research community builder Communispace in a paper calling for a new model of research better suited to the social media age.

News9 June 2010

GfK finds Hungarian researchers most trusted in 19-country survey

GERMANY— Market researchers in Hungary are the most trusted in the world, according to GfK’s latest Trust Index Survey which ranks professions by their “trustworthiness”.

News8 June 2010

German online audience research body launches mobile division

GERMANY— The Working Group for Online Media Research ( AGOF), which brings together online marketers to support standardised audience research, has formed a division to focus on mobile audiences.

News8 June 2010

IP ban by Turkish government hampers Google Analytics

TURKEY— Website owners in Turkey may have struggled to gain access to their Google Analytics traffic stats since last week after the government banned a number of IP addresses the search giant uses.

News8 June 2010

EmSense hires two staff to lead new London office

UK— Neuromarketing technology firm EmSense has opened an office in London to its spearhead European expansion, with Esomar vice president Sue Nosworthy taking up a senior role.

Opinion8 June 2010

The frontline of customer satisfaction

Customer sat surveys are all well and good, writes Jamie Thorpe, but companies need to do something about the perception that feedback is not acted upon.

News8 June 2010

'No deal' to buy Comcon, says Synovate representative

RUSSIA— A Synovate spokesman has told Research there has been “no deal at this point” to buy Moscow-based research agency Comcon, following reports in the Russian media.

News8 June 2010

Qual group GIM shutters Russian office and focus group studio

GERMANY— Qualitative research group GIM is closing down its Russian office, including its focus group studio, with the loss of 12 local jobs.

News8 June 2010

Chime appoints Gill Rumbold to research director role

UK— Gill Rumbold has been appointed research director within the research and engagement division of marketing services group Chime.

News8 June 2010

Millward Brown promotes UK & Ireland boss to European MD

UK— Millward Brown has promoted Tim Wragg to the new position of chief executive officer for Europe. He was previously managing director for the UK and Ireland.

News7 June 2010

Aegis forms Team Epic for event marketing and research

US— Aegis Media has formed a lifestyle marketing agency called Team Epic that draws on the capabilities of group companies Velocity Sports and Vivid Marketing, with research being provided by Sponsorship Research International.

News7 June 2010

IRI moves Cary Schneider to European role

UK— Information Resources has appointed Cary Schneider as executive vice president of European operations and transformation.

News7 June 2010

Tracking202 founders buy back business from Bloosky Interactive

US— The founders of pay-per-click analytics firm Tracking202 have struck a deal to buy it back from direct marketing agency Bloosky Interactive – less than a year after the original deal was completed.

News7 June 2010

uSamp adds US office, hires in India for project and IT work

US— Online sample supplier uSamp has opened an office in Connecticut and formed a project management team to work out of India.

News7 June 2010

Publishers Australia backs ABA digital audit service

AUSTRALIA— Publishers Australia, a body representing small and medium-sized publishers, has given its endorsement to the digital audit service run by the Audit Bureaux of Australia ( ABA), which verifies that website traffic data is being measured and reported correctly.

News7 June 2010

People on the move

The latest appointments and promotions in the global market research and consumer insight industry. This week: Millward Brown Firefly, The Research Partnership, InsightsNow, Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing and Soup.

News7 June 2010

Nielsen gets two-year extension to TAM Ireland contract

IRELAND— Nielsen has secured a two-year extension to its contract to provide television audience measurement services to TAM Ireland, the country’s TV ratings body.

News7 June 2010

UK MR down 4.7% in '09 – but this year's Q1 looks better both at home and abroad

UK/US— Market research industry revenue was down 4.7% in the UK last year, according to figures published this morning by the Market Research Society ( MRS).

News7 June 2010

The judges have their say on last year's winners

All our winners had one thing in common: a continued drive to invest in their business and people, despite difficult market conditions. These investments continue to pay dividends, evidenced by growing client rosters, exceptional financial results and innovative tools that came to the fore in our winning agencies.

News4 June 2010

Mall Networks signs Unica for web analytics

US— Mall Networks has signed up to use Unica’s NetInsight OnDemand analytics software to report and analyse web visitor behaviour.

News4 June 2010

NeuroFocus goes virtual with new 3D store research tool

US— Neuromarketing research agency NeuroFocus has launched a 3D virtual reality tool, N-Matrix 3D, that it claims will bring digital technology “on a par with Avatar” – the James Cameron film – to the world of in-store research.

News4 June 2010

Nielsen warming up for Life360 World Cup project

SOUTH AFRICA— Nielsen and Blackberry maker Research in Motion have joined forces to measure local consumers’ lifestyle habits and engagement with brands and advertising during the upcoming World Cup.

News4 June 2010

Alterian posts revenue and profit growth despite contract deferments

UK— Marketing and analytics software firm Alterian has posted a 14% increase in revenue to £38m for the year ended 31 March.

News4 June 2010

Ex-Ipsos Poland boss joins Vision Critical in Euro partnerships role

CANADA— Dinko Svetopetric, the former head of Ipsos Poland, has joined Vision Critical in the role of director of European partnerships.

News4 June 2010

SymphonyIRI adds brainwaves to BehaviourScan through EmSense tie-up

US— SymphonyIRI is adding brain and biometric measurement to its BehaviourScan in-market testing service for new products and marketing strategies, through a partnership with neuroscience technology firm EmSense.

News4 June 2010

Zain Raj quits as CEO of Euro RSCG data arm

US— Zain Raj has quit as CEO of digital agency Euro RSCG’s data and analytics arm, Discovery, to join Chicago-based private equity firm Lake Capital. He will remain with the business until the end of the month.

News4 June 2010

The script doctor will see you now – OTX to test movie screenplays

US— The Worldwide Motion Picture Group at Ipsos OTX MediaCT has launched a division to evaluate films while they are still at script stage.

News3 June 2010

Cint adds to US management team: McCrary named MD, McCarron SVP

US— Cint, a research software and services firm, has hired Michael McCrary as managing director of its US sales and operations – five months on from the departure of Kevin Umeh.

News3 June 2010

Harris Interactive's Lifestreaming service goes live

US— Harris Interactive officially launched its Lifestreaming service today, which tracks and analyses the social media activities of an opt-in group of the company’s online panellists.

News3 June 2010

Apple's Jobs vents at analytics firm who peeked at iPad testing

US— Developers working on Apple’s iPhone and iPad platforms may be upset about the recent ban on using third-party analytics software to collect device data – but they’re not half as angry as Apple CEO Steve Jobs is with the analytics firms.

News3 June 2010

Ex-Schweppes insight manager returns to Millward Brown

AUSTRALIA— Millward Brown has appointed former Schweppes insight manager Martin Attwood as senior account director in its Melbourne office.

News3 June 2010

Nielsen files for $1.75bn initial public offering

US— The private equity consortium that owns Nielsen, the world’s largest consumer and media research group, is looking to raise $1.75bn in an initial public offering ( IPO).

News3 June 2010

IAB Europe and Google unveil Consumer Commerce Barometer

UK— IAB Europe and Google have teamed up to launch an online tool that provides advertisers and agencies with information about online purchasing behaviour across 27 countries.

News3 June 2010

Survey Sampling in New Zealand panel launch

NEW ZEALAND— Survey Sampling International has launched a new online consumer panel in New Zealand.

News3 June 2010

How can market researchers get social?

It’s a question posed by Forrester analyst Tamara Barber’s most recent report, which looks at the ways research agencies and practitioners are – or should be – utilising social media to generate consumer insight.

News2 June 2010

Date set for shareholder vote on private equity takeover of Infogroup

US— Infogroup shareholders look set to vote on 29 June to decide on the proposed sale of the database marketing and research company to private equity firm CCMP Capital.

News2 June 2010

Ipsos in global roll-out of Social Research Institute

UK— Ipsos’s Social Research Institute ( SRI), long established in the UK, is rolling out globally in an initiative overseen by Darrell Bricker, worldwide CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

News2 June 2010

Western Wats appoints vice president for online services group

US— Data collection agency Western Wats has promoted Bob Fawson to lead its online services group. Fawson previously served as an account manager with the firm, which he joined in 2007.

News2 June 2010

Procter & Gamble partners Tobii for package and shelf testing

SWEDEN— Procter & Gamble has signed up eye-tracking technology firm Tobii as a preferred partner for packaging design and shelf visibility testing projects.

News2 June 2010

FactSet buys financial survey specialist Market Metrics

US— Financial information and analytics firm FactSet Research Systems has acquired insurance and investment products survey specialist Market Metrics.

News2 June 2010

Zee TV signs Rentrak for audience measurement

US— Asian content broadcaster Zee TV has signed up to use Rentrak’s TV Essentials audience measurement service.

News2 June 2010

Insight promotes Gazey to commercial development role

UK— Insight Research Group has promoted Lee Gazey to the newly created role of commercial development director and added four new members of staff.

News2 June 2010

Youthography sinks after stormy recession

CANADA— Specialist youth research agency Youthography has shut down after a decade in business – a casualty of the recession, according to chief strategic officer Mike Farrell.

News2 June 2010

SBS and Arbitron reach agreement to dismiss PPM legal dispute

US— Arbitron and radio broadcaster Spanish Broadcasting System ( SBS) have reached an agreement to dismiss court proceedings stemming from a dispute between the two companies over Arbitron’s portable people meter-based ( PPM) radio audience measurement.

News2 June 2010

Photo gallery: last year's winners celebrate in style

View the photo galllery from the Research Awards 2009 ceremony held on 14 December at the Lancaster London Hotel. The event is a highlight of the year for the research industry, recognising and rewarding excellence, effectiveness and innovation.

News1 June 2010

Yahoo!7 hires Nielsen for online video audience measurement

AUSTRALIA— Yahoo!7 has signed up Nielsen to provide it with online video audience measurement services. Damon Scarr, national media sales director for the internet portal, said: “Advertisers are telling us they want reliable insights and intelligence on online video.”

News1 June 2010

Research Now moves into online ad tracking

UK— Online fieldwork agency Research Now has started offering ad tracking services, monitoring which adverts its panellists are exposed to and how that exposure impacts brand metrics.

News1 June 2010

Chinese companies pile in for Vivaki's Pool project

CHINA— Publicis-owned digital media agency Vivaki has launched a Chinese version of The Pool – its collaborative research project focusing on online video adverts.

News1 June 2010

Cloud Mobile Forms unveils Blackberry survey tool

US— Mobile technology firm Cloud Mobile Forms has launched a tool to allow users to conduct market research via Blackberry smartphones, called eSurvey.

News1 June 2010

Minnesota Historical Society taps Vocus

US— The Minnesota Historical Society has picked PR software firm Vocus to provide technology to manage media relations and monitor news and social media mentions.

Feature1 June 2010

Panoramix duo tackle the shrinking and wrinkling of economy and society

Cautious consumerism and an ageing society present many challenges.

News1 June 2010

FourthWall Media forms media measurement unit

US— Interactive television technology company FourthWall Media has formed a media measurement unit built around set-top box data analysis.

Opinion1 June 2010

Online qual – always read the label

Anna Thomas proposes an overhaul of product labelling for online qualitative research.

News1 June 2010

Ricochet Research launches in Kenya

KENYA— Vandi Hill and Babette van der Kloet have launched a new full service market research agency called Ricochet Research, based in Nairobi.

News1 June 2010

Five reasons to enter the Research Magazine awards today

More than ever research businesses and in-house teams need to demonstrate the value that their insight brings, both at a strategic level and to the bottom line. 

News1 June 2010

The full list of award categories

With categories for excellence, effectiveness and innovation in research – and for commercial achievement – there are many possible routes to success this year, including a brand new award for client-side research teams.

News1 June 2010

Research Magazine Award for Best Agency

This is Research magazine’s top prize of the night and the winner will be the agency that really stands out from the competition as the market leader in its field.

News1 June 2010

Research Magazine Award for Best Place to Work

Agencies have to fight hard to recruit and then retain people and this award aims to highlight those businesses that really put people at the heart of their overall strategy. The winner of this award will be the business that can demonstrate innovative thinking, enlightened approaches and new initiatives that make their business a great place to work.

News1 June 2010

Research Magazine Award for Best New Agency

New thinking and innovation are essential to keep the research industry fresh and maintain its long-term future. This award acknowledges the entrepreneurial spirit, achievement and ambition of smaller agencies.

News1 June 2010

Research Magazine Award for Best Innovation

Each year sees new developments and initiatives which have the potential to redefine the way we view the industry.This award – new for 2010 – is intended to single out the individual or company, that has pioneered the product, service, process or initiative that can genuinely be hailed an innovation for the industry. The winning innovation will increase the value of market or social research to clients and make a measurable difference to their success.

News1 June 2010

Research Magazine Award for Best In-house Research Team

This award – new for 2010 – seeks to find the equivalent of Best Agency but on the client side; put simply the Best In-house Research Team. The winner will be the Research or Insight team from within an organisation – public or private sector - that can best demonstrate how they have developed and delivered outstanding work which has helped transform their organisation, its approach, products, services or bottom-line performance.

Feature1 June 2010

Group dynamic

In 1999 Rover bragged about ignoring focus group findings, and Research questioned whether focus groups had a future. Eleven years later, focus groups thrive and we all know what happened to Rover. Dominic Scott-Malden asks, where did it all go right for research?

Feature1 June 2010

The product of a healthy relationship

The relationship between researchers and product designers can be a rocky one. Paul Golden looks at how market research can make sure it promotes creative thinking rather than obstructs it.

Feature1 June 2010

The people movement

Looking to come up with the next big thing? You could start by tearing up the research rule book, argue Doron Meyassed and Tom Hoy.

Feature1 June 2010

The people movement

Looking to come up with the next big thing? You could start by tearing up the research rule book, argue Doron Meyassed and Tom Hoy.

Feature1 June 2010

Words ain't what they used to be

Researchers are anxious to make the most of blogs, forums and social networks. But, Rosie Campbell asks, are we equipped to analyse the new language of online communication?

Feature1 June 2010

The kids are alright

Andrew Therkelsen, director at Discovery Research, explains why kids are the best co-creators, and sets out how to get the most out of them.

Feature1 June 2010

Ups and downs – Amanda Souter

Amanda Souter, research director at Leapfrog on advice, ad campaigns and ambition.

Feature1 June 2010

This month we... had our brain scanned

Our reporter James Verrinder dons a hat with wires attached to experience the power of neuromarketing first hand.

Feature1 June 2010

Hear me out: Respondents are dead. Long live MR robots

Ever had an idea that you know is genius, but everybody else thinks is crazy? Here is your chance to share it with the world of research. This month Will Goodhand of BrainJuicer proposes building an army of robo-respondents.

Feature1 June 2010

Diary: Pollsters, parliament and pets

A quick roundup of stuff that has caught our eye in and around the research industry. This month the Diary has a strong election flavour.

Opinion1 June 2010

Poll dancing

Who had a good general election? Well, Cameron and Clegg aren’t complaining, for starters. But thecoalition was forced as a result of there being no clear winner in this contest. If you are looking for aclear winner, you could do worse than look to the polling industry, which played a stormer on two fronts.