News31 October 2024

Autumn Budget 2024: Employer NI to increase

Liam Kay-McClean

National insurance for employers will rise from April 2025 following the first Labour budget for 14 years, alongside increased investment in public services and research and development.

News31 October 2024

Sales intelligence platform Persana AI secures seed funding

Software company Persana AI has raised $2.3m in a seed funding round to grow its sales intelligence app.

News31 October 2024

SurveyMonkey promotes two

Online surveys and forms business SurveyMonkey has promoted Sabrina Leblanc to senior vice-president, customer success and Tom Murdock to senior vice-president, global sales.

News31 October 2024

NBA exec joins Insights Career Network advisory council

Research and insights support network Insights Career Network ( ICN) has appointed Michelle Auguste, vice-president of global media insights at the National Basketball Association ( NBA), to its advisory council.

News30 October 2024

Zappi launches AI product development platform

Consumer insights company Zappi has released an AI platform that combines the business’ data sets with large language model technology to help align product development and consumer needs.

News30 October 2024

Online video ad spend up 26% in H1 2024

Investment in online video advertising reached £4.12bn – up 26% – in the first six months of 2024, according to IAB UK’s Digital Adspend update for the first half of the year.

News30 October 2024

AI could cause 'productivity boom', research finds

Three-quarters of decision makers within UK companies believe artificial intelligence ( AI) will lead to a productivity boom, according to research from TeamViewer.

News30 October 2024

Behaviorally hires VP of customer success

Consumer behaviour company Behaviorally has appointed Christopher Parker as vice-president, customer success in its New York office.

News30 October 2024

New commercial hire at The Insights Family

Children and family market intelligence company The Insights Family has appointed Jack Day as global strategic account director.

Opinion30 October 2024

Three things I've learned as an MRS mentor

Caroline Thompson shares observations on what is commonly holding back researchers, from her experience as a coach mentor on the MRS mentoring scheme.

News30 October 2024

Several new hires at M/A/R/C

Insight consulting firm M/A/R/C Research has appointed Mimi Potter as vice-president within its insights and strategies team as part of a raft of appointments.

Opinion29 October 2024

You can use AI to extract more value from research, but it isn't smart enough for everything

Are you asking enough of your AI? And how could AI support customer research?

News29 October 2024

Voters want government to prioritise public services over balancing books, analysis suggests

The government must improve public services to retain the support of voters, according to a pre-Budget analysis commissioned by research initiative Persuasion UK and think tank IPPR ( the Institute for Public Policy Research).

News29 October 2024

UKRI announces Turing AI Fellows

UK Research and Innovation ( UKRI) has named three artificial intelligence ( AI) researchers as its latest Turing AI fellows.

News29 October 2024

Sense:lab opens logistic hub

Leeds-based consumer and sensory fieldwork company Sense:lab, a subsidiary of Blue Yonder Research, has opened a new logistics hub.

News29 October 2024

Daivid launches AI emotion testing platform for ads

Creative effectiveness business Daivid has developed an AI-based, self-service platform for advertisers and agencies to predict the emotions and attention levels an ad will generate.

News29 October 2024

Quadrangle names head of qual

Market research business Quadrangle has promoted Imogen Uffindell-Birt to head of qualitative.

News28 October 2024

Accenture completes German data management firm acquisition

Professional services firm Accenture has acquired German management and technology consulting business Camelot Management Consultants for an undisclosed amount.

News28 October 2024

Organisations warned to step up as ICO research highlights data breach harm

Over half ( 55%) of UK adults report that they have had their data lost or stolen, according to Savanta research for the ICO, as the information commissioner warns organisations to ‘do better’ in how they respond.

News28 October 2024

UK government releases new data bill

The UK government has launched a new bill to unlock secure and effective data for the public interest, which it says could boost the economy by £10bn.

News28 October 2024

Consultation launched on UK statistical code

The Office for Statistics Regulation ( OSR) has opened a public consultation on proposals for an updated version of its Code of Practice for Statistics.

News28 October 2024

TV viewing potentially over or underreported by panellists, finds study

Up to 44% of television could be over or underreported by viewers, according to an experiment by the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement ( CIMM) and television data firm TVision.

News25 October 2024

Christmas spending 'unaffected' by cost-of-living in half of UK homes

Almost half ( 47%) of UK households do not expect cost-of-living pressures to affect their Christmas spending this year, according to research from Pureprofile.

News25 October 2024

Short and long-term measurement needed for media returns

Focusing on short-term measurement of media means marketers risk making misguided budget decisions, according to research from Warc and Google.

News25 October 2024

AYTM launches AI research assistant

Consumer insights platform AYTM has released an AI research assistant to help researchers with gathering and analysing data.

News25 October 2024

Consumer confidence falls in October

Consumer confidence in the UK fell one point in October to -21 ahead of next week’s government Budget, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index.

Feature24 October 2024

NatCen CEO Michael Davis on the 'national asset' of understanding what people think

Katie McQuater

Research Live sits down with new NatCen CEO Michael Davis to discuss his plans for the organisation and his views on the challenges facing social research in 2024. 

News24 October 2024

Data quality 'existential issue' for research, new podcast hears

Liam Kay-McClean

If data quality issues in market research are left unchecked, they “could become an existential issue”, guests have told a newly-launched Research Live podcast.

Feature24 October 2024

Research Live podcast: What's the problem with data quality?

In a three-part series, Liam Kay-McClean speaks to guests about whether there is a data quality crisis in the market research industry, what can be done to fix weaknesses in the industry's data quality, and what the advent of artificial intelligence could bring.

News24 October 2024

Circana launches retail planning tool

Consumer behaviour business Circana has created a tool to support assortment planning in the retail sector.

News24 October 2024

Funds for first-party data quality measurement platform Data Quality Co-Op

Data Quality Co-op, a platform to measure data quality in market research, has attracted $1.25m in funding to back its development.

News24 October 2024

Hightouch expands into CTV measurement

Customer data platform Hightouch is expanding into connected television advertising measurement.

News24 October 2024

Researchers predict synthetic responses will dominate in coming years

The majority of market researchers surveyed by Qualtrics agree that synthetic responses will comprise over half of all data collection within three years, according to an annual industry trends report from the business.

Feature23 October 2024

Gen Z and the search for control

As Gen Z finds their feet in adulthood, they balance bold innovation with a yearning for tradition and stability in an ever-changing world. 

News23 October 2024

Census Bureau funding cut would come at ‘exactly the wrong time’, say campaigners

A proposed cut to funding for the US Census Bureau could adversely affect the next population census in 2030, a group of organisations including research bodies, businesses and charities has warned.

News23 October 2024

UK to invest £22m in smart data services

Smart Data Research UK will invest £22m in data services to allow researchers to access new forms of smart data.

News23 October 2024

AI customer insight platform Strella launches with $4m investment

New York-based software company Strella has secured $4M in seed funding to launch its AI-based customer research platform.

News23 October 2024

Understanding of AI 'lagging behind' in UK, finds Savanta study

The UK is lagging behind other major economies, including Germany, the Netherlands and the US, in its understanding and use of AI, according to research by Savanta for creative company House 337.

News22 October 2024

Obituary: Mary Goodyear

Mary Goodyear, co-founder of Market Behaviour Limited ( MBL), has died. She was 81.

News22 October 2024

New board of directors appointed at Dynata

Dynata has established a new board of directors, including former Nielsen chief executive Mitch Barns and Kantar Media exec Manish Bhatia.

Opinion22 October 2024

Between a rock and a hard place: Navigating instability

In uncertain times, how do you build resilience? And how do you manage change?

News22 October 2024

Elixirr acquires Hypothesis

US-based insights and strategy firm Hypothesis has been acquired by UK consulting firm Elixirr for an undisclosed amount.

News22 October 2024

Brandwatch names global president

Social media intelligence firm Brandwatch, part of consumer and media intelligence business Cision, has appointed Channing Ferrer as global president.

News22 October 2024

Ipsos launches accessibility service ahead of EU law changes

Ipsos has partnered with digital accessibility firm CurbCutOS to release accessible user experience ( UX) audit services to help businesses meet changes in EU legislation.

News21 October 2024

Strat7 Incite makes four promotions

Strategic research and planning consultancy Strat7 Incite has named four promotions within its services practice, including John Tearle as head of the department.

News21 October 2024

Criteria Fieldwork moves to employee ownership

Fieldwork agency Criteria Fieldwork Ltd has become an employee-owned business.

Opinion21 October 2024

Don't neglect the insight sector's USPs

By primarily focusing on speed and cost in the AI gold rush, the industry collectively risks commoditising its principal USPs and tools of competitive advantage.

News21 October 2024

YouGov Profiles adds audience activation feature

Online research data and analytics group YouGov has added an audience planning feature to its YouGov Profiles media planning platform.

News21 October 2024

The Strategic Counsel and SRG merge

Toronto-based research consultancies The Strategic Counsel and Solutions Research Group ( SRG) have merged. 

News21 October 2024

Cheesbrough to rejoin NatCen as director of Policy Research Centre

Katie McQuater

The National Centre for Social Research ( NatCen) has appointed Sarah Cheesbrough of IFF Research as director of NatCen’s Policy Research Centre, effective from spring 2025.

News18 October 2024

MRII and University of Georgia agree AMAI partnership

MRII and the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education have partnered with the Mexican Association of Market Intelligence and Opinion Agencies to make its Principles Express courses available in Mexico and Latin America.

News18 October 2024

One Inch Whale acquires iVisual Services

Market research agency One Inch Whale has acquired iVisual Services and incorporated its colour system into its insights.

News18 October 2024

Cambri raises €8m in funding

Artificial intelligence consumer insights and innovation platform Cambri has closed an €8m funding round.

News18 October 2024

Dentsu founds London R&D lab

Media firm Dentsu UK and Ireland has launched an R&D studio in London to support innovation in areas such as AI, virtual and augmented reality, data analytics and blockchain.

News17 October 2024

Intersectoral researcher mobility 'vital' to boost economy

More mobility of researchers across academia and industry is needed to strengthen the research and innovation system in the UK, according to a report from The National Centre for Universities and Business ( NCUB).

Feature17 October 2024

Insights on authenticity from MRSpride: 'Researchers have an obligation to tell those stories'

Liam Kay-McClean

Brands including E45, Durex and Sloggi took to the stage at the recent MRSpride Show Up Insights Summit, showcasing research and campaigns focused on LGBTQ+ community and interests. Authenticity and engagement from brands were key issues.

News17 October 2024

Marketing budgets stall ahead of autumn budget

Uncertainty over the impending autumn budget has prompted caution from marketers, the most recent IPA Bellwether report suggests.

News17 October 2024

Yonder Data Solutions launches two 65+ age quotas

Fieldwork and data collection agency Yonder Data Solutions has implemented new age quotas with the aim of improving inclusivity and representation of the 65+ demographic in market research.

News17 October 2024

Focus Insights appoints Emea chief client officer

Market research and consumer insights consultancy Focus Insights has appointed Abhi Roy as chief client officer for the Emea ( Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, based in the UK office.

News16 October 2024

Cereal Partners Worldwide launches generative AI analytics tool

Breakfast cereal maker Cereal Partners Worldwide ( CPW), a joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills, has implemented a generative AI assistant.

News16 October 2024

RIWI agrees deal to acquire TheoremReach

Market research platform and prediction technology firm RIWI has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire survey monetisation platform TheoremReach.

Feature16 October 2024

Q&A: How Savanta is approaching the need for control and 'real-world' audiences

Katie McQuater

Tatenda Musesengwa, VP of audiences at Savanta, discusses the company’s new app-based panel and the experience and quality problems facing research.

News16 October 2024

Consistency builds stronger brands, suggests System1 and IPA study

Creative consistency in advertising bolsters the potential for long-term brand-building, according to an analysis by System1.

News16 October 2024

Ipsos cuts growth estimates for 2024 as revenue stalls in Q3

Liam Kay-McClean

Ipsos’ third quarter revenue growth has stalled at 0.5% with revenue growth expectations scaled back for the rest of 2024, according to an update from the company on its financial performance in the third quarter of 2024.

News16 October 2024

YouGov names UK CEO

Liam Kay-McClean

International online research data and analytics technology group YouGov has appointed William Ullstein as its first UK chief executive officer.

News15 October 2024

Two leadership promotions at Cint

Restech business Cint has promoted Michelle Darcy Clarke and Hind Moussaoui into the company’s c-suite.

News15 October 2024

Smart Data Foundry partners with RDS

Financial industry insights firm Smart Data Foundry and public sector data organisation Research Data Scotland have partnered to help researchers securely access public sector and financial data.

News15 October 2024

Bilendi & respondi expands into UX with Tandemz deal

Data collection company Bilendi & respondi has acquired Tandemz, a specialist in user experience ( UX) tester recruitment.

News15 October 2024

Confidence in household finances drops for year ahead

British consumers are more pessimistic about their household finances over the next year, with confidence declining by 2.2 points, according to YouGov and the Cebr.

News14 October 2024

Baby Boomers more likely to shop sustainably than Gen Z, finds Savanta study

Gen Z are more likely to talk about supporting sustainable shopping but less likely than older generations to actually follow through on sustainable shopping behaviours, according to research from Savanta.

News14 October 2024

Survey Futures early career impact award winners named

Eight early career researchers working in social research are set to be recognised at the Survey Futures Early Career Impact Awards in London this week, hosted by the Royal Statistical Society.

Opinion14 October 2024

Lorna Tilbian: Life lessons

To mark the last issue of Impact, Lorna Tilbian reflects on 10 lessons learned from 40 years of observing the stock market.

News14 October 2024

Several promotions at Behaviorally

Consumer behaviour firm Behaviorally has made several promotions, including Thomas Kim to director of its centre of excellence.

News14 October 2024

AudienceProject makes senior hire for UK team

Audience measurement company AudienceProject has appointed Martin Radford as solutions director UK.

News11 October 2024

Ebco Trends joins Dig Insights

Consumer insights company Dig Insights has acquired strategic trends and innovation agency Ebco Trends for an undisclosed sum.

News11 October 2024

SurveyMonkey launches new survey capabilities

Online survey and forms business SurveyMonkey has released a series of new analysis, sharing and collaboration features.

News11 October 2024

Blue Yonder names statistics and automation director

Market research company Blue Yonder has appointed James Godfrey as senior director of statistics and automation.

News11 October 2024

Kantar Media appoints head of measurement strategy for North America

Audience measurement business Kantar Media has named Yee Pang as head of measurement strategy, North America, which is a newly-created role at the company.

Advertisement feature11 October 2024

The Story So Far: Customer Salience Summit and Insights

Have you heard of the ‘customer gap’? It’s a variation of the well-known ‘say-do’ dilemma that describes a consistently significant difference between intention and action; working on that same principle, the customer gap also implies that achieving customer centricity or salience is a harder task than we first thought.

News10 October 2024

Belinda Beeftink to retire from IPA

Liam Kay-McClean

Belinda Beeftink, research director at the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, will retire at the end of this year.

News10 October 2024

Researchers must address 'challenge' of AI-generated responses

Katie McQuater

AI-generated responses are threatening the validity of qualitative analysis, and it is key for early-career researchers to build their knowledge to navigate AI in the industry, according to speakers at the MRS &more conference.

News10 October 2024

Delphi Group launches AI adoption report

Liam Kay-McClean

Keeping the ‘human in the loop’ and embracing experimentation are two of the five guiding principles of adopting generative AI successfully into research practice, the latest report from MRS Delphi Group has said.

News10 October 2024

Angus Reid names former Ipsos Canada leader as board chairman

Market research and consumer insights company Angus Reid Group has appointed Gary Bennewies as chairman of the board, replacing Angus Reid in the role.

Feature10 October 2024

Generating discussion: Data protection and AI

Kaleke Kolawole

An Information Commisioner's Office consultation is examining the relationship between generative artificial intelligence and data protection law.

News10 October 2024

Schlesinger returns to lead Sago as CEO departs

Liam Kay-McClean

Sago, formerly Schlesinger Group, has reappointed Steve Schlesinger as chief executive officer following Reed Cundiff’s resignation from the role, effective immediately.

News9 October 2024

Culture of learning key to measuring marketing effectiveness

To measure marketing effectiveness in a world where data and advertising are becoming more fragmented, marketers must adopt a ‘learning culture’ rather than seeking a ‘silver bullet’, according to a report published by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising ( IPA).

News9 October 2024

Attain makes two hires

Commerce data platform Attain has appointed Rachel Conforti as senior vice-president of business marketing and Dave Constantino as senior vice-president of business development.

Feature9 October 2024

Treading the line: Should MRX companies work with controversial clients?

Liam Kay-McClean

There are countless grey areas in what businesses could be considered immoral and which pass the ethics test. How do you navigate working with controversial clients or sectors?

News9 October 2024

Kantar and Affectiva extend partnership

Emotion artificial intelligence firm Affectiva has renewed its partnership with Kantar to provide attention and emotional insights and work together on facial coding.

News9 October 2024

NIQ adds 15,000 households to UK Homescan sample

Consumer intelligence company NIQ has doubled the size of UK Homescan sample for its Consumer Panel Service to 30,000 households.

News9 October 2024

IAS launches TikTok ad measurement tools

Media measurement and optimisation platform Integral Ad Science has expanded its Total Media Quality tool for TikTok to more than 75 countries.

News9 October 2024

Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield win Nobel Prize for machine learning work

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 has been awarded to Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield for their work building the foundations of machine learning.

News8 October 2024

Metric launched to track inclusivity of ads

Technology platform Extreme Reach ( XR) and media business The Female Quotient have partnered to develop a metric to measure inclusion in advertising and creative content.

News8 October 2024

Rival and Reach3 Insights extend conversational research

Sister insight agencies Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights have developed a mobile-first conversational tool for market research.

News8 October 2024

Communication key to internal influence within brands, insight leaders tell conference

Liam Kay-McClean

Insight teams must better encourage stakeholders to use their research if they are to make the voice of the customer central to decision-making, last week's FlexMR Customer Salience Summit heard.

News8 October 2024

TMRE postponed due to hurricane

The Market Research Event ( TMRE), set to take place this week in Orlando, Florida, has been postponed due to the hurricane forecast to hit the region. 

News8 October 2024

Former Bumble research director joins The Forge

London and Amsterdam-based strategy consultancy The Forge has appointed Angelica Quintero-Serrano as director in its analytics practice.

Opinion7 October 2024

Marmite measurement: Moving beyond one-number brand scores

One-number scores can quantify brand equity, but often fail to provide insights on how to grow it.

News7 October 2024

OvationMR buys Ethos

Insight agency OvationMR has acquired qualitative research platform Ethos as it looks to expand its on-demand insights.

News7 October 2024

Nudging in the right direction: Insight from the Behavioural Science Summit

Liam Kay-McClean

Communicating with cancer patients at diagnosis and encouraging smokers to eschew littering were key takeaways from the recent MRS Behavioural Science Summit.

News7 October 2024

Currys data chief joins Cynozure board

Data, analytics and AI business Cynozure has appointed Susie Moan to its advisory board.

News7 October 2024

Research Live awards finalists and judges announced for 2024

The Market Research Society has announced the finalists for the Research Live awards for 2024, including the categories of agency of the year, best place to work and innovation of the year.

News4 October 2024

Tapestry promotes three

Market research agency Tapestry has promoted three of its senior managers to directors.

News4 October 2024

Boxclever names research director

Research agency Boxclever has promoted Christina Tarbotton to research director.

News4 October 2024

Nexxt Intelligence adds voice and video to AI platform

Toronto-based research technology and AI business Nexxt Intelligence has added voice and video capabilities to its Inca conversational AI platform.

News4 October 2024

YouGov renews MRSpride sponsorship

YouGov has renewed its agreement to be principal sponsor of MRSpride, the market research sector network for LGBTQ+ people.

Feature3 October 2024

Colin Strong in seven: "It is little wonder that people are rethinking what ‘being human’ means"

In the last of the In Seven series, published in Impact magazine, Colin Strong, head of behavioural science at Ipsos, responds to questions about humanity's place in the world, behavioural science and how research can elevate how it is perceived. 

News3 October 2024

Leadership change at Savanta

Katie McQuater

Savanta’s global chief executive Roger Perowne has stepped down from the role, with Americas chief Vin DeRobertis succeeding Perowne in the global position.

News3 October 2024

Traditional news increases advertising attention, eye-tracking research finds

Katie McQuater

Traditional news drives stronger levels of interest and engagement than soft news, which translates into higher levels of attention paid to advertising placed nearby, according to a study by media platform Teads and attention technology company Lumen Research.

News3 October 2024

Brandwatch launches guide to consumer intelligence maturity

Social insights business Brandwatch has developed a consumer intelligence maturity model that seeks to help businesses better integrate consumer insight across teams.

News3 October 2024

Dentsu expands business transformation practice to UK&I

In the UK and Ireland, advertising network Dentsu has established a business transformation practice, BX, combining data, insights, customer experience and creativity.

News3 October 2024

Firefish Group becomes B Corp certified

Insight consultancy Firefish Group, comprised of Firefish, Firefish Data and The Pineapple Lounge, has become a B Corp.

Opinion2 October 2024

The more things change, the more they stay the same

A study from 1946, recently found in the Route offices, has uncovered insights about media measurement that endure to this day. By Denise Turner.

News2 October 2024

Value of the top 75 UK firms falls, finds BrandZ

There has been a 5% decline in the combined value of the top 75 most valuable UK brands, according to Kantar’s BrandZ rankings.

News2 October 2024

Head of quant joins The Nursery

Brand and communications research agency The Nursery Research & Planning has appointed Alex Sowash as head of quantitative research.

News2 October 2024

MRS launches survey on research sector diversity and inclusion

The Market Research Society has launched a survey on individuals’ experiences of equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging in the market research industry, to assess the sector's progress on diversity.

News2 October 2024

Debrah Harding featured in Insight250

Debrah Harding, managing director, MRS, has been named as one of this year’s Insight250, published by Esomar and MTab.

News1 October 2024

A new relationship: Key themes from MRS B2B Research Conference

Liam Kay-McClean

The use of AI, the future of the agency-client model and the role of incentives were all part of the discussion at the MRS B2B Research Conference last week. 

News1 October 2024

Leadership change at Zappi as Aaron Kechley appointed CEO

Katie McQuater

Steve Phillips, founder and chief executive at consumer insights software business Zappi, is stepping down as chief executive of the company, with Aaron Kechley taking up the role, effective from today ( 1st October).

News1 October 2024

Truth Consulting launches futures offer

Insights and strategy consultancy Truth Consulting has appointed Bridget Dalton as head of its new division Truth Futures.

News1 October 2024

New COO joins Human8

Global insight consultancy Human8 has appointed Peter Teachman as chief operating officer, effective immediately.