Feature31 December 2019

Preview 2020: skills and talents

What do market researchers need to be better at their jobs and improve their skills? Our industry contributors give their suggestions

Feature30 December 2019

Preview 2020: reasons to be cheerful

2019 had its fair share of challenges, both for the industry and society more generally. But there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic as we begin a new year. We asked our contributors: what are you most excited about for the industry in 2020?

Feature27 December 2019

Preview 2020: new year resolutions

With a new decade starting, our contributors have an eclectic mix of resolutions they’re intending to stick to throughout 2020 but improving diversity gets the most mentions.

Feature24 December 2019

Review 2019: Biggest disappointments

It’s perhaps no surprise that politics tops the list of disappointments this year, but diversity, AI and data have also missed the mark for some. We ask our contributors: What has been the year’s biggest disappointment or anti-climax?

News23 December 2019

TiVo and Xperi to combine

Entertainment technology firms TiVo and Xperi are merging in an all-stock transaction worth around $3bn.

News23 December 2019

Kantar launches India youth study

Kantar has launched a study focusing on the attitudes, values and behaviour of young people – millennials and centennials – in India.

Feature23 December 2019

Common values

The advertising and marketing industry is different from the general population at a moral values level, according to new research. Katie McQuater looks at what this means for businesses

Feature23 December 2019

Review 2019: person of the year

When your surname is superfluous, you know you’ve made it. And so it was with Greta…with notable mentions for several others.

News23 December 2019

Invoke introduces real-time translation

Market research tech business, Invoke, has added real-time translations to its qualitative/quantitative technology platform.

News23 December 2019

US census issued full funding

Full funding has been secured for the 2020 US census taking place on 1st April.

News23 December 2019

Comscore expands Gower Street Analytics partnership

Media measurement business Comscore has announced that Gower Street Analytics film comparisons are now available to subscribers of Box Office Essentials and International Box Office Essentials.

Opinion20 December 2019

A very viral Christmas: how to win the race for engagement

What factors determine if a Christmas ad is shared, talked about and otherwise engaged with? Flamingo's Lucas Galan and Isabella Devereux take a look

News20 December 2019

Facebook to ban census misinformation

Facebook has launched a policy banning misleading information about the 2020 US census on its platform, as it looks to “ensure an accurate count”.

Opinion20 December 2019

Planning for opportunism

Rory Sutherland

People instinctively understand opportunism which is why Fomo is so powerful, but businesses could learn from this. 

News20 December 2019

DVJ Insights reorganises consultancy teams

Marketing research and analytics agency, DVJ Insights, has appointed Michèle van Waterschoot to strengthen the international consultancy teams in the Netherlands and the UK.

News20 December 2019

Pre-Christmas boost to consumer confidence

Optimism for the economy has increased for the year ahead, according to the GfK Consumer Confidence Index.

Feature20 December 2019

Review of the decade: how has research changed in the past 10 years?

With a new decade on the horizon, it is time to reflect on the shifts that have taken place in the industry since 2010. 

News20 December 2019

Nielsen hires new HR chief

Global measurement and data analytics company, Nielsen, has appointed Laurie Lovett as its chief human resources officer.

Feature19 December 2019

Most-read opinion of 2019: Behavioural science, significance testing and private equity

With the year coming to an end, we reflect on the 10 most-read opinion articles submitted by external contributors over the past 12 months – from exploring research on choice to questioning significance testing.

News19 December 2019

Stat of the year highlights in-work poverty

UK – The Royal Statistical Society’s UK Statistic of the Year is 58% – the proportion of those in relative poverty who live in a working household.

Feature19 December 2019

Review 2019: best campaign of the year

The nominations for best campaign of 2019 are a mixed bunch – there’s little consensus with everything from Christmas ad campaigns, to environmental activism getting a name check.

News19 December 2019

Tech platforms should face stricter rules, says regulator

The competition regulator has said the UK should consider more regulation of technology platforms.

News19 December 2019

Terminus buys Sigstr

Business-to-business marketing platform Terminus has acquired email signature marketing company Sigstr.

News18 December 2019

CMA looks into Google’s data analytics purchase

The Competition and Markets Authority ( CMA) has announced a formal inquiry into Google’s takeover of cloud data analytics firm, Looker Data Sciences.

News18 December 2019

Cint makes Deitch COO

Jane Bainbridge

Insights tech business, Cint, has appointed JD Deitch as chief operations officer ( COO), taking over from Richard Thornton who will now become chief commercial officer.

News18 December 2019

JD Power joins forces with Autodata Solutions

Data analytics and consumer intelligence firm, JD Power, has merged with automotive data and software business Autodata Solutions.

Feature18 December 2019

Our most-read features of 2019: Brexit, consolidation and mental health

From interviews with company leadership to reports on mental wellbeing and hard-to-reach research audiences, we reflect on our most-read feature articles of 2019. 

Feature18 December 2019

Review 2019: Trends of the year

From climate change awareness to disinformation to industry consolidation, a cross-section of the research industry share their thoughts on the standout trends that have shaped the year.

News18 December 2019

Ipsos and Alchemy-RX partner in the US

Ipsos has signed a collaboration agreement with strategic marketing agency Alchemy-RX.

News18 December 2019

OpinionRoute names Moffatt as partner

Insights process management company OpinionRoute has appointed its chief operating officer Andrew Moffatt as a partner.

News17 December 2019

WPP sells Two Circles

Bruin Sports Capital has acquired consumer data analytics, sports marketing and technology practice, Two Circles, from WPP.

Feature17 December 2019

Research Live's most-read news stories of 2019: Kantar, Dynata and Savanta

With 2019 drawing to a close, we take a look at some of the industry’s top news stories of the year.

News17 December 2019

California Prune Board opens tender

The California Prune Board has announced it is holding competitive bids for international research and evaluation.   

News17 December 2019

Goldman Sachs invests in CallMiner

Speech analytics provider CallMiner has closed a $75m investment round from Goldman Sachs.

News17 December 2019

Verto Analytics pairs with Unacast on location data

Market research and behavioural research platform Verto Analytics and location data and insight company Unacast have partnered to extrapolate contextual insights from location data. 

Feature17 December 2019

Review 2019: biggest developments of the year

With Christmas just around the corner, a cross-section of the industry share their thoughts on what they deemed the most significant industry developments of 2019, from a resurgence of qual to artificial intelligence going mainstream.

News16 December 2019

Census sex question guidance could ‘undermine data reliability’, say academics

Academics have raised concerns over the proposed guidance for the 2021 census questionnaire, saying it risks conflating sex and gender identity.

News16 December 2019

Accenture to buy Clarity Insights

Accenture has agreed to acquire data consultancy Clarity Insights, boosting its artificial intelligence, analytics and machine learning business in North America.

Feature16 December 2019

The bigger picture

Katie McQuater

Combining information from more than one source, including aerial imagery from drones and survey data, allowed Ipsos to assess the Rohingya refugee crisis for the World Bank. 

News16 December 2019

GalKal identity dropped year after Fiftyfive5 merger

Twelve months after the announcement of the merger between Fiftyfive5 and GalKal the businesses will operate under one brand name, Fiftyfive5 from January 2020.

News16 December 2019

Dynata's Fawson joins SampleCon board

Data, insights and sampling community SampleCon has expanded its board of directors with the appointment of Bob Fawson, executive vice-president of business operations at Dynata.

News13 December 2019

Tories take majority in a strong night for the polling industry

The Conservative Party has won a majority in the general election, after winning in key Labour constituencies.

News13 December 2019

Edgeworth Economics launches analytics business

Economic and quantitative consulting firm, Edgeworth Economics, has established a sister company, Edgeworth Analytics.

News13 December 2019

Kantar wins Israel TV contract

The Israel Audience Research Board ( IARB) has appointed Kantar to operate Israel’s TV trading currency for the next seven years, with the option of an extension until 2030.

News13 December 2019

HRW adds to strategic leadership team

Healthcare Research Worldwide ( HRW) has hired Sue Rees to the newly created role of global director, joining its strategic leadership team.

News13 December 2019

Kantar changes leader for US media division

Data, insights and consulting firm, Kantar, has appointed Pete Rumpel as chief executive officer, media division, North America.

News12 December 2019

Basis launches Basis Studio

Independent insight consultancy Basis has launched its expanded in-house design function as Basis Studio.

News12 December 2019

2019 Best place to work: Opinium

For the third time in four years, Opinium won the 2019 MRS Research Live award for Best Place to Work.

News12 December 2019

Qualtrics updates experience management tools

Customer experience firm, Qualtrics, has added a series of innovations to its experience management ( XM) tools.

News12 December 2019

Insights body calls for changes to CCPA

Research industry organisation the Insights Association has asked for changes to be made to the proposed regulations implementing the California Consumer Privacy Act ( CCPA).

News12 December 2019

Kantar and IRI partner on CPG campaign tool

Data, insights and consulting firms Kantar and IRI have launched a closed-loop growth tool for advertising consumer packaged goods ( CPG) brands.

News12 December 2019

New CEO at Eyeota

Audience technology platform Eyeota has named co-founder Kristina Prokop as chief executive officer as Kevin Tan steps down from the role.

Feature11 December 2019

Election insights to understand GE2019

At a conference held by The UK in a Changing Europe and the British Election Study last week, academics shared their insights on some of the issues affecting the general election 2019. We take a look at some of the key takeaways on elections and voter identity.

Advertisement feature11 December 2019

A scientific approach to creating memorable insights

We live in a noisy world. Whether it’s the constant stream of data our minds have to contend with or the assault of visuals from multiple screens – cutting through the noise and being memorable is an increasingly challenging task. 

News11 December 2019

Tactical voting and turnout crucial to election outcome

Jane Bainbridge

The day before the election, the nation is disillusioned and despondent, with undecided voters around the country struggling to choose who they disagree with least, according to research by BritainThinks.

News11 December 2019

Kantar tops MRS League Tables

Kantar has topped the latest MRS League Tables, published as part of the Research Live Industry Report 2020, with a turnover of £459m.

News11 December 2019

YouGov MRP poll shows narrow Tory majority

YouGov’s final MRP poll of the general election campaign has pointed to the Conservative Party heading for an overall small majority, but a hung parliament is still a possibility.

Opinion11 December 2019

How can the research industry amplify evidence?

Kelly Beaver

Evidence has never been more important in the public sphere, yet politicians are more influenced by their own personal principles. Researchers can play a crucial role in helping to improve the uptake of reliable data.

News11 December 2019

2019 Business Impact of the Year – global: BBC World Service

At the 2019 MRS Research Live Awards, BBC World Service was awarded Business Impact of the Year – global.

News11 December 2019

MetrixLab opens Delhi office

THE NETHERLANDS/INDIA – Digital research agency MetrixLab has opened a new office in Delhi, India and appointed Rahul Rastogi as client director.

News11 December 2019

Qualie launches in the UK

Video survey platform Qualie has partnered with consumer research agency MMR Research Worldwide to launch in the UK.

News10 December 2019

2019 Business Impact of the Year – UK: Populus and BT

At the 2019 MRS Research Live Awards, the Business Impact of the Year – UK award went to Populus and BT.

News10 December 2019

Ipsos takes majority stake in Data Liberation

Ipsos has acquired a majority stake in automated reporting firm Data Liberation as it looks to expand its new digital research platform.

News10 December 2019

Nielsen appoints diversity SVP

Nielsen has hired former Publicis Groupe’s Sandra Sims-Williams to be its senior vice-president of diversity and inclusion ( D&I).

News10 December 2019

Kantar's Salama to step down

Katie McQuater

Kantar's chief executive, Eric Salama, will depart from the role in 2020, becoming a non-executive director and consultant at the company.

News10 December 2019

InSites Consulting acquires ABN Impact to extend into Asia

Insight agency InSites Consulting has bought Asian online insight community ABN Impact, for an undisclosed amount.

News10 December 2019

20/20 Research buys Over the Shoulder

Qualitative research and technology firm, 20/20 Research, has acquired mobile qualitative business, Over the Shoulder, for an undisclosed amount.

Feature9 December 2019

Food for thought

Jane Bainbridge

2019 marks 150 years of business for Heinz, and insight is playing a vital role in ensuring the customer is considered first throughout its strategy.

News9 December 2019

Reach hires first chief customer officer

Newspaper publisher Reach has appointed Facebook’s Maureen McDonagh to the newly created role of chief customer officer.

News9 December 2019

FTC finds Cambridge Analytica deceived Facebook users

The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC) has said Cambridge Analytica deceived consumers over the collection of Facebook data.

News9 December 2019

2019 Breakthrough Business of the Year: Differentology

At the MRS Research Live 2019 awards, market research and consumer insight agency Differentology won the Breakthrough Business of the Year category.

News9 December 2019

Hippo Digital buys Converging Data

Leeds-based service design consultancy has acquired data analytics company Converging Data, for an undisclosed amount.

News9 December 2019

Broomé joins NatCen as families director

The National Centre for Social Research ( NatCen) has appointed Ellen Broomé as its director of children and families.

News6 December 2019

Michelle Harrison shifts roles with Kantar completion

Kantar has announced Michelle Harrison is moving from CEO of the WPP government practice to non-executive chair, with the completion of the sale of Kantar to Bain Capital.

News6 December 2019

Hires and promotions at MarketVision

Full-service marketing research company MarketVision has appointed three new members of staff in qualitative research, field services and graphic design, and made two promotions.

News6 December 2019

Young Researcher of the Year: Katherine Nicholls and Jack Tadman

At the 2019 MRS Awards, Katherine Nicholls from Natives and Jack Tadman from Opinium Research, were named joint winners of the Young Researcher of the Year Research Live award. 

News6 December 2019

WPP completes Kantar transaction

WPP has announced that its sale of 60% of global data, research, consulting and analytics business, Kantar, to Bain Capital Private Equity has been completed.

News6 December 2019

Courtright named CEO of Insights Association

Katie McQuater

The Insights Association has appointed Dynata’s Melanie Courtright as chief executive, succeeding David Almy.

News5 December 2019

Quick polling guide published for journalists

Journalists should not report on polling changes that are not significantly different in their election coverage, the Market Research Society ( MRS) and independent press regulator Impress have advised.

News5 December 2019

Third of adults oppose online political ads

Ahead of the general election, a poll has found that a third of respondents oppose online political advertising.

News5 December 2019

2019 Best In-house Team: NEC Group

Live events business, NEC Group, took the top prize in the 2019 MRS Research Live awards for the Best In-house Team.

News5 December 2019

Fiftyfive5 hires Fisher

Strategic insights business, Fiftyfive5, has appointed Corey Fisher as director, social & community.

News5 December 2019

WPP’s Day joins Black Swan Data

Data science tech firm Black Swan Data has appointed media industry expert Rupert Day as an adviser to help with its expansion strategy.

Feature4 December 2019

Put your trust in an automated car

Jane Bainbridge

Driverless cars require humans to hand over control and trust their vehicles. But this trust depends on the timing of information delivered by the cars.

News4 December 2019

US privacy legislation framework proposed

A coalition representing a broad cross section of the US economy – and including the Insights Association – has released a privacy legislation framework to improve consumer privacy and security.

News4 December 2019

Pazzani joins ScaleHouse team

Marketing and analytics management consultancy, ScaleHouse, has appointed Michael Pazzani as a consulting partner.

News4 December 2019

Delvinia buys CRIS

Research tech and consumer data collection firm Delvinia has acquired Conversational Research Insight System ( CRIS), for an undisclosed amount.

News4 December 2019

Verto Analytics expands in US

Media measurement company Verto Analytics has opened a new office in Seattle to extend its current bases and promoted Vinayak Nair to lead the US market team.

News4 December 2019

2019 Best Innovation: Lumen Research

Eye-tracking ad and market research company, Lumen Research, won the best innovation award at this year’s MRS Research Live awards.

News3 December 2019

2019 MRS Awards winners announced

The annual Market Research Society ( MRS) Awards took place last night ( 2nd December) in London, with the winners including Jigsaw Research, Kantar Profiles Division and Ipsos.

News3 December 2019

2019 Global Agency of the Year: Jigsaw Research

At this year’s Research Live awards, Jigsaw Research won the Global Agency of the Year award.

News3 December 2019

Two new hires at Beesy

Behavioural science insights agency Beesy has appointed two analysts in its New York office.

News3 December 2019

Tru Optik partners with Anzu.io for gaming audience targeting

Audience intelligence and data management platform ( DMP) Tru Optik has joined forces with in-game advertising platform, Anzu.io, to make data for audience targeting available for in-game advertising on gaming consoles.

News3 December 2019

Kantar launches Express Surveys in US

Marketing insights and consulting firm, Kantar, has expanded its portfolio of quick turnaround research tools with the release of Express Surveys in the US.

News2 December 2019

Servian partners with Reekoh

Data analytics firm Servian has joined forces with data integration business, Reekoh, to work on enterprise Internet of Things ( IoT) data and applications.

News2 December 2019

KS&R extends Confirmit partnership

Global market research firm, Knowledge Systems & Research ( KS&R) has agreed to continue working with Confirmit to use its tools to support its growth.

Feature2 December 2019

Sandra Wachter in seven

Sandra Wachter is associate professor and senior research fellow in law and ethics of AI, big data and robotics at Oxford University, and a fellow at the Alan Turing Institute and of the World Economic Forum’s global futures council on values, ethics and innovation

News2 December 2019

RP Translate rebrands

Insight translation agency RP Translate is changing its name to Empower Translate ( Global).

News2 December 2019

Business response to environment is ‘too little’

Jane Bainbridge

More than 70% of UK consumers think business response to tackling environmental damage is ‘too little, too late’, according to research from Kantar.

News2 December 2019

UK ad spend up 7.8% in 2019

Advertising spend in the UK will reach £22bn – up 7.8% – in 2019 despite Brexit uncertainty, according to Group M’s latest forecast.