News4 December 2012

Decision Resources Group buys Abacus International

US — Research and advisory firm Decision Resources Group has acquired UK-based Abacus International, a company specialising in market access for the healthcare industry.

News3 December 2012

IAB Australia to retire monthly metric

AUSTRALIA— IAB Australia is to retire the monthly Unique Browser ( UB), a cookie-based online audience counting tool which has been used for 15 years, in early 2013.

News3 December 2012

ForeSee appoints UK managing director

UK— Customer experience analytics firm ForeSee has appointed Mindjet’s Chris Harman as managing director in the UK.

Feature3 December 2012

'We're not happy about the way things are in the industry'

Promise Corporation is to be integrated into online community builder Communispace. We spoke to Promise CEO Charles Trevail about what can be expected from the merger.

News30 November 2012

Data visualisation start-up Autographic Insight launches

UK — London start-up Autographic Insight has launched software which turns Excel-based research reports into visualisations hosted online.

News30 November 2012

Teleportd gets $1m for Instagram analytics tool

FRANCE— Startup Teleportd has raised $1m in private equity to build its Nitrogram product, which analyses photos for brands on social media site Instagram.

News30 November 2012

Yellowfin launches Storyboard business intelligence platform

AUSTRALIA — Global business intelligence software vendor, Yellowfin, has announced the release of Storyboard - a new presentation and collaboration platform.

News30 November 2012

Union Metrics publicly launches Tumblr analytics

US — Union Metrics of San Francisco, the preferred analytics provider for blogging platform Tumblr, has launched its Union Metrics for Tumblr product to the public following a two-month invitation-only beta testing trial.

News30 November 2012

Tapestry Works launches partnership with ABN Impact

SINGAPORE — Tapestry Works has launched StoryWorks, a branding tool developed for the Asian market, as part of a new partnership with ABN Impact.

News30 November 2012

Ipsos appoints Hasselmann to head up South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA— Ipsos has appointed Harald Hasselmann as country manager for South Africa, replacing Jake Orpen who is leaving the company.

News30 November 2012

IIA scoops $1m to build analytics offering

US— The International Institute for Analytics ( IIA) has closed a $1m round of funding led by angel investor Irving Levin.

News29 November 2012

ComScore launches new multi-platform measurement service

US— ComScore has announced the beta release of MMX Multi-Platform, an audience measurement and media planning tool that provides a unified view of web, smartphone and tablet audiences.

News29 November 2012

Neil Cary launches Asia Opinions

UK— Freelancer Neil Cary has launched a new company offering affordable research to UK clients needing respondents in Asia Pacific, Asia Opinions.

News29 November 2012

The Sound Research promotes McLintock

UK — The Sound Research has promoted James McLintock to the post of research director. He was previously associate director.

Feature29 November 2012

Communities could create an "insight super highway" - Mike Hall

Mike Hall explores the future of market research and discusses how communities will be at the heart of insight.

News29 November 2012

Firefish strengthens quant team with four new hires

UK — Firefish has expanded its quantitative team with the appointment of four new recruits, including directors Paul Harvey and Jen Culby.

News29 November 2012

Rentrak begins box office measurements in Malaysia and Singapore

US — Rentrak Corporation has agreed a deal to launch its box office measurement service, International Box Office Essentials, in Malaysia and Singapore.

News29 November 2012

PeopleBrowsr wins temporay injunction against Twitter

US— Social media analytics agency PeopleBrowsr has won a temporary restraining order against Twitter forcing them to continue providing access to the Firehose service.

News29 November 2012

Synovate's Huijboom to return to Aegis in business integration role

UK — Aegis Group has appointed former Synovate CEO Peter Huijboom to the newly created board position of global director of business integration. He will join on 2 January, reporting to group CEO Jerry Buhlmann.

News29 November 2012

AgilOne raises $10m series B funding for public rollout

US — AgilOne, a cloud-based predictive marketing intelligence specialist, has announced the closing of a $10m series B investment round led by Mayfield Fund, with participation from Sequoia Capital.

News29 November 2012

MRIA censures Campaign Research over Cotler calls

CANADA — Campaign Research, the pollster behind a voter identification survey that suggested a Liberal MP was about to resign, has been censured by the complaints panel of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association ( MRIA).

News28 November 2012

Investors pump $30m into analytics firm Sumo Logic

US— Analytics and log management firm Sumo Logic has closed a $30m round of series C funding led by Accel Partners, with participation from existing investors Greylock Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures.

News28 November 2012

YouGov launches US Omnibus

US— YouGov has launched its Omnibus service in the US, and moved Ray Martin, SVP and international head of Omnibus, to the company’s New York office to lead the service in the country.

News28 November 2012

Skopos launches Apptimiser app optimisation

UK — Skopos has launched a mobile app optimisation service, Skopos Apptimiser, with Daimler as one of its first customers.

News28 November 2012

Omnicom buys Promise to integrate with Communispace UK

UK — Co-creation specialist Promise Corporation has been acquired by Diversified Agency Services ( DAS), owners of online community builder Communispace. The Omnicom division now plans to integrate the two research firms to bolster its insight offerings.

News28 November 2012

Effective Measure appoints Steven Kaiser to SE Asia role

SINGAPORE— Effective Measure has hired Steven Kaiser to fill the new role of director of research for South-East Asia.

News28 November 2012

Warwick Business School and Design Council launch behavioural design lab

UK — Warwick Business School and the Design Council have collaborated to create what they say is the world’s first behavioural design laboratory.

News28 November 2012

Creston's insight operations see revenue fall

UK— Creston’s insight businesses, which include ICM and Marketing Science, have seen a £2m drop in revenue in the six-month period leading up to the end of September.

Feature28 November 2012

Digital living

Much has been made of how digital marketing is rapidly increasing its share of marketing budgets, and yet it remains difficult to demonstrate the value of digital relative to more traditional media. For Dave Coplin, Microsoft UK’s chief envisioning officer, this difficulty stems from a lack of appreciation of the multi-platform nature of the internet.

News28 November 2012

Nagra and Kantar partner on viewer behaviour service

SWITZERLAND — Content protection and multi-screen television provider Nagra is to collaborate with Kantar Media to launch a service about subscriber behaviour that enables service providers to capitalise on data from in-home devices.

News27 November 2012

Kinesis and StartSampling team up for in-home testing

US— Kinesis Survey Technologies has partnered with client StartSampling to deliver in-home testing services to users.

News27 November 2012

Incite owner St Ives sees 2012 improvement

UK— St Ives, the owner of research consultancy Incite Marketing Planning, has told investors in a management statement today that its marketing services section is performing “significantly” better than last year.

News27 November 2012

ComScore launches real-time ad tracker BSL Pulse

US — ComScore has launched Brand Survey Lift Pulse ( BSL Pulse), an ad campaign effectiveness product for measuring breakthrough in real-time.

News27 November 2012

TrendSource debuts mobile survey app

US— Market research and mystery shopping agency TrendSource has launched an interactive mobile survey app called “wINput” for Apple and Android users.

News27 November 2012

Business intelligence platform WatchMyCompetitor launches

UK — A business intelligence platform called WatchMyCompetitor.com has been launched, which will alert users when competitors’ websites change.

Opinion27 November 2012

Out of the mouths of babes

There’s a balance to be struck between getting kids to participate in research and protecting them from potential harm. Agnes Nairn of the EMLyon Business School considers the challenges of researching children.

News27 November 2012

TNS hires ex-Ipsos CEO to lead stakeholder management globally

UK— TNS has appointed former Ipsos Mori CEO Mike Everett as global head of stakeholder management. He will start at the beginning of January and report to Matthew Froggatt, chief development officer.

News27 November 2012

Populus adds business development manager

UK — Research and consulting firm Populus has appointed former YouGov man James Starkie to the new role of business development manager.

News27 November 2012

Insight Strategy Group promotes Jenkins and Branaa

US — Insight Strategy Group has promoted Slaine Jenkins to research manager and Amalia Branaa to senior designer.

News26 November 2012

Pat Molloy leaves Confirmit

UK— Pat Molloy has left his job as chief strategy officer at research software firm Confirmit, Research has learned.

News26 November 2012

Terapeak launches eBay data app for Android

CANADA— Analytics firm Terapeak has launched an Android version of its app that lets users conduct market research before selling their items on eBay.

News26 November 2012

B2B International bolsters team

UK — B2B International has strengthened its research and data processing teams following its recent expansion stateside and the launch of consumer research arm Deep See.

News26 November 2012

John Lewis Partnership appoints first customer insight director

UK— The John Lewis Partnership has appointed former Lloyds executive Paul de Laat to the newly created role of customer insight director. He will take up the role at the beginning of January next year.

Feature26 November 2012

All for one

Integrate or not? That is the question facing media agency groups as they look to bring research and insight deeper into their service offerings. Jane Simms investigates

News26 November 2012

MMR Research Worldwide adds four directors to team

UK— MMR Research Worldwide has added four senior directors to the agency, including TNS director Tom Pile. The new recruits will cover the food, drink, personal and household care sectors.

News26 November 2012

Likely awarded £1m for social data analytics

UK— Social data analytics start-up Likely has secured £1m in an investment round led by New World Private Equity and Charlotte Street Capital.

News26 November 2012

TNS names new MD for Hong Kong

HONG KONG— TNS has appointed Anita Wong as managing director for Hong Kong, replacing Wander Meijer who will be leaving the firm in January next year.

News26 November 2012

Global ad spend to rise by 4% in 2012 and 2013

GLOBAL — Advertising spend will rise by around 4% globally this year and next, but the difficult financial climate is still weighing on the industry, according to Warc’s latest international ad forecast.

News23 November 2012

Mike Hall joins non-executive board at Tuned In

UK — Online insight communities specialist Tuned In has added Mike Hall, founder of Hall & Partners, as a non-executive member of its board.

News23 November 2012

Jaguar Land Rover appoints MM-Eye for brand health project

UK— Jaguar Land Rover has hired research agency MM-Eye to carry out its global brand health measurement study.

News23 November 2012

NHS Kidney Care appoints Ipsos to ethnography study

UK — NHS Kidney Care has teamed with Ipsos Mori to run a major ethnography study to investigate what happens to young people with kidney disease outside of a clinical setting.

News23 November 2012

NeuroFocus's Noble goes it alone as neuro adviser

UK— NeuroFocus’s UK managing director Thom Noble has left the company and set himself up as an independent adviser to clients “on all things neuro and biosensory”.

Feature23 November 2012

4G ahead

Will Everything Everywhere’s superfast mobile broadband see superfast customer take-up? James Verrinder reports

News23 November 2012

Consumer Profile placed into recievership

UK — Oxfordshire-based research agency Consumer Profile has been placed into receivership after 25 years in business, its founder Peter Lovett announced today.

News23 November 2012

Nunwood APAC wins Woolworths work

AUSTRALIA— Nunwood Asia Pacific has been appointed by Australian supermarket chain Woolworths to run a customer experience research programme.

News23 November 2012

Big data firm Lattice Engines raises $20m

US — Lattice Engines, a San Mateo big data analytics provider, has raised $20m in equity funding led by New Enterprise Associates. Founded in 2006, the company has now raised a total of $36.5m to date.

News23 November 2012

Wisemetrics analytics for Facebook service launched

FRANCE — A new Facebook analytics service called Wisemetrics has been launched to help community managers measure and optimise their pages’ presence in the news feed.

News22 November 2012

New Tweet analysis platform Twtrland launches

US — A new Twitter platform called Twtrland has been launched to enable markerters to determine who they should be following using search tools on the Twitter graph.

News22 November 2012

Nielsen buys out Retailplus Eastern Europe – report

ROMANIA— Nielsen has reportedly bought the remaining shares in Retailplus Eastern Europe, after acquiring a 51% stake in the company last year.

Opinion22 November 2012

Are researchers gambling with the truth?

John Carroll, senior director in Ipsos MediaCT and chairman of the Media Research Group, reflects on the events of the Media Research Group ( MRG) 2012 Conference in Monte Carlo last week, and the lessons researchers should bear in mind.

News22 November 2012

AnswerTap launches crowdsourcing tool

US— AnswerTap has launched a new crowdsourcing tool that will allow users to get free consumer feedback on their visual materials, such as logo designs and proposed adverts.

News22 November 2012

Sample Answers names Whelpton as UK MD

UK — Middlesex-based market research company Sample Answers has promoted business development director Neil Whelpton to UK managing director. He replaces Mark Dent who is relocating to Colombia.

News22 November 2012

Explain buys innovation consultancy Wood Holmes

UK— Newcastle-based research agency Explain has acquired Wood Holmes, a research and innovation firm also from the Newcastle area, for an undisclosed amount.

News22 November 2012

Have your say on the state of the industry

UK — RSM is about to embark on the 13th wave of its UK State of the Industry study and is inviting researchers to take part in the project.

News22 November 2012

Marketers report November budget cuts, according to Warc index

UK — Marketers around the world are growing more pessimistic over their budgets, according to Warc’s latest Global Marketing Index ( GMI).

News21 November 2012

MedField India & FieldGlobal India hire joint director

INDIA— Data collection firm MedField India and research agency FieldGlobal India have hired Subramaniam Iyer as a joint director at the two companies.

News21 November 2012

MRA comes to the defence of auto-diallers

US— The Marketing Research Association ( MRA) is backing a petition to the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC) to allow the use of predictive diallers when calling mobile phones for surveys.

News21 November 2012

Analytics platform SumAll raises $6m

US— Data analytics startup SumAll has raised $6m in a round of funding led by Battery Ventures and Wellington Partners, taking the amount the company has raised to $7.5m.

Feature21 November 2012

Starting from scratch

Out-of-home advertising body Postar has launched an entirely new currency for the industry. Managing director James Whitmore tells us why the old model had to be upgraded and the ‘monumental’ task of putting the new currency together.

News21 November 2012

Vision Critical opens new office in Japan

JAPAN — Vision Critical has opened its 14th global office, in Tokyo. It will be headed by Shigeru Kishikawa. the CEO of MROC Japan, who will become Vision Critical managing director, Japan.

News21 November 2012

TNS BMRB announces International Development Research Centre

UK — TNS BMRB has announced a new Centre for International Development Research led by Desiree Lopez, who recently joined the agency as senior director.

News21 November 2012

Revelation adds new languages to smartphone app

US— Online and mobile qualitative research tool supplier Revelation has added three new languages to its flagship product, Revelation Project, a smartphone app that allows users to capture and record their behaviour as it happens.

News21 November 2012

Twitter highlights retail ROI potential with Compete

US — Twitter has partnered with WPP’s Compete to study user behaviour on its site in regard to retail brands. It found that Twitter users visit retail websites at a higher rate ( 95%) than general internet users ( 90%) and exposure to tweets helped to boost purchase intent.

Feature20 November 2012

What does Google's election success mean for polling?

Google was the second most accurate pre-election pollster, according to Nate Silver’s analysis of Presidential polls. Experts offer their thoughts on what this means for future election surveys.

News20 November 2012

Ci Research rebrands as Mustard

UK— Ci Research has changed its name to Mustard and unveiled a new corporate image in a move that the firm says will provide it with a new “high-impact brand identity”.

News20 November 2012

SocialBro secures €500k angel investment

UK — SocialBro, a startup firm which offers a web app for the management and analysis of Twitter communities, has secured €500,000 in funding from a syndicate of angel investors from the UK and Spain.

News20 November 2012

Nielsen Informate Mobile Insights to cover APAC and MEA markets

SINGAPORE— Nielsen has extended its strategic alliance with Singapore-based Informate Mobile Intelligence to further cover the Asia Pacific ( APAC) and Middle East and Africa ( MEA) regions.

News20 November 2012

IAB seeks comments on mobile ad measurement guidelines

US— The Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Mobile Marketing Association, in conjunction with the Media Rating Council, have published an updated version of proposed mobile web advertising measurement guidelines for public comment.

News20 November 2012

Judge confirms Google's $22m fine for Safari cookie drops

US — A proposed $22.5m fine payable by Google for a privacy breach has been approved by a federal judge, despite a consumer rights group’s plea for tougher punishment.

News20 November 2012

BrainJuicer warns 2012 profits will be substantially lower

UK — BrainJuicer has warned that its full-year pre-tax profits are likely to be substantially below the £2.8m achieved in 2011 because trading in the final months of 2012 is “proving disappointing”.

News20 November 2012

MMR and Watch Me Think strike video partnership

UK— MMR Research Worldwide has partnered with digital media agency Watch Me Think to help expand its consumer insight offerings for the food, drink and personal care sectors.

News19 November 2012

Global Radio hires Jeffries to new insight role

UK — Global Radio, owner of national radio networks Capital, Classic and Heart, has appointed BSkyB’s Matt Jeffries to the newly created role of group director of insight, research and analytics.

News19 November 2012

Private equity houses pump $6m into Socialbakers

CZECH REPUBLIC— Social analytics agency Socialbakers has announced a new round of funding totalling $6m, which it will use to fund its expansion plans.

Feature19 November 2012

Facebook and the quest for ROI

Joe Fernandez talks to Facebook’s Kathy Dykeman about the efforts the social network is going to to prove that social advertising has a real-world impact.

News19 November 2012

Facebook unveils new ROI measurement tool for marketers

US — Facebook is announcing a new self-service conversion system for direct response marketers that aims to help them more effectively measure their ad campaign ROI and optimise future campaigns for even greater returns.

News19 November 2012

Chime's Insight and Engagement arm performing ahead of expectations

UK— Chime Communication’s Insight and Engagement division ( CIE) has been performing “ahead of expectations” for the period starting July 1, the company said in an interim management statement today.

News19 November 2012

Incite appoints Banerji to lead behavioural change studies

UK — Former McKinsey executive Vivek Banerji has joined Incite as a director. He will specialise in behaviour changes in healthcare.

News19 November 2012

EasyInsites adds ORC's Macmillan to UK sales role

UK— Online research agency EasyInsites has appointed ORC International’s Alastair Macmillan as sales director for the UK market.

News19 November 2012

Kissmetrics hires Hodgman as CEO

US — Analytics company Kissmetrics has hired Will Hodgman as its new CEO. He was the co-founder of mobile analytics data startup M:Metrics, which was acquired by Comscore in 2008.

News19 November 2012

Buffets hires Looney to consumer insight director role

US — Restaurant franchise Buffets has appointed Tama Looney as director of consumer insights as the chain aims to create more “real connections” with its guests.

News16 November 2012

DataMarket debuts energy market portal

US— Data provider DataMarket has launched a new portal that will give subscribers access to “millions” of survey responses about the energy market.

News16 November 2012

Future appoints Vision Critical to 'largest ever' project

UK— Print and digital publisher Future has appointed Vision Critical to launch a consumer panel to find out more about the needs of its customers.

News16 November 2012

HelloInsights Pinterest analytics platform goes live

US — Digital startup Science has publicly launched HelloInsights, a premium platform for Pinterest influencer analytics. It aims to helps brands optimise their social media campaigns by providing tools for measuring company growth on Pinterest.

News16 November 2012

Michael Dimock to take director role at Pew Research Centre

US— Michael Dimock is to take over as director of research at the Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press, replacing Andrew Kohut, who is stepping back to serve as founding director.

Opinion16 November 2012

Many questions

Qual accreditations, quick-turnaround research and the validity of social media research were up for discussion at the Independent Consultant Group’s third annual Question Time event yesterday, chaired by new ICG chairman Arthur Fletcher.

News16 November 2012

HP Vertica and Capgemini join for big data challenge

US — Hewlett Packard’s real-time analytics platform, Vertica, is to partner with IT consultancy Capgemini to develop big data services.

News16 November 2012

Univision signs up for Nielsen BDSradio service

US— Hispanic broadcaster Univision Radio has announced that its stations have signed up to use the Nielsen BDSradio service.

News16 November 2012

Harris adds Robert Clark to client advocacy role

US— Harris Interactive has hired Robert Clark as senior vice president with a focus on client advocacy and development.

News16 November 2012

Publishers Australia signs agreement with Effective Measure

AUSTRALIA — Publishing body Publishers Australia has reached an agreement with Effective Measure to provide audience profiling to its members via free tagging of their websites.

News16 November 2012

Cisco pilots location-based analytics in Copenhagen Airport

DENMARK — Cisco is testing an advanced Wi-Fi location data analytics platform in Copenhagen Airport.

News15 November 2012

Marketing Management Analytics appoints ex-Nielsen duo

US— Ipsos-owned Marketing Management Analytics has appointed Phil Straub as SVP of analytics and Tom Stroud as VP of strategic accounts.

News15 November 2012

Ex-MRUK MD launches Wild Heather Digital Research

UK — Former MRUK managing director James Law has launched a new agency, Wild Heather Digital Research, offering a mixture of online quantitative and qualitative services.

News15 November 2012

ABC becomes Alliance for Audited Media

US — The Audit Bureau of Circulations ( ABC) has rebranded as the Alliance for Audited Media ( AAM) in the US and Canada, in a bid to reflect the industry’s move from print circulation figures to cross-media standards and audit services.

News15 November 2012

MRC warns against early move to ad viewability currency

US— Advertisers want to know that people have seen their ads, but there remains a lack of consistency in the ability to measure whether online ads are viewable, according to the Media Rating Council ( MRC).

News15 November 2012

Origami Logic raises $9.3m funding

US — Origami Logic, a self-service visual marketing analytics platform, has raised $9.3m in series A funding from Accel Partners’ big data fund, Lightspeed Ventures Partners and other investors.

News15 November 2012

CIE adds Nunwood's Houghton as board director

UK— Former Nunwood Consulting managing director Sarah Houghton has joined Chime’s Insight and Engagement Group as a board director. She will also take temporary charge of Opinion Leader while director Sinead Jefferies is on maternity leave.

News15 November 2012

IPC study suggests magazines deliver more ROI than TV

UK — IPC Media’s Insight arm has partnered with Nielsen and Mindshare on a research project that suggests magazines deliver a higher ROI than TV advertisements.

News15 November 2012

Merlinco named UK agent for Voxco software

UK — Canadian data collection software developer Voxco has named Merlinco as its new UK and Ireland distribution partner.

News15 November 2012

Effective Measure signs Vietnam deal with Ambient Digital

SINGAPORE — Effective Measure has signed a strategic alliance with Vietnamese digital advertising network Ambient Digital to bolster its insights offering in the country.

News15 November 2012

GfK sees 9.8% rise in nine-month sales to almost €1.1bn

GERMANY — GfK Group has reported a 9.8% increase in sales to almost €1.1bn for the first nine months of 2012. However, its adjusted operating income totalled €125.8m, down 3.9% year-on-year.

News14 November 2012

Insitas appoints Nikki Hall to account director role

UK — Insitas Research has hired Nikki Hall as an account director, where she will focus on brand, advertising and customer experience tracking for clients.

Opinion14 November 2012

A researcher’s guide to social media stalking

Annie Pettit turns social media stalker, using a public tweet to dig in to the personal details of a private individual. Whatever you do, don’t try this at home!

News14 November 2012

Nielsen pulls post-Sandy November ratings in New York

US — Nielsen has told clients that it will not release November television ratings data for the New York market because of disruption caused by Superstorm Sandy.

News14 November 2012

Pulse Group hires Kantar's Lee to lead key accounts

MALAYSIA — Digital research agency Pulse Group has appointed Kantar’s Katie Lee to the position of senior account manager of its research division.

News14 November 2012

Scarborough in Puerto Rico launch

PUERTO RICO — Scarborough Research, the joint venture between Nielsen and Arbitron, is to launch in Puerto Rico. It will offer consumer consumption data and other services to customers in the country.

News14 November 2012

Tweet analyst DataSift raises $15m in series B funding

UK — DataSift, a UK-based social data company, has raised $15m in a series B funding round.

News14 November 2012

Millward Brown sets up North Africa hub in Cairo

EGYPT — Millward Brown has opened an office in Cairo, Egypt to serve the North Africa market. The new operation will be led by Praveen Abraham, formerly research director of AMRB.

News13 November 2012

Raymond to lead GfK's new global innovation practice

GERMANY— GfK has formed a new division offering innovation research to marketing departments. The global innovation practice will be led by Marilyn Raymond, the firm’s global head of market opportunities and innovation.

News13 November 2012

Decipher's Luck bags two Stevie Awards

US — Kristin Luck has won two awards at the annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, recognising her work as founder of the Women in Research ( WIRe) networking group and as president of Decipher.

Feature13 November 2012

The UK market research industry reviewed

The UK economy remains in the doldrums, and the research industry with it. But while cost pressures and rising inflation keep growth to a minimum, Brian Tarran digs in to the annual UK industry league table and finds a business in a state of flux.

News13 November 2012

Swrve raises $6.25m funding for mobile analytics

IRELAND — Dublin-based mobile gaming and analytics firm Swrve has secured a $6.25m investment from Atlantic Bridge Partners and Intel, which it says will lead to the creation of 100 new jobs.

News13 November 2012

Nielsen calls for dismissal of NDTV ratings lawsuit

US — Nielsen has filed to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it in the New York State Supreme Court by Indian TV news network NDTV over allegations of TV ratings tampering in India.

News13 November 2012

Infinitive acquires Convergent Solutions

US — Management consultancy Infinitive has acquired Convergent Domains, a Virginia-based agency offering business intelligence, data warehousing and IT services.

News13 November 2012

MarketSight enables auto-updating for survey data

US — Survey analysis software firm MarketSight has launched the latest version of its software, including a feature, DataSync, that automatically updates charts and dashboards with new survey data.

News13 November 2012

Industry veterans create Gen2 Advisors consultancy

US — A new market research consultancy, Gen2 Advisors, has been launched by industry veterans Leonard Murphy, Gregg Archibald, Jason Anderson, Bill Weylock and David Bernstein.

News12 November 2012

Purdie Pascoe hires Yang to research manager role

UK — Healthcare research firm Purdie Pascoe has appointed Weiwei Yang as a research manager.

News12 November 2012

Trufflenet launches health division

UK— Social media research and analysis agency Trufflenet has launched a new specialist healthcare division, Trufflenet Health, which will be led by Janet Gunner.

News12 November 2012

Universities to host Enterprise Research Centre named

UK — Warwick and Aston Universities have been chosen to host a new Enterprise Research Centre which will look at business investment, performance and growth. The centre launches on 1 January.

News12 November 2012

Nielsen & NM Incite acquire SocialGuide

US — Nielsen and NM Incite - a joint venture between Nielsen and McKinsey & Company - have acquired SocialGuide, a provider of social TV measurement, analytics and audience engagement tools for an undisclosed sum.

News12 November 2012

Neuromarketing body unveils ethics code

NETHERLANDS— The Neuromarketing Science and Business Association ( NMSBA) has released a code of ethics which companies must adhere to when they join the organisation.

News12 November 2012

BDRC Continental adds quartet

UK— BDRC Continental has made four new appointments, strengthening its financial & business and hotels & hospitality divisions.

News12 November 2012

Publicis indicates stronger October growth

Opinion9 November 2012

Lessons to learn from the youth of tomorrow

Alistair Hill, CEO of On Device Research, explains why young people in growth markets provide the confidence barometers that brands should try and emulate in their communications approaches.

News9 November 2012

Sainsbury's hires Alex Owens as head of insight

UK — Lloyds Banking Group head of retail strategy Alex Owens is leaving the financial giant to become head of insight at Sainsbury’s. He will join the supermarket giant in January 2013 with two other new marketers as part of a departmental restructure.

News9 November 2012

MRSS India adds duo

INDIA— MRSS India has made two senior level appointments to strengthen its domestic team offerings.

News9 November 2012

Borderless Access adds US and UK-based personnel

US— Online research agency Borderless Access has appointed Matt Gershner and Matthew Hurst in sales roles in the US and Europe respectively.

News9 November 2012

MSI pilots Engagement Index to track engagement and satisfaction

News9 November 2012

Dialego founder creates SmartMunk heatmap

News9 November 2012

IBM to employ 500 at new Canadian analytics centre

CANADA— IBM is to open a new global analytics centre in Halifax, Canada, which will hire 500 people over the next eight years. The company has struck a deal with the Notia Scotia government that will see the province invest up to $12m in exchange for the 500 jobs.

News9 November 2012

Mintel opens in Brazil

News8 November 2012

MetrixLab opens new China office

CHINA— Online research agency MetrixLab has opened a new office in Shanghai on the back of demand from customers who want access to consultants with local knowledge of the country.

News8 November 2012

Cambiar hires Hunter from General Mills to associate role

US— Market research management consultancy Cambiar has hired former General Mills chief Jeff Hunter as an associate with a focus on marketing sciences, growth strategies and emerging markets.

News8 November 2012

Research Now and Protobrand test Meta4 Mobile

News8 November 2012

CBIG Consulting appoints Denver principal

US— Business intelligence and big data agency CBIG Consulting has hired Todd Saunders as principal of its office in Denver, Colorado.

News8 November 2012

Carmichael Lynch Spong launches Social Tracker

US— PR agency Carmichael Lynch Spong has expanded its social engagement division with the launch of a new social media analysis tool, Social Tracker.

News7 November 2012

AMI division drives Rentrak revenue growth

US— Rentrak has posted a 3% increase in revenue to $22.5m for the second quarter of fiscal 2013, driven by 35% growth in the Advanced Media and Information ( AMI) business which houses the firm’s TV audience measurement services.

News7 November 2012

DNA acquires Plaid Skirt Marketing in digital expansion

News7 November 2012

Roy Morgan Research signs up for Effective Measure analytics

AUSTRALIA— Roy Morgan Research has signed up to use Effective Measure’s analytics and research platform, Insight, as part of its machine-based web audience data measurement system.

News7 November 2012

Rajar extends Ipsos MediaCT's radio audience service

UK— Radio audience measurement body Rajar has commissioned Ipsos MediaCT to extend and expand its Radio Listener Panel for a further year after the sample ran throughout 2012 in the London area.

News7 November 2012

Fiftyfive5 adds Added Value's Carey

AUSTRALIA— Mel Carey has left her role as managing director of Added Value to join strategic insights consultancy Fiftyfive5 as a director.

Opinion6 November 2012

How research could help food labelling dilemmas

Can research help make consistent traffic light style food labelling more digestible to FMCG giants? Stuart Chapman comments.

News6 November 2012

MMRA & Esomar install update to mobile research guidance

US — Esomar and the Mobile Market Research Association ( MMRA) have launched an updated professional ethics and standards guidance on mobile research to promote best practice, professional standards and respectful relationships with respondents and participants.

News6 November 2012

Dentsu-Aegis deal delayed amid Chinese concerns

CHINA — Dentsu’s £3.2bn takeover of Aegis is unlikely to be completed until February owing to the slow process of Chinese regulators examining the deal, the companies have admitted today.

News5 November 2012

Repucom hires Lalande to handle EMEA strategy task

FRANCE — Repucom has appointed Bruno Lalande to the newly created role of director of strategy EMEA. Based in Paris, he will report directly to chief operating officer Jeffrey Stein.

News5 November 2012

Chedore given ABN Impact chairmanship

HONG KONG— Former Synovate boss Adrian Chedore has been appointed chairman at ABN Impact, a research agency and consultancy focusing on the Asia region.

News5 November 2012

Market Probe adds Steven Marks as vice president

US— Market Probe has hired former Lightspeed Research and Synovate man Steven Marks as vice president and head of operations in its St Louis office.

Feature5 November 2012

Balance of power

Women are well represented at the junior and mid-levels of the research industry – but not higher up. What can be done? Brian Tarran chairs a debate.

News5 November 2012

Privacy Analytics awarded private equity funding

US— Privacy Analytics, a firm specialising in protecting the privacy of personal data used for analysis and research, has received an undisclosed venture capital investment from the BDC IT Venture Fund and the Capital Angel network.

News5 November 2012

Ipsos lads star in calendar for Prostate Cancer UK

UK — Advertising research specialists Ipsos ASI have unveiled a quirky “Calendar Girls” style calendar featuring some of its leading men, in an effort to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

News5 November 2012

AutoGrid raises $9m for energy-focused analytics

US — AutoGrid Systems, a provider of big data analytics and software services enabling utilities and end-users to control power consumption, has raised $9m in venture funding from investors in Silicon Valley.

News5 November 2012

BDRC launches Sports & Sponsorship division

UK— BDRC has launched a new Sports & Sponsorship division which will be led by company director Mark Long and build on existing hospitality work at venues such as the Silverstone Formula 1 circuit.

News5 November 2012

Vision Critical hires Samuel as head of social media

CANADA - Community panel and market research technology provider Vision Critical has announced the appointment of Alexandra Samuel as its new VP of social media. She will be based in Vancouver, Canada.

News2 November 2012

Gartner research revenues up 11% in Q3

US— IT market analyst Gartner has posted research revenue totalling $284m for the third quarter of the year, an 11% increase on the $255.9m posted in the same period last year.

News2 November 2012

SocialMotus emerges from stealth mode

AUSTRALIA— Social media management tool SocialMotus has emerged from stealth mode to unveil its range of monitoring, analytics and leads discovery services.

News2 November 2012

ComScore reports 9% revenue growth in Q3

US — ComScore has reported third quarter sales of $64.3m, up 9% compared to $58.8m in the same quarter a year ago.

News2 November 2012

MedSpan appoints Epstein as director of research services

US — MedSpan Research has appointed United BioSource Corporation’s ( UBC) Michael Epstein as director, research services. He will be based in the company’s newly opened Rochester, New York office.

Opinion2 November 2012

Let’s get this party started

As the presidential campaign enters the home stretch, Emily Hunt considers the impact Hurricane Sandy has had on the opinions polls and what the effect might be on election day turnout.

News2 November 2012

i3 Analytics appoints leadership team

US— i3 Analytics, a startup offering data analytics services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, has announced its leadership team which is led by president and CEO Will Zerhouni.

News2 November 2012

PageLever adds real time analytics to Facebook platform tools

US — Facebook analytics platform PageLever has introduced real time analytics capabilities in its latest update to the PageLever Now offering.

News2 November 2012

Harris Interactive sees 12% fall in Q1 revenues

US— Harris Interactive has reported a 12% fall in revenues to $33m for the first quarter of fiscal 2013. The company posted the figures for the three months to 30 September today, showing a drop from $37.8m in the same period last year.

News2 November 2012

Integration appoints Pulse Group as market research partner

MALAYSIA — Integration Marketing & Communications has agreed a strategic alliance with digital research agency Pulse Group in a bid to help clients measure the effect of their marketing effectiveness and account for their advertising investments.

News1 November 2012

EU data collection proposal too 'prescriptive' claims UK MPs

UK— The EU must ‘go back to the drawing board’ when updating its data protection laws, according to a report by the British Parliament’s Justice Select Committee, which says that the proposed updates to the regulations are ‘too prescriptive’.

News1 November 2012

Unilever unveils major "Sustain Ability" online research study

UK — Unilever has partnered with The Futures Company to launch a nationwide consumer challenge called Sustain Ability. The web-based study aims to help UK families lead more sustainable lifestyles and save money on household bills.

News1 November 2012

Postar prepares to launch new outdoor currency

UK— Postar, the audience measurement body for out of home advertising, is to launch a new currency for the industry in February next year. A beta version is available to subscribers to give them time to familiarise themselves with the new data in the interim.

Opinion1 November 2012

How to live with austerity

Brands need to come to terms with a world that has less money – but growth opportunities remain, says Join The Dots’ Pete Comley.

News1 November 2012

Arbitron settles copyright infringement suit with Magic

US — Audience measurement firm Arbitron has agreed a settlement deal with US radio broadcaster Magic Broadcasting over alleged copyright infringements dating back to late last year.

News1 November 2012

FCC finalises do-not-call registry of emergency numbers

US — The Federal Communications Commission ( FCC) has finalised regulations to implement a new do-not-call registry of emergency service provider numbers which anyone using an autodialler would have to filter out.

News1 November 2012

NetBase unveils DCI dashboards for social intelligence

US — NetBase, the enterprise social intelligence platform company, has unveiled a Digital Channel Intelligence ( DCI) solution, enabling brands and agencies to understand the conversations fans and followers are having, instead of relying only on measuring “likes”.

News1 November 2012

Ipsos ASI launches LiveTest with Mondelez and MasterCard

US — Ipsos ASI has unveiled a new digital advertising tool that combines behavioural web analytics with survey data to measure online effectiveness. Called “LiveTest”, the tool has already been tested by Mondelez ( Kraft Foods), MasterCard and Colgate-Palmolive.