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Game company Roblox Corporation is to open up its platform to video advertisers, allowing them to reach those of its community of 71.5 million daily users who are aged thirteen and above. The firm has announced Kantar and Integral Ad Science (IAS) as its initial measurement partners. More
In the UK,strategic insight agency Opinium has named ten more staff members as equity partners,as it aims for eventual 50% employee ownership. More
In Toronto, marketing and analytical services company Environics Analytics (EA) has announced an agreement making it the sole provider in Canada of the products and services of data collaboration platform LiveRamp. More
Kantar has announced a partnership with attention-based media quality measurement specialist Adelaide, enriching the outputs from the former's LIFT and LIFT+ products. More
Tel Aviv-based digital market intelligence firm Similarweb has appointed Nielsen veteran Susan Dunn as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), based in Atlanta, GA and responsible for driving revenue growth as well as overseeing the company's global Go-To-Market organization. More
Gartner has announced results for the first quarter of 2024, with revenue up 4.6% (FX neutral) to $1.473bn, and adjusted EBITDA of $382m, up 1.7% on the same basis. More
In the US, ad tech platform Infillion has relaunched MediaMath, the DSP and data management firm whose assets it acquired out of bankruptcy last summer. More
Insight-driven marcoms agency The Bliss Group has expanded its operations to the UK, opening a London office to serve its professional and financial services, healthcare, tech and 'impact' clients. More
The Tesco Media & Insight Platform, which combines the British supermarket's loyalty card data and in-store insights with the expertise of its subsidiary dunnhumby, has appointed former Amazon exec Steve Edwards as Head of Agency, and former Pinterest man Russell Franklin as Head of Client Bus Dev. More
Kantar has promoted Simon Atherley to head up its yearling marketing effectiveness practice, alongside Kantar Insights UK MD Dom Boyd. More
London-based consumer research company GWI has launched its Respondent Level Data (RLD) on the Snowflake Marketplace, giving users access to anonymised, unaggregated consumer data for advanced analytics. More
Kantar Media has promoted Rachel Macey to serve as Managing Director, TGI & Insight, UK and Ireland, replacing Sarah Sanderson who is stepping down. The firm has also promoted Trevor Vagg to Director, Insight, leading Kantar Media's Insight and Sport teams. More
British firm STRAT7 Jigsaw has promoted Sarah McKee to the role of Managing Director, taking over the day-to-day running of the business from founders Ann Morgan and Sue Van Meeteren, who will move to focus on key accounts and improving collaboration between Jigsaw and other STRAT7 Group companies. More
In Toronto, Canada, consumer insights and cross-platform audience measurement provider Vividata has announced a strategic partnership with data solutions and data science company Consumer Orbit. A new company and two new products are the immediate results of this collaboration. More
WPP has issued a first quarter trading update, with like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs down 1.6% to £2.69bn. CEO Mark Read said the results were in line with expectations, reflecting tough comparatives, and that the firm 'remains on track to return to growth in the balance of the year'. More
In the US, Dylan Mabin is leaving out of home (OOH) audience measurement body Geopath, after sixteen years with the organisation and three as its President. He will stay until a replacement has been recruited and onboarded. More
Digital music pioneer Spotify has relinquished its membership of the IAB, according to reports. The company with the largest global audio ad-supported revenue is therefore no longer certified for podcast audience measurement, but says it is 'taking a pause' and 'remains committed to the IAB mission'. More
Kantar, has appointed James Lavell in the new role of Chief Commercial Officer for its Profiles Division - the group's Centre of Expertise for panel management as well as home to its portfolio of custom research services. More
In New York, audio research and analytics platform Veritonic has announced an integration with mobile marketing analytics and attribution platform AppsFlyer, giving the former's audio attribution solution seamless access to real-time data on in-app conversion actions across mobile devices. More
Purchase transaction insights firm Behaviorally has partnered with China-based eCommerce giant Alibaba to offer the former's pack testing products on the latter's TMIC (Tmall Innovation Center) platform, allowing users to assess the impact of packaging design and eCommerce visuals in the country. More
Marcoms network Stagwell, which owns the Harris Poll and Harris X brands as well as Maru Group, has opened its new EMEA headquarters in London's Blue Fin Building on the South Bank. More
Ipsos has reported continued solid growth in the first quarter of the year, with revenue up 4.5% in organic terms, to EUR 557.5m. The EMEA and Asia Pacific regions led the way with revenue up more than 9% in each case (organic) while the Americas saw a 3.2% decline. More
UK insight agency Simpson Carpenter has appointed Alexander Holmes as Senior Research Director with expertise in Automotive, Digital Entertainment and Tech, while Martyn Turze joins as Research Director heading up a new specialist sector, Sports. More
Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of legendary ad agency Ogilvy UK, has joined creative effectiveness platform DAIVID in the capacity of Strategic Advisor. More
Comscore has partnered with consumer engagement specialist Thece to track viewers' attention to livestreaming ads, and with marketing automation platform iZooto to deliver precise traffic and revenue insights to its publisher clients. More
Panel company Intra Research has appointed Helle Raun Oddershede as its new CEO, taking over from Marina Moshenska who moves into the role of Chief Operating Officer. More
AI-based consumer research platform Bounce Insights has brought in Aaron Peck as Regional Commercial Director, North America, as it expands into the US. The company has also added Ian Kiernan to its board as Non-Executive Director. More
Manchester-based startup North AI has secured £280,000 grant funding from the UK's Innovation Agency, and a further £300,000 in a round led by SFC Capital. The firm provides an AI-powered predictive insights platform for the media and entertainment industry. More
Snap Inc, parent of photo sharing app Snapchat, has announced a partnership and integration with app marketplace Snowflake, promising its advertisers encrypted, privacy-safe and effective ad solutions and signal measurement. Snap also has a new measurement partnership with AppsFlyer. More
Global consumer health company Haleon, the firm behind brands such as Sensodyne and Centrum, has appointed Geoff Painter as Global Head of Consumer Business Insights and Analytics. More
Manchester, UK-based product intelligence platform Vypr has appointed Glenn Porter as Chief Commercial Officer. More
Australia-based Out-of-Home tracking and measurement specialist Veridooh has appointed Nick Parker, formerly Global COO of WPP agency Kinetic, as its Global President, charged with driving the firm's expansion info new markets. More
Ipsos has announced senior role extensions for five employees in its qualitative division Ipsos UU, in India, as it gears up for product launches and 'ambitious growth targets'. The five are Sapna Parmar, Neha Dutta, Shelly Jain, Geetika Singh and Ashwini Sirsikar. More
In New Jersey, USA, healthcare reputation management and patient feedback solutions firm rater8 has closed a Series A round of funding, for use in expanding its market reach to medical practices and hospitals of all types and sizes, and growing its team. More
Marketing intelligence software company Proxima has closed a $12m Series A round of funding. Money will be used to further develop its technology platform, including AI-powered feature development, as well as recruitment for its tech and commercial teams. More
In the US, the 'Joint Industry Committee' (JIC) formed in January 2023 to provide more rapid accreditation of ad currency providers than the MRC has awarded full certification to Comscore and VideoAmp, but delayed a final decision on iSpot until June. More
Consumer information and credit reporting company TransUnion has partnered with researcher MRI-Simmons, promising clients 'improved actionability across the addressable marketing ecosystem'. More
In the US, unified customer experience management platform Sprinklr has announced fourth quarter and full year results for the period ended January 31st 2024. Q4 revenue was up 17% to $194.2m, while non-GAAP operating income more than doubled to $32.4m. Full year revenue was $732.4m, up 18%. More
In the US, the Media Rating Council (MRC) as issued a joint statement with the 'JIC' set up at the beginning of last year by OpenAP, the Video Advertising Bureau and a group of TV broadcasters - to clarify the distinct roles and approaches of the two bodies. More
Comscore has announced the resignation of Pierre-Andre Liduena from its Board of Directors, effective next week. Liduena had joined following the investment of Charter Communications in 2021. More
Media measurement and optimisation platform Integral Ad Science (IAS) has announced a partnership with photo sharing pioneer Snap Inc., promising advertisers increased transparency, brand safety and suitability across their Snapchat campaigns. More
In London, Havas Media Network UK has joined cross-media measurement initiative Origin, completing the representation of the global marcoms networks within the programme. There are now 51 funding stakeholders in total including advertisers, media owners and advertising agencies. More
Australian owned agency TKW Research Group has launched a new call centre in Suva, Fiji, promising 'CATI-quality data at online survey prices'. More
WPP-owned ad agency VML is to upgrade its proprietary digital commerce tech and retailer intelligence suite via a partnership with retail ecommerce management platform CommerceIQ. The latter's generative and predictive AI will help VML to optimize clients' digital shelf performance. More
Consumer intelligence specialist NIQ - previously Nielsen IQ - has appointed former TransUnion exec R. Dane Mauldin as Chief Transformation Officer. He replaces Curtis Miller, who moves into the role of Chief Strategy Officer. More
Nielsen has announced an agreement with ridesharing network Lyft, to measure the audience for the latter's in-app advertisements delivered through Lyft Media. More
In the US, Comscore has been granted accreditation by the Media Rating Council (MRC) for the Total Household Rating and Average Audience estimates in both its national and local TV Time Based Grid reports. The award means Comscore is currently the only company accredited for its local TV measurement. More
US firm Decision Analyst has promoted Bonnie Janzen to President, taking over the role from founder Jerry W. Thomas, who continues to serve as CEO More
Market Research charity the MRBA has three days to run on its 2024 auction. Bidding for two tickets to Taylor Swift's sold-out Eras tour (Wembley Stadium concert, August) currently stands at £1,500, but those with more modest budgets can bid for bottles, days / meals out and other items. More
Customer journey management and insights firm TheyDo, based in Amsterdam, has secured $34m in funding, with which to increase R&D - focused on AI and data ingestion - and build out its customer-facing team in the US. More
Birmingham, UK-based qual insights platform Voxpopme has a new CEO. Andy Barraclough is a co-founder of the firm and until now served as its CTO. He succeeds Lonnie Mayne, who moves to the role of Chairman of the Board. More
Former ORC and Join the Dots / InSites Consulting exec Edward Wheeler has joined BVA BDRC as Head of Business Development. More
Consumer and B2B research agency 2CV has promoted Sabine Cronick to the role of CEO of UK/EU, and James Redden to CEO of US and APAC. More
Personalized shopping experience company Fermat, based in San Francisco, has more than doubled its funding to date with a $17m raise. The firm's software allows users to launch, test and optimize web pages based on individual customer journeys and the preferences and intentions they reveal. More
In the UK, Samsung's advertising division has become the first CTV backer of Origin, the ISBA's cross-media measurement programme. More
Attention measurement specialist Amplified Intelligence has teamed up with photo sharing app Snapchat and media agency OMD to assess how audiences engage with Snapchat's augmented reality (AR) Lenses. More
Comscore's programmatic ad targeting division Proximic has partnered with advertising and martech group Epsilon, providing contextual classification of sites to help the latter's clients monitor issues like brand suitability and inventory quality. More
Former Dynata Chief Gary Laben has joined retail and consumer goods analytics and inventory optimisation firm Trax, as CEO. More
UK television and video ad currency provider Barb has announced a major upgrade to its CFlight cross-media campaign reporting service. The tool now promises advertisers and agencies comprehensive campaign performance data against fourteen key traded audience groups. More
In the US, media measurement and optimization firm Prescient AI has secured $10m in Series A funding, with which to further develop its product, expand sales and add new media channel integrations. It has also enhanced its attribution model to measure the halo effects of campaigns on sales in the Amazon marketplace. More
Australia marketing advisory, strategy and analytics company Forethought has appointed Diane Shelton and Andrew Slot as Joint Managing Directors, effective immediately. Shelton is a former CEO returning to the firm, while ten-year company veteran Slot has been serving as Interim MD for the past year. More
In London, Verve has announced the promotion of its former Joint Head of Insight Richard Preedy to the newly created role of Executive Director and Head of Artificial Intelligence. The firm is 'relaunching' itself to emphasize its focus on 'three intelligences': Artificial, Human and Cultural. More
Australia's Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) is to expand its regional audience surveys, conducted by Xtra Insights, to include more markets this year, while for the first time CATI surveys will be supplemented by the launch of online survey sampling in eight markets. More
UK audience measurement authority Barb has promoted Caroline Baxter to Chief Operating Officer, with a remit to work alongside CEO Justin Sampson on driving the organisation's move towards cross-device measurement and total campaign performance reporting. More
Customer data science pioneer dunnhumby has partnered with location analytics specialist Placer.ai in the US to provide retailers and CPG companies with a combination of on-and off-line customer insights and personalize customer communications and experiences. More
In London, brand lift measurement company ThisThat has secured an unspecified amount of funding from four founders of unicorn companies, in addition to other funds and angel investors. More
Global MR and data group YouGov has announced the rebranding of its Swiss subsidiary LINK, acquired in December 2021, as YouGov Switzerland. More
US-based data firm J.D. Power has completed the acquisition of Autovista Group, which provides automotive data, analytics and industry insights in Europe and Australia, from asset management firm Hayfin Capital Management. Autovista CEO Lindsey Roberts becomes President of J.D. Power Europe. More
NIQ, the consumer intelligence company previously part of Nielsen and now combined with GfK, has launched a Global Media Division, which it says is 'designed to enhance the value advertisers derive from their marketing efforts' - and has appointed Lana Busignani to lead it. More
PAMCo, the company which oversees audience figures for British newspapers and magazines, has appointed Emma Holden as Acting MD after the departure of CEO of ten years Simon Redican. More
London-based APL Media is integrating the technology of US-based feedback software firm Social Asking, aiming to 'bring cutting-edge AI to audience engagement' and allow brands to understand their audience in real time. A new division of APL will serve as Social Asking's lead (UK) sales agent. More
Rakuten Insight Global has announced the integration of Singpass, Singapore's national digital identity, as part of its proprietary panel verification process. More
Ipsos has launched InnoExplorer, which uses generative and analytical AI to help clients accelerate innovation cycles 'from months to days' and improve success rates. More
Leap day - also apparently known as Rare Disease Day - sees the launch of a new insights company, PatientSight, operating a subscription based platform connecting life science organizations with survey findings for rare disease patients, analyzed and displayed in dashboards. More
Brand tracking specialist Tracksuit has raised $13.5m in Series A funding, which it will use for its official launch in the US and UK markets, and to expand its research and platform capabilities. More
In the US, former Ipsos execs Dana Keilman and Nicole Munsey have launched Morning Light Strategy, which will provide insights and strategic guidance for clients looking to drive growth in the 50+ market. More
Marcoms group Stagwell has reported full year 2023 revenue of $2.53bn, down 6% year on year, and adjusted EBITDA of $360m, down 20%. However the company reports strong new business, good growth in EMEA and for its Marketing Cloud suite, and is forecasting a return to growth in 2024. More
In a deal described as 'a world-first industry collaboration between media industry measurement bodies', OzTAM audience data for BVOD - the streaming and catch-up services offered by TV broadcasters - is to be integrated into Ipsos iris, the approved currency of IAB Australia. More
In the US, Allison Wilt and Steve Ingledew have launched ContextualY, a specialist B2B research agency whose four founding Principals between them boast more than a hundred years of experience supporting technology clients and stakeholders. More
In Antwerp, Belgium, design-tech company iVisual has launched AI-based branding and packaging intelligence technology which it says will 'transform the way companies develop branding and packaging'. The new firm has appointed Julie Dumoulin as its CEO. More
Comscore has upgraded its Campaign Ratings (CCR) service to extend deduplicated audience measurement to the local market level, and says that for the first time CCR will integrate national and local linear TV, digital, streaming and social channels. More
Ipsos has reported organic, constant currency revenue growth of 8.8% for the fourth quarter of 2023, and 3% for the full year, with operating profit stable at an all-time high of 13.1%. More
In Glasgow, Scotland, former RBS and YouGov Sport exec Bruce Cook has launched SponsorLab, a new sponsorship measurement tool for sponsors, agencies and rights holders. More
New York-based audio analytics and research platform Veritonic has partnered with computer vision and attention AI company Realeyes to launch the Audio Attention Report, putting data behind the untapped potential of radio and podcast audio advertising. More
Longtime Ipsos exec and current Global Head of Audience Measurement Liz Landy is to leave the company at the end of this month. Daniel Wong-Chi-Man will step up to Lead the Audience Measurement Service Line globally, while Ipsos iris leader James Oates will add responsibility for the business in the UK. More
Nielsen has announced that its Pacific Broadcaster & Publisher Lead Tony Boyte will be stepping down in April, to be replaced by eighteen-year company veteran Scott Gillham. More
In San Francisco, consumer insights, marketing strategy and training firm Ignite 360 has announced that founder and Chairman Rob Volpe will resume his role as CEO from next week, as current Chief Lisa Osborne leaves for an insights leadership role at a healthcare nonprofit. More
Toronto, Canada-based gaming industry analytics and infrastructure provider Helika has completed an $8m Series A funding round, for use in accelerating the launch of its AI-powered Game Management products. More
Packaging, NPD and shopper specialist PRS IN VIVO has appointed Richard Bordenave as global Chief Behavioral Officer. More
In the US, broadcasting and publishing network Nexstar Media Group has appointed Stacey Lynn Schulman as its first EVP, Platform Marketing and Intelligence. More
GroupM's new data / audience planning agency EssenceMediacom has formed a dedicated data, technology and analytics function to 'deliver business solutions to clients in the post-cookie era'. Poorani Adewole transfers in from Mindshare to lead the unit as Chief of Data, Technology and Analytics. More
Sydney-based CRNRSTONE, the research and data division of comms agency Bastion, has appointed Nathan Saville, formerly COO of Pollinate, as General Manager. More
B2B purchase intent data specialist TechTarget has announced a partnership with software review and assessment site G2, to help B2B enterprise technology buyers through the purchase cycle. More
In the UK, audience measurement body Barb has awarded the contract for a new piece of research, the CFlight Landscape Study, to insights consultancy BVA BDRC. The work will help barb to estimate TV audience size and profile for various platforms and to understand the dynamics of household VOD consumption. More
In the US, technology researcher Forrester has reported full year 2023 revenue of $480.8m, down 11% on 2022. Adjusted net income was $36.6m, down from $47.2m a year earlier. More
Australian market research technology platform Glow is developing its sustainability metric the Social Responsibility Score (SRS) as a standardized, cross-industry initiative and says it is currently being integrated into the offerings of Kantar, PwC Australia and other research and advisory businesses. More
Canada-based sister firms Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights have appointed Kristine Steuart as Chairperson and two new members for the Board, Ipsos veteran Gary Bennewies and serial entrepreneur Brian Craig. Meanwhile Paula Catoira, who in a previous employment was Steuart's Chief of Staff, is promoted to CMO. More
Consumer research platform GWI has partnered with Dynata to launch a solution called GWI Audience Activation, offering end-to-end marketing including segmentation, profiling, planning and activation, for pre-built or bespoke segments using the firms' global audience data. More
Technology consulting firm Gartner has reported full year revenue of $5.9bn, up 8%, and adjusted EBITDA of $1.5bn, up 2% after allowing for currency changes. Revenue growth slowed again and EBITDA fell slightly in the fourth quarter. More
Ipsos has appointed Ziad Issa as the new Media CEO in the MENA region, succeeding Elie Aoun who has decided to step down after 32 years at the company. More
Tel Aviv-based Octup, which provides an operational AI-driven ecommerce insights platform, has raised $4m in a Pre-Seed funding round, with which to roll out its end-to-end discovery platform for ecommerce, add talent and expand to new markets. More
Real estate consumer intelligence platform Audience Town has secured an unspecified amount of additional funding with which to continue expansion and development of its analytics platform. More
Digital consulting, marketing and tech business Emtec is unifying its businesses and rebranding as Bridgenext. Its services include data, analytics and AI, as well as the creation and measurement of digital experiences. More
Consumer data giant Circana has announced changes to its commercial organisation including the appointment of former CPG sector President Jeremy Allen as Chief Commercial Officer. Tim Bush, currently President, General Merchandise, will retire by the end of the year after two decades at Circana and NPD. More
Nielsen is suing rival TV audience measurement firm VideoAmp for alleged infringement of two recently-issued patents concerned with the correction of viewing data skewed by 'phantom' or 'zombie' viewing. More
Food, facilities and hospitality services provider Sodexo has announced the global launch of an Accelerator Programme with categories for entrepreneurs in data analytics and customer experience. More
Berlin, Germany-based enterprise customer data solutions provider Zeotap has appointed former Deutsche Bank Group CEO Western Europe Frank Krings as a Strategic Advisor, supporting its growth in the EU banking, insurance and asset management industry. Krings has also invested in the company. More
Agile and automated market research platform Zappi has appointed Nataly Kelly as Chief Marketing Officer and promoted Babita Earle from EVP of Global Enterprise Partnerships to International MD. The firm also recently hired Melissa Clucas as CFO. More
Comscore's audience and content targeting solutions division Proximic has been awarded a patent for its livestream contextual intelligence technology, which it says will help publishers monetize their livestream video inventory and increase advertiser confidence in buying it. More
Automated in-home product testing platform Highlight has announced changes to its leadership team, with the appointments of Priyanka Carr as COO and President, and Deirdre Norris as VP of Product. More
French audience metrics company Médiamétrie has announced that its UK subsidiary TAPE Consultancy will be rebranded to operate as part of Glance, its international division. More
In the US. customer experience company Harte Hanks has made permanent the previously Interim CFO role of David Garrison, and appointed David Fisher as Chief Transformation Officer. More
Australia-based insights and data business Pureprofile has announced revenue up 8% to $AUD 24m for the half year ended 31st December, and EBITDA of $AUD 2.4m, up 6% or 21% on a like-for-like basis. More
Origin, a cross-media measurement initiative led by the UK's advertising trade group ISBA has added six more advertiser stakeholders, and says its platform is now 'up and running'. More
Cross-platform viewing analytics company datafuelX has partnered with US consumer insights veteran MRI-Simmons, to enhance the former's device-level TV viewing data sets with the latter's demographic attributes. More
In an apparent volte face after refreshing and reinforcing the brand of its communications agency Hill & Knowlton as recently as November, WPP has announced the company will be merged with the group's other major PR firm BCW, with the combined entity renamed Burson. More
Menlo park, California-based social media video insights and analytics provider ViralMoment has secured $2.5m in a seed round of investment, with which to widen the scope of its video-reading AI. More
In the US, Connected TV ad management and measurement solution MNTN has announced a full integration with marketing analytics platform Rockerbox, promising clients enhanced cross-device measurement and accurate attribution of MNTN's proprietary Verified Visits and business outcomes. More
Manchester-based kids, parents and family specialist The Insights Family has secured a £5.6m investment, with which to continue and accelerate its rapid global growth. More
Former Ipsos and Gartner senior exec Lorenzo Larini has joined Advertising Resource Management (ARM) software firm MINT, headquartered in Milan, as Global CEO. He replaces founder Andrea Pezzi, who moves to a new role as Chairman. More
Consumer data giant Circana, which was formed following the merger of IRI and The NPD Group, has agreed to acquire independent MR firm Golf Datatech, which tracks golf retail activity across the US, the UK, Sweden, France and Germany. More
US-based decentralized data marketplace Masa Network has secured $5.4m in Seed funding, to pursue its goal of 'a fair data economy where you own and profit from your personal data'. More
In London, data-driven CXM company Merkle has launched a dedicated UK and Ireland Salesforce practice, promising clients the tools to optimise their use of data to enhance the customer experience. More
Comscore has announced a comprehensive multi-year agreement with Nexstar Media Group, for cross-platform audience measurement including metrics for Nexstar's local TV, broadcast, network and digital businesses. More
Digital media measurement company DoubleVerify (DV) has promoted Jack Smith to Chief Innovation Officer, and brought in Alex Valle to fill Smith's previous role as Chief Product Officer. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's digital marketing group S4 Capital has issued a trading update following a 'difficult year' in which revenue declined around 4%, and says it does not expect any improvement in macro-economic conditions this year. More
In the US, healthcare MR firm Klein & Partners has announced a strategic alliance with recently-formed brand optimization and corporate strategy specialist thinqinsights. Their stated long-term goal is to merge the two organizations. More
Mainz, Germany-based consumer insights and research tech firm Horizon has partnered with London's Bolt Insight, promising to provide clients with 'dynamic, conversational and behavior-driven consumer data in the pre-market phase'. More
Veteran digital marketing firm Razorfish, a subsidiary of Publicis, has promoted Sisi Zhang to serve as its Chief Data and Analytics Officer, and hired Matt Lefever as COO. More
MR and analytics group YouGov has promoted Tom Fisher to Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), aiming to deepen its relationships with blue-chip clients. More
Media measurement and ad currency giant Nielsen has appointed former Buzzfeed exec Carole Robinson as Chief Communications Officer. More
Nearly two years after US-based Mavrck bought fellow social media marketing company Later, the two companies have united under the acquired firm's brand name. More
Consumer intelligence specialist NIQ has announced a deal with TruAudience, the marketing solutions division of global information and insights company TransUnion, combining FMCG purchase data with identity graph software to offer robust audience modelling. More
London-based Firefish Group has rebranded its quant and data analytics business the numbers lab as 'Firefish Data', reflecting its evolution into an agency delivering 'fully connected, integrated and agile human insights consulting, driven by AI, connected data and new technologies'. More
A new consulting and advisory firm focused on Net Zero and corporate sustainability has been launched in Denver, Colorado. Canopy Edge's offer will include measurement and strategy for science-based targets, ESG reporting and program management, and advice on messaging. More
Consumer intelligence provider NIQ has joined forces with Databricks to develop a Supply Chain Solution for retail clients, combining the latter's Data Intelligence Platform with the former's Connect / Discover platform to promise more accurate demand forecasting and better personalization. More
New York-based customer engagement and CXM platform Emplifi, which grew out of the merger of Astute and Socialbakers, has appointed Ohad Hecht as its new CEO. More
Insights tech and panel provider Toluna has promoted Scott Axcell, formerly Head of Marketing for North America, to Chief Marketing Officer. He also joins the executive leadership team. More
Shanghai-based fieldwork and research services provider Holden Healthcare has welcomed a partner in Korea to its Asia Physician Panel Alliance (APPA). Seoul agency Nownfuture joins existing partners Seed Planning in Japan and The Owl Consulting Company in Taiwan. More
Australia-based data and insights company Pureprofile is opening new offices in Germany and Portugal, its twelfth and thirteenth worldwide; and has appointed Thorsten Hardtke as Business Development Manager for DACH and Ricardo Cordova for Portugal and Spain. More
WPP is examining a possible sale of its remaining stake in Kantar, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg. More
Community-centered CX and insights firm Alida has a new CEO: Efrem Ainsley is promoted from COO to succeed Ross Wainwright, who recently stepped down from the role. More
In Worthington, Ohio, consumer data and insights provider Prosper Insights & Analytics has announced a partnership with business data monetization platform DataPostie, which will make smaller bundles of Prosper's data available on demand via a Consumer Insights Marketplace. More
Marketing decision-making platform Extreme Reach has appointed former TVSquared President Jo Kinsella as Global President of its storytelling platform SourceXR - simultaneously rebranding to 'XR'. More
Audience data and omniscreen measurement tech firm SambaTV has announced a partnership with independent cross-media dataset HyphaMetrics, combining data from the former's opted-in devices and the latter's panel. More
Real-time brand tracking and campaign evaluation firm Delineate has appointed former Publicis Sapient exec James Betteley ('JB') as its new Chief Technology Officer. Former CTO James Stewart transitions to a newly created Chief Operating Officer role. More
European data collection firm Norstat has completed its integration of UK company Panelbase, which assumes the Norstat name as of today. More
Founder Ross McCray is stepping down as CEO of VideoAmp, with former Discovery and Fox exec Peter Liguori joining as Executive Chairman and ex-Nielsen man Peter Bradbury as Chief Commercial and Growth Officer. The company will also cut almost 20% of its staff, according to reports. More
Consumer data giant Experian has announced new partnerships with media marketplace Sonobi and first party commerce data firm Attain. More
The Insights Family, which provides intelligence focused on kids, parents and families, has relocated its Manchester headquarters to a larger space in the city centre, and has launched in the Republic of Ireland - described as its first 'Tier 2' market. More
Manchester, UK-based RealityMine, which monitors consumer use of digital devices for behavioural insights, has promoted Graham Dean to serve as its first Chief AI Officer and Ewan Leith to replace him as Chief Technology Officer. More
Insights group Human8 has announced a change of leadership at its cultural and creative consultancy Space Doctors. Co-founder and MD Fiona McNae will leave the company at the end of this year, after 22 years, to be replaced by Gareth Lewis and Cato Hunt. More
In Minnesota, USA, Stephen Griffiths has joined Post Consumer Brands as Director, Insights & Strategy. More
At fast food chain McDonald's, former VP Global Insights and Analytics Michelle Gansle has been promoted to Chief Data and Analytics Officer. More
Sydney, Australia-based decision intelligence platform SourseAI has raised $AUD 3m in funding, earmarked for development of its AI platform for telcos, and recruitment for its UK team and Australia-based R&D team. More
Consumer data and analytics firm NIQ has announced the launch of NIQ Labs, an innovation center which it says will 'harness the collective power of top-tier talent and capabilities acquired through strategic M&As'. More
TV ad measurement company EDO is to enrich its CTV ad outcomes data via a partnership with Experian, whose demographic attributes data will allow more granular measurement across the major TV platforms and manufacturers. More
London-based digital customer experience agency Great State has promoted Jinny Mitchell-Kent and David Chandler to serve as Joint Managing Directors, effective immediately. They replace and will report to Stuart Avery who steps back into the role of Non-Executive Chairman. More
DRNO's News Editor of seventeen years Mel Crowther passed away last week after a battle with cancer. Mel has been a wonderful colleague and the driving force in making this publication what it is today, as well as a well-loved figure in the industry, and I'm sorry I know her loss will come as a shock to a lot of you. More
In Chicago, fast-growing agency QualSights has appointed Tod Johnson and Karyn Schoenbart to its Board of Directors. More
In New York, commerce intelligence platform MikMak has announced a product upgrade and a partnership with consumer data giant Circana, promising clients data on off-line sales lift from digital marketing, along with help preventing cart abandonment and converting shoppers. More
In Pasadena, California, behavioral and location insights specialist Near Intelligence, Inc. has announced it has entered Chapter 11 proceedings in a US Bankruptcy Court, which will supervise the attempted sale of its assets. More
UK-based pharma researcher Purdie Pascoe has launched a US office and appointed Sabera Hyderally as Head of MedTech. More
New York-based CPG industry customer insight platform Yogi has announced a $10m Series A round of funding, with which to accelerate growth including product development and the expansion of client support. More
Consumer research platform GWI has appointed former OAG tech leader Nick Dearden as CTO, based in its UK headquarters in London. More
Marcoms group Stagwell, the owner of the Harris Poll and Harris X brands as well as Maru Group, has announced European expansion plans with the launch of a 'global hub' office in London next month, and the promotion of James Townsend to serve as its first CEO of EMEA. More
Consumer analytics and market intelligence provider NIQ has promoted Elizabeth Buchanan to serve as President of its North American business, based in Chicago. She replaces Jeanne Danubio, who is retiring after 38 years with the business. More
'In The Moment' emotive analytics firm Blue Yonder Research has been granted a patent in the US, UK and Europe for its Clickscape technology, which links measured emotions to specific moments in real time. More
UK ad currency provider Barb has awarded three contracts for audience measurement services: MetaBroadcast retains the metadata contract and adds the provision of interim overnight programme logs, while Clearcast will provide interim overnight commercial spot logs. More
The Board of Washington, DC-based opinion researcher American Directions Research Group (ADRG) has appointed Kevin M. Kelly as its new Chief Executive, effective immediately. More
In Washington DC, decision intelligence company Morning Consult has hired Noah Rosenberg as Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the company's financial, HR and operations functions. More
In New York, TV ad marketplace FreeWheel has partnered with OrkaTV to provide marketers with a way to buy advertising in the free ad-supported streaming television sector (FAST). More
New Zealand-based customer insights platform Ideally has appointed Simon Gawn to lead Australian operations, reflecting its 'ambitious growth strategy'. More
We are 25! On 29th Nov 1998 the first job ad appeared on mrweb.com. We're celebrating with the relaunch of our directories, under a new brand and with an ambitious new approach; and with Thank You's to our regular advertisers and some special offers for new ones. More
US-based, AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform Relo Metrics has expanded its broadcast viewing and valuation data into the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, as well as Asia Pacific. More
Toronto-based eCommerce analytics platform Birdseye has raised $3m, which it will use to 'significantly bolster' its hiring efforts. More
Stockholm-based affluent and HNWI fieldwork specialist Altiant has appointed Lyndsey Denyer as VP of Client Services, and promoted Meryam Schneider to Chief Marketing Officer. More
European omnichannel advertising company Hawk was announced a strategic partnership with audience data company Samba TV, promising more effective targeting for clients. More
UK-based broadcaster ITV has launched two measurement solutions, Addressable Lift and TV Auction Boost, allowing clients to measure TV ad business outcomes including web traffic, sales and profit. More
Consumer testing platform Stickybeak, which recruits respondents for testing and research through social media platforms, has partnered with online sample marketplace PureSpectrum to ensure clients can reach 'any consumer niche anywhere in the world'. More
Manchester, UK-based data gatherer RealityMine has announced a partnership with US research veteran Bruce Friend, boosting the Stateside push for its recently launched product 'Connect'. More
Jude Olinger, CEO of US research firm the Olinger Group has announced that after three decades he will step down from his role to 'pursue a new opportunity' outside the MR industry. Michael Vasquez, who joined in 2022 as EVP of Client Solutions, is taking over the CEO role. More
Ipsos has promoted Kirstopher Hull to the new role of Executive Vice President and Senior Client Officer of its North America Consumer Products Segment. More
Healthcare industry insights provider Real Chemistry is expanding its European presence, with the addition of four new leaders and the opening of a second UK office, in Manchester, early next year. More
Australia-based data and insights company Pureprofile has announced strong results for the third quarter of 2023, with revenue up 16% to $AUD 12.3m and continuing adjusted EBITDA of $AUD 1.5m, up 36%. More
Ben Marks, the founder and former CEO of London-based youth insight and panel business YouthSight, has set up a new MR agency called Electrify Research, aiming to improve understanding of home-owner decisions on heat pumps, EVs, rooftop solar and other green home options. More
Comscore has reported a 1.9% drop in third quarter revenue to $91.0m; but also improved EBITDA, and net income of $2.6m, compared with a net loss of $52.4m in Q3 2022. More
US-based family entertainment and dining group CEC Entertainment has hired Mark Kupferman as Chief Insights and Marketing Officer for its flagship brand, Chuck E. Cheese and its virtual kitchen brands. He also takes overall responsibility for all insights and research. More
Tiburon, California-based company Jon Peddie Research has launched a consulting division to be known as JPRi. The new unit will provide strategic advice on product pipeline, marketing roadmap, M&A opportunities, and internal efficiency for clients in the Game Tech market. More
Toluna has confirmed its senior team following the June acquisition of MetrixLab. The firm's Chief Sales, Research, Technology and Financial Officers will remain in role while former MetrixLab Global HR Director Hans Verhulst becomes Chief People Officer and Jolique Weelink Chief Insight Officer. More
European data collection group Norstat has handed over management of its research panel in the Republic of Ireland to its newly acquired UK subsidiary Panelbase. More
Tech research and consulting group Gartner has announced third quarter revenue of $1.4bn, up 5.8% or 4.9% at constant currency. Profits were flat with adjusted EBITDA of $333m. More
Consumer data giant Circana has announced an agreement to give clients of marketing tech company The Trade Desk access to its Media Lift solution, providing authenticated audience targeting and multi-retailer measurement. More
Littleton, Colorado-based analytics company Real Estate Business Analytics (REBA) has received an unspecified multi-million dollar growth funding package from Decathlon Capital Partners, and will use the money to drive new product development, expand customer support and grow operations. More
Marcoms group Stagwell, which owns the Harris Poll and Harris X brands as well as Maru Group, has announced a revenue decline of 7% to $618m, for the third quarter of 2023. It has also announced the acquisition of social media marketing solutions provider Movers and Shakers LLC, for c.$15m in cash. More
Vilnius, Lithuania-based consumer data platform provider Syno International has promoted Mantas Stirbys to serve as its Chief Operating Officer. More
UK-based Ascential, the information and analytics company once known as EMAP, has announced it will sell its digital commerce and consumer research units for around £1.4bn, so as to focus on its events business. More
Nielsen has partnered with consumer research platform GWI to launch 'the Nielsen GWI Fusion', promising clients 'more comprehensive insights' into US TV audiences, cross-media behavior and its drivers. More
US research firm SMARI has moved into a new location in the First Internet Bank Building in Downtown Fishers, Indiana. The company is returning to office-based work after a few years 'completely virtual'. More
Cadent, a provider of advanced TV advertising solutions, has announced a partnership with Comscore's programmatic unit Proximic, integrating two of the latter's services into the Cadent Aperture platform. More
In Australia, official television audience measurement body OzTAM has responded to Foxtel's launch last week of its own ad currency service, saying it 'poses the risk of confusion in the market' and that 'the industry has clearly stated that it wants one service to measure Total TV'. More
Digital media measurement and analytics provider DoubleVerify (DV) has announced a partnership with grocery tech company Instacart, allowing advertisers to verify media and optimize performance across the platform. More
Tech consultancy Forrester Research has announced third quarter revenue of $113.4m, down 11.2% from $127.7m a year earlier. The Consulting division reported the biggest fall, down 24.5% to $28.2m. More
UK-based marketing intelligence and programmatic media specialist MiQ has announced a number of senior appointments: Canada CEO Alfie Atkinson adds the role of 'CEO of UK', while Suzanne Strasser Grant, Danny Hopwood and Mauricio Leon join the company in EVP / C-Suite roles. More
In Miami, experience management platform JourneyTrack has been boosted by a $1m investment led by Elevate Capital, to be used to accelerate its product roadmap and scale the business. More
Ipsos has reported third quarter revenue of EUR 588m, representing organic growth of 4.3% and restoring year-to-date organic growth after shrinkage in the first half. All the group's global regions shared in the Q3 growth, with EMEA leading the way. More
WPP has reported third quarter revenue less pass-through costs of $2.837bn, down 0.6% on a like-for-like basis and 5.0% on a reported basis. Declines in North America and China offset growth in the UK, Western Continental Europe and the firm's 'Rest of World' region. More
AI-based creative performance platform VidMob has appointed former OMD and Aegis Media CEO Mainardo de Nardis as Executive Chairman, supporting its growth strategy and strategic agency relationships. More
Anil Hari has joined Code and Theory, the creative digital firm within Stagwell Group, as Head of Data, Analytics and AI. He joins from analytics and cloud solutions company DataFactZ, where he was a VP. More
London-based consultancy Thinks Insight & Strategy has reshaped its leadership structure with co-fonder Ben Shimson stepping into the CEO role; and promoted Richenda Devereux to Operations Partner. More
Kantar has announced a 'broad expansion' of AI capabilities within its brand strategy and creative development portfolio. They include Link subscriptions, to help stretch ad testing budgets; celebrity recognition in Link AI testing; predictive eye tracking; big data for threat detection; and help with 'sonic branding'. More
Toluna has promoted Dixit Chanana to the role of MD for India, including MetrixLab India and with full responsibility for the development of the Indian business of both brands. More
Cross-media audience measurement solution Beatgrid has announced a partnership with marcoms firm PHD Australia, a part of Omnicom. More
In the US, AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform Relo Metrics has announced a strategic partnership with SponsorPulse to offer asset-level validation of sponsorship performance for the National Hockey League (NHL). More
UK TV audience measurement and ad currency body Barb has issued an invitation to tender for its Establishment Survey and panel recruitment contract. The panel will be expanded next year to include 7,000 homes. More
Today sees the launch of Ipsos RISE, which combines the group's corporate reputation and public affairs expertise with AI to provide 'a ground-breaking platform for modern brand, risk and reputation management'. More
Streaming service Netflix has made ad measurement a 'top priority', and will build on a recent partnership with Nielsen in the US to offer similar capabilities to partners in other countries, according to co-CEO Greg Peters. More
Customer and employee experience specialist Medallia has appointed Simonetta Turek as Chief Product Officer and a member of the executive leadership team. More
Neighborhood networking service Nextdoor has launched new solutions to help users measure and optimize ad performance, both on- and off-line. More
Research tech firm SightX has moved its VP Global Commercialization Daryl Maloney McCall to focus on regional growth in Europe and APAC, as its offering and client base in these regions expands. More
In New York, digital video ad and analytics tech firm Innovid has appointed Anthony Callini as CFO, effective today, replacing Tanya Andreev-Kaspin who will 'pursue other opportunities' after a six month transition period. The firm also reported unaudited Q3 revenue of c. $36m, beating forecasts. More
British, tech-based insights and data firm Delineate is moving its headquarters to Ceredigion, on the west coast of Wales, and says it will build its team there to some 50 employees. More
In New York, luxury 'off-price' department store chain Saks Off 5th has appointed former Rakuten CMO Kim Miller as Chief Marketing and Analytics Officer, continuing a senior management restructure with a focus on understanding the customer. More
In Sydney, Nielsen has partnered with audience tech firm Eyeota and synthetic population modeler RDA Research to offer Australian advertisers and marketers enhanced access to its CMV dataset (Consumer and Media View). More
dentsu has announced agreements with seven media partners who will use the global marcoms group's own proprietary system for ad buying and placement. The system taps subsidiary firm Merkle's Merkury database and M1 audience profiles, and gets its audience estimates from VideoAmp. More
In the UK, STRAT7-owned cultural insight and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has appointed Elliot Pigram as its new Global MD. Pigram will take the reins on 1st January next year from founder and CEO Andy Crysell, who will move to the position of non-executive Chair. More
Needham, Massachusetts-based in4mation insights (i4i) has promoted John Nicholson to be its first Chief Technology Officer. The firm offers marketing performance measurement and optimization solutions with a focus on Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM). More
In New York, healthcare research veterans Jerry Arbittier and Chris Lee have launched Fusion Healthcare Fielding, offering 'full service fielding solutions' for the sector. More
In Los Angeles, brain decoding software platform Arctop has announced a $10m Series A funding round, which it will use to accelerate the commercialization of its tech translating brain activity into real-time information for third party applications. More
Supermarket giant Tesco and its data division dunnhumby have announced further new features on the Tesco Media & Insight Platform, including ads on 'Scan as You Shop' handsets, product placement options, and collaboration with the ISBA over standardisation of retail media measurement. More
Ipsos has announced the acquisition from InMoment of the New Vehicle Customer Study (NVCS), described as the largest and longest-running syndicated automotive program in North America. More
Adelaide, Australia-based omnichannel attention measurement company Amplified Intelligence has partnered with AI firm Chalice Custom Algorithms to combine its attention data with smart bidding technology. More
Research platform Fastuna has announced the departure of its MD of five years Maria Soroka, and the appointment of Ipsos veteran Rimantas (Rimas) Remontas to replace her. More
In Manchester, UK, product intelligence platform Vypr has promoted its CFO Chris Williams to CEO. He replaces founder Ben Davies, who the firm says will maintain a key role in the leadership team as it looks to scale up. More
Kantar Media has signed an agreement with Romanian industry TV measurement body ARMA, to continue providing broadcast TV ratings to the market until the end of 2027. More
AI-powered consumer brand tracker.Brox.AI, which was set up earlier this year by two of the creators of YouGov Signal, has raised $1.9m in a seed funding round. More
London firm Unitary has raised $15m in series A funding, for use in scaling its AI video classification technology which 'understands video the same way that humans can'. More
Boutique agency Intuit Research has partnered with Kantar's Profiles division to launch a syndicated survey called Media DOTS (Media Data on Target Segments), tracking the profile, mindset, media habits and product consumption of the general population (aged 12 to 64) in Hong Kong. More
In Miami, retail markets predictive intelligence platform Daash has closed a $2.75m seed investment round, for use in honing its predictive intelligence platform and scaling go-to-market efforts across multiple CPG categories. More
Panels and behavioral data specialist Netquest has appointed Jordi Guix as Client Solutions Director, signalling 'a new era of strategic growth and innovation', according to the firm. More
UK-based insights and data firm Delineate has promoted Simon Sketchley to the role of Chief Client Officer, covering all aspects of client delivery including insight functions, data services and quality. More
New York-based market intelligence platform AlphaSense has raised $150m in a Series E round of funding, which it will use to expand its enterprise solution, and deploy its AI search capabilities, purpose-built market intelligence and financial LLMs, and GenAI capabilities. More
CTV and cross-screen advertising company LG Ad Solutions has developed a targeting and measurement solution called LoopIQ, in partnership with consumer purchase insights firm Affinity Solutions. More
Global insights consultancy Human8 has announced that co-founder Kristof De Wulf is to step down from the CEO role, with Camille Nicita taking over from next Monday. Katherine Ephlin, currently North America Head of Operations, will replace Nicita as MD North America. More
US-based research logistics company Communications for Research (CFR) has been renamed Qlarity Access. More
In Sorbiers, France, former QualWorld and SODA International employee Karolina Jasek has launched Conwalia, a full service boutique MR agency focused on on the health and wellness sector. More
Human insight business One Minute to Midnight has launched a dedicated global quantitative unit called 'One Minute to Midnight & Counting'. More
Cross-media measurement initiative the US Joint Industry Committee (JIC) has announced that following a 'rigorous RFI scoring process' it has granted conditional certification to Comscore, iSpot and VideoAmp. More
Canada-headquartered opinion researcher the Angus Reid Group has appointed long-time Toluna exec Patricia Chapin-Bayley as President, United States. She is based in New York. More
Full service research agency mindline has appointed five former execs from consultancy Happy Thinking People, for its new Berlin-based qual unit mindline explore. More
Kantar Australia has promoted Allan Breiland and Sharon Hilton to serve as Joint Heads of Media Effectiveness. They replace Straford Rodrigues, who is leaving the business at the end of September after more than fourteen years in Australia, the US, the UK and Singapore. More
US-based customer intelligence platform InMoment and digital experience analyst Contentsquare have partnered to help marketing CX teams visualize customer experiences and understand web site and mobile app visitor behavior. More
In New York, former Medefield and Dynata exec Brendan Egan has set up a healthcare fieldwork and sampling firm called Brightside Research Solutions, with targets including patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare B2B stakeholders. More
London and New York-based customer data and experience specialist Ometria has raised £8m in growth capital, for use in further developing the retail-specific AI capabilities of its platform. More
In Idaho, USA, a new proprietary healthcare MR panel has launched. Enos Answers is led by CEO Jason Freeman, former COO of SurveyHealthcare. More
Retail media analytics platform mimbi has raised EUR 1.5m in a funding round, and says the money will help accelerate its commercial development in Europe. The firm has also added former Cdiscount CEO Emmanuel Grenier and investor Marc Menasé to its board of Directors. More
Infillion, the ad tech company which acquired global MR company Phonic earlier this year, has announced the completion of its acquisition of the assets of MediaMath, and given an upbeat assessment of the worth and future potential of those assets. More
Long-time Nielsen exec Karthik Rao has been named as the company's new Chief Executive Officer, replacing David Kenny who moves to the role of Executive Chairman. More
First-party insights data company Dynata has appointed Brad Brockhaug for the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). He is based in New York. More
Nielsen's entertainment data provider Gracenote has launched a program to help content publishers and broadcasters get their 'Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV' (FAST) channels and programming distributed by major streaming platforms. More
Joint industry cross-media measurement programme Origin is partnering with media research specialist Differentology, to deliver its quarterly UK Media Landscape and Enumeration Survey. More
In the UK, healthcare insights company Research Partnership has promoted Andrew Stokes to the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer. More
Ipsos has appointed former Bureau Veritas Director Caroline Ponsi Khider as Chief Communications and Brand Officer; and Dr Bonnie Bain as Global Head of Healthcare. Bain replaces Michael Spedding, who retires at the end of the year. More
In the US, insurance sector tech provider CLARA Analytics has raised $24m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to enhance its platform's capabilities in areas including generative AI, predictive modeling and natural language processing. More
US marketing analysis and digital marketing optimization specialist Marin Software has integrated with CRM platform HubSpot, allowing marketers to target audiences at the right moment with personalized experiences. More
Nielsen is planning to lay off 9% of its global workforce, in order to cut costs and 'realign revenue'. Employees received the news in a statement issued on Wednesday, and the cuts are expected to affect around 1,000 members of staff. More
First-party data platform Dynata has signed an agreement with American multinational telecoms and media conglomerate Comcast, whose data will be licensed and integrated into Dynata's advertising solutions product suite. More
In London, eCommerce software provider Shop Circle has raised $120m in a Series A round of funding, through a combination of equity and debt. The investment will be used by the firm to continue building and expanding its suite of eCommerce tools. More
Tugce Bulut and Oliver May, the co-founders of London-based mobile intelligence platform Streetbees, have left the business. The company is now led former Chief Commercial Officer, Vidisha Gaglani, and previous Chief Technology Officer Sean O'Connell. More
Insights-based consulting firm SKIM has opened an office in Paris, France - its fourth location in Europe and tenth worldwide. More
Nielsen is to make the 'Big Data' element of its Nielsen ONE hybrid service 'available for measurement' this month. Although this has yet to gain accreditation, the MRC's George Ivie says he is not looking to block a move which appears to promise substantial benefits for smaller networks. More
UK commercial radio industry body Radiocentre has launched a free online tool called 'Audio Need-states Navigator', to provide media decision-makers with audience insight based on data from its Generation Audio study of listeners. More
British supermarket chain Asda has appointed former Aldi exec David Hills as Chief Customer Officer. He takes over from acting Chief Customer Officer Sam Dickson, who will assume responsibility for Asda brand customer propositions with a focus on improving quality perception. More
In the US Circana, the company formed from the merger of IRI and the NPD Group, has launched what it describes as its first 'guided survey solution'. Fast Feedback Guided Surveys taps the consumer insights platform of partner firm Zappi and targets 'small to midsize CPG brands'. More
In New York, analytical software developer Datavations, Inc. has closed a $4.2m seed round, with which it will scale its suite of retail analytics tools. With the deal, tech sales veteran JR Becko joins the firm as Chief Revenue Officer, leading its growth initiatives. More
Ad tech company Infillion picked up the assets of bankrupt DSP MediaMath for the bargain price of $22m at an auction this week. More
TRA Labs, the ventures arm of Australian insights firm TRA, has partnered with innovation studio Previously Unavailable to launch Ideally, a platform promising 'fast, affordable and accessible customer insights to help bring great ideas to life'. More
Marcoms giant Omnicom has announced an expansion of its partnership with corporate comms group Criteo to encompass digital shelf and other retail data; and a new deal between its OMG media services division and customer data science pioneer dunnhumby. More
Data, analytics, and insight consultancy MESH Experience has appointed media veteran Brian Jacobs as a Non-Executive Director focused on managing investor relations, as it looks to scale. More
Former MarketCast and Netflix researcher Zoë Friend has joined broadcaster NBCUniversal as EVP of Consumer Insights. More
London-based property data and analytics business Kamma has raised £3.6m in an investment round led by Clean Growth Fund, the UK's clean tech venture capital fund - and will use the money to expand and enhance its data engine. More
Consumer purchasing analyst Behaviorally has appointed Brent Snider as Managing Director, Global Business Development. He joins from Maru where he was President & Chief Revenue Officer. More
In the US, Comscore has partnered with the ANA's SeeHer movement and announced the launch of GEM Audiences, a digital planning tool providing advertisers with insights into the significance of gender equality for their target groups. More
Corrected: contrary to initial statements by their agents, marcoms network Stagwell has not merged its experience and insights platform Maru into the Harris Poll. The two sister firms are merely collaborating on new tools which will go to market under The Harris Poll brand. More
Customer experience management (CXM) company Merkle has launched a Google Technology Practice, which it says will fulfil marketers' demands for customer experience solutions and privacy-centric measurement. More
FinTech company Micronotes has raised a $2m extension to its $5.5m Series C round of funding, and will expand its big data, analytics and digital engagement solutions for financial firms wanting to start conversations with new and existing customers. More
UK radio measurement body RAJAR has announced that two people will fill the role of long-time Research Director Paul Kennedy, when he steps down after 22 years of service: John Carroll as Director of Research and Audiences, and Charles Lawrie as Research Operations Director. More
In the US, long-time industry exec AJ Keirans has launched a consulting and field services company called Good Human Partners (GHP). More
Currys CIO Andy Gamble has invested an undisclosed amount in customer experience (CX) measurement platform Uncrowd, and joined the firm as an advisor, as the company readies for US expansion in the coming months. More
In the US, sponsorship analytics platform Relo Metrics is integrating viewing data from TV software and data platform VideoAmp, allowing clients to measure the value of on-camera sponsorships and brand exposure during a live event. More
CX and insights firm Alida and insights platform Discuss have deepened their partnership to extend the former's qualitative research solutions, adding Discuss's moderator capabilities to Alida's managed service offering in its Video Discussions product. More
US market research firm SMARI has appointed former Research Now and Precision Sample Vice President Pat Goodnight as VP of Business Development, a step change for the 40-year-old company which had previously focused on referrals. More
Data collaboration specialist LiveRamp has expanded its partnership with social media platform Pinterest to help advertisers target audiences on the latter's global platform. More
YouGov has fully integrated Australian insights consultancy Faster Horses, and brought it under the YouGov corporate brand, two years after it acquired the business. More
New York City and London-based data intelligence platform Tracer has closed an oversubscribed $18.1m Series A round of funding. More
US research and training company Burke Inc. has promoted Tara Marotti to the role of company President, while John Thomas moves into her previous role as Chief Client Officer (CCO). More
Canadian polling, MR and strategy firm Leger has created three new geographical divisions: Western, Central and Eastern Canada. More
San Francisco-based financial services customer data provider Rightfoot has raised $15m in a Series A round. Funds will be used to launch to its zero-login consumer-permissioned data product Connect Magic, and push it out to companies across the US. More
Tech analyst Gartner has reported second quarter revenue growth of 10.0%, once adjusted for currency effects. Total revenue hit $1.503 billion, with profits stable (adjusted EBITDA of $384m, down 0.3%). More
Ipsos India has promoted Neha Munshi to the role of Country Lead, Ipsos Digital, with immediate effect. She joined the company as a Research Executive as recently as 2017. More
In the UK, long-time Illuminas exec Julian Adams has launched an agency called De Novo Research, which will aim to 'understand people through the summation of their experiences'. More
In the US, nonpartisan public opinion polling, MR and analytics firm Noble Predictive Insights has appointed election analysis specialist David Byler as Chief of Research. More
UK-based healthcare insights company Research Partnership has appointed Sue Wild as President, US Pharma, while Tom Donnelly joins as a Director in the US MedTech division. Both will be based in the firm's Fort Washington, PA offices. More
In the UK, direct-to-consumer customer engagement platform Odore has raised $5m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to expand its team and business globally, and launch new tools. More
Marcoms network Dentsu and its data-driven customer experience management (CXM) firm Merkle have partnered with CRM firm Salesforce to help brands use generative AI to deliver, manage and optimize connected customer experiences. More
US-based predictive analytics specialist AnalyticsIQ has partnered with consumer segmentation firm Claritas, allowing clients to use the latter's PRIZM Premier segmentation codes combined with people-based marketing data, to conduct personalized marcoms programs. More
In the US, four former execs of new product advisory service Top Box Associates have launched a research agency called Innovate Wisely, focused on new product development. More
UK insight agency Walnut UNLIMITED has named Jane Rudling as its new Managing Director, succeeding Chris Bland. The firm has also appointed two Research Directors - Vanessa Henry to lead its shopper proposition, and Raluca Usery in the Qualitative team. More
Tech research and consulting firm Forrester has announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30th, showing total revenue down 8.5% to $135.6m, and for the first half down 8.8% to $249.3m. More
Australia-based global data and insights organisation Pureprofile has reported a 23% rise in full year revenue to $43.7m - with revenue for the ANZ market up 16% to $26.9m and for rest of the world up 35% to $16.8m. More
In the US, cannabis industry contextual targeting specialist Fyllo has promoted Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Jeff Ragovin to the role of company President. More
WPP's consumer data specialist Wavemaker has announced that its Consultancy, Fast Growth and B2B Practices will be led by the three of its Global Client Presidents - Anna Hickey, Alastair Bannerman and Alex Altman, respectively. More
TV ad measurement firm iSpot.tv has appointed 'industry legend' Leslie Wood as Chief Research Officer (CRO), overseeing the Data Science department responsible for TV and video measurement products, and finding new approaches to cross-platform measurement and currency. More
In New York, ad sector predictive analytics specialist datafuelX has appointed former TVSquared President Jo Kinsella and HyphaMetrics co-founder and President Joanna Drews to its Board of Directors. More
Ipsos has announced results for the second quarter of 2023, returning to very modest organic revenue growth thanks to a strong performance in emerging markets. The group says its business is 'returning to a more usual pattern' after Covid and is on course for a good year. More
Media measurement and optimisation platform Integral Ad Science (IAS) has announced an integration with PR and media company Criteo, offering a product for measuring onsite quality metrics for retail media. More
In the US, retail space-planning and performance analytics software developer Nuqleous has secured $26m in strategic growth investment, and says it will accelerate product innovation and strengthen its customer-led growth. More
iGaming industry lead generation and performance marketing firm ENV Media has partnered with Ken Research, to conduct surveys and deliver case studies around Indian gambling behavior. More
Sweden-based eye tracking tech firm Tobii has announced results for the second quarter of the year, with organic revenue growth of 5% to SEK 185m ($US 17.8m), but EBIT still negative and little changed at SEK -48m (-50m a year earlier). More
Nielsen has announced a multi-year renewal of its agreement to license Comcast's return path data for its de-duplicated audience measurement solution Nielsen One. The new deal also broadens usage to include local TV measurement across all the 94 media markets the two companies share. More
In New York, business intelligence platform Polar Analytics has raised $9m in Series A funding, and says it will continue hiring engineers and product designers with the aim of doubling its current headcount of 30 people, in the next eighteen months. More
In the UK, consumer behaviour data company ViewersLogic is partnering with media investment analysis specialist Ebiquity, integrating the data from its Single-Source Data Panel (SSD Panel) with Ebiquity's media optimisation platform. More
WPP's consumer data specialist Wavemaker has promoted Premjeet Sodhi, currently its Chief Strategy Officer for India, to Global Head of Measurement and Analytics, based in New York. More
London-based mobility intelligence company Huq Industries has raised £4m in equity funding, which will fuel its expansion into new international markets and further development of its Huq Signals platform. More
UK-based consumer intelligence technology company Measure Protocol has appointed Christie Hartbarger as its first Chief Revenue Officer. She is based in Chicago. More
London-based insight and analytics group STRAT7 has reported a 48% increase in revenues to $76m for the fiscal year 2023, ended 30th June. This follows US office openings and acquisitions, with US-based clients now accounting for almost half of the group's global revenue. More
Next15's data, MR and advisory company Savanta has expanded to Mexico, where it has appointed recent JD Power exec Erika Alfaro as a Director. The firm has also hired Casey Ford, Carolyn Beschner and Jiachen (Jackie) Zhang as Research Analysts in the USA. More
In-game ad solution Anzu and media measurement and optimization platform Integral Ad Science (IAS) have launched a solution to measure viewability and invalid traffic (IVT) across 2D and 3D gaming environments, and track them within the IAS Signal reporting platform. More
Inventory planning platform Flagship, which delivers customer-focused, data-driven solutions to the retail sector, has raised $5m in a seed funding round. Money will be used to further accelerate development of the firm's first product, and to grow its customer base. More
Brand and marketing insights company Shapiro+Raj has opened a dedicated Technology practice, headed by long-time tech industry researcher Scott Swigart, with support from a team of eight tech-domain researchers. More
Leeds, UK-based consumer intelligence firm STRAT7 Researchbods has opened an office in New York, its first in the US. Former Echo-MR exec Steve Becker joins to help expand the firm's US operations. More
Toronto, Canada-based Dig Insights has appointed former GutCheck CRO Jessica ('Jess') Gaedeke as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).| More
Amsterdam-based big data and advisory services provider Metyis has opened an eCommerce, advanced business analytics, and technology and data hub in Gondomar, Portugal, and extended its partnership with German luxury clothing brand HUGO BOSS. More
In Australia, the founders of media agency AdUnion have launched a streaming TV measurement and optimisation business called AdMatch. More
GfK has entered into an agreement to sell its European Consumer Panel (CP) business to YouGov, as part of its deal to merge with NielsenIQ (NIQ). Terms of the CP sale have not been disclosed. More
In London, Kantar has hired former eBay / Amazon exec Bérengère Chaintreau-Fuchs for the newly created role of Global Panel Director in its Profiles division. More
In London, marketing group MSQ has appointed long-time Kantar exec Eleanor Lloyd-Malcolm as co-Managing Director of its data-driven consultancy, Freemavens. More
Israel-based in-game ad platform Anzu has raised $48m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to continue to expand its leadership team, and grow its US footprint by developing teams across the country. More
UK-based analytics software company Interrodata has raised £2.2m in an investment funding round, which it will use to expand its Analytics-as-a-Service offering and scale its team. More
Tesco-owned data firm dunnhumby has appointed Josh Bottomley as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Dan Olley who had been in the post only since January 2022. More
In the US, sponsorship measurement specialist MVP Index has raised $20m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to fuel expansion plans, accelerate product innovation, and strengthen its sales and marketing efforts. More
In the UK, retail intelligence platform Upp. has raised $10m in a seed funding round, which it will use to continue improving its technology, accelerate the growth of its sales and marketing function, expand geographically, and launch new AI/ML-driven automation solutions for retailers. More
TV software and data platform VideoAmp has been awarded a ten-year contract by Allen Media Group (AMG), to become its primary and preferred currency provider. More
In Singapore, Kantar has hired long-time Nielsen exec Kartikeya (Kartik) Varma for the dual role of Head of Creative and Media, Singapore, and Head of Media, APAC. More
US broadcaster Fox Corporation has appointed long-time FOX Sports executive Mike Mulvihill, as President, Insights and Analytics, a new role overseeing the research, analytics and strategic planning teams across FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment and Tubi. More
Nielsen has announced a partnership with TV ad impact measurement firm EDO, with measurement data from each available through both platforms for mutual clients. More
Digital media measurement, data and analytics platform DoubleVerify (DV) is launching business operations in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, promising more local support for a growing client base across Southeast Asia. More
MrWeb has partnered with insight sector organisation GreenBook, publisher of the GRIT Report and the GreenBook Directory, and organiser of IIEX events, to further expand the reach and appeal of its job board, currently in its 25th year. WIRe (Women in Research) and ESOMAR are already partners. More
Music video hosting and streaming service Vevo has appointed former Warner Bros. Discovery exec Julie Triolo in the new role of VP of Research and Marketing, based in New York. More
Australian media group Are Media has expanded its partnership with MR firm Roy Morgan to gather exclusive worldwide audience insights from its network of social media channels. More
In the US, customer behavior data specialist Snowplow has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Databricks Ventures, the investment arm of data and AI company Databricks. More
Havas Media Network (HMN) has rolled out its CSA consumer behavior specialist business across its global network, promising clients improved understanding of customer data and higher ROI through analytics and machine learning solutions. More
In the US, Yahoo Advertising has partnered with attention-based measurement specialist Adelaide to introduce high-attention, pre-bid segments through its Yahoo DSP platform, which includes tools for data analysis, automated bidding and ad campaign optimization. More
Consumer insight consultancy BVA BDRC has promoted Lucy Watts, James Myring and James Bland to MD roles, overseeing the Financial and B2B, Media, and 'On the Move' divisions, respectively. The firm has also promoted Richard Stevenson and Kiran Kuttappa-Gold to its Board. More
Portugal-based media measurement platform Mediaprobe (previously known as MindProber) has appointed former Kynetec exec AJ Johnson as Chief Operating Officer, based in London. More
London-based customer interaction analysis specialist Glyphic AI has launched out of stealth with $5.5m in a pre-seed funding round. More
UK commercial radio industry body Radiocentre has re-appointed Donna Burns - this time as Head of Insight - after a four-year break from the organisation. More
WPP's consumer data specialist Wavemaker has appointed Sindhuja Rai as Chief Executive Officer in Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. She takes up the role in September, when she will also join the Wavemaker Global Executive team and the GroupM APAC Leadership team. More
Israel-based ad optimization company Tremor International is changing its name to Nexxen, with its Amobee, Tremor Video, Unruly and Spearad brands all to be replaced. More
Tokyo's GMO Research has partnered with playtesting and games user research platform PlaytestCloud, to offer online user testing services for mobile games on GMO's ASIA Cloud Panel. More
Nigeria-based MR and strategy firm Pierrine Consulting has officially opened offices in Kenya and Ghana, to support clients in the East and West African regions. More
Consumer behaviour specialist Circana, formed from the merger of IRI and The NPD Group, has appointed Anne Bramman as Chief Financial and Growth Officer and a member of its executive leadership team. She starts on June 20th. More
Kantar has launched an ad creative testing solution called LINK+, built on its LINK normative advertising database and integrating the firm's ad testing capabilities into one solution, with results available in as little as six hours. More
Portugal-based consumer neuroscience platform MindProber has been renamed Mediaprobe, reflecting what it says are breakthroughs in 'next-gen measurement' across all media. More
In Australia, industry body Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) is to launch its audience measurement system 'Radio 360' tomorrow, 6th June, with the release of the third GfK metropolitan radio survey of the year. More
Ad agency network Interpublic Group (IPG) and Canadian quantum computing company D-Wave Quantum have announced they will be collaborating on the research and development of quantum-hybrid applications for customer targeting. More
Loyalty management and customer engagement tech business Capillary Technologies has raised $45m in a Series D round of funding, which it will use to expand its footprint in North America and Europe, and to pursue 'strategic acquisitions'. More
In the US, VideoAmp's TV software and data platform has been integrated with TransUnion's TruAudience marketing solutions business, to create an analytics solution for cross-platform media measurement and optimization. More
WPP and graphics technology provider NVIDIA are developing an engine through which the former's artists and designers can create large volumes of more tailored and immersive 3D ad content, such as images or videos; and experiences such as 3D product configurators. More
UK broadcasting group ITV has launched a free measurement consultancy for its advertisers, called Geo-X, providing tools for them to run 'geo experiments' to prove the effectiveness of their campaigns. More
Canada-based holding company Rival Group has promoted Jennifer Reid to the position of co-CEO, alongside her brother Andrew Reid. More
Ghent, Belgium-based consumer insight provider Human8, until recently known as InSites Consulting, has partnered with Japan-based SevenSeas Marketing Research, to help the latter develop communities for its clients in Japan. More
Comscore has partnered with brand growth platform Adlook, promising to help clients 'unlock' the way they measure advertising effectiveness across multiple devices and types of media. More
TV audience rating body BARC India has appointed former Nielsen exec Dolly Jha as Chief of Product and Research. More
In the US, real-time product pricing, promotions and assortment data provider Datasembly has raised $16m in funding, which it will use to bring new tools to the market. More
Customer lifecycle management platform Successeve, which provides scoring and analytics for each stage of the customer journey and has bases in Paris and in Boston, MA, has raised $2m in Seed funding. More
New York print and digital publisher Dotdash Meredith (DDM) has launched an ad targeting tool called D/Cipher, facilitating intent-based targeting at scale without cookies. More
Former Illuminas MD Frank Ma has launched a qualitative research business called One16 in Singapore, focusing on market / user exploratory studies, concept testing, post-launch tracking and UX research. More
B2B tech purchase intent data firm TechTarget has announced that its Enterprise Strategy Group has expanded to EMEA and APAC, welcoming Brian McKenna and Aaron Tan as Regional Directors of Analyst Services for the two territories, respectively. More
Africa-based MR and strategy firm Pierrine Consulting has launched a Development Studies division in Lagos, Nigeria, to help clients understand the social, economic and political dynamics that shape communities and impact development outcomes. More
In the UK, audience targeting solution Covatic has raised $5m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to scale its audience segmentation tool, A-Type, and its market reach. More
Ghent, Belgium-based behavioural research specialist EyeSee has promoted Joris De Bruyne to the position of Chief Executive Officer, succeeding founder Olivier Tilleuil who has moved to a Board position. More
Nielsen has said it will phase out the last paper diaries for radio listening by 2025, replacing them with mobile diaries allowing data collection via mobile phones, tablets and laptops. More
Media group NBCUniversal has extended its partnerships with measurement firms Comscore and InnovidXP, allowing advertisers to transact in local markets using the former's data, and analyse impact in more depth via the latter. More
Andrew Edwards has announced his resignation as Chair of data and insights provider Pureprofile, effective immediately, and will be replaced by five-time company-founder and pioneering NASDAQ woman CEO Linda Jenkinson. More
Media and entertainment giant Warner Bros. Discovery has announced new measurement and attribution partnerships with 605, ABCS Insights, DISQO, EDO, LoopMe and Pilotyly, to demonstrate the impact of ad campaigns across its portfolio. More
In New York, consumer insights specialist MRI-Simmons has received continuing Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its consumer study, including the Doublebase USA study and MEMRI analytics tool; and a new accreditation for its Insights Platform. More
Circana, recently formed from the merger of consumer data and insights firms Information Resources Inc. (IRI) and The NPD Group, has appointed long-time Ford exec Amy Marentic as President, Global Solutions. She succeeds Nishat Mehta who is leaving after six years with the firm. More
Customer experience management (CXM) platform Sprinklr has expanded its presence in India, with the opening of an office in Gurgaon's business district. The firm plans to hire 400 new engineers for the new office by the end of the summer, and add more than 200 interns this month. More
US-based tech research and consulting firm Gartner has reported an 11.6% increase in first quarter revenues to $1.4 billion, up 14.3% excluding the impact of foreign exchange. In the key Research division, revenue rose 7.1% on a reported basis to $1.2 billion (or 9.5% FX neutral). More
In the UK, data collection provider Prevision Research has launched an omnibus service called Trade Tracker, offering access to data on tradespeople such as builders, decorators, electricians, plumbers, handymen and roofers. More
Kantar has launched an 'always-on' brand performance tracker called BrandNow, delivering daily benchmarks and short-term forecasts for 25 product and service categories. The solution is initially available for tracking US and UK markets. More
US-based panel and sample firm Full Circle Research has hired long-time Dynata exec Gabe Dworet as its first Chief Revenue Officer. More
Sky Group's Chief Business Officer Patrick Béhar is joining Kantar Media in September as Global Chief Executive. He will take over from Chris Allen, who has led the exec team since 2022 and will now focus exclusively on his role as Global CFO. More
Digital media measurement and verification firm Integral Ad Science (IAS) has partnered with attention measurement platform Lumen Research, to provide clients with an improved way to track which ad impressions have captured attention and are likely to lead to a business result. More
In Slovakia, social media analytics startup CulturePulse has secured $1m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to expand its team and into new markets. More
In the US, comms agencies Kivit and Subject Matter have joined forced to create a new national agency that combines strategic communications, analytics and insights, government relations, digital strategy, creative content and advertising services. Terms have not been disclosed. More
Ipsos exec Tasneem Ali has joined the group's AI-enabled social media intelligence business Ipsos Synthesio as its Head in the UK. More
Australia-based consumer data company Pureprofile has expanded its research panel through a partnership with AsiaPacific shopping rewards and payments platform ShopBack. Shoppers can earn cashback by completing surveys. More
San Francisco-based eCommerce revenue optimization firm Luca has raised $2.5m in seed funding, which it will use to scale up its data science and engineering teams, and support more retailers on its platform. More
In London, research and strategy consultancy MTM has appointed Jonathan Stone as Director and Head of its Technology & Telco practice; Becky Ferguson as Director and Head of the Media & Advertising practice; and Michael Thompson for the newly created role of Head of UX Research. More
UK-based consumer intelligence platform QuMind has appointed Ian Ralph as Head of Research, with responsibility for building a Centre of Excellence for MR and insight techniques. More
Following the news that it filed for bankruptcy in February, US-based ad tech and data company Big Village has sold its Insights and Agency business units to holding company Bright Mountain Media for approximately $20m. More
In the US, Nielsen says it will not be participating in the 'JIC' formed by a number of broadcasters earlier this year to certify audience measurement providers, unless the new body addresses concerns in areas including methodology, missing platforms, Nielsen IP, and the JIC's relationship to the MRC. More
Publicis-owned data company Epsilon is integrating Samba TV's OTT and linear television viewing data into its PeopleCloud, which measures the connection between digital ads and consumer events such as purchases. More
Ipsos has reported a 2.9% drop in Q1 revenues to EUR 532m, with organic decline of 2.8%. The firm had said when presenting its 2022 annual results that it anticipated a 'tougher first quarter'. The total is still 26% up on the figure for Q1 2019, pre-Covid, and Ipsos says it expects annual growth of c.5%. More
US-based cross-screen television insights and analytics provider Samba TV has partnered with European TV analytics provider Admo.tv, to bring a new measurement and attribution solution to the French market. More
Consumer insight provider Human8, until recently known as InSites Consulting, has expanded its services to the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, where Senior Business Director Kurt Thompson will lead activies from Dubai, UAE. More
Ad network McCann Worldgroup is hiring Nathan Brown in the new role of Global Chief Audience Architect, responsible for building an Audience Planning Global Practice, providing an understanding of people and their behavior across devices, content and platforms. More
In New York, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has reinstated accreditation for Nielsen's National Television Audience Measurement (TAM) service, which it suspended in September 2021. The move comes just in time for the start of the 2023-24 upfront ad planning and buying season. More
Paris-based social media-sampled insights firm Episto has opened an office in London, and appointed former Nielsen and Lucid employee Julie Tebeka to lead it. More
YouGov has appointed Meta Platforms exec Steve Hatch as Chief Executive Officer from 1st August. He will take over from co-founder Stephan Shakespeare, who will become Non-Executive Chair, replacing Roger Parry. More
Apollo Intelligence, which provides data and insights to the healthcare and life science industries, has appointed Kelley Schudy as Chief Global Commercial Officer, while Chris Mars joins as EVP of Sales for its InCrowd subsidiary. More
Kantar Media has been commissioned by the Association of Philippine Broadcasters (KBP) to conduct a series of radio surveys which will serve as the country's currency for radio audience measurement. More
In London, customer data science specialist dunnhumby has appointed Ben Burdsall as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), leading the global engineering function which is responsible for the design, build and operation of technology solutions. More
New York-based market intelligence platform Native AI has raised $3.5m in a seed funding round, to expand its services helping brands to digitally clone their target customers into test groups, ask them questions and instantly get actionable recommendations. More
Novi, Michigan-based, AI-driven automotive data services provider CerebrumX Labs has received an undisclosed strategic investment from mobile tech veteran BlackBerry, which it will use to ramp up the delivery of data-driven in-vehicle products and services. More
Kantar has announced a new growth strategy for the APAC region; launched a tailored platform in China; and plans to quadruple the size of its Indian panel. More
In Canada, multifamily real estate intelligence provider RealSage has raised $1.6m (CAD 2.1m) in a new funding round, which it will use to expand across North America. More
In New York, membership association the PR Council (PRC) has signed a deal with real-time insights provider Glimpse, allowing members to create and run general population studies using the firm's self-service platform. More
In Australia, insight-driven marketing group Illuminera has sold its financial services (FS) behaviour profiles dataset DBM Atlas to FS sector insights specialist RFI Global, for an undisclosed sum. Following the sale, Illuminera is bringing together its DBM Social and 3arc divisions. More
GfK and price intelligence company Minderest have partnered to provide retailers and manufacturers with a 'comprehensive overview' of current prices in their markets, as well as recommendations for price adjustments, using the latter firm's smart updating online shelf price information. More
In Canada, foodservice market analytics specialist Brizo Data has raised $12m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to accelerate growth and expand into new markets. More
US consumer insights provider MRI-Simmons and Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision have partnered to enable advertisers to use the former's psychographic and behavioral consumer variables, including insights into English and Spanish-speaking Hispanics. More
Marketing and communications agency Allison+Partners has launched a multicultural marketing offering called M365, comprising a team with expertise in 'ensuring diverse consumer groups are seen, heard and valued every day of the year'. More
British-based Mediatel is to rebrand with the name of its parent group Adwanted, two years on from its acquisition by the US- and France-focused company. The firm tracks trends across digital and traditional media. More
Data science and real-world testing provider HeadSpin has announced a strategic investment from Atlassian Ventures. Funds will drive its development of tools for DevOps teams, as well as 'synthetic observability' features, promising clients faster time to market and better product quality. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital has reported full-year revenues of £1.07bn, representing like-for-like organic growth of 25.8%. Operational EBITDA was £124m, up sharply in H2 to over £90m versus £30m in H1. More
In the US, Ipsos has partnered with video feedback platform Discuss to enhance its offering in live virtual feedback and fast online qual, among other areas. More
Toronto-based eCommerce analytics platform Birdseye has raised $500k in a pre-seed round of funding, which it will use to expand its engineering team and continue developing its AI-powered technology. More
Data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company Merkle has promoted Steve Yurisich to the role of Chief Executive Officer for Australia and New Zealand, as John Riccio moves to the position of APAC CEO. More
In the US, eCommerce returns data specialist Two Boxes has emerged from stealth with a $4.5m seed round of funding. Money will be used to grow the firm's engineering team, expand its product offering and presence across North America, and further develop its analytics capabilities. More
Retail intelligence provider EDITED has raised $15m in growth funding, which it will use for further product development, to invest in partnerships, and for 'opportunistic' mergers and acquisitions. More
Data firm Near Intelligence, Inc. has completed its merger with special purpose acquisition company KludeIn, and commenced trading on the Nasdaq. The firm's SaaS platform provides intelligence on people, places and products. More
US-based emerging market intelligence platform Rwazi has raised $4m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to continue expanding its network of local consumers, with a focus on Africa, South Asia and LATAM. More
Market and customer research company Vision One has launched an Advanced Research Unit (ARU), staffed by neuromarketing and insight specialists. The new team will focus on understanding the conscious and unconscious decisions and motivations driving consumer purchasing behaviour. More
In the US, marketing attribution platform Prescient AI has raised $4.5m in a seed funding round, which it will use to deploy new AI capabilities that enable marketers to optimize ad spend. More
UK audience measurement body UKOM has extended its endorsement of Ipsos' iris solution to 2027, following what the global agency describes as a 'series of successes'. In addition, Ipsos has added online video data insights to the iris platform. More
Two former senior execs of marketing and MR consultancy System1, former CEO Stefan Barden and ex-CFO James Geddes, are calling for board changes including the retirement of Rupert Howell as Chairman and NED, and the moving of founder John Kearon into an NED role. More
Entertainment industry data science and MR company BB Media has opened an office in Los Angeles, led by Laura Ghisiglieri, Global Development & Marketing Director. More
Comscore has launched a dedicated programmatic targeting division called 'Proximic by Comscore', which will provide end users with access to more than 2,600 predictive, ID-less audiences and content-level solutions across CTV, linear, digital, DOOH and audio. More
British Out-Of-Home (OOH) measurement body Route has issued an invitation for partners to design a measurement system for out-of-home advertising on posters and screens across Great Britain. More
Channel 4 will be the first UK broadcaster to offer brands the option of using Microsoft's advertising and analytics division Xandr to deliver campaigns to viewers. The agreement covers ads on its All 4 free-to-view video on demand service. More
In New York, data-led creative agency Formerly Knowns As (FKA) has appointed Linsey Loy as Chief Growth Officer. More
Consumer and B2B agency 2CV has promoted Karine Pepin to SVP and Head of Quant, and Amy Spencer to SVP and Head of Qual. The pair are based in San Francisco, and now jointly lead the firm's US offices. More
Consumer insight provider InSites Consulting has changed its name to Human8, defining itself as a 'human-driven consultancy, connecting brands with people and culture to drive positive change'. More
Canadian polling, MR and strategy provider Leger has launched a research-driven digital performance agency called Leger DGTL, integrating its performance measurement agency Ressac in the process. More
Armenian product testing and validation platform Prelaunch.com has secured $1.5 million in seed funding, and says it will use the funds to expand in the US and elsewhere, and to develop its product. More
Online panel provider Intra Research has expanded into eighteen new territories, bringing the total number of European countries it covers to 34. More
In the US, recently merged consumer data and insights firms Information Resources Inc. (IRI) and The NPD Group have named the combined company 'Circana', which CEO Kirk Perry says conveys the business's 360-degree, full-circle understanding of the consumer and market. More
In New York, Ipsos' brand and marketing advisory unit Strategy3 has promoted Philip Ryan to the role of US Managing Partner, and Service Line Head. More
In the UK, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) insight and data specialist Digital i has promoted Matt Ross to the role of Managing Director. He takes over from interim MD Emma Shelton, who is stepping back from daily operations to concentrate on chairing the firm's Board of Directors. More
In New York, former Qualtrics exec Kimberly Bastoni has joined consumer insights tech firm Suzy as its first Chief Revenue Officer. More
China-based fieldwork and research agency Holden Healthcare has established a partnership alliance called the Asia Physician Panel Association (APPA), aiming to enhance physician panel access across APAC, inclusive of difficult to access markets. More
UK-based behaviour forecasting firm Ramp has raised $5m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to support the onboarding of new clients. More
New York-based behavoral marketing sofware firm Wunderkind has raised $76m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use for company and workforce expansion, and to further develop its products. More
In London, creative and technology company MSQ has hired Anna-Lee Bridgstock - formerly Director of Data, Intelligence and Planning at social media publisher LADbible - for the new role of Partner of Analytics & Insight in its Freemavens division. More
In the UK, personalised beauty shopping marketplace Sourcerie has raised £1.8m in a pre-seed round of funding, which it will use to continue to build its tech platform and personalisation software for consumer skin, hair and body care consumers and brands. More
In the US, the Media Rating Council has extended accreditation for ad buying and data platform Mediaocean, reflecting the fact that its Flashtalking ad serving unit and Protected Media ad fraud service now incorporate verification metrics across all channels, including CTV. More
NielsenIQ, the consumer intelligence business which split away from its Media wing two years ago this month and is now combining with GfK, has rebranded as NIQ. Accompanying this, the firm says it is undergoing 'a significant transformation' and is committed to providing the 'Full View' of global consumers. More
MrWeb's RAIDAR real-time ranking of top companies operating in analytics, insight and data is now fully operational, and you'll see financial results, CEO changes and other items from tonight's Daily Research News reflected in tomorrow's top 40. More
London-based Zipzero, which rewards consumers for sharing any shopping receipt via an app, has raised £1m in seed funding, which it will use to further develop its platform and its partnerships with retailers and brands. More
Savanta has promoted Danielle Rodriguez to Chief Commercial Officer and Mark Martins to Chief Services Officer, both with seats on the firm's global Board and both retaining existing roles and responsibilities in addition. More
Sydney-based marketing investment analytics firm Mutinex has extended its seed round of funding by $5m, valuing the firm at $AUD 37m. More
Helsinki, Finland-based eCommerce personalization platform Nosto has raised $16m in a new round of funding, which it will use to continue developing its technology and make new acquisitions. More
UK television audience measurement body Barb has appointed Khaled Serafy as its first Head of Data Science, charged with reviewing, verifying and developing the organisation's complex methods and models. More
Verve, which focuses on culture, communities and 'smart digital research', has launched a 'hub' in Melbourne, Australia and appointed Christina Tonkes to lead it as Senior Director. Meanwhile Mirjam Grari joins the team in Sydney. More
In the US, 'Customer Success' platform Vitally has closed a $30m Series B round of funding, which it will use to add new features, hire product and engineering talent, and fuel global go-to-market expansion. More
Real-time consumer feedback platform OnePulse has secured a £420k follow-on round of funding, adding to previous investments of £1.5m in 2021 and £2.1m last year. The latest funds will be used to expand the firm's teams in the UK and US, and build on its existing international client base. More
Insights and data firm Delineate has promoted five of its team, following continued growth which has seen its headcount double in the last six months. This includes Francisco DeLaTorre, who will now lead the newly created Research Operations function. More
Ipsos and IAB Australia have announced that the new Ipsos iris digital audience measurement currency will be launched in early March, following its official endorsement by the association's Board and Measurement Council. More
Panel management platform Sample Ninja and sample marketplace Zamplia are teaming up to provide users with a unified platform for conducting market research More
Shopper insights specialist Behaviorally is opening a new hub in Sydney, and has appointed former TNS and Colgate-Palmolive exec Lauren Kurensky to lead it. More
Consumer and sensory research agency MMR Research Worldwide has announced the opening of a facility in Wokingham, Berkshire, designed to help FMCG firms improve their pack and product experience. More
German-based pricing analyst Simon-Kucher has announced revenue of EUR 534.9m for 2022, up 21% year-on-year. The company has also unveiled a new brand identity based around 'Unlocking better growth'. More
In Stockholm, audience measurement body MMS (Mediamätning / Skandinavien AB) has announced the expansion of its 'total measurement' cross-media ad currency service, operated by Nielsen. More
MR consultancy Reach3 Insights has teamed up with The Keller Advisory Group on a new solution offering marketers early-stage consumer feedback on the potential impact of experiential brand activations. More
Ipsos has reported 2022 annual revenue up 12% to EUR 2.4 bn, representing organic growth of 5.6%. In the final quarter of the year, the business grew by 8.8%, including nearly 4% organic growth. More
Danish broadcasters DR, Bauer Media, Danske Medier and Radio 4 have renewed their agreement with Kantar for the measurement of radio audiences in the country, until at least 2028. More
In France, consumer intelligence business NielsenIQ has promoted Emilie Darolles to the role of Managing Director for Western Europe and International Global Clients. More
Netherlands-based full-service agency MWM2 has appointed former GfK and Nielsen exec Andy Hut as Managing Director, replacing Govert van den Bos who will now focus on growing the MWM2 group. The Group also includes PR agency Hibou, Crowdtech and Innervoice. More
In New York, research-based business intelligence firm Advertiser Perceptions has received a 'significant investment' from Eureka Equity Partners, which it will use to expand its business. More
In the US, research and advisory firm Forrester Research has reported a loss of $1.6m for the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to a profit of $8.0m for the same period a year earlier. Q4 revenue rose 2.4% to $136.9m, and over the whole of 2022 revenue was up 9% to $537.8m. More
In the US, global media group Entravision has launched a service called Entravision Plus, which uses performance-based data to help companies connect with individuals as they consume content from premium Spanish-language publishers. More
In Bangkok, qual research and cultural insights specialist FUEL Research & Consulting has been renamed FUEL Asia, reflecting its growing presence and workload across the continent. More
Media conglomerate News Corp Australia has launched a research and intelligence service called The Growth D_Stillery, offering consumer insights to help marketers meet brand challenges, anticipate consumer trends and understand where best to invest. More
In the UK, The Insights Family has hired Voxpopme co-founder Tom Williams as Chief Growth Officer, while moving Clive Maudsley to the role of COO. Founder Nick Richardson moves to Chief Strategy Officer, following the appointment of Rachel Bardill to lead the Marketing and Partnerships team. More
In the US, Kristin Masoud has returned to online community specialist C Space as Vice President, Managing Director of its Health division. She replaces Corey Schwartz, who had held the role for the past nine years. More
US-based tech research and consulting firm Gartner has reported Q4 2022 revenue of $1.5 bn - up 15% reported, or 20% on a constant currency basis. The largest division, Research, saw revenues up 9% on a reported basis to $1.18 bn, up 13% at constant currency. More
British tabloid newspaper The Sun has made its consumer insight tool 'Sun Polls' available as a commercial service for brands and educational institutions. More
London-based immersive product shopping platform Situ Live has raised £1m in an investment round, which it will use to further develop its technology and increase sales and marketing activity. More
In the US, contextual ad intelligence platform GumGum has been granted Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for brand safety and contextual targeting for Connected TV (CTV). More
In the US, customer experience automation platform Ushur has raised $50m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to expand its portfolio, develop new innovations in AI, and move into new regions and industry verticals. More
London-based strategic insight consultancy Firefish has appointed Richard Owen as Group Head of Innovation, with a seat on its Board. More
In the US, Nielsen has announced it is to market Edison Research's 'Share of Ear' and 'Podcast Metrics' services to ad agencies. More
In London, agencies See Research and Sherbert Research have partnered to combine See's global MR operations with Sherbert's specialism in kids, youth and family research. More
Swiss data service provider Redslim and UK-based analytics company Interrodata have partnered, to help execs at CPG and retail industry organisations draw insights from multiple data sources, and receive a personalized view of business performance. More
In the US, customer engagement platform OneSignal has extended its September 2022 $50m Series C round of investment, with new funding which it will use to drive its go-to-market initiatives. More
Australian market research technology platform Glow has opened an office in the US, where Chrissy Brogan has been hired for the newly created role of Director of Market Development. The firm has also made appointments and promotions at its headquarters. More
WPP's media investment wing GroupM has announced the long-awaited launch of its new agency EssenceMediacom, comprised of 10,000 people across 120 offices globally. More
London-based insight and strategy consultancy BritainThinks has appointed former Kantar exec Max Mawby, to establish a Behavioural Science team that complements its existing insight, communications and engagement offering. More
Behavioural science research and consulting agency PRS IN VIVO, in collaboration with sister agency BVA BDRC, is expanding its services in the APAC region, through the opening of a new office in Australia. More
Australia-based consumer data firm Pureprofile has announced revenue up 21% to $AUD 12.8m for the quarter ended 31st December, the second of its fiscal year 2023. More
In the US, automotive customer data and experience platform (CDXP) Digital Air Strike has acquired automotive sector tech trends, conferences and insights firm AUTOVATE, and has rebranded as DAS Technology, reflecting its acquisition-fuelled spread into new activities. More
BARB, the UK's television audience measurement body, has awarded its panel expansion recruitment contract to Ipsos, which will grow the nationally representative panel of households from 5,150 to 7,000 homes. More
Israel-based in-game ad platform Anzu.io has been granted a patent for its ad tracking technology, which measures viewing in 3D environments. More
Portugal-based media research platform MindProber has appointed former Formula E media exec Sebastian Tiffert as Vice President of Client Development, charged with driving its expansion in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. He is based in London. More
In the UK, consumer insight consultancy BVA BDRC has appointed Matt Costin as Chief Executive Officer, replacing co-founder Cris Tarrant who takes the position of Chairman. Meanwhile Caroline Ahmed has been named Chief Commercial Officer. More
In the US, behavioral science and MR consultancy Protobrand has appointed former employee Pal Marton Afzelius to Chief Executive Officer, taking over from founder and Chairman Anders Bengtsson. More
In New York, QR code customer engagement platform Beaconstac, which businesses use to acquire first-party data, has raised $25m in a Series A round of funding, which will help to further develop its technology and expand its team. More
Branding Science Group has promoted Jo Gryniewicz to the role of President of the company in the US. More
In Melbourne, purpose-driven communications agency Think HQ has appointed former Bank of Australia strategy leader Fiona Nixon as Head of Strategy and Research. More
As of today, you can filter MrWeb's recently-launched real-time ranking of top companies providing MR, insights, data and analytics activities, to include just one type (eg Full Service) or one headquarters country. Another ten firms have been assessed and added, making it a top 40. More
Following last month's news that Nielsen is restructuring its business into three global units, and the departure of five of the firm's senior managers, the company has confirmed it is reducing total headcount to 'roughly in line with where it was a year ago'. More
US-based cross-screen television insights and analytics provider Samba TV is to sell its US managed media services division to UK-based marketing intelligence and programmatic media specialist MiQ, allowing Samba to focus on its data and measurement services. Terms have not been disclosed. More
In New York, insights and analytics company Consumer Edge has raised $60m in equity financing, which it will use to accelerate product expansion and drive its mergers and acquisitions strategy. More
In the US, wearable tech data provider DashLX has raised $2.5m in a seed round of investment. More
US media ratings consortium OpenAP and TV ad trade group the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) have teamed up with a group of TV broadcasters to form a joint industry committee (JIC) and create a certification process for emerging cross-platform measurement solutions. More
Kantar has appointed Cheong Tai Leung as Chief Executive Officer of its Insights Asia Pacific business. She is based in Singapore and takes over from Wayne Levings, who will now focus exclusively on his role as Kantar's Chief Client Officer. More
Car manufacturing conglomerate and mobility provider Stellantis, whose brands include Citroën, Fiat, Chrysler and Maserati, has announced the launch of a unit dedicated to B2B products, applications and services based on its massive data sets. More
LiveRamp has announced a partnership with 'visual discovery engine' Pinterest, for whom it will pilot data clean rooms, allowing Pinterest advertising partners to view aggregated insights into the performance of their campaigns. More
The ARF's Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement has appointed former GroupM and MediaPost journalist and marketer Tameka Kee as Deputy Managing Director. More
In between paying nine-figure fines and settlements, Meta has found time to strike a deal with IRI which will allow the consumer data giant to link ad campaigns on Instagram and Facebook to US retail sales at the brand and product level. 'Ansa' also allows for campaign targeting and optimization. More
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Facebook parent Meta EUR 390m for breaking EU privacy rules, following the $725m settlement revealed in a US lawsuit this week and with a UK case looming at the end of the month. More
Year-old New York-based personal data exchange Caden has raised a further $6m in seed funding, which it will use to formally launch its platform and grow its team. More
More than two years after first announcing its Nielsen One cross-platform measurement solution, and a year after the start of 'Alpha' testing, Nielsen says it is ready for a full launch of the first elements next week. More
In the US, digital media measurement firm DoubleVerify has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its DV Authentic Attention analytics and performance solution. More
Ad measurement, planning and optimization platform VideoAmp has announced a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to measure cross-screen campaigns across the latter's portfolio of news and entertainment brands. Following a test with Omnicom, the service will offer a transaction currency for ads. More
Purchasing behavior specialist Behaviorally has hired Gustavo Alvarez to launch a Latin American hub in Mexico City. More
That's it for another year from DRNO - our next issue will be for January 3rd 2023. Our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas to all those of you celebrating it, a Happy New Year to all readers, and a big Thank You as ever for your support and feedback in 2022. More
In India, telecoms services company Bharti Airtel has acquired an 8% stake in Lemnisk, which offers a real-time marketing automation and customer data platform (CDP) for one-to-one personalization and cross-channel customer journey management at scale. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
In the US, marcoms agency Allison+Partners has combined existing and new capabilities into one centralized unit called the Performance+Intelligence Group, offering cross-channel analytics and insights, data science, measurement and research. More
Today we're launching RAIDAR. Like an industry top 30 companies list, but instead of publishing it once a year, we'll update it every day based on yesterday's DRNO stories and other company data; show our workings; include companies never before considered; and allow sorting by a long list of criteria. More
Nielsen is restructuring its business into three global business units, according to online publication AdAge: Nielsen Audience Measurement, Nielsen Analytics and Gracenote. Current COO Karthik Rao will become CEO of the first of these. More
Paris-based macroeconomic, corporate and environmental intelligence provider QuantCube Technology has raised an undisclosed amount of funding in a Series B round, for use in continued global expansion. More
InnovidXP President Jo Kinsella has announced she is leaving the company 'to explore new adventures'. She joined in March when ad tech firm Innovid paid $160m to acquire measurement and optimization firm TVSquared. More
Monterrey, Mexico-based promotion and pricing optimization specialist Kuona has raised $6m in seed funding, which it will use to expand its presence in key locations including Latin America, Europe and the US. More
In New York, automated marketing data science platform Recast has raised $3.4m in a follow-on seed funding round, which it will use to scale its software engineering and data science teams. More
Andrew Frawley, the former CEO of database marketing firm Epsilon, has been named of Chairman of customer engagement technology specialist Alterian. More
Amsterdam-based customer journey management platform TheyDo has raised EUR 12m in a Series A round of funding, which it will invest in enhanced tools, co-creation, and adding community content to its product. More
In London, biopharma product strategy consultancy Prescient Healthcare Group has promoted Dr Debasish Talukdar to the role of Chief Executive Officer, as founder Jamie Denison-Pender moves into a new position focused on corporate development and M&A. More
Consumer intelligence platform ProfitWheel has raised $1.2m in a pre-series A round of funding, building on a $3m seed round last year. The funding will be used to expand in the US and other global markets, and to hire for its sales and customer success teams. More
Automated consumer insights platform Zappi has raised $170m in growth capital, which it will use to expand data sets across new markets, verticals and categories; power its platform innovation with emerging technologies; and continue expanding its team globally. More
Melbourne, Australia-based in-the-moment researcher Mobile Digital Insights (MDI) has opened a new office in Kenya, and has appointed Agnes Odongo as Research Consultant East Africa. More
SurveyMonkey and GetFeedback parent Momentive has brought in Rich Sullivan as CFO, overseeing all aspects of its finance function. More
Online retail giant Amazon has announced the launch by its Web Services division of AWS Clean Rooms, which will help client companies easily and securely analyze and collaborate on their combined datasets, without sharing or revealing underlying data. More
Customer data science pioneer dunnhumby has appointed Matt O'Grady as its President for the Americas region, a newly created role responsible for delivering growth across the two continents, reporting direct to CEO Dan Olley. More
Disney's Advertising division has announced an advanced integration with ad measurement, planning and optimization platform VideoAmp, using 'Clean Room' technology to offer clients ad metrics and privacy-compliant first-party data usage in the post-cookie world. More
Comscore has extended its partnership with independent ad platform AdForm, making the former's Predictive Audiences solution available to the latter's clients worldwide. More
Dan Olley, CEO of Tesco-owned customer data specialist dunnhumby, is joining financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown in the Chief Exec role. A dunnhumby spokesperson told DRNO that Olley will continue as dunnhumby CEO until a successor is appointed in the coming months. More
In the US, data science-driven retail planning solutions provider Invent Analytics has raised $7.5m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to continue its expansion in North America and Western Europe, and to invest in its AI-powered solutions. More
In the US, full service shopper behavior specialist Alter Agents has appointed Heather O'Shea as Chief Research Officer, and Casey Willard as Chief Analytics Officer, while promoting Eddie Francis to the role of Chief Operating Officer. More
In San Francisco, video analytics company Twelve Labs has closed a $12m seed extension funding round, for use in adding product features, continuing R&D, and for further development of its foundation model for video understanding. More
In Canada, environmental, social and governance (ESG) insight platform FigBytes has raised $10m in a funding round, along with a $4.5m debt facility, and will use them to expand its sales and marketing, customer success and product development initiatives in North America, Europe and India. More
Next15's data, MR and advisory group Savanta has merged four previously acquired companies - ComRes, MSI, YouthSight and MindSpark - under the Savanta brand name. More
Insight firm MetrixLab has opened an office in the Philippines, and has appointed Bernadette Verde as Senior Client Director, based in it. More
UK-based retailer Marks & Spencer has acquired the brand, technology and data of personalised fashion marketplace Thread, which has gone into administration. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. More
Continuing our month-long focus on Data Visualization Sandro Kaulartz, Chief Innovation and Product Development Officer at Ipsos Social Intelligence, talks to MrWeb's Nick Thomas about Topic Modelling, data hybridization and the democratization of data science. Available to read or watch. More
US-based Netail, which helps retailers identify and track competitors online, has raised $5m in a seed round. The funds will be used to expand into new markets, enhance its product offerings, and open an office in Hong Kong. More
Kids, teens, parents and family market intelligence provider The Insights Family has appointed Clive Maudsley as Managing Director, replacing Will Pearce, who had held the position for less than a year. Meanwhile founder Nick Richardson is stepping down from as CEO to focus on specific areas. More
Munich, Germany-based health insights company Temedica has raised EUR 42m in Series B funding, including a new EUR 25m extension. Money will be used to expand its range of solutions providing 'holistic insights into the care realities and journeys of millions of patients'. More
In the US, machine learning-based retail database Luz, built for market research, competitor tracking and product development, has been renamed Particl. The firm has also raised $8.5m in a Series A round of investment, which it says it will use to 'disrupt' the MR sector. More
Buynomics, which uses simulation technologies to digitize and predict customer purchasing behaviour, has raised EUR 13m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to grow its product and commercial teams, and expand to the US market. More
Sponsorship intel company SponsorPulse has partnered with first-party data platform Dynata and programmatic media firm MiQ to launch its Audience Network in North America, enabling advertisers to reach target audiences across sport, music, entertainment and charities. More
Ipsos has appointed former GfK/Nielsen exec Istvan Hajnal to lead its new dedicated Audience Measurement Data team, in the Netherlands. More
Netherlands-based full service agency DVJ Insights has opened an office in Helsingborg, Sweden, servicing global and local clients in the Nordic region and led by Client Consultants Pontus Egnér and Henrik Dieden. More
Chicago-based QualSights has raised $7.7m in Series A funding, earmarked for recruitment, expansion of sales and marketing functions, and investment in R&D. The Board of the rapidly-growing company now includes Mitch Barns and Gian Fulgoni. More
In Australia, former Kantar and Hall & Partners exec Steven Howlett has joined independent marketing and communications agency Bastion as MD of its Bastion Insights division, based in Melbourne. More
In Canada, privacy-preserving machine learning and natural language processing tech firm Private AI has raised $8m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand operations across Europe and enhance its products, including the launch of a self-service tool. More
Consumer sensory insights specialist MMR Research has opened a new 'ASEAN sensory hub' facility in the Pasir Panjang area of Singapore. More
UK TV broadcaster Channel 4 has announced a data partnership with Sainsbury's loyalty card initiative, Nectar360, to support advertiser targeting on Channel 4's streaming platform, All 4. More
In the US, AI-driven advertising personalization platform Omneky has raised more than $7m in a seed round extension, bringing the seed round total to $10m and earmarked for updates to its platform. More
In the US, the audit committee of the Media Rating Council (MRC) has voted to continue its suspension of Nielsen's National TV Ratings service, but says that reinstatement could occur 'relatively soon' following 'significant progress' by the company on most issues. More
US-based company Vizit, which captures consumers' interactions with online commercial imagery to generate models of their visual preferences, has raised $10m in a Series A round of funding. More
Behavioral and location insights specialist Near has raised $100m in a new round of funding, as it prepares to become a publicly traded company. More
Customer experience management specialist Sprinklr has extended its partnership with Salesforce, promising clients a more complete view of their customers. More
UK television broadcaster ITV has launched a tool called Automated Contextutal Targeting (ACT), to provide advertisers with insights into 'moods, objects and moments' in programmes that they can use to 'fine-tune' their campaigns. More
San Francisco-based Agent IQ has raised $10m in a Series A round of funding. The firm provides solutions to help banks engage with their customers. More
Comscore has reported a third quarter revenue rise of just 0.3% - to $92.8m from $92.5m in last year's Q3. Adjusted EBITDA was little changed at $11.7m (up 3.5%) while one-off costs turned net income of $2m a year ago into a net loss of $52.4m. More
In Australia, research and brand strategy consultancy Pollinate has launched a Sustainability division, to help organisations understand society's expectations in the area, and adjust business goals to meet shifting demand. More
Digital customer data and experience platform AutoLeadStar has raised $40m in a round of growth funding, which it will use to expand its investment in technology. More
Analytics firm Escalent has acquired commercial vehicle and off-highway powertrain data provider Rhein Associates, for an undisclosed sum. Together with a partnership with Work Truck Solutions, Escalent will expand its existing Commercial Vehicle and Fleet Research practice. More
In the US, research and advisory firm Forrester has reported third quarter revenue of $127.7m, up 8.1%, led by the Research division which saw growth of 10.3% to $87.0m. More
Australian omnichannel attention measurement company Amplified Intelligence has expanded to the US, opening an office in New York and hiring former Unruly exec Alex Khan for the newly created role of EVP Global Partnerships. More
In the US, data clean room software developer Habu has partnered with location intelligence specialist Reveal Mobile, to introduce a clean room for privacy-compliant location data. More
Israel-based near real-time consumer insights provider Revuze has raised $12m in a round of growth investment, supported by NPD Group's former CEO and Chair. Proceeds will be used for expansion into the US, to scale technology, and to continue to innovate. More
In Australia, research and brand strategy consultancy Pollinate has opened new offices in two state capitals, Brisbane and Adelaide. More
In the US, Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School has integrated iMotions' biosensor research platform to launch an on-campus human behavior lab called X-Lab, which is dedicated to advancing academic research and integrating it into the school's curriculum. More
MR and customer and employee experience tech firm Forsta has partnered with CX data specialist GemSeek to launch predictive net promoter scores (pNPS), through which clients can access predictions about 'silent customers' who don't respond to surveys or submit feedback. More
US tech platform Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has received accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC) for its content-level Brand Safety on Facebook. More
Manchester, UK-based consumer insights business Vypr has raised an additional £3.4m, which it will use to scale its product intelligence platform and consumer app, and invest in its commercial and product teams. More
Digital intelligence provider Similarweb has partnered with EDO - a predictive platform that measures behavior driven by Convergent TV advertising - to produce a scaled solution for CTV measurement. More
Ad agency network M&C Saatchi looks set to remain independent, after a court session failed to get sufficient shareholder approval for Next 15's bid. The move was effectively blocked by investment vehicle ADV, whose own rival bid had earlier failed to find favour with the Saatchi Directors. More
Australian broadcast industry body Commercial Radio & Audio will introduce a new hybrid audience measurement system for its GfK metropolitan radio surveys, from March next year, and describes it as 'the most significant investment and change to [radio measurement] in Australia since ratings began'. More
AI-based retail, CPG and supply chain planning platform Impact Analytics has raised $10m in a round of growth funding, which it will use to continue expanding its retail solution suite, and scale its customer success, sales and marketing organizations in the US, EMEA and Asia. More
In Germany, digital customer experience API provider Ninetailed has raised EUR 5m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to expand its team, add new technology and solution partners to its network, and continue developing its architecture. More
Ipsos has reported a 14.3% increase in reported third quarter revenue, to EUR 601.5m from EUR 526.3m a year earlier. Organic revenue growth was 5.3%, while 8.0% resulted from currency effects. More
In the US, data platform Crisp and in-store retail marketing and trade promotions agency Promomash have partnered, to launch a new solution allowing CPG brands to access and analyze actual product sales, shipment and trade spend data in one place. More
Mobile phone data firm RealityMine and app-based data firm Qrious Insight have partnered, to offer behavioural custom panel building and community management along with behavioural targeted surveys for brands and their agencies. More
In the US, game analytics platform ByteBrew has raised $4m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to create new technologies for developers, and to expand its team. More
In Texas, audience insights provider StoryFit has raised $5.5m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand client solutions and hire for machine learning, marketing and sales roles. The company has also appointed Andy Terrel as Chief Technology Officer. More
Australia-based consumer data company Pureprofile has announced record revenue of $12m (up 17%) and EBITDA of $1.0m for the quarter ending September 30th - despite a decision to shutter its Pure.amplify Media business in the UK. More
In New York, Banyan, which offers services such as automated expense management, fraud reduction and shopping offer development using item-level receipt data, has raised $43m in a Series A round of funding. More
Digital Technology Advisory Group (DTAG), the former Cello Health unit recently sold to a private equity firm, has announced an investment in brand sustainability insights specialist Citizen Good Consulting. More
London-based strategic insight consultancy Rainmakers CSI has announced new hires including Megan Bateman as a Consultant, and Diellza Osmanaj and Sonny Dewhurst as Associate Consultants; and has promoted George Randell and Chris Tough to Senior Consultant roles. More
In the UK, more firms continue to report growth in marketing budgets than decline, despite the country's soaring cost of living and economic / political uncertainty, according to the IPA Bellwether Report. However, the net positive balance was at its lowest for 18 months. More
Ipsos has promoted twenty-year company veteran Lauren Demar to Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of ESG. More
CTV and omnichannel media measurement and planning specialist EMX by Big Village has partnered with Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) to make Kroger's retail sales data available to advertisers through its Data Connected Private Marketplace (DCPMP) offering. More
Consumer data giant IRI has teamed up with Lasso Partners, a healthcare marketing and analytics platform within the IQVIA group, to give users of the latter's proprietary audience builder, Blueprint, access to IRI's purchase data for CPG and OTC healthcare products. More
In the US, customer engagement software and services specialist Khoros and social media listening company Talkwalker have announced a partnership promising clients 'insight to action' media and communications tools. More
The shareholders of northern European research firms RAIT, Dive and Intra have agreed to move the companies under a new holding company called STATCO. Ownership and branding of the individual businesses will remain unchanged. More
Insights group MetrixLab is opening a second UK office, in Manchester, and appointed three people to work in it: Cecily Crawley joins as a Team Lead and Richard Lomax as an AD, while recent joiner Sam Smith will move from remote working. Three more positions are being recruited. More
Kantar has launched its Sustainable Transformation Practice in New Zealand, led by Executive Director Jason Cate. More
In the US, predictive modeling and marketing analytics platform Keen Decision Systems has secured an undisclosed amount of add-on Series B financing, which it will use to further develop its decision optimization engine, rooted in predictive analytics. More
US-based DataScalp, which captures consumer experience data and uses it to rank companies in a performance dashboard, has opened its doors with the launch of an airline ranking platform. More
Marcoms group Dentsu has launched new gaming data and insights capabilities across 21 markets globally, bringing together research panel data from its Consumer Connection System (CCS) with specialist gaming data from Global Web Index (GWI). More
Singapore-based digital customer experience solutions provider TDCX has expanded to Turkey, where its new campus will offer capabilities in Turkish and Arabic, in addition to European languages. The firm also plans to expand to Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam in the next twelve months. More
In Europe, Nielsen has partnered with FMCG cash-back app Shopmium, a subsidiary of its existing US partner Quotient Technology, promising improved segmentation-based digital marketing for the post-cookie world. More
Marketing tech business PC Dreamscape had added four to its leadership team: Dmitri Zolotkovsky as CFO, Dave Hogan as CTO, Rose Zory as CHRO and Harmon Lyons as EVP and General Manager. More
UK television audience measurement body BARB is looking for suppliers to recruit for an expanded panel. Submissions are due by 7th November 2022, with work beginning in January. More
US-based media optimisation platform Measured has launched a new benchmark comparison tool, and announced its official launch in the UK. More
US-based digital media measurement and analytics firm DoubleVerify (DV) has launched the DV Attention Lab, to help advertisers optimize campaign performance using data on ad engagement and ad exposure. More
Canadian polling, MR and strategy firm Leger has acquired a minority stake in Cube, which specializes in user experience (UX) and consumer neuroscience. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. More
Kantar has appointed Steve Silvers to lead its newly combined Creative & Media Solutions business, with responsibility for growth strategy and product innovation for the division. He is based in the US. More
London-based design research agency The Big Picture (TBP) has promoted Chris Aukett and Laura Pereira to serve as Joint Managing Directors. Former MD John Cassidy becomes company Chairman. More
US entrepreneurs Alex Shamir, Jordan Shamir and Andrew Stetsenko have launched a platform called Yofi, to help brands and retailers understand their 'actual' customers, their motivations, and the best way to interact with them. The team has raised $1.5m in a pre-seed round of funding. More
Google has announced that its Surveys and Surveys 360 solutions will no longer be available after November 1st, as it believes in their current form they are no longer the best way to help businesses of all sizes run custom market research. More
Kantar's TGI consumer data team has partnered with location intelligence company Adsquare to help brands build targeted, cookieless and ID-free localised ad campaigns in Great Britain and France. More
Customer experience management specialist Sprinklr has announced plans to more than quadruple the size of its Singapore-based Research and Development (R&D) Center to up to 100 professionals, during the next 36 months. More
In the US, comms agency Vox Global has opened a Behavioral Insights practice, led by SVP and company Partner James Baril, with support from Partner Jessica Abensour. More
In the US, consumer research and strategy consultancy Bastion Insights has appointed long-time Hall & Partners' exec Joanna Fanuele as Chief Executive Officer. She replaces outgoing CEO Chris Hubble, who founded the agency in 2009. More
Yahoo! and audience data and targeting specialist Adsquare have partnered to help advertisers in EMEA markets develop their digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaigns, using Adsquare's footfall measurement and audience scoring segments. More
Stockholm, Sweden-based brand tracking and consumer science specialist Nepa has announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Ann-Christine Fick, has resigned for 'personal reasons'. Fick will remain at the company until December, and a search for her replacement has commenced. More
US-headquartered shopper and digital marketing consultancy Behaviorally has opened a hub in Dubai, where it has appointed former Nielsen MD Abhik Gupta as a Consultant. More
In the US, shopper experience consultancy Searchspring has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from equity firm PSG, which it will use to expand its product innovation and for go-to-market expansion - both across the US and internationally. More
Singapore-based digital customer experience solutions provider TDCX has expanded in the Philippines, with the opening of an office in Iloilo. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has opened an office in Los Angeles, headed by recently appointed David Stewart. The firm has also hired Hina Hussain as Head of Agency in New York, and Radha Patel as a Director in Singapore. More
London-based mobile research and sample specialist On Device Research has appointed M:Metrics co-founder Seamus McAteer as an independent Director, to help build the business in North America and advise on overall product and corporate strategy. More
Hong Kong-based DOOH (digital out-of-home) performance marketing automatization tool Displayforce has raised EUR 500k in a pre-seed round of financing, which it will use to expand further into Europe and enhance its sales and marketing. More
Marcoms agency Dentsu International will shift its local TV buying to a Comscore-based currency, supporting transactions on advanced audiences in all 210 US local markets, through a new partnership just announced. More
In San Francisco, user experience (UX) research firm AnswerLab has raised an undisclosed sum of funding from media, entertainment and comms investor Shamrock Capital. The investment will drive the continued growth and expansion of AnswerLab's service and team. More
In the US, merchandising, marketing and supply chain solutions provider SymphonyAI Retail CPG has partnered with event intelligence firm PredictHQ, to help clients prepare for the impact of events such as public holidays, school holidays and 'observances'. More
YouGov has launched free 'Lite' versions of its BrandIndex and Profiles tools, allowing users to analyse their target audiences and track brand performance for no charge. More
Dublin, Ireland-based research agency Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A) has hired former RDSi director Davina O'Donoghue as a full-time Board Director. More
US television measurement and analytics company 605 has announced a data and tech collaboration agreement with streaming TV measurement and intelligence platform Conviva, to provide a de-duplicated view of media consumption in US households. More
Indian-owned consumer insights company Hansa Research has partnered with experience management platform Qualtrics, to help organizations monitor their brand health performance and build their brands in the country. More
In the US, tourism industry data intelligence and analytics specialist Zartico has raised $20m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to grow its engineering and product teams, and expand its machine learning, AI and predictive capabilities. More
Automated insights platform Zappi has hired MRS Board Chair Sinéad Jefferies for a newly created role with a global remit, Senior Vice President of Customer Transformation. More
Global media agency network Mindshare has appointed former Kantar EVP Mausami Prasad as National Head of Strategy & Insights, based in Mumbai, India. More
In the US, former Microsoft exec Malli Vangala has joined newly merged consumer data and insights providers IRI and The NPD Group as Chief Strategy Officer. He succeeds Wei Lin Wong, who will now focus on his role as President of Retail. More
In New York, content creation and personalization platform FindMine has received a new round of venture capital funding, which supplements a previous seed round and brings the total raised to date to $9.9m. More
Amazon has added new features to three tools, 'Manage Your Experiments' (for product content optimization), Search Analytics Dashboard and Product Opportunity Explorer - giving sellers customer insights and analytics data to launch new products and increase sales. More
Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the retail media business of supermarket giant Kroger, which is powered by the chain's loyalty card data business 84.51 degrees, has expanded its private programmatic marketplace to include video and CTV inventory. More
In Canada, spatial analytics platform Cognitive3D has raised $2.5m in a seed funding round, and says it will double headcount during the next eighteen months. More
Automotive giant General Motors will be the first advertiser to integrate its own first-party data with media group NBCUniversal's identity platform, NBCUnified. More
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against attribution and measurement solutions company Kochava, claiming its sells sensitive geolocation data from mobile devices. Kochava says it's fully compliant and is now suing the FTC in return. More
Shopper and digital marketing consultancy Behaviorally has opened an office in Hanoi, Vietnam, and appointed Tomas Emmers there as Vice President. More
Digital experience analytics firm Contentsquare has extended its partnership and integration with customer journey analyst Namogoo, adding detailed contextual information to its customer behavior data, with particular benefits in understanding first-time and unknown site visitors. More
Viewer engagement metrics firm TVision and attention measurement specialist Lumen Research have announced a formal partnership promising cross-platform attention measurement for US and UK customers; with TVision developing a new UK-based, opt-in panel. More
Berlin-based, AI-powered brand tracking and consumer insights platform Latana has raised EUR 36 million in a Series B round of equity and debt financing. Funds will be used to scale Latana's marketing and sales operations, grow its consumer-facing product teams, and for R&D. More
Online survey and research services firm QuestionPro has expanded to Japan with the opening of a Tokyo office, and appointed MR veteran Satoshi Komatsuzaki to lead it as Country Director. More
US- and UK-based ReedPop, known for its pop-culture events and journalism, has launched an audience targeting platform called ENGAGE, promising in-depth user insights across its community of digital and in-person customers and accurate targeting of pop-culture fans worldwide. More
US-based panel and sample firm Full Circle Research has appointed former Ipsos exec Alexandrine de Montera to its leadership team as Chief Product Officer. More
In the US, consumer data provider IRI and ad and marketing tech company Epsilon have connected the latter's identity solution CORE ID with IRI's CPG transaction data, through Epsilon's clean room, PeopleCloud Prospect. More
Consumer data giant IRI and connectivity and analytics platform LiveRamp have extended their existing partnership, offering access to purchase-based audiences from 45 million households in IRI ProScore within the LiveRamp Safe Haven data collaboration platform. More
Fieldwork recruiting services provider Field Scope International has opened an office in South Africa, its second base on the continent. More
Pogo, which helps consumers earn money from their data, has raised $14.8m in a round of funding for use in accelerating user growth, hiring new talent and developing new features. More
Kantar has announced unaudited results for the first half of 2022, with 'gross revenue' up 5% (at constant currency rates) to $1.832bn and adjusted EBITDA up 6% to $310m. Unadjusted, revenue was down 1.8% to $1.566bn, while one-off events contributed to an operating loss of $88m. More
Nielsen has written to clients to inform them that the set-top box and Smart TV 'big data', to be added into its National TV reporting next month, will not yet be used for transaction / ad currency purposes as previously planned, due to the need to address 'variability' and 'stability' issues. More
In the US, movie theater ad network National CineMedia (NCM) has announced a deal with real-time TV measurement company iSpot, using the latter's ad catalog and verification of ad plays for 40m US Smart TVs to calculate and report on incremental reach from NCM ads over linear TV. More
AI-driven platform SugarCRM has partnered with tour reservation system provider ResPax, to offer what the firms say is the first fully integrated CRM and tour booking platform for the travel and tourism industry. More
In the US, consumer taste insight platform Qloo has raised $15m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to expand its technology and build on its sales channels. More
New York-based ad agency XenoPsi and London-based behavioral science-led marketing agency Astroten have launched the Consumer Behavior Lab (CBL), promising to improve the effectiveness of clients' marketing messages and the channels where they are placed. More
US-based direct marketing company Publishers Clearing House (PCH) has launched a platform called PCH Consumer Insight, which offers access to market feedback and intelligence on new products, packaging, pricing and marketing messages. More
In the UK, parcel delivery giant Evri, which was previously known as Hermes, has hired MoneySuperMarket's former Chief Data Scientist Harvinder Atwal for a newly created role, Chief Data Officer. He is based in London. More
Agriculture and animal health specialist Kynetec has promoted Colin Siren to the role of Chief Operating Officer for Animal Health. He replaces Jeff Gaidos, who is taking a step back from the business, but will continue on a part-time consultancy basis. More
In the UK, fast fashion retailer Primark has hired former Tesco brand leader Michelle McEttrick for the newly created role of Chief Customer Officer, with overall responsibility for marketing and customer communications, customer insight, and sustainability strategy. She will join on 19th September. More
Germany and US-based MR tech provider quantilope has moved its London office to a larger space, following a one third growth in its UK-based headcount during the past six months. More
YouGov has promoted Laura Robbie, previously MD Australia, to the role of CEO of the Asia Pacific region, replacing Julien Chevignon who becomes CEO for Western Europe. More
Northbeam, a San Francisco-based marketing measurement platform for DTC and eCommerce brands, has closed $15n in Series A funding, to be used for further product development, including expanding its machine learning capabilities. More
Google has agreed to pay around $AUD 60m ($US 40m) to settle claims that it misled consumers about use of their location data, back in 2017-18. More
eCommerce customer service platform Gorgias has announced a $30m series C round of funding, valuing the firm at $710m. As well as bringing customer questions from different channels together in one place, the platform detects customer intent and targets accordingly. More
TV tech and all-screen ads and analytics company Samba TV has entered the Spanish market via a partnership with ad tech platform Smartclip. More
US-based customer engagement software and services firm Khoros has promoted Chris Tranquill to the role of Chief Executive, succeeding Jack Blaha, who now serves as a Senior Advisor to the company. More
Jon Werther has returned to NYC-based television ad targeting company Simulmedia after ten years away, to take up the newly created role of EVP Operations and Business Development. He was previously the firm's President and CRO. More
Retail data and analytics provider Intelligence Node has partnered with pricing intelligence company Pricemoov, to help retailers and brands act on competitive price movements. More
WPP has reported interim results for the first half of 2022, with reported revenue up 10.2% to £6.755bn, equivalent to 8.7% growth like-for-like (LFL); and profit before tax up just over 6% to £419m. More
EU regulators are proposing a EUR 60m fine on French ad tech company Criteo for consumer tracking, profiling and targeting activities said to breach GDPR. The company 'strongly disagrees' with the findings, has time to respond in detail, and a final decision is likely to be taken in 2023. More
London-based entertainment research and consulting firm Ampere Analysis has opened its first international office, in Culver City, Los Angeles; and appointed a team of four there, led by Executive Director Guy Bisson. More
In the US, consumer product insights provider Smarter Sorting has raised $7m in a new round of investment, which it will use to further build out its team, digital products and data platform. More
Online research, data and analytics tech firm YouGov has expanded in Latin America with the opening of an office in Mexico City, serving the research needs of brands and agencies in the region and providing operational support for the firm's work across the Americas. More
Australian insight consultancy Fiftyfive5 has appointed former Kadence MD Phil Steggals as Head of Consulting for the APAC region. He is based in Singapore. More
Bulgaria-based online panels provider JTN has opened an office in Denmark, to be run by Business Development Director Maria Lassen Pedersen, supported by Helle Raun Oddershede who has been named Business Development Manager. More
Digital advertising and tech services group S4Capital has named Colin Day Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee, as part of plans to tighten its financial control, risk and governance processes; and Chris Martin as its first Chief Operating Officer. More
Kantar and China-based consumption and media research company Sinomonitor have announced a data sharing partnership, to improve access to the former firm's TGI consumer insight data and help their respective clients better understand their growth markets. More
Research software firm Forsta and local marketing platform Rio SEO, which are both owned by Press Ganey, are combining. Both will continue to serve current clients under their existing brands, while Forsta has welcomed all Rio SEO employees to its sales, ops, product and engineering teams. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
Out of home audience measurement body Geopath has partnered with in-store audio advertising network Stingray, to measure retail-based, digital audio out-of-home (AOOH) advertising impressions in the US. More
Kantar has launched a fast-turnaround solution called Brand Equity Evaluation, to help users quickly answer questions about brand equity strength in a competitive environment, and how to improve it. More
Paris-based user experience analytics firm Contentsquare has closed a $600m growth investment round, doubling its valuation to around $5.6 billion. Money will be used for geographical and product expansion, M&A, and to support long-term growth in key markets. More
Nielsen has announced the launch of the methodology it will use to give media buyers reach metrics for YouTube comparable to those provided for linear TV. The measurement spans computer, mobile and connected TV devices. More
Consumer data company Pureprofile has issued a business update for the period ended 30th June 2022, with full year revenue up 39% to $AUD 41.7m, and EBITDA up 28% to $AUD 4.0m. More
Ipsos has reported second quarter revenue of EUR 574.0m, representing organic growth of 2.1% (reported growth 8.9%). After exceptional results in Q1, the group cited global events and the end of Covid measurement contracts - as well as strong comparatives from Q2 2021 - for the lower figures. More
Retail data and research firms dunnhumby and VST (Virtual Store Trials) have teamed up to launch 'Planogram Publisher', which promises to make retailer Tesco's planogram data accessible to CPG brands. More
John Musgrove, currently Head of Insights and Research at broadcaster Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has been appointed in the new role of Head of Research for industry body Commercial Radio Australia. More
Digital experience consultancy Bounteous has brought in former Merkle executive Michael McLaren to serve as President, North America. More
Digital consumer marketing insights specialist Behaviorally has opened a first office in Thailand, and appointed Vorasiri 'Pat' Supanichvorapart there as Vice President. More
US and Australia-based FMCG customer review platform Okendo has raised $26m in a Series A round of funding which it will use to scale go-to-market activities, accelerate product development, and increase headcount from 80 to more than 130 by the end of the year. More
London-based Future Anthem, which provides data science services to businesses in the gambling industry, has raised an undisclosed amount of Series A funding, earmarked for company growth, product investment, and to launch in North America with a focus on sports betting. More
In New York, Universal Music Group for Brands (UMGB), the partnerships division of Universal Music Group (UMG), has launched a media and data solution called UMusic Media Network, to connect brands and partners with media from UMG. More
In the US, connected TV performance ad platform tvScientific has partnered with incrementality measurement specialist MetricWorks, to enable marketers to measure CTV performance in their omnichannel strategies and correct last-touch attribution. More
Insight group STRAT7 has announced organic growth of 30% for the financial year just ended; along with 5 appointments. Among them, former Bonamy Finch MD Paul Carney becomes a Partner in the Consultancy practice, with former Head of Advanced Analytics Paul Jackson filling his previous role. More
In the UK, customer experience marketing agency Gekko has partnered with behavioural insight specialist CloudArmy to offer a neuroscience research service helping brands understand customer thinking. More
London-based Snowplow Analytics, which helps businesses collect and manage their customer behavioural data, has raised $40m in a Series B round of funding. The money will be used to grow its team, build support for new data types, and scale internationally. More
In London, CXM company Merkle has announced the senior team for its recently launched UK Experience & Commerce (E&C) practice, led by Paul Lynch. More
In the US, cultural intelligence company Collage Group has raised $25m in an inaugural round of growth capital, which it will use for investments in sales and marketing, and for continued development of its data science and technology platform. More
Ipsos has launched a user experience (UX) facility called the Ipsos Experience Lab in the Franklin Center in downtown Chicago, providing space for focus groups, interviews, device tests and simulations. More
In London, data science and consumer behaviour prediction specialist Black Swan Data has raised $18.5m in a growth funding round, part of which it will use to expand further into the US market. More
London-based insight consultancy Basis has announced record results, with annual revenue up 20% to £27.4m for the year ended March 2022. More
In the US, customer intelligence and automation platform SturdyAI has raised $3.1m in a new round of funding, which it will use to broaden market awareness and strengthen its platform. More
In the UK two former executives of research firm Trinity McQueen, Chris Handford and Daniel Eddy, have launched a new full-service product consultancy, Waveform Insight Studio. More
Research firm MetrixLab has opened an office in Warsaw, Poland, its first in Eastern Europe. More
Mobile-based Indonesian consumer insights platform Populix has won a further US$7.7m in a Series A round of financing, for use in continuing to optimize its existing products and to release new services. More
Melbourne-based Mobile Digital Insights (MDI) has announced 'exponential' growth over the last twelve months, hiring Christine Laurenssen as Business Director Africa, David Somers as COO, Hellen Sillis as Global Head of Qual, Sam Stelitano as CFO and Sarah Gill-Kildea as Insights Director. More
In Los Angeles, insights, strategy and design agency Hypothesis has promoted Maria Vallis to the role of Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Jeff Seltzer, who will join founder Maria Stark as an Executive Board Member. More
In the US, shopper intelligence specialist Catalina has partnered with sponsorship data platform FanAI, to help CPG brands better understand and measure how their sponsorship investments directly drive sales for their products. More
Paris-based MR data and tech firm Bilendi has expanded to the Netherlands with the opening of an office in Amsterdam, appointing Luigi Casula as Country Manager. The company has also created a new Dutch panel with more than 30,000 members. More
In the US, restaurant sector marketing and analytics platform Personica has appointed Adam Ochstein as Chief Executive Officer, replacing interim CEO John Ouren. The firm has also completed a round of growth recapitalization. More
In New York, media services agency Horizon Media is testing Comscore's local TV measurement solution as an alternate currency for 2023 planning and buying. The firm currently uses Nielsen. More
Boston, MA-based digital experience analytics specialist LogRocket has raised $25m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to further enhance its machine learning capabilities and digital platform, and to grow its headcount. More
London-based location data ad technology and targeting firm Blis has secured a 'significant' but undisclosed amount of investment from private equity firm LDC, which it will use to grow and expand the business and double its headcount in the next few years. More
Kantar has launched a cross-category search prediction tool called Emerging Trends; added a suite of products and enhancements to its creative testing portfolio on Kantar Marketplace; and opened the iLab innovation centre. More
Tokyo-based MR sample provider GMO Research is expanding to North America with the opening of a subsidiary in New York City, headed up by Christa Arite. More
London-based rapid research firm Bolt Insight has received £1.275m investment from B2B tech venture capital company 212, to be used for development of new products, staff recruitment in its research and commercial teams, and expansion into new markets. More
Manchester, UK-based mobile device monitoring specialist RealityMine is to launch a 'Centre of Excellence in Data Science', and has announced three new hires: Joel Ansbro in the Data Engineering team; Louis Ruston in the Apps team; and Mason Chee in the Data Products team. More
Independent British-based insight consultancy Trinity McQueen has announced sales of £7.4m in the year ending March 2022; some ten per cent up on the pre-pandemic figure (year ending March 2020). More
The Directors of M&C Saatchi have issued recommendations to shareholders ahead of votes on two bids for the company, advising rejection of the Next 15 offer purely on account of a drop in its share price, but preferring it to that of rival ADV, if the company is considered unable to continue as an independent. More
In the US, AI-powered conversation intelligence provider Invoca has raised $83m in a Series F round of equity financing, at a valuation of $1.1 billion. The firm will use the funds to expand internationally and pursue acquisitions. More
Matt Britton started digital research platform Suzy in 2018, named it after a favourite song, worked with other non-researchers to build it, and got to $25 million annual recurring revenue 'faster than Salesforce and Qualtrics'. An interview with MrWeb's Nick Thomas - available as video or in print. More
Comscore has launched a platform called 'Total Digital', which combines the firm's digital and social media measurement tool and user experience (UX) data into a single dashboard. Users get a cross-platform view of how consumers are engaging with content and advertising. More
Marcoms giant WPP has promoted Michael Houston to the role of President of its business in the US, the group's largest market. More
Washington, DC-based research-led consulting firm Heart+Mind Strategies has opened a MENA headquarters in the city of Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). More
Business sustainability ratings provider EcoVadis has raised $500m in a Series C round of funding, valuing the company at $1bn. The firm will use these funds to accelerate its global expansion, deepen its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, and make strategic acquisitions. More
In India, Omnicom-owned media agency network OMD has appointed former Nielsen / Millward Brown exec Charul Tomar as Head of Strategy, tasked with helping to drive the next stage of the company's growth in the region. More
US-based customer experience specialist Zendesk has announced the completion of a strategic review and will not seek a sale but continue as an independent public company. The review followed the rejection of a takeover bid and its own unsuccessful attempt to buy Momentive. More
Kantar has announced an industry-wide cross-media planning initiative for Brazil, bringing together representatives from the country's media groups and platforms to help design an upgraded measurement solution. Kantar then plans to launch the solution before the end of the year. More
Product testing platform Maze has raised $40m in a Series B round of funding, for use in developing new solutions, including further investment in its new participant management solution Reach. More
In Sweden, gaming influencer marketing platform Lurkit has raised $2.7m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to expand operations and its business reach. More
UK TV audience measurement body BARB has hired Caroline Baxter for the newly created role of Research Operations Director, and will recruit an Audiences Director to work with her. The creation of these two roles follows the resignation of Research Director Simon Bolus. More
Insights and research agency TRA and industry body ThinkTV are partnering to provide insights for New Zealand-based marketers, about the country's favourite TV ads. More
Digital research firm MetrixLab has opened its first office on the African continent, in Johannesburg, South Africa, appointing Nanzala Mwaura as Managing Director and Rentia Kraucamp as Research Director. More
UK-based customer insights and communities platform developer Researchbods has appointed fourteen new team members since the beginning of April, including Chris Manko as Head of Engineering. The firm has also made nine internal promotions. More
In Australia, outdoor ad platform Wrappr has partnered with Nielsen to launch LIFT, a campaign measurement and attribution platform offering full-funnel attribution for ads on its sites, powered by an opt-in mobile location database. More
Customer analytics platform MoEngage has raised $77 Million in Series E funding, for use in expanding to Latin America and Australia, increasing its footprint elsewhere in the world, and to explore strategic acquisitions. More
Comscore has added CTV measurement to its Video Metrix Multi-Platform product, including YouTube traffic sharing measurement, for Spain and the UK; and says Italy, France and Germany will follow in July 2022. Meanwhile CEO Bill Livek has acquired another $1.15m of shares in the firm. More
Swiss/German in-store and omnichannel customer experience analysis specialist ISC-CX is opening an office in Brazil, to support LatAm businesses and brands. More
WPP's media investment business GroupM has launched its Finecast addressable TV targeting company in Spain, at its headquarters in La Matriz. More
Digital advertising and marketing services company S4 Capital has released results for the first quarter of 2022 in a trading update, with reported revenue up 70.1% to £206.8m, a rise of 40.6% on a like-for-like, pro forma basis. More
Kantar has announced unaudited results for the first quarter of calendar 2022, including pro forma, currency-adjusted gross revenue up 6% to $911m, and adjusted EBITDA of $144m, up 16% from a year earlier and almost twice the pre-Covid Q1 2019 figure. More
UK watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a further investigation into Google's use of ad tech in three areas - demand-side platform, ad exchange and publisher ad server - due to concerns it may undermine competition. More
Global marcoms group Omnicom has appointed former Conduent exec Brian Clayton as its first Chief Data Privacy Officer, responsible for driving its 'privacy-first' approach and ensuring compliance with global privacy regulation. More
In Dubai the Advertising Business Group, a non-profit organisation advocating for responsible advertising and communication in the MENA region, has appointed Ipsos as its partner for its ad currency UAE Cross Media Measurement project. More
Interpublic's marketing intell company Kinesso has appointed four new Regional CEOs, Matt Ware, Andy Butters, Jorge Chavez and Sean Muzzy, all of whom are currently leaders in the group's Matterkind activation division and who will retain these roles alongside their new ones. More
Touchstone Research has made five recent appointments: Patricia Lopez and Michelle Richard as Senior Qualitative Analysts, Jack Keelan and Erik Erwin as Senior Project Directors, and Michael Kozloski as a Senior Quantitative Analyst. More
In Australia, consumer data giant NielsenIQ is to offer clients access to 'one of the biggest receipt panels in Australia', promising new understanding of 'the most important retail consumer group - the omnishopper'. More
Real-time personalization specialist Fulcrum has raised $5m in funding, which it will use to further develop its customer data platform (CDP) technology roadmap, and scale its business operations. More
In the UK, full-service agency BMG Research has opened an office in the London Bridge-based News UK Building, having closed its previous London base during the pandemic due to working from home. More
In the US, out of home (OOH) audience measurement body Geopath has given acting President Dylan Mabin the role permanently. More
Shopper marketing consultancy Behaviorally has expanded to the Philippines with the opening of a hub in Manila, where it has appointed Joy Abella-Yu as Vice President. More
Lang.ai, which helps CX teams draw insights from conversations, has raised $10.5m in a Series A round of funding. The money will help improve software to understand what each customer is saying at any point in their buying journey, and correlate this data with their purchase history. More
Oxfordshire, UK-based brand, NPD, category and shopper consultancy Touchstone Shoppercentric is moving all its staff to a four-day working week - with full-time salary - from 6th June. More
In the US, no-code marketing data aggregation platform Improvado has raised $22m in a Series A round of funding. The cash will support continued development of its Revenue Data Platform, which helps marketers understand how their budget is performing and where to invest next. More
Nielsen has announced the end of its 45-day 'go-shop' period, in which the Board has investigated the potential for alternatives to its recently-announced acquisition by a consortium of private investors; and says no proposals have been submitted. More
Tel Aviv, Israel-based in-store intelligence and personalization specialist Nexite has Raised $67m in a Series C round of funding, which brings the company's total funding to $100m. More
Tech researcher and consultancy Forrester Research has announced results for the first quarter ended March 31st, with revenue up 10% to $125.0 million. More
Independent social and market research agency IFF Research has made two dozen promotions - equivalent to 20% of its team - following 18% revenue growth in 2021-2. More
In the US, consumer data firm Neustar and digital out-of-home (DOOH) video network Captivate have partnered to help improve and expand the latter's audience segmentation and targeting capabilities. More
US-based Measured, which helps brands identify media's incremental contribution to business outcomes, has raised $21m in a new round of investment. The firm plans to use the funds to support further innovation, as user-level tracking restrictions increase. More
London-based machine learning start-up Quin AI has raised £582k in seed funding, which it will use to scale the business across the UK and Germany and build out its business offering. More
Consumer insights provider Toluna has expanded to Thailand, where it has hired former Nielsen exec Chumphol (Marc) Sivawettakul as Business Development Director, Southeast Asia. He is based in Bangkok. More
UK-based customer insights and communities platform developer Researchbods has launched a dedicated creative division called 'Studio', which will work with all teams across the business to enhance its creative offering. More
In the US, Radix, an industry data provider and visualization platform for the multifamily residential property sector, has raised $11m in a Series A round of funding, for use in scaling its technology. More
In the US retail fraud prevention and data services firm Lillii RNB has raised $3m in a seed round, co-led by tennis star Serena William's venture management fund Serena Ventures, along with Aperture Venture Capital. More
In the UK, personalisation platform Cooee has raised £300k in a pre-seed funding round, which it will use for further product development, to increase eCommerce store reach, and to launch an augmented reality (AR) version of its product. More
In the US, consumer data giant IRI has partnered with video-focused social media giant TikTok, to deliver custom marketing and media mix effectiveness insights to retailers and manufacturers advertising on the platform. More
In San Francisco, sustainability insights platform Higg has raised $50m in a Series B round of funding. The investment will be used to accelerate delivery of the firm's tech solutions and expansion into new consumer goods categories such as outdoor, automotive, toys, and home goods. More
Nielsen has reported first quarter revenue of $877m - a rise of 1.6%, but with organic real-terms growth of 3.4%. Adjusted EBITDA fell around 4% to $372m. More
UK-based consumer and sensory research agency PPL Insights and France-based consumer and shopper research specialist Strategir have formed a joint venture, to provide a broad range of research services linking all elements of the consumer journey. More
Nielsen and VIZIO have signed a multi-year agreement that provides Nielsen with data from the latter's smart TV viewing data provider Inscape. The deal gives Nielsen the rights to use Inscape's ACR data from around 20 million VIZIO Smart TVs. More
In the US, former SurveyMonkey President Tom Hale has joined sleep optimization app ŌURA as Chief Executive Officer. He replaces Harpreet Singh Rai, who stepped down from the role in December to seek his 'next adventure'. More
The WindAcre Partnership LLC, now comfortably the largest Nielsen shareholder with 27.3%, says the share price could triple in the next three years and will host a webcast tomorrow arguing for a rejection of the Consortium bid. Meanwhile reports suggest the ratings firm could regain its MRC accreditation soon. More
In New York City, shopper marketing consultancy Behaviorally has appointed Christine Baskin as Vice President, leading the firm's new OTC (over the counter) Pharmaceutical Customer Success teams. More
London-based insights agency Opinium has hired music economist Chris Carey to lead its newly launched Music, Media and Entertainment division. More
US-based customer experience solutions provider VHT has taken the name of its Mindful suite of solutions, claiming this 'aligns it with its philosophy of how enterprise brands should treat people'. More
US-based ad targeting specialist tvScientific has raised $20m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to grow its customer base; hire for key roles in engineering, product, data science, marketing, sales and other departments; and continue developing its product. More
Ipsos has reported 12.3% first quarter organic revenue growth and a 17.5% reported increase to EUR 547.8m. The firm says it is planning an 'exciting range' of potential acquisitions in key sectors and territories, especially in the USA. More
In New York, personalized snack box provider SnackMagic has launched a data platform called CPGpulse, to provide consumer insights for CPG brands. More
Shopper marketing consultancy Behaviorally has expanded to France, opening a Paris hub and appointing Damien Arrouas as Vice President, Customer Success to lead the local team. More
Consumer intel giant NielsenIQ has made an undisclosed amount of investment in mobile consumer rewards app Fetch Rewards, whose thirteen million monthly US active users have submitted more than two billion receipts. The deal allows NielsenIQ to enhance its Omnishopper panel. More
Measure Protocol, a blockchain-based marketplace for consumer behavioural data, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding, which it will use to further develop its technology and ramp up its marketing and sales efforts. More
Palo Alto-based verified product review specialist Experify has raised $4m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to increase headcount, specifically in the sales and product engineering teams; expand its customer base; and further develop its platform. More
In the US, consumer data and insights firm Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and eCommerce intelligence platform Profitero have partnered to help clients measure and optimize CPG digital shelf presence based on actual item-level sales. More
Marcoms group Stagwell, owner of the Harris and Harris Poll brands, has opened an office in Brazil. The new venture will be led by Vinicius Reis as President, alongside Andre Kassu, CCO & Partner at Stagwell agency CPB Brazil, and Marcos Medeiros, CCO & Partner CPB Brazil. More
NielsenIQ exec Yuneeb Khan is to join digital media analytics specialist Quotient in July as CFO, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer. Chief Account Officer John Kellerman will serve in an interim capacity until then. More
In San Francisco, self-service product analytics specialist Kubit has raised $18m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to accelerate company growth. More
US agency Horizon Media has partnered with Nielsen to develop eMbrace, a new communications and media planning platform designed to help companies engage multicultural audiences. More
Nielsen shareholder WindAcre said this week it would block the ratings giant's latest sale agreement, requesting a $1.1bn 'sweetener' for its support, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg. SEC filings suggest WindAcre has secured millions more shares in Nielsen this week at a cost of around $0.9bn. More
Digital user experience insights specialist UserZoom has received an unspecified amount of strategic growth funding from investment firm Thoma Bravo, the owner of CX management firm Medallia. The funding values UserZoom at $800m. More
Behavioural science consultancy The Behavioural Architects (TBA) has hired 29 new members of staff across its global offices - twelve in China, seven in Australia, and ten in the UK. More
In the US, consumer data firm Neustar has partnered with shopping behavior insights provider Catalina to enable consumer packaged goods brand advertisers to optimize their marketing mix, campaign tactics and audience targets on-the-fly based on real time purchase behavior. More
Trend analysis specialist Stylus has promoted former COO Victoria Rennie to Chief Executive, succeeding founder Marc Worth who moves to the role of Executive Chairman. More
Cross-screen television insight and analytics provider Samba TV has partnered with media marketplace MediaSquare to provide ad retargeting and targeting for OTT (over-the-top) viewers and gamers in France. More
In the US, low-code retail intelligence platform GoalProfit has raised $655k in a pre-seed round of funding. More
Shopper insights firm Behaviorally has expanded to Germany, appointing Christian Dössel as Senior Vice President based in Hamburg. More
Shares in Sir Martin Sorrell's digital advertising group S4 Capital have slumped after its auditors PwC this week delayed the release of its preliminary statement of results for the second time in a month. The stock remained down 1/3 tonight even after a slight Friday recovery. More
In the US, Ipsos has appointed former Kantar exec Whitney Krause James as a President of the US organization, leading several lines of business. She joins on April 4th and will be based in New York. More
US-based mobile app market intelligence and insights provider Sensor Tower has expanded to Australia, following its 2021 acquisition of ad intelligence platform Pathmatics, which was rolled out in Australia last summer. More
US-based consumer data privacy start-up Cloaked has raised $25m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to continue to improve its technology and exit beta, scale its team, and establish partnerships within the industry. More
In New York, cinema advertising network National CineMedia (NCM) has launched a data, insights and analytics platform for moviegoers called NCMx, to connect brands with custom audiences in theaters as well as on digital screens before and after attending movies. More
British video-based insight company Vox Pops International has become employee-owned through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). More
New York-based post-purchase consumer survey data firm EnquireLabs has raised $4.5m in a seed funding round, as it releases its flagship Question Stream product and software development kit. More
India's Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has named IPG Mediabrands India CEO Shashi Sinha as President, succeeding Punit Goenka, MD & CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises. More
California-based digital media analytics specialist Quotient has announced that Chief Technology Officer and former long-time Nielsen exec Matthew Krepsik will become Chief Executive Officer when founder Steven Boal retires from the role at the end of this year. More
In the US, experience platform Survey Dynamix has been renamed Mindful Feedback, following its recent acquisition by CX software developer VHT. More
In the US, consumer goods data company Smarter Sorting has raised $25m in a funding round, which it will use to accelerate its tech roadmap and scale business operations. The firm has also named Jacqueline Claudia as Chief Executive, replacing founder Chris Ripley. More
In the US, the Olinger Group has announced it is now focusing on three markets - health and wellness, luxury brands, and luxury travel. More
Digital research specialist MetrixLab has appointed Ed Harrison as Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand. He replaces Vincent Blaney, who is returning to the UK in June to take up a position at the firm's London office. More
Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) has announced the recruitment in Sydney of the first panel participants to wear electronic watch meters to capture their radio listening. This is part of the roll out of GfK Radio360, which moves the industry from paper-based surveys to the majority use of e-diaries. More
Shopper insight specialist Behaviorally has opened an office in New York, where it has appointed former InSites Consulting exec Jeff Haselum as Senior Vice President, leading the practice. More
Netherlands-based audience measurement specialist Beatgrid has emerged from stealth mode, adding to its Board of Directors former Nielsen Catalina Solutions CEO Matthew O'Grady and oOh! Media founder Brendon Cook. More
Nielsen's Board of Directors has opted 'not to proceed' with the unsolicited acquisition proposal reported last week from a private equity consortium, valuing the company at around $15bn. The decision follows major shareholder WindAcre's announcement that it would fight the deal. More
In Australia, financial services insights and consulting firm DBM Consultants has partnered with geospatial specialist RDA Research to launch tools for mapping and audience finding; appending variables to databases; and appending and profiling large databases. More
Comscore has partnered with ad intelligence specialist Standard Media Index (SMI) to offer what it describes as the 'industry's first' advanced Effective Cost-per-Thousand Metric (eCPM) for linear TV advertising. More
In the US, research platform dscout has raised $70m in a Series C round of funding, for use in market expansion, continued technology and product development, and hiring initiatives. At the same time the firm has announced the appointment to its Board of former Lucid President Brett Schnittlich. More
Private equity firm Arsenal Capital has merged Cello Health and four of its other firms to launch Lumanity, offering medical sector product development, market access and commercialization services. Former Cello Health Insight CEO Nicola Cowland becomes the new firm's Global President, Insight. More
UK-based customer experience platform Amplience has raised $100m in a Series D round of funding, which it will use for continued expansion in the US and globally, and to support the development and roll-out of its technology. More
US-based EPG Media has formed a new consumer measurement and insights company called EPG Specialty Information. More
In the US, product experience management (PXM) company Akeneo has raised $135m in a Series D round of financing, which it will use to accelerate its product development roadmap, make executive appointments, and expand strategic partnerships. More
Nielsen's shares soared by around 30% to $22.85 yesterday, after it was reported in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the firm is in talks to be acquired by a group of investors in a $15bn deal. More
In the US, mystery shopping agency A Closer Look has launched a specialist division covering the senior living sector. More
Nielsen is suing measurement and attribution specialist TVSquared, claiming that it infringed a patent entitled: 'Methods and Apparatus to Collect Distributed User Information for Media Impressions and Search Terms'. The ratings giant's claim includes lost profits. More
In New York, in-home product testing platform Highlight has raised $7m in a seed round of investment, including money from Momentive CEO Zander Lurie; Richard Thornton, former CEO of Cint; Tom Bernthal, CEO of Kelton; and Max Mullen, founder of Instacart. More
In the US, custom MR firm AMC Global has promoted seven employees, including Erin Russeck for the newly created role of Chief Research Officer. Kelly Jasper moves into Russeck's previous position, EVP of Corporate Strategy & Innovation. More
Harris Poll owner Stagwell Group has reported on a year of rapid growth, with a pro forma net revenue rise of 11.3% in Q4 of 2021 and 14.5% over the full 12 months. More
Boston and Mumbai-based consumer behavior analyses platform Infinite Analytics has raised an undisclosed sum of investment from a syndicate of investors, which includes marketing execs from Coca-Cola. Funds will be used to scale operations in the US and India and to expand its team. More
In New York, Omnicom's data and analytics division Annalect has signed a multi-year agreement with consumer spending data provider Affinity Solutions, to integrate retailer purchase transactions into the group's people-based marketing and insights platform, Omni. More
US-based Disco - which comprises a network of brands that work together to learn more about their customers - has raised $20m in a Series A round of funding. The money will be used to expand the firm's network and products, and to grow its team. More
Comscore and ad management platform WideOrbit have extended their partnership to create a solution called Comscore TV, powering automated TV ad buying and audience targeting across markets and demographics at scale. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has named Dave Power Head of Agency for London, replacing Laura Warby, who moves into a part-time role. Additionally, the firm is planning to open a second US office, located in Los Angeles. More
In New York, trend spotting agency sparks & honey is to launch two new practices: Youth Culture and Policy & Philanthropy, to be headed up respectively by newly promoted VP Hannah Hickman and SVP Robb Henzi. More
In the US, digital media measurement and analytics provider DoubleVerify (DV) has received accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC) across its suite of programmatic targeting services. More
Indonesia-based customer analytics platform MoEngage, fresh from a $30m Series D funding, has announced the appointment of Jason Smith as VP of Sales for Europe, and plans to open dedicated offices in France, Spain and Italy as it doubles its team in the region. More
In Canada, customer intelligence specialist Alida has appointed Mary Kay Evans as Chief Marketing Officer, to drive the company's overall marketing strategy and partner with the exec team to steer the company's next phase of growth. More
In New York, a trio of long-time media industry execs has launched a firm called datafuelX, which uses predictive analytics solutions to forecast and optimize advertising audiences and outcomes. More
Data-driven marketing agency network Hearts & Science has extended Jane Stanley's role to that of CEO of both Australia and New Zealand. Jeremy Bolt will step down from his position as CEO, Australia to focus on male longevity start-up firm, Old Bull Health. More
In Barcelona, retail customer data platform (CDP) Loyal Guru has raised EUR 8m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use for expansion across Europe and the Americas, and to further develop its product. More
In the US, sensory evaluation and consumer product research firm Curion Holdings has opened a Consumer Center in Natick, Massachusetts, to expand its innovation insights services in the New England area. More
MrWeb's special issue on 'Measuring Brains and Bodies' is launched today: viewing and downloading the 72-page pdf supplement is free: click the cover or the link below; or read on for the second part of Michelle Niedziela's article, which offers a guide to Best Practice in consumer neuroscience projects. More
Comscore CEO Bill Livek has announced plans to retire and move to the position of Non-Executive Vice Chairman after a successor has been found. As the news broke, the firm reported positive net income of $29m for the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to a net loss of $13.2m a year earlier. More
Nielsen has reported results for the 4th quarter and full year 2021, with annual reported revenue up 4.1% to $3.5bn (up 4.9% like-for-like), and full year adjusted EBITDA up 5.4% (constant currency) to $1.49bn. More
US broadcasting group NBCUniversal has announced a partnership with in-game ad platform Anzu.io, in which it has also made a 'small' investment. More
Nielsen has announced an expanded relationship with consumer data giant Experian, aimed at advancing person-based, cross-device measurement. Experian's marketing data will enhance the Nielsen Identity System by providing persistent IDs for analysis of behaviour on the 'open web'. More
In Sweden, product recommendation specialist Depict.ai has raised $17m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand its recommendation engine in Europe and the US, and to grow its team. More
Comscore is partnering with digital media measurement, data and analytics provider DoubleVerify (DV) to develop a cross-platform media quality verification and audience measurement solution. More
Emotion analytics specialist Realeyes and media quality measurement agency Adelaide have partnered to help advertisers uncover the value of attention insights across both creative and media. More
Ipsos has reported a 16.8% increase in annual revenue to EUR 2.14bn for 2021, with overall organic growth of 17.9%. Perhaps more significantly, the figures represent impressive organic growth of 10.4% when compared with 2019. More
Continuing our focus on 'Measuring Brains and Bodies', HCD Research's Michelle Niedziela runs through the key techniques in 'neuro', with advice on where to use them. The second part of the article, looking at Best Practices, will appear in DRNO when the pdf special issue is published early next week. More
In the US, television conglomerate Discovery and Omnicom Media Group have commenced a trial exercise with Comscore and VideoAmp, aiming to offer new currencies to advertisers in the 2022-23 Upfront season. More
In India, digital media agency Kinnect has launched a Customer Experience practice, and appointed Bharatesh Salian to lead it as SVP - Marketing Science and CX. More
Packaged food manufacturing giant Kraft Heinz has announced a far-reaching partnership with Google, with the aim of improving its understanding of consumers, and tailoring products and experience to them. More
Auckland, NZ-based customer intelligence agency Perceptive is to open an office in the country's capital, Wellington, and has appointed former NielsenIQ manager Roman Konopka there as Research Director. More
In the US, AI-powered, in-location experience management (XM) platform Raydiant has raised $30m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to further develop its products through acquisitions and hire new team members. More
Tel Aviv, Israel-based AI-driven data analytics platform Blyp has raised $4m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to scale its US operations and add new functionality to its platform. More
Kantar is doubling the frequency of its Republic of Ireland TGI survey data release, which will now be issued twice a year. More
US-based behavioral insights consultancy Behaviorally has expanded its APAC presence to Australia, where it has appointed Liam Gilbert as Vice President to lead its efforts in the country. More
San Francisco-based no-code retail sector decision intelligence solution Cerebra has raised $15m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to scale its solution globally and for strategic hires. More
In the US, product development and optimization insights specialist Birdie has raised $7m in an additional round of seed funding, which it will use to expand its team, increase its coverage to fifteen countries, and deliver new NPD capabilities based on spontaneous user opinions. More
Century City, CA-based research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) has hired former LRW Group exec Syed Hasan for the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer. More
Four insights companies - Ipsos, IVP Research Labs, Schlesinger Group and Shimmer Research - are partnering to provide live biometric monitoring and analysis for this year's Super Bowl. More
In the US, zero-party data platform Jebbit has raised $70m in funding, which it will use to scale the company across all departments. More
Automated insights platform Zappi has reported $50 million in sales in 2021, representing more than 30 percent growth in twelve months; and the hiring of more than 100 new employees during the year. More
In New York, marketing technology company Bluecore has partnered with ad targeting and retargeting specialist Criteo to help brands use their owned first-party data to predict what new and existing shoppers will buy next on major ad channels. More
Continuing our focus on 'Measuring Brains & Bodies', HCD's VP of Research & Innovation talks about a career in 'neuro' (with a rat allergy); quantifying the stress of bad audio on a Zoom call; whether any perfume can live up to one of those weird ads; and much more besides. Available to watch or read. More
In Australia, Advantage Group, which acts as an advisor for CPG and grocery sector B2B engagement solutions, has hired Peter Harris for the newly created role of Global Chief Research Officer. More
Continuing our focus on 'Measuring Brains and Bodies', MindProber's Pedro Moreira looks at the company's use of electrodermal activity (EDA) to analyse the extraordinary success of the hit TV show. What worked best, and why? [Spoiler Alert: this makes reference to surprise scenes etc.] More
AI-powered customer data and marketing platform Contlo has raised $800k in a pre-seed round of funding, which it will use to expand its team and product, and drive its go-to-market strategy. More
In the US, long-time Google exec Misty Muscatel Davis has joined consumer data giant and predictive analytics specialist IRI as Global Chief Marketing Officer. More
Texas-based data collection firm Veridata Insights has reported 150% year-over-year revenue growth and fifteen recent hires, having opened offices in Canada, Bulgaria, India and the UK. More
Personal data management specialist Swash has hired Arbitron Mobile founder Hannu Verkasalo and research analyst Seth Ulinski to build the business and connect it with their networks of market research contacts. The firm has also raised $19m in an oversubscribed round of funding. More
Omnicom Health subsidiary Adelphi Research has promoted Ratna Wynn from EVP, Head of Research, Operations and Innovation to the position of President, US, overseeing all Stateside research, operations and finance. More
Data and marketing services company Acxiom has announced that it is extending the same privacy rights provided to California residents under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to all US residents. More
Tesco-owned customer data specialist dunnhumby has appointed former Elsevier EVP Dan Olley as its new Chief Exec. He replaces Guillaume Bacuvier, who left the business last May and is now Global CEO of Kantar's consumer panel division Worldpanel. More
Consumer intent analysis platform System1 has become a publicly listed company through a merger with 'blank check company' Trebia Acquisition Corp, set up by D&B investor Cannae Holdings. The deal values System1 at $1.4 billion. More
In Canada, eCommerce analytics specialist Trellis has raised $1.5m in a seed funding round, which it will use to continue development of new eCommerce platform integrations. More
China-based data collection firm Holden Healthcare and Japanese healthcare researcher Seed Planning have announced a partnership enhancing physician panel access across hard-to-reach markets in the Asia Pacific region. More
New York-based full service agency Radius Global Market Research (Radius GMR) has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Star Mountain Capital. More
In New York, former Salesforce exec John Roa has launched a zero-party data platform called Caden, with a $3.4m round of pre-seed funding. More
Marcoms agency network Wunderman Thompson has promoted Tony Weber to the newly created role of Chief Data Officer, North America. More
GfK and cross-device targeting specialist Dstillery have expanded their partnership with the development of 32 new audience segments, through which digital marketers can target CPG shoppers. More
Tel Aviv, Israel-based Personetics, which offer personalization and customer engagement solutions for the financial sector, has raised $85m in growth funding from software investment firm Thoma Bravo. The money will be used to expand and develop its range of tools. More
Wearable tech is everywhere, and offers great potential for collecting data, but how useful is it right now for answering specific research questions? Kathryn Ambroze, Manager of Behavioral and Marketing Sciences at HCD Research continues our month-long focus on 'Measuring Brains & Bodies'. More
US-based behavioral insights consultancy Behaviorally has launched a division called eFluence, to help brands drive sales at the digital shelf level, and influence the omnichannel shopper journey. Former Chief Commercial Officer Scott Brill will lead the new division as MD. More
Tesco's customer data science firm dunnhumby has partnered with software giant SAP to help retailers make 'faster, customer-led decisions' and deliver a more personalised shopper experience in-store and at home. More
In the US, residential property sector analytics and solutions provider Corelogic has appointed long-time Nielsen exec Pad Dodd as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Frank Martell, who becomes Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. More
UK-based kids and family market intelligence provider The Insights Family has expanded its services to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Argentina and South Africa. More
In Oslo, Norway, the country's MOC audience measurement body has extended Nielsen's contract for radio measurement, which was due to expire in twelve months' time. More
Fonto, the recently launched Australia-based consumer data business headed up by former Kantar and Nielsen leader Ben Dixon, has raised $6m in capital with which to accelerate its growth and expand its suite of services. More
Marcoms group Dentsu International has appointed Keith Camoosa as 'Chief Addressability Officer', tasked with bringing together and developing its addressable media practice. More
Shopper intelligence specialist Catalina has partnered with location intelligence firm PlaceIQ to offer location-driven planning, measurement and attribution services to CPG retailers. More
Israel-based digital market intelligence company SimilarWeb has added consumer insights from Walmart, Target, Best Buy and pet food retailer Chewy to its Shopper Intelligence solution, which launched in July with insights from Amazon. More
Klover, a financial services platform whose users share data voluntarily in exchange for financial services and products, has appointed former Google, Facebook and Pinterest executive Meredith Guerriero as COO. More
Programmatic sampling and research tech firm Lucid, headquartered in the US, has announced a multi-year agreement with UK-based consumer research platform Attest. More
Boston-based influencer marketing platform Mavrck has raised $120m, which it will use to accelerate product expansion. More
In New York, location intelligence platform CARTO has raised $61m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to expand into verticals such as consumer packaged goods, retail, logistics and telecoms. More
R.R. Donnelley & Sons' $2.1bn acquisition by Atlas Holdings is off, replaced by a $2.3bn deal with private investment firm Chatham Asset Management, which is a longstanding investor in the company. More
In the US, accreditation body the Media Rating Council (MRC) says it has commenced a new audit of Nielsen's Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) service, including for the first time the firm's measurement of mobile devices and connected TV (CTV). More
Cross-screen advertising data platform Advocado, which recently acquired Kantar BVS, has announced $10m in new capital, including $7.5m from institutional investment firm Crescent Cove Advisors. It has also appointed Michael Beer as a Board Director. More
In the US, consumer insights platform DISQO has appointed long-time Walmart exec Yannis Pavlidis as Vice President of Data Science and Analytics. More
Samsung Ads, the electronics giant's TV advertising company, has partnered with data management platforms (DMPs) Acxiom, Adobe, Experian, LiveRamp, Merkle and Oracle, to help advertisers plan and activate TV campaigns through the use of first-party data. More
John Robson and Magnus Willis, the founders of London-based consumer insight and brand strategy specialist Sparkler, have left the business to take time out for a 'rest and reset'. More
Experience management firm Qualtrics is to create 400 new jobs with a $15.9 million investment in a new office in Reston, VA, USA. More
Saudi Arabian ad currency body MRC (Media Rating Company) has announced a schedule for the roll-out of its television and video audience measure, in partnership with Nielsen. More
Indian consumer insights provider Hansa Research Group is opening an office in Dhaka, Bangladesh. More
In California, independent creative agency Duncan Channon has formed a Data + Tech practice, to be led by Madelaine Robinson; and is rolling out a proprietary analytics tool called the Table, promising rapid campaign performance insight and help with optimising creative. More
In the US, marketers Shane George and Tom Cherrey have launched a platform called BrandTruth, which uses artificial intelligence and 'proven psychology' to help organisations understand their 'brand essence' and drive the brand development process. More
Customer experience (CX) specialist and call center software provider Genesys has raised $580m in a new round of funding, which values the company at $21 billion. More
In the US, streaming TV measurement specialist Conviva has partnered with information services giant Experian to provide streaming publishers and their partners with what the company claims is 'the industry's most advanced audience segmentation data'. More
In the US, apparel market consumer experience (CX) platform True Fit has raised $30m in funding, which it will use for business expansion, and to drive product innovation. More
US-based insight automation specialist Heap has raised $110m in a Series D round of funding, which values the company at $960m. The investment will be used to scale the firm's global operations, and accelerate R&D for its digital analytics platform. More
Kantar has been awarded a contract by the Azerbaijani television industry, to supply technology for the launch of a new TV audience measurement currency in the country. More
New York-based YipitData, which describes itself as a 'market research firm for the disruptive economy', has raised $475m in a Series E round of funding, which it will use for product innovation and expansion into new markets. More
In the UK, the Market Research Society (MRS) has given this year's Agency of the Year Award to London-based insight firm Opinium, which had previously been shortlisted eight times in nine years. More
Immensitas Private Limited, which owns the Lemnisk customer data platform, has raised $2.3m in a pre-series A1 round of funding, which it will use to strengthen the capabilities of the platform and for market expansion. More
Kantar has reported revenue of $2,681m for the first three quarters of 2021, up 11% at constant currency although still down 5% from 2019 figures; and EBITDA of $445m, up 52% on 2020 and 39% (organic growth 33%) versus the same period in 2019. More
In Toronto, Harris Poll owner Stagwell Group has brought together two units of its recently merged business MDC Partners to form a new agency, DonerNorth. The two are creative, digital and media experts UNION and shopper innovation and insights firm 6 Degrees. More
Dentsu International has launched its data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company Merkle in Taiwan. Current iProspect Taiwan CEO Carrie Tsai will now serve as Chief Exec of both businesses. More
Comscore has partnered with the Polk Automotive Solutions division of information and analytics firm IHS Markit to offer programmatic cookie-free audience targets for in-market auto shoppers. More
Former hotel sector marketer Daniel Diosi has launched an MR software firm called Market Sampler, offering a self-service tool which uses an AI-based programmatic survey delivery method to reach a potential global audience of more than 1.9 billion via over four million public web sites and mobile apps. More
New York-based data activation, curation and identity platform Audigent has appointed MediaMath co-founder Greg Williams as company President. More
Affinity Solutions, which analyzes consumer spending data to help clients with their targeted marketing initiatives, has partnered with public sector software and services provider Tyler Technologies, to provide real-time data and insights on economic recovery. More
The Stagwell Group, owner of the Harris and Harris Poll brands, has opened a regional headquarters in Singapore, where it has appointed Randy Duax as Managing Director, Asia Pacific. More
Crispin Beale, former Chime I&E CEO, has joined US-based Behaviorally in the newly created role of company President, overseeing all client service and business development efforts across Europe, Asia and North America. More
In the US, Internet of Things (IoT) data provider Samsara has filed a registration for an initial public offering (IPO) with the SEC, aiming to raise $100 million for future expansion initiatives. More
Consumer and brand researcher 4Sight has partnered with CHN Analytics, which provides predictive analytics for the US Department of Defense, to offer services for commercial clients identifying potential risks in product ingredients and opportunities from new technology. More
UK audience currency body BARB has announced it will add viewing figures for SVoD (Streaming Video On Demand) and video-sharing platforms into its daily reporting, with the upgrade completed next Monday. More
Marcoms giant WPP has opened a campus in the Czech capital Prague, where twelve of the group's agencies and 1,000 marketing, advertising, media, PR, data and research professional are now housed. More
Ian Forrester, former Insight Head at video tracking platform Unruly, has launched an AI-powered ad research platform called DAIVID, which automates ad testing by using facial coding, eye tracking and computer vision data to predict human attention levels and emotions. More
Nielsen has enhanced its Individual Commercial Metrics service with the addition of television viewing audience estimates based on individual ads rather than commercial minutes. The change is intended to aid comparison of digital and linear TV commercials. More
UK-based customer experience (CX) measurement platform Uncrowd has raised £3m in new funding, which it will use to further develop its platform and expand its team. More
US-based cross-screen audience insights and analytics provider Samba TV has filed for an IPO. The number of shares to be offered and the price range have not yet been determined. More
Marketing and consumer insights platform Prodege has secured an undisclosed 'major' investment from private equity firm Great Hill Partners, for use in rapid organic expansion and for targeted acquisitions. More
Southeast Asian consumer research and analytics firm Milieu Insight has raised $5m in funding, for use in development of new products and geographical expansion. More
Japanese holding company Dentsu Group has announced that Toshihiro Yamamoto will retire from his role as President and CEO, to be succeeded by Hiroshi Igarashi from next January. Management of dentsu international (DI) will remain under the leadership of Wendy Clark. More
In Turkey, local industry committee TIAK has awarded Kantar a new contract to provide TV audience measurement in the country until at least 2027. More
Canada-based online sample and research technology specialist WiseWorks has been renamed Torfac, and has announced plans for 'extensive hiring and expansion' of its Technology and Development team, including more than 30 new positions. More
Australian media company Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has made a minority investment in US company Frequency, which uses data signals to create multiple personalised versions of audio ads in real time. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. More
In New York, customer data and marketing platform Ometria has raised $40m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to triple the size of its Product and Engineering team. More
Audience relationship platform OpenWeb has raised $150m in a Series E round of funding, giving a company valuation of more than $1 billion. The investment will be used to provide publishers and brands with tools to build first-party data relationships with their audiences. More
San Francisco-based UserTesting has launched an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of 14.2 million shares, through which it plans to raise $227m. More
Comscore has reported revenue up 5% to $92.5m and adjusted EBITDA of $11.3m, up 55%, for the third quarter of 2021. Net income was $2.0m, compared with a net loss of $11.1m a year earlier. More
Stagwell Group, owner of the Harris and Harris Poll brands has announced organic revenue growth of 22.8% for the third quarter, and adjusted EBITDA of $100m, up 12.4%. Revenue was $466.6m - representing reported growth of 104.6% following the MDC merger. More
Analytics and data sharing companies continue to attract serious VC funding. This week in the US and Canada, A/B Testing firm MarketDial, data sharing / management firms Reltio and Yellowbrick Data, data exchange Trufan and CDP Treasure Data between them won in excess of $430m. More
US-based firm Engage3, which helps retailers and brands track and optimize their 'Price Image', has promoted Helena Cisneros to the new role of SVP of Data Operations & Mentorship, launched new features and says it expects to double its team over the next eighteen months. More
In the US, Spanish-language media and content company Univision Communications Inc. is to use Comscore's data to provide its exclusive local audience currency for its new stations in the Orlando and Tampa, FL markets as well as in Washington, D.C. More
Technology researcher Forrester has announced third quarter revenue of $118.1m, up around 8.7% when compared either with Q3 2020 or 2019. More
London-based full service agency IFF Research has launched an Energy & Environment team, providing insight to help inform environmental policy decisions and support sustainable business across the UK. Director Andrew Skone James will lead it. More
Consumer identity management and resolution firm Infutor has partnered with Atlanta, GA-based sector specialist analytics company HealthWise Data, to add health and wellness attributes to the former's Total Consumer Insights solution. More
Australian insight consultancy Fiftyfive5 has made 33 new hires since July, boosting its teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore. They include Clare Bradshaw as COO and Helen Brocklehurst as NZ-based Head of CX. More
In the US, online sample specialist Full Circle Research has appointed industry veteran Thomas Pampinella as Director, Programming & IT, while adding a new office in Florida, the firm's ninth US city. More
Tech consultancy Gartner has announced results for the third quarter of 2021, with revenues up 15.0% at constant currency to $1.16bn, and EBITDA of $305m, up 79.9% on the same basis. More
Data onboarding and audience intelligence provider Eyeota has expanded its partnership with Comscore, to provide cookie-free contextual targeting for a broad range of verticals, across the key global markets. More
In the USA, ad industry association the ANA has announced it will conduct a pilot test with Los Angeles-based VideoAmp, continuing its search for a privacy-compliant Cross-Media Measurement solution. More
Nielsen has reported a 5.5% increase in third quarter revenue to $882m (up 6.6% in organic terms). The figure is about 1% ahead of 2019 Q3 revenues for Nielsen Global Media, although comparisons are difficult after the company split and the sale of the Connect / NielsenIQ business. More
In a trading update, marcoms giant WPP has reported 'very strong' third quarter performance, with revenue minus pass-through costs of £2.64bn, up 6.9% LFL on pre-pandemic levels (Q3 2019). More
Nielsen and mobile audience data and targeting specialist Adsquare have expanded their data partnership to Australia, combining consumer data with location-based targeting capabilities so clients can reach 'hyper-relevant audiences at the right mobile moments'. More
American grocery giant Kroger has launched a programmatic advertising marketplace, through which agencies and brands can reach its consumers. More
London-based personal data firm CitizenMe has raised $2m (£1.5m) which it will use to expand its position as a supplier of zero-party data, a term coined by Forrester Research to define 'data that a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a brand'. More
Long-time Kantar exec Tim Wragg has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of brand insights analytics and consulting agency Hall & Partners, succeeding Vanella Jackson who moves to the role of company Chairperson. More
eCommerce giant Amazon is launching a tool to help sellers derive insights from the search performance of their products. The service will be available in the US early next year. More
US-based in-store video analytics firm Deep North has raised $16.7m in a Series A-1 round of funding, which it will use to make 'key hires' and to expand its services. More
In New York, connected TV ad delivery and measurement platform Innovid, and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) ION have announced an additional $50m private placement of common stock from a group of PIPE investors. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 of 2021. More
London-based human behaviour understanding and prediction specialist Humanising Autonomy has raised $11m in a Series A funding round, for use in product development, growth in new sectors and expansion into new markets in Asia, Europe and North America. More
Real-time market research platform Suzy has announced plans to add 40 new jobs over the next three years as it establishes a technology hub in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. More
Australia-based digital research platform Pureprofile has announced unaudited revenue of $10.2m for the first quarter of its new financial year, up 61% year on year; and EBITDA of $1.1m, up 29%. More
Ipsos has posted third quarter revenue of EUR 526.3m, up 12.3% versus Q3 2020 and 5.4% - or 8.5% in organic growth terms - compared with Q3 2019. The firm says profitability is 'in line with the objectives for the year announced in July', with a slight improvement predicted in operating margin. More
Research and analytics group YouGov has brought its recent Canadian sports research acquisition Charlton Insights under the main corporate brand. More
YouGov has reported revenue of £169.0m for the year to July 31st, up 18% in like-for-like terms and 11% reported. Reported pre-tax profit rose 24% to £18.9m, and adjusted operating profit rose 32% like-for-like (21% reported) to £31.2m. More
London-based mobile intelligence platform Streetbees has appointed Charlotte Forsyth as VP People, and Anthony Brew as VP Artificial Intelligence. The firm also recently brought in Sean O'Connell as VP Product. More
Video attention measurement and emotion analytics specialist Realeyes has appointed former Brand Networks CEO Dave Fall as Chief Product Officer. More
Manchester United football club has hired Dominic Jordan for the newly created position of Director of Data Science, tasked with driving forward the club's use of data to help players and staff 'deliver success on the pitch'. More
In the US, eCommerce analytics platform Zeenk has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Amazon brands aggregator Thrasio, which it will use to officially launch with technology and staff from its legacy brand, Nanigans. More
In New York, location data firm Unacast has raised $16m in a new round of funding, which it will use to expand its offering for international clients outside the US, and to build a data buying platform. More
Nielsen has brought its streaming solutions together in a single measurement suite, encompassing ad-supported and subscription-based service models across content, ads and platforms. More
London-based community panels specialist Verve is planning to open an office in Manchester, which will initially be led by founder and CEO Andrew Cooper, who has relocated to the north of England; and Joint Head of Insight Richard Preedy. The firm has also hired three new execs. More
In the US, customer data platform mParticle has raised $150m in a Series E round of funding, which it will use to support global go-to-market expansion, as well as for R&D investment. More
Sweden's audience measurement body has extended and expanded the cross-media measurement services provided by Nielsen, which it has endorsed as the country's total measurement provider for TV and digital video from next April. More
In the US, eCommerce specialist David Weissman has launched a company called Humankind, allowing retailers to connect their product experts with online shoppers through one-to-one SMS conversations. More
OpenVault, which provides data and insights on worldwide broadband consumption patterns, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from three clients. Funds will be used to fuel company growth both domestically and internationally, specifically in Europe and Latin America. More
In New York, data-driven audience intelligence platform Helixa and audience insight company GlobalWebIndex (GWI) have partnered to integrate predictive insights with 'expressed consumer intent' data. More
US-based mCube, which senses, captures and analyzes all types of movement data with a focus on the entertainment, sports, health and industrial sectors, has been renamed Movella. The change reflects the integration of two recent buys. More
Ipsos has announced that Nathalie Roos will no longer be taking over as CEO, following the emergence of 'deep discrepancies' in her discussions with Didier Truchot. Instead, Ipsos MORI CEO Ben Page will take the top job, from November 15th. More
WPP has agreed to pay more than $19m to settle charges that it violated several provisions of the USA's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The SEC accused the marcoms giant of breaches of protocols including anti-bribery, books and records, and internal accounting. More
Customer experience (CX) platform Emplifi has acquired Go Instore, which uses immersive HD live video to connect customers with a brand's data-driven product team. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. More
Kantar has announced a partnership combining its TGI consumer data with insights from out-of-home (OOH) audience measurement business Route, to launch a new ad buying platform promising highly targeted campaigns. More
Kantar has been selected by Origin, a joint industry initiative led by UK advertiser trade body ISBA, to supply a single source panel for cross-media measurement; adding to the recent launch of a 'Cross Media Performance' solution in Latin America, with Unilever among the early adopters. More
Nielsen has today announced an 'Impressions First Initiative', supporting what it calls an 'industry-wide move' to impressions-based buying and selling in local markets across the country. This will accompany the integration of broadband only homes (BBO) into its local metrics in January 2022. More
Canada-based holding company Reid Campbell Group (RCG), parent firm of Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights, has rebranded as the Rival Group Inc. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's digital advertising and marketing services company S4 Capital plc has begun the growth of a third main practice area with the acquisition of tech services company Zemoga. More
Reflecting the ever-increasing value placed on 'alternative data' by financial advisors and investors, Bloomberg is to make rich consumer purchase intent data for the US and China from Prosper Insights & Analytics available through its data marketplace. More
In San Francisco, artificial intelligence-based analytics start-up Viable has raised $3.9m in pre-seed and seed funding rounds, which it will use to roll out its qualitative feedback tool. Craft Ventures and Javelin Venture Partners led the funding rounds respectively. More
In the US, consumer behavior analyst and consultancy GBK Collective has appointed former Kantar exec Rob da Silva as Executive Vice President, while promoting Brian Smith to the role of EVP, Strategic Insights. More
Kirsty Fuller, CEO of video intelligence platform Big Sofa Technologies, is stepping down from the role and will become a Non-Executive Director from next January. She will be succeeded by Sam Curtis, current Head of Client Partnerships and Business Development, in a planned transition. More
In the US, consumer data giant IRI has partnered with Banyan, which connects SKU-level consumer receipt data with financial transactions, to provide its retail clients with a more 'holistic' view of consumer shopping habits and opportunities. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has opened an office in Stockholm, Sweden, headed by Associate Director Sofie Brodén, who previously worked for brand development consultancy Grow as Manger Insight & Foresight. The firm has also made eighteen hires. More
In New York, martech company Zeta has partnered with predictive consumer intelligence platform Adara, to provide the travel and hospitality sectors with individual-level insights through a newly created solution called the Traveler Data Cloud. More
Pierre Le Manh, Ipsos' CEO in North America, has left the company to pursue 'other opportunities', and been replaced by former Gartner exec Lorenzo Larini. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's S4Capital has reported a 'very strong' first half, with like-for-like gross profit (net revenue) up 49%, and pro forma EBITDA up 36% - results described as 'more in line with the fast-growing digital platforms' than the more traditional major media groups. More
UK-based research and data business Delineate has announced senior management changes, with founder James (JT) Turner moving from the CEO role to that of President; COO Ben Leet stepping up to CEO; and former employee Chris Bunyan returning as Product Director. More
Berlin-based customer data platform Zeotap has raised $11m in a Series C extension round, bringing total funds so far to $90m. More
Multinational food, snack and beverage corporation PepsiCo has launched an in-house data practice called Pepviz, using real-time insights, advanced analytics and data science to target shoppers. More
In the US, recent Nielsen critic the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) has launched the Measurement Innovation Task Force, comprising a group of research, analytics and insights execs who it says will design and deliver best practices and standards for the national TV ad industry. More
UK-based consumer and sensory researcher MMR Group has opened an office in Amsterdam, where it has appointed former Flavors & Fragrances exec James Gater as Regional Head, Netherlands. More
Consumer and shopper insights agency PRS IN VIVO has appointed Nicole Duckworth as Managing Director in the UK and Clément Dargent as Managing Director in France, while promoting Olivier Bardin to the position of Head of Switzerland, VP Client Development. More
Newcastle, UK-based research consultancy Differentology has been acquired from marcoms group e>erything d.fferent, by its management team. Terms of the deal involve the other co-founders stepping aside to pursue other business ventures. More
Former dunnhumby CEO Guillaume Bacuvier has been hired as Global Chief Executive Officer of Kantar's consumer panel division Worldpanel. He succeeds Josep Montserrat, who takes on the role of Non-Executive Chairman. More
Research revenue for the Top 50 US-based insights and data analytics companies rose 4% to $48 billion in 2020, even as overall US GDP contracted 3.5% during the global Covid pandemic, according to the Insights Association's Top 50 Report. More
In the US, consumer intelligence business NielsenIQ and experience management platform Qualtrics have partnered, to create 'comprehensive' brand experience solutions, offering clients a real-time, '360-degree view' of their brand health based on consumer feedback. More
Berlin, Germany-based SEO and analytics software firm Searchmetrics has opened an office in Chicago, where newly promoted Chief Marketing Officer Lillian Haase has relocated to oversee global marketing. More
US-based podcast data analytics specialist Backtracks has received certification by non-profit research, development and standard-setting consortium IAB Tech Lab. More
In the US, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has suspended accreditation of Nielsen's National TV ratings service, and also cancelled an agreed hiatus for support of the company's Local Market efforts. The changes will take effect in mid-September. More
In Australia, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed Ipsos as its preferred supplier for digital audience data for a three-year term, commencing in the second quarter of 2022. Nielsen previously held the contract for nearly a decade. More
In Canada, customer experience management (CXM) specialist Alida has appointed Amit Gupta as Chief Architect, to strengthen the technology of its TXM (Total Experience Management) platform. More
Consumer insights platform DISQO has raised $85m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to scale its operations and accelerate its product roadmap, with a focus on expanding the reach and capabilities of its platform. More
In the US, social media listening and analytics specialist Talkwalker has acquired review management platform Reviewbox for an undisclosed sum. More
In London, Tesco-owned customer data firm dunnhumby has promoted long-time employee Sandra Stanley to the role of Chief Data Science Officer, leading its global team of 500 data scientists. More
In South Africa, full-service agency BMi Research has promoted Jenni-Ruth Coggin to Chief Executive Officer and Cindi Collett to Chief Operating Officer. More
In the US, shopper intelligence firm Catalina has partnered with out-of-home (OOH) buying program AdQuick to launch a purchase-based audience targeting and sales lift measurement insights service for OOH media buyers. More
UK TV station Channel 4 has launched the Producers Performance Report, giving individual producers data on how their new programmes have performed on All 4 and the broadcaster's linear channels. More
US-based customer experience (CX) specialist SeeLevel HX has partnered with Shop'n Chek Latin America to develop a new range of services. More
Consumer and fashion trend analysis and forecasting specialist WGSN has launched a Consumer Tech division, led by Silicon Valley-based Director Lisa Yong. More
In the US, Johannes Waldstein and Dieter Neujahr have officially launched a platform called FanAI, which helps marketers measure, optimize and monetize sports sponsorships. More
In Pittsburgh, USA, market intelligence company CivicScience is launching an advertising company tapping data from its 100m plus survey respondents. The new firm starts with $15m seed funding from investors including the NPD Group, and is led by CEO Doug Lauretano. More
Vienna, Austria-based marketing analytics platform Adverity has closed a $120 million Series D financing round. More
New York-based customer intelligence platform Lifesight has partnered with audience technology platform Eyeota to roll out its customer identification data in eight new global markets. More
In London, Uncommon Creative Studio has launched a Customer Experience (CX) division called the Practice, led by former Lida CEO Jonathan Goodman. More
In New York, cannabis-focused customer data platform Surfside has raised $4m in a seed round of funding, and plans to double its workforce and launch new services. More
Tokyo-based Macromill has announced the launch of a digital advertising business, Macromill Ads, tapping the data from its 1.3m proprietary consumer panelists to provide a one-stop service from ad planning and distribution to the measurement of effectiveness. More
Comscore has reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30th, with revenue down 1% to $87.7m, and adjusted EBITDA of $2.6m, dropping sharply from $9.2m a year earlier. The firm says the positive results of recent partnerships and agreements will show up later in the year. More
Momentive, until recently known as SurveyMonkey, has announced an expansion of its MR targeting capabilities to meet growing demand from b2b customers, and tapping the resources of Dynata and Schlesinger Group. More
London-based youth insight and panel business YouthSight has hired six researchers, plus two new members for its Project Management team. This includes the appointment of former Yonder Consulting/Ipsos MORI exec Ralph Robinson as Senior Research Manager. More
In the US, Publicis-owned integrated media, digital and communications agency Team One has hired Prachi Priya for the newly created role of Chief Data Officer. More
Global research and advisory company Gartner has reported a 20% increase in second quarter revenue to $1.2 billion, from $973.1m a year earlier. Research revenues rose 14.6% to $1,003.2m, while the Conferences division recovered half its Q2 2019 revenue for a total of $58.2m. More
In interim results, WPP has reported a 'strong' first half, with revenue returning to 2019 levels 'a year ahead of plan'. H1 2021 revenue of £6.13bn was up 9.8% on last year's Covid-hit figure, and the group returned to a profit before tax (£394m) after losses of £3.18bn a year earlier. More
US-based ad serving, measurement and technology company Flashtalking has partnered with cross-platform TV measurement specialist TVSquared, to provide real-time, household-level insights to advertisers globally. More
Comscore and Verisk-owned transaction data provider Commerce Signals have partnered to develop contextual audiences for cookieless ad targeting across digital mobile, and CTV inventory, for the retail industry. More
New York-based location data specialist GroundTruth has been granted Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its location, place and visitation data sets. More
From September, Nielsen will begin placing approximately 3,000 newly designed Portable People Meter (PPM) wearable audience measurement devices with a subset of its nearly 60,000 active PPM panelists, as part of plans to modernize its panels and improve panelist experience. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's S4Capital has merged its digital content production company MediaMonks and digital media solutions provider MightyHive into a single data, digital media and tech brand called Media.Monks. More
Community panels pioneer Verve has appointed Tesco veteran Simon Taylor as a Research Director leading its grocery specialism, supporting key client the John Lewis Partnership; and has announced seven promotions. More
Fast-rising Manchester, UK-based researcher The Insights Family has announced a move to larger offices on the city's central King Street, and the opening of a satellite office in Mayfair, London, as well a roll-out in Poland and a number of hires. More
Aromyx, which has developed technology to digitize and quantify the information from sensory receptors in the human nose and tongue, has raised $10m in a Series A round. Funds will help increase capacity and automation capabilities, improve AI algorithms, and expand its lab and software teams. More
US-based technology specialist Forrester Research has reported second quarter revenue of $128.7m, up 13.4% on last year. Revenue from its Research division climbed to $81.0m from $75.0m in Q2 2020. More
Nielsen has announced a 6.2% increase in second quarter revenues to $861m on both a reported and organic basis (4.5% in constant currency terms), up from $811m in the prior year period, and similar to revenue for the Global Media half of the business in Q2 2019. More
Sydney-based TEG, which offers ticketing, live entertainment and data analytics, has merged its Analytics, Digital and Insights divisions to create a marketing and technology solution called Ovation. More
New York-based real-time MR software platform Suzy has closed a $50 million Series D funding round, more than doubling the total is has raised to date. More
Nielsen has launched an approach to measure authenticated and unauthenticated web traffic and validate first-party server data with real consumer behavior. More
US-based mobile app analytics and attribution specialist Kochava has appointed Bryce Kliewer as Chief Operating Officer, while Nicolas Beraudo joins as Chief Revenue Officer. More
Scott Muller has returned to Australian media company Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) in the newly created role of Head of Content Insights. More
In New York, 'zero-party' data marketing platform Octane AI has raised $5m in a round of funding, which it will use to help merchants personalize shoppers' eCommerce experiences. More
Continuing our focus on communities Dan Fleetwood, President, Research & Insights at QuestionPro, looks at how the firm's community management platform has helped battery giant Energizer gather rapid and regular feedback in a fragmented market where loyalty is low. More
OMG's analytics, data and tech agency Annalect has hired GroupM's Liesa Newland for the new role of Head of Data Infrastructure and Integration, covering Australia and New Zealand and starting on September 1st. More
In New York, consumer insights platform Morning Consult has added seven former Kantar executives and three from Ipsos to its Commercial team. More
In Australia, M&C Saatchi has launched a marketing sciences practice called Precision, which will work with clients and support a group-wide learning and development program to increase 'data fluency' among the group's employees. More
In New York, cinema advertising network National CineMedia (NCM) has appointed Manu Singh as Senior Vice President of Strategic Insight & Analytics. More
Netherlands-based group Effective Media & Marketing (EMM) has launched an FMCG-focused agency called ASK-Opinions, which will combine online panel research with shopper and purchase data from more than 1.5 million brand and category buyers. More
From our special issue published this week, KL Communications founder Kevin Lonnie talks about what's changed and what hasn't in twenty years running a communities business; about getting customers to solve clients' business problems; and getting space men to talk to each other. More
Telecoms company Orange has acquired a small stake in French audience measurement agency Médiamétrie, and will now be represented on its Board. More
Our 2021 Online Communities supplement is published today. In this article, Richard Preedy from title sponsor Verve looks at the role the company's community panels have played in the customer-focused transformation of retailer John Lewis. More
In Australia, market research and customer experience consultancy Bastion Insights has appointed former Potentiate CEO Peter Harris as Chief Exec in Sydney, driving growth and expansion in both the NSW market and nationally. More
Kantar has chosen a new Chief Executive - Chris Jansen, currently CEO of global schools group Cognita, starts in the role on 1st November. More
Twenty years to the day from its launch, North of England firm DJS Research has announced it is now an employee-owned business. More
Information services and tech company Neustar has teamed up with financial data firm Equifax to launch Financial Spectrum, an audience segmentation and media activation solution for financial services marketers. More
Kantar has announced the formal integration of New Zealand's Colmar Brunton into its business, with the Colmar Brunton name to be phased out by the end of this year. All 121 staff in the country will join one of two new NZ divisions, Kantar or Kantar Public. More
Santa Monica, California-based ad intelligence company Pathmatics is expanding to Australia and New Zealand, appointing Eugene Du Plessis to lead the new division as Regional Director. More
KPMG Australia has shuffled the leadership team for its customer, brand and marketing advisory (CBMA) business, promoting Carmen Bekker to lead the expanded business. More
Comscore has partnered with LatAm intelligence platform Retargetly to deliver what it says is the first cookieless targeting solution specifically tailored for the region. More
Real-time consumer feedback and market intelligence platform Native.AI has launched a new offering for Food & Beverage (F&B) and CPG companies; and has secured $1.75m in strategic pre-seed funding. More
In New York, the ARF (Advertising Research Foundation) is teaming up with seven data and insights firm on a study intended to establish unbiased measures for defining digital device and account sharing and usage. More
Continuing our focus on insight communities, Verve's Joint Head of Research talks about setting up the world's largest community panel; the boom in exploratory digital qual; and why he's seeing research better represented in board meetings than ever before. Available in print or as a video podcast. More
CXM & insights platform provider Alida has secured a US$10m debt facility, which the firm says will fuel its 'aggressive growth strategy and ambitious roadmap'. More
Google's phasing out of third-party cookies is no longer imminent. After sending the marketing community into a frenzy with its decision 18 months ago to drop cookie support from Chrome, the firm this week put the deadline back to at least mid-2023, linking the move to pressure from UK regulators. More
US ad industry association the ANA is partnering with Comscore on a preliminary test as it seeks to develop a 'privacy-preserving cross-media measurement solution' for marketers. More
The UK government has asked Netflix, Amazon and other streaming services to disclose top-line viewing data for the shows they get from public service broadcasters the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. More
Digital research firm MetrixLab has expanded its DACH business with a new office in Frankfurt and four senior appointments, following what it calls 'years of growing demand from local and global clients' in the region. More
LA-based insights firm Echo MR has expanded its partnership with CXM and Insights platform Alida to Europe, just a few months after joining its partner network. More
In Berlin, performance-based marketing platform Swaarm has secured a new seven-figure round of funding, which it will use to drive product development and increase its presence in new and existing markets. More
San Francisco-based UserLeap, an AI-powered platform giving product development teams continuous and rapid qualitative user feedback, has raised $38m in a Series B funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. More
In Los Angeles, TV software and data platform VideoAmp has appointed former Comscore COO Cameron Meierhoefer in the new role of Chief Product Officer. More
Dentsu Group is folding its Isobar subsidiary in Australia into two other divisions, BWM Dentsu and Merkle: the former will become BWM Isobar and take Isobar's creative staff, while the latter becomes the group's leading CXM brand in the region and welcomes its CX specialists. More
Australia-based consulting business Fiftyfive5 says it has made 45 new hires in the last twelve months, 'across all geographies and levels', bringing its headcount to 147. More
Analytics, AI and insight firm Course5 Intelligence has spun off a new business, Incivus, which uses 'computer perception' and machine learning to help optimize ad creative for a higher return. More
Targeted ad solutions firm AcuityAds has announced the closing of its US and Canadian Initial Public Offering, announced earlier this month. More
In the UK, mobile research tech firm RealityMine and transaction measurement services firm Rippll have partnered to allow clients single source access to digital behavioural capture and transaction data from Rippll's Open Banking technology. More
Comscore is to integrate its contextual Activation suite into ad tech company Viant's cross-channel programmatic ad platform, Adelphic, allowing Viant's advertisers to use Comscore's cookie-free targeting solutions. More
In New York, ad agency TBWA has hired Alyson Stevens as Global Head of Connected Intelligence and Michael Horn as Global Head of Data Product, both newly created roles. More
The directors of MR agency MM-Eye have launched a sustainability business change practice called The Say Do Company, promising to help clients drive profit through a combination of customer insight, business change management and sustainability expertise. More
Kantar has partnered with data collaboration platform InfoSum to help advertisers ad TGI consumer insights to their own first-party data, improving targeting. More
In the US, healthcare sector MR platform Thrivable has closed a $1.7m round of funding, which it will use to expand its team across technology, research, data science, sales and marketing. More
Belgian companies One Inch Whale and Color Navigator have launched a joint venture, Research & Visual Nudging, which will combine insight techniques with the patented Color Navigator system to enhance services including predictive intelligence and neuromarketing. More
In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and The Alan Turing Institute are teaming up to produce 'close to real-time economic statistics', which they say will 'help track changes in the economy while preserving privacy'. More
US and Israel-based revenue intelligence provider Gong has raised $250m in a Series E round of funding, valuing the company at $7.25 billion. More
As the insight world emerges from the shadow of Covid, 'only around 50% of formerly face to face activity will revert to type', says Verve's Andy Dexter, introducing a month of features focused on Online Communities, for our forthcoming special issue. More
In New York, consumer insights platform Morning Consult has raised $60m in a Series B round of funding, which values the company at $1.01 billion. Funds will be used for development of its data collection technology and expansion into the EMEA and APAC regions. More
Mark Inskip, the CEO of Kantar's UK and Ireland Media Division, has left the business to join staffing procurement firm Matrix SCM as Chief Executive Officer. He will be replaced on a temporary basis by EMEA MD Louise Ainsworth. More
Israeli marketing intelligence and measurement technology provider Kenshoo has been renamed Skai, following its investments in eCommerce, retail and data intelligence and recent acquisition of AI-powered consumer and market intelligence firm Signal Analytics. More
In Australia, WPP-owned marcoms agency Ogilvy has appointed Torque Data founding partner Mark Albert as Chief Data and Analytics Officer, leading data execution across the Ogilvy ANZ Network. More
Kids, parents and family research specialist The Insights Family and US experiential youth marketing agency InspiredConsumer have partnered to produce research solutions for clients in the US. More
Cross-platform television ad measurement specialist TVSquared has added Foursquare's location data to its ADvantage platform, enabling users to connect linear and OTT/CTV ads to physical outcomes such as store visits and foot traffic, and understand how campaigns impact off-line consumer behavior. More
In the US, cross-media data and TV ad insights platform Advocado has launched a three-year plan to add more than 100 technology jobs in its base in downtown St Louis, MO. More
QYOU Media, which distributes content created by social media stars and digital content creators, has acquired India-based influencer marketing specialist Chtrbox for an undisclosed sum. More
Kantar's first quarter revenue was up 3% to $896m, with six of its seven divisions delivering growth. This includes double digit increases from the group's consumer and shopper behavior specialist Worldpanel, and public policy services provider Kantar Public. More
In San Francisco, web site and app testing platform LambdaTest has raised $16m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to scale its technology and broaden its reach with the tester community, as it launches a new suite of products. More
In the US, market research and analytics company GutCheck has appointed Dave Sibley as Chief Financial Officer, while promoting Jessica Gaedeke to the role of Chief Revenue Officer. More
Kym Frank has resigned as President of out of home (OOH) audience measurement body Geopath. According to Mediapost, her decision relates to complaints from Board members following the launch of several industry standards by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). More
Consumer data company Pureprofile has expanded its media business Pure.amplify into the UK, where it will be led by Pureprofile's current Head of Performance Marketing, Catherine Jones. More
Ad and innovation testing platform Zappi has appointed Melanie LoBue as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, based in the US. More
London-based marketing intelligence and programmatic media specialist MiQ has launched US Hispanic and Multicultural practices, while appointing LATAM market specialist Amanda Abrarpour to lead its Miami office. More
Nielsen has announced a $1.25 billion debt refinancing initiative, and says it is allocating funds to drive its new TV ratings platform Nielsen One. More
Middle East and Africa-based full service agency 4SiGHT is to acquire an undisclosed stake in Dubai-based analytics and technology consultancy Anavizio, forming a partnership which will integrate market research and social media intelligence capabilities for 'holistic audience insights'. More
In the US, customer data and marketing automation platform Klaviyo has raised $320m in a Series D round of funding, bringing the company's valuation to more than $9 billion. The round will be used for product development, increased marketing and sales, recruitment and international expansion. More
ASAPP, an AI company focused on call center customer experience, has raised $120m in a Series C funding round, which it will invest in expanding its existing Customer Experience Performance (CXP) platform. More
Ad and innovation testing platform Zappi has made three hires to support growth across the EMEA and APAC regions. The firm says its international sales team has doubled in size, and is planned to triple by the end of the year. More
Broadcaster Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has promoted staff for three new roles: John Musgrove to Head of Research and Measurement; Abi Wallis to Head of Sales Insights and Campaign Strategy; and Jasmine Beech to Client Insights and Effectiveness Director. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has promoted Laura Warby to Head of Agency for London/Amsterdam; Hollie Jones to the same role in New York City; and Dave Power to Senior Director of the firm's Crowd Numbers quant team. More
Britain's MRS has awarded the Gold Medal, its most prestigious honour, to former NOP MD Phyllis Macfarlane; and announced new fellows including research tech writer Tim Macer and two inspirational former Chairs of B2B research group BIG, Claire Labrum and Trevor Wilkinson. More
New York-based consumer emotion analytics platform Truthify has been granted a US patent for its 'emotion-optimized' advertising technology. More
In the US, shopper intelligence and media solutions provider Catalina has formed a partnership with audio broadcaster and podcast publisher iHeartMedia, to measure and attribute the impact of podcast advertising on physical store sales. More
News aggregation, web content rating and discussion site Reddit has formed its creative strategy team into a distinct agency, KarmaLab, offering 'creative solutions, inspiration and insights' to clients targeting its 52m daily active users. The offer includes social media listening and trends reports. More
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that an 'invention' developed by cross-screen television insights and analytics provider Samba TV - regarding the use of audience data for targeting TV viewers on digital devices - cannot be patented. More
Software giant Oracle has launched what it claims is the world's first ad measurement technology for 3D in-game environments. More
Northumberland, UK-based online research supplier Panelbase is opening an office in central London, where it has appointed Monica Kaur and James Ward to grow the business. More
US data analytics company Epsilon is the first company to receive Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for a service measuring the connection between a consumer event - such as a purchase - and a digital ad served. More
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has formed a joint venture with customer data analytics firm Quantium, combining the former's transaction data with the latter's data science. The new business will be known as CommBank iQ and will begin trading in the second half of 2021. More
Digital customer experience (CX) platform Airkit has raised an additional $40m in a Series B round of investment, which it will use to accelerate its go-to-market and product development initiatives. More
Location data ad technology firm Blis has entered the Japanese market through a partnership with digital transformation specialist Innovator Japan. The firm has also announced a Hong Kong franchise, which also covers Taiwan, and signed a reseller agreement in North America. More
Global industry association ESOMAR has teamed up with NewMR, Confirmit and more than twenty other organisations for the next wave of its survey among buyers and users of insights, measuring how usage and purchasing patterns are evolving. More
First quarter revenues at global research and advisory firm Gartner rose 8.4% to $1.1 billion, with reported profit more than doubling to $164.1m (vs $75m in Q1 2020). Adjusted EBITDA rose 50% to $320m, from $214m a year before. More
In India, marcoms group Rediffusion Brand Solutions has launched a specialist consumer research and analysis division called Rediffusion Consumer Lab (Red Lab), offering market research, consumer understanding and trend spotting services. More
New Zealand-based specialist product development and sensory evaluation business Futurescape has been renamed Imagine Research. More
US-based cannabis industry data and analytics provider Headset has raised $1.825m, which it will use to expand into new markets and support new opportunities across the cannabis industry. More
After four years at Tesco-owned customer data firm dunnhumby, CEO Guillaume Bacuvier has left the business, and has been replaced by Tesco Group Innovation Director Claire Lorains as interim CEO. Bacuvier has now joined consumer research platform Attest as an independent Director. More
Indonesia-based consumer insights provider Populix has raised $1.2m in a pre-Series A round of funding, which it will use to roll out new products and expand its marketing efforts. More
US-based programmatic advertising company MOLOCO has raised an undisclosed amount of funding, which it says values the business at $1 billion. More
Eye tracker developer Tobii is preparing to spin off its Dynavox arm, which develops speech generating devices, eye trackers and eye gaze/eye-controlled devices for people with disabilities and special needs. Along with the spin-off, Group CEO Henrik Eskilsson says he intends to step down. More
Kantar has launched what it says is South Africa's biggest ever consumer panel, measuring the FMCG purchasing behaviour of more than 6,500 local households at launch. More
Location data provider Geoscape Australia has appointed former Axciom / LiveRamp MD Dean Capobianco as Chief Executive Officer. He takes over from Dan Paull, who left in February after more than 22 years with the business. More
In the US, customer engagement (CE) agency Inte Q has opened a new office in Milwaukee, staffed by former Kohl's Corporation brand marketing and analytics execs Jeremy Griffith, Adam Nenning, Nick Ratelis and Jessica Stemper. More
Kantar Chief Executive Alexis Nasard has stepped down after just four months in the role. Deputy CEO Ian Griffiths will lead the company until a new appointment is made. More
WPP has launched a global data company called Choreograph, which brings the specialist data units of GroupM and Wunderman Thompson into a single business, accessible to all WPP clients and companies. More
Shares in WPP AUNZ have been suspended from the ASX (Australian Securities Exchange), following last week's shareholder vote in favour of a buyout of the business by British parent company WPP plc. More
A rift in the Australian readership measurement industry which opened a dozen years ago appears to be healing this week, as media alliance Think News Brands shutters its publisher-funded 'EMMA' measurement platform and resumes support for long-time currency provider Roy Morgan. More
Ipsos has posted revenue of EUR 466.3m in the first quarter of 2021, up 8.8% from Q1 2020 and up 10.5% from Q1 2019. Like-for-like, the increase was 14.1%, driven by a very strong performance in EMEA. More
NBCUniversal has hired former Nielsen exec Kelly Abcarian as Executive Vice President, Measurement & Impact, tasked with pushing forward measurement solutions that reflect the 'all-screen future', while providing advertisers with new ad targeting opportunities. More
Insights and data firm Pureprofile has reported revenues up 25% to $7.1m in the first three months of 2021; and says it plans to launch new partnerships, plus panels in Europe and Asia. More
Tech buyer and seller marketplace Spiceworks Ziff Davis (SWZD) has launched a division called Aberdeen Strategy & Research, delivering insights into the business technology market. Robin Peto will lead it as Managing Director. More
In the US, customer experience automation (CXA) firm ActiveCampaign has raised $240m in a Series C round of financing, which it will use for further investment in product development, ongoing global expansion, and acceleration of partner initiatives. More
Immersive research firm Further&Further has added four new members of staff to its North American team, including former Synovate CFO Richard McQuarrie as Finance Director; and says it plans to double in size. More
In the UK, former Savanta and Charterhouse execs Julie Irwin and Kate Turner have launched a specialist financial and business services MR agency called Citrine Research, with expertise in new proposition development, comms testing and thought leadership. More
NielsenIQ and J.D. Power have announced a multinational strategic alliance to bring benchmark automotive CX studies and 'deep auto industry data analysis' to markets including India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. More
Central European research firms Integral, Sinus and Opinion have merged to form ISO, described as 'a medium-sized group, owner-managed and independent'. More
Shopper insights specialist Behaviorally (previously known as PRS IN VIVO USA) has expanded into Asia, opening hubs in both Singapore and Shanghai. Former PRS IN VIVO execs Nichole Gu and Melvin Ng join as Managing Director, Asia and Vice President, Market Development respectively. More
Digital research firm Alligator has teamed up with rural qual recruitment expert FieldMouse to launch a panel of farmers and farm workers, Opinion Harvester. More
TV advertising trade group VAB has written to Nielsen CEO David Kenny asking the ratings giant to submit to an immediate audit of its practices, as a result of what it says are 'under-counting' of viewing and lack of 'maintenance' of Nielsen panel homes during the pandemic. More
In New York, advertising and marcoms network DDB North America has appointed Jatinder Singh as Chief Data Officer. More
Singapore-based retail and consumer goods analytics firm Trax has raised $640m in a Series E round of funding, which it will use to expand its team, scale its business, and drive long-term growth. More
Twitter has expanded the integration of Nielsen's cross-media audience measurement solutions into its video ad platform, to help advertisers with pre- and post-campaign planning and maximize their ad inventory. More
Consumer intelligence platform NielsenIQ has launched an 'Omnishopper' solution, helping clients to understand a variety of consumer behavior across the US marketplace. More
Four specialists from different marketing disciplines have launched a collective called Crater Lake & Co, bringing together marketing analytics, creative strategy, media planning and market research to provide answers to questions around clients' marketing decisions. More
In the US, automotive industry digital marketing analytics and data company Orbee has promoted co-founder Atul Patel to the role of Chief Executive Officer, replacing fellow co-founder Daniel Kim who will continue to serve on the Board of Directors. More
German eCommerce data company Productsup has raised $20m in funding, which it will use for product development, to scale its marketing and sales initiatives, and to expand to new markets across the world, particularly in North America. More
Clearsense, a data management and analytics tech platform for the healthcare sector, has raised $30m in a financing deal. The money will be used to continue developing solutions such as the Clearsense DataHub, and to expand its advisory services. More
Data science-powered app store optimization platform AppTweak has raised $22m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to expand its global presence, especially in the APAC and EMEA regions, develop its platform, and diversify its advisory services. More
In the US, online community software platform Vesta has partnered with applied consumer neuroscience company HCD Research, to create a suite of emotional and psychological research tools to capture non-conscious feelings. More
Cross-screen television analytics provider Samba TV has partnered with TV measurement company 605, giving Samba exclusive access to 605's subset of TV viewing data and allowing ad targeting across over-the-top streaming and linear audiences. More
Kantar and Ipsos have been awarded contracts to deliver what they say is the 'world's first true cross-media total audience measurement solution', in the Netherlands. The contracts combine measurement of viewing, listening, browsing and reading in a single, integrated system. More
For the third of our new video podcasts, we're Zooming In on Gary Drenik, co-founder and CEO of Prosper. If you're interested in the collection and modeling of consumer data (USA and China) this is a must. More
In London, the BBC's commercial subsidiary BBC Studios has hired Penny Brough for a newly created SVP role, leading the Brand Marketing and Audience Insight team. She takes up the position on 7th June. More
In the US, AI-based qualitative research provider Emozo Labs has partnered with data collection firm Global Survey to use artificial intelligence to better understand customers' conscious and unconscious responses. More
San Francisco-based iMAD Research has appointed former Greenfield, Toluna and SSI exec Andy Pfau as President. More
Ipsos MORI has launched what it says is the UK's 'largest and highest quality' online random probability panel, with more than 15,000 participants. The mix of online and off-line respondents promises 'total understanding of the UK public for businesses and organisations'. More
In the UK, foodservice sector customer ratings specialist Feed It Back has received a 'multi-million pound' investment from telecoms entrepreneur James Palmer, who becomes majority shareholder. The firm will expand its team and create new products and services. More
Trade association IAB Australia is to conduct an independent review into requirements for a digital audience measurement currency, to form the basis for a tender for online measurement services, published in May. More
In San Francisco, experience management firm AnyRoad has raised $10m in an oversubscribed Series A-1 financing round, which it will invest in R&D to advance its data, insights, and machine learning products, and double its headcount in engineering and sales. More
In New York, consumer insights provider Feedback Loop has raised $14m in an add-on Series A round of funding, which it will use to accelerate product development and drive adoption of its platform. More
The Insight Climate Collective (ICC), a group calling on the industry to come together and play its part in tackling the environmental crisis, has appointed a Steering Committee to help put its strategy into action. More
Wearable insights tech firm Shimmer Research has partnered with mobile MR specialist IVP Research Labs and data collection firm Schlesinger Group, to launch an at-home biometric neuromarketing research service. More
Nielsen has moved Sandra Sims-Williams to the role of Chief Diversity Officer, taking over from CEO David Kenny, who has held both roles since February 2019. More
Trade association ESOMAR has named ScaleHouse Consulting founder Kristin Luck as President of its Council, replacing Joaquim Bretcha of Netquest who has completed his two-year term. MindSpark founder Nikki Lavoie is the new Vice President, and five of the remaining eight members are also women. More
London-based and family-focused insight and creative marketing agency Kids Industries (KI) has partnered with similar agencies in France, Germany and Spain to create a European industry network called The League. More
US-based TactileAI, a B2B consumer data analytics platform for the beauty care industry, has raised $1m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to hire software engineers and data scientists to build out its enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. More
In the UK, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has appointed Tina Haux as Director and Gayle Munro as Deputy Director of its Centre for Children and Families. More
US-based geospatial data provider SafeGraph has raised $45m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to offer new ways for customers to buy data, and to roll out its model in the UK in April. More
Former Kantar TNS East Africa CEO Aggrey Maposa died last Tuesday, after battling a long-term illness. More
Oxfordshire, UK-based brand, NPD, category and shopper consultancy Touchstone Shoppercentric has appointed Savanta veteran Ian Hext as Research Director. More
WPP has reported a 9.3% fall in revenue to £12bn in 2020 from £13.2bn the previous year, while turning a 2019 profit of £1.3bn into a 2020 loss of £2.3bn. Despite this, the group says it has cut debt to its lowest level in sixteen years. More
UK-headquartered kids, parents and family panels firm The Insights People is expanding to Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea, surveying around 410 kids and around 205 parents of children in each country. More
Nordic-based automated product and concept testing platform Cambri has raised EUR 3.6m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use for global expansion. In addition, Lynda Clarizio, former President of Nielsen US Media, has joined the company's Board of Directors. More
In Melbourne, Kantar has promoted Jon Foged to the newly created role of Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Insights arm - he was previously CEO of the division in Australia. Jason Shoebridge, CEO of Kantar New Zealand, will leave the business in April. More
Comscore has reported preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020. Q4 revenue fell some 5.5% to $90.0m, but profits rose - adjusted EBITDA was up around 70% in Q4 to $9.4m, and for the year as a whole rose dramatically. More
StreamPulse, the in-home division of Texas-based neuromarketing researcher MediaScience has teamed up with neurometric equipment manufacturer Shimmer to develop StreamPulse Neuro, a system for measuring consumers' emotional response in a natural viewing environment. More
Nielsen has completed the previously announced sale of its consumer intelligence business NielsenIQ (formerly Nielsen Global Connect) for $2.7bn to affiliates of Advent Interrnational, in partnership with former TransUnion CEO James 'Jim' Peck. More
In London, Kantar has hired former Neustar exec Ted Prince for a newly created role, Chief Product Officer, responsible for defining and delivering new offerings and real-time platforms. More
In Los Angeles, entertainment insights business MarketCast has appointed Regina Johnson as its first Chief Human Resources Officer. More
Data from Kantar's Great Britain TGI consumer survey will now be updated and released on a monthly basis, in response to what the firm says are evolving demands for consumer insight. More
Comscore has expanded its data agreement with marcoms giant Omnicom Group, to provide privacy-safe e-commerce and audience behavioral data for its Omni media planning and personalization platform. More
UK industry charity the Market Research Benevolent Association (MRBA) is launching its annual fundraising auction on the International Day of Happiness on 20th March. This year's event will be known as the 'Donate a Smile' auction. More
In the UK, Blue Yonder Research has launched an R&D insight and product testing facility called Sense:Lab. More
In the US, retailer and consumer data platform SoundCommerce has raised $15m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand its team and platform capabilities. More
Ipsos has reported Covid-hit full-year revenue of EUR 1.8bn, down 6.5% on a like-for-like basis, but managed organic growth of 1.4% in Q4 (vs Q4 2019). Negative currency effects dented reported figures for both periods. More
Nielsen has reported fourth quarter 2020 net income of $35m, compared to a loss of $109m in the prior year period. Revenue for the period fell just 1.1% to $1.67bn, while adjusted EBITDA was $560m, up 13.8%. For the full year, the company almost broke even, on revenues down 3.2%. More
Comscore has expanded its TV measurement footprint to Australia through a partnership with cross-screen television insights and analytics provider Samba TV; and says it plans to add further regions throughout 2021. More
Former Body Shop CEO Jeremy Schwartz has joined Kantar as Practice Chairman for Sustainable Transformation, with a remit to increase marketplace visibility for the division, along with C-suite engagement. More
Comscore has been awarded a US patent for its 'System and Method for Analyzing the Effectiveness of Content Advertisements'. More
Behavioural research specialist EyeSee has opened a new sales office in Singapore and an operations office in Mexico City, following a year of record growth in 2020. More
Manchester, UK-based consumer insights business Vypr has appointed Cint exec Richard Thornton to its board, following a £2.5m investment last month by YFM Equity Partners. More
Oslo-headquartered data collection specialist Norstat has promoted Chief Operating Officer Erling Eriksen to CEO, replacing Knut Aasrud, who has decided to retire. More
In the US, Ipsos has appointed Christie Kawada as Head of Media Development and Audience Measurement. She takes over from Manny Flores, who moves to the position of Executive Vice President in the Client Organization. More
In New York, fashion retailer Macy's, Inc. has appointed Xingchu Liu as SVP Enterprise Data & Analytics, building and leading a team which will focus on analytics governance, data management and activation. More
In London, ad group M&C Saatchi has launched a data consultancy called Fluency, promising to bring greater access to data and insights across organisations. It will be led by CEO Frisco Chau, who is also the wider group's Chief Data Officer. More
Next15's data and insights group Savanta has promoted four and hired three new employees as part of its expansion in the US. The promotees include thinqonline co-founder Mark Martins, who is now Americas EVP as well as Asia Pacific General Manager. More
Behavioural insights platform Veylinx, headquartered in Amsterdam, has raised $2m in a pre-Series A round of funding. The money will be used to expand its teams across Europe and the US, accelerate product development, and launch a new platform. More
In the US, automated customer feedback tool Opiniion has raised $3m in a financing round, for use in scaling up. The business covers multiple sectors but has a strong focus on real estate. More
Following its management buyout last month, French research and consulting firm BVA Group says it will reposition itself as an 'experience champion', and will take a more international and more 'participative' approach. More
In the US, eCommerce software platform Inxeption has partnered with digital tech firm Infostretch to provide its clients with new ways to understand their customers' preferences, buying habits, purchasing frequency and brand affinities. More
In the US Kevin Kruper and Rocky Prozeller, former directors of British-based MR firm Incite, have launched a boutique insights consultancy called Old Salt. More
Tech consulting and research group Gartner has reported Q4 revenue of $1.11bn, down 9% in the quarter and down 3% in the full year 2020, but the firm's double figure profit growth (full year adjusted EBITDA +20% FX neutral, and Q4 + 10%) supports CEO Gene Hall's bullish appraisal. More
US-based tech specialist Forrester Research has reported a 3.02% drop in fourth quarter revenue to $120.5m. For the full-year, total revenues were $449.0m, down from $461.7m in 2019. More
SurveyMonkey has announced that its CX solution GetFeedback will integrate with cross-channel shopper personalisation platform Salesforce Commerce Cloud. More
James David 'Dave' Power III, the founder and retired Chairman of automotive industry research specialist J.D. Power, died on January 23rd after a long-term illness. He was 89. More
The second of our new video podcasts is with Eugene Murphy of indeemo and includes discussion of mobile ethnography, the future of shopping, the impact of the pandemic on research methods and budgets, and the potential for qualitative in the post-Covid world. More
Ad and innovation testing platform Zappi has set up an Enterprise Team to help large organisations drive global business impact through insights. The new team is led by Babita Earle, with the title of EVP of Global Enterprise Customers and Partnerships. More
In the UK, the co-founders of outdoor advertising company Primesight have launched a tag-based mobile location verification platform called GeoProve. More
In the UK, retail association The Co-Op has appointed former BBC exec Phil Barker as Head of Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM), as it expands its Data and Loyalty teams. More
In Canada, behavioral science and data-driven insights platform Symend has raised an add-on $43m investment funding round, following $52m secured in a Series B in May last year. The additional funds will be used to drive global expansion and add to the firm's customer lifecycle product portfolio. More
Mobile MR specialist IVP Research Labs has partnered with wearable insights tech firm Shimmer Research to launch a new biometrics solution, NeuroLynQ, using GSR and ECG readings to measure participant engagement and attention levels during in-person research. More
Australian insights consultancy Fiftyfive5 has brought in six new graduates in its Sydney office and one in Auckland. They are joined by Caelan Bistram who started as an intern last year. More
Today we kick off our video podcast series with a closer look at how luxury markets are faring in time of Covid, and the challenges of researching this sector. MrWeb's Nick Thomas talks to Lars Long, Chief Executive of Altiant. More
Erin Matts, the former CEO of Omnicom-owned data and analytics firm Annalect, has joined Omnicom Precision Marketing Group (OPMG) as Chief Experience Officer, Head of Omnichannel. More
Media agency Mindshare USA has appointed Sean Clayton as Executive Director, Solutions Officer, with a remit which includes integrating data, technology and analytics capabilities across Mindshare, GroupM and the wider WPP group. More
From this week, Daily Research News will feature video interviews of around 20-25 minutes with leading figures in the insights and analytics world, giving you more depth on some of the stories in the news, and talking about themselves, their companies and their views. More
In New York, predictive AI platform NWO.ai has launched out of stealth mode with a $3.5m seed funding round. More
Online audience measurement body UKOM (UK Online Measurement) and Ipsos have announced the official launch of Ipsos iris, the new UK industry standard for online audience measurement. More
GfK has been commissioned by Asian media group Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) to develop a new measure of the state's local media consumption, combining survey data with digitally collected data in a single-source approach. More
Data-driven marketing and CX management company Merkle has promoted Sam Taverner to the role of EMEA Chief Growth Officer of the Merkle and dentsu CXM Service Line, and Liz Rutgersson to Chief Media Officer, Merkle Americas. More
In the US, experience management company Qualtrics has confirmed the pricing of its initial public offering (IPO) of 51,695,568 shares at a price to the public of $30.00 per share. More
Dynata has expanded its loyalty panel in Asia Pacific, through partnerships with global hospitality group Accor, and Big Loyalty, a subsidiary of Air Asia. Further expansion is planned in the coming months in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. More
Shopper insights specialist Behaviorally (known until last week as PRS IN VIVO USA) has appointed Stefan Barden as Non-Executive Chair of its Board of Directors. More
Australia-based digital research platform Pureprofile has announced a record 26% increase in revenue for the quarter ending 31st December 2020. The total of $8.2m was driven by strong performance in all business units, and was 'well ahead of expectations', according to the firm. More
In the UK, Gail Balfour, co-founder of consumer research and brand consulting business Tangible Branding, has launched a new company called Research Human, promising to understand the consumer by 'connecting with the human'. More
In London, consumer privacy-focused ad data platform Glimpse Protocol has raised EUR 1.4m in a seed round of funding, with investors including former Kantar CEO Eric Salama. More
Digital experience management software firm Sitecore has announced a $1.2bn investment, in support of a major growth plan. More
In the US, marcoms group Ogilvy has hired digital transformation specialist Steve Soechtig for a newly created role, Global Chief Executive Officer of its Experience business. More
In Los Angeles, entertainment insights business MarketCast has hired long-time Kelton Global exec Martin Eichholz for a newly created role, Corporate SVP and General Manager of its Technology and Games division. More
Shopper insights agency PRS IN VIVO USA has been renamed Behaviorally, following its sale to new majority shareholder Alcentra. More
In the UK, behavioural science specialist Chris Harvey has launched a new company called Activate Research, promising to help research agencies and end clients better understand, predict and change behaviour. More
London-based Opinium has hired former Hall & Partners exec Tom McEnery as Research Director, and made six further appointments. More
In the US, market intelligence platform Premise Data has raised $85m in a Series E round of funding, which it will use to expand its platform capabilities and global network. More
Automated ad and innovation testing platform Zappi has hired Alison Scott as Senior Director, Customer Transformation, and Mary Lou Barney as Vice President, Strategic Accounts. The firm has also promoted Patricia Montesdeoca, Michelle Wu and Zontziry Johnson. More
Location intelligence firm Ubimo has partnered with OOH ad marketplace VIOOH to allow clients to access, analyse and target advertising across key outdoor sites in the US. More
In Australia, the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has commissioned Ipsos to update its audience measurement system MOVE, to deliver a national model that covers all formats and environments, including Digital Out of Home (DOOH) signs. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has moved founder Andy Crysell to the position of Chief Executive Officer, while Matilda Andersson has been promoted to Group MD, and Elyse Pigram moves up to MD for APAC. The firm has also made several new hires. More
Comscore has agreed to an investment deal which it will use to pay off its debt through the issuance of new shares. As part of the deal, the firm will also receive consumer-level data sets and rights from new investor, broadband and cable company Charter Communications. More
In the UK, sandwich shop franchise Pret A Manger has hired Dan Burdett as Chief Customer & Growth Officer, responsible for setting the group's global direction across food innovation, coffee and packaging, brand and insight, sustainability, technical, quality and commercial growth. More
Technology and services analyst HFS Research has launched a cloud research practice and appointed Joel Martin as Research Vice President for Cloud Strategies. More
Kantar has announced an exclusive partnership AI-powered search intelligence company Adthena, whose worldwide search data will be integrated into the insights giant's Ad Intelligence platform. More
Santa Barbara, California-based technology intelligence firm HG Insights has announced a 'significant growth investment' from growth equity firm Riverwood Capital. More
Mumbai Police have arrested Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of India's Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), along with fourteen others, on charges of 'manipulating' the country's ratings data. More
DRNO is taking a break now until 4th January. It's been a strange old 12 months, but we're looking forward greatly to 2021. We wish those of you doing it a fantastic Christmas, and everyone a great New Year. More
The Stagwell Group, owner of the Harris and Harris Poll brands, has reached an agreement with marcoms group MDC Partners, to combine their companies and create a business they say aims for more than $3bn in revenue by 2025. More
In the US, restaurant sector marketing and analytics platform Fishbowl has changed its name to Personica, and launched a loyalty program it says will help restaurants collect and use member, campaign and transactional data to build guest relationships with every interaction. More
Consumer insights platform DISQO has expanded its Marketing team with the addition of former Kantar exec Anne Hunter as VP of Product Marketing; David Grabert as VP of Brand & Communications; and Karin Odell as Head of Demand Generation. More
In the US, consumer data giant IRI and business intelligence provider 1010data have partnered to jointly develop new products and solutions to enhance CPG retailers' and manufacturers' use of data to drive growth. More
Outdoor advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA) has integrated B2B intent data from Bombora with its own audience planning solution RADARView, to enable brands to identify and reach business decision-makers through its displays. More
WPP AUNZ has accepted an increased offer from its majority shareholder WPP, for the remainder of the company. The cash price of 70 cents per share means the total payable would be approximately $AUD 230m. More
Mobile data-powered CTV platform Sabio has spun off its CTV insights dashboard App Science into a standalone SaaS business, through which users can audit, plan and measure campaigns using insights from its graph of 300 million mobile devices and 100 million connected TV households. More
Australian Radio Network (ARN) has launched a neuroscience-based media research initiative, aiming to deliver a better understanding of consumer behaviour and provide new insights about audio. More
In the US, consumer data giant IRI has appointed Suellen Ravanas as Global Chief Financial Officer. More
Kids, tweens and teens market intelligence specialist The Insights People has appointed four new team members and moved to a new 2,000 square foot office on Manchester's Portland Street. More
Behavioural data tech provider Neuro-ID has raised $7m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use for development of its 'Behavior-as-a-Service (BaaS)' offering, and to expand into new markets. More
Australia-based digital research platform Pureprofile has completed an $18.8m recapitalisation. Most of the proceeds will be used to reduce its debt, with $3.5m earmarked to provide additional capital to fuel future growth and investments. More
Two Cello Health-owned sister agencies, B2B specialist Breaking Blue Research and consumer specialist 2CV Research, are to merge under the latter's brand name. More
In the US, continuous product research platform UserLeap has raised $16m in a Series A round of funding, for use in scaling the business. More
Palo Alto-based privacy specialist Skyflow has raised $17.5m in a Series A round of funding, following a $7.5m seed round back in May. The new funding will be used to build vertical-specific variations of its product, and to hire new staff. More
In London, mobile-based customer insights platform Streetbees has added $6.7m to its $40m Series B round of funding, which it says will provide its founders, early employees and angel investors with liquid assets. More
London-based customer data collaboration platform InfoSum has appointed its Chairman Brian Lesser as Chief Executive Officer. Company founder Nicholas Halstead will partner with Lesser as CTO, focusing on engineering, customer relationships and the 'future vision' of customer data. More
Tokyo-based marcoms giant dentsu is planning to cut 6,000 jobs - around 12.5 per cent of its 46,560-strong workforce based outside Japan - in the next twelve months, as a result of the downturn in global spending caused by Covid-19. The group says it will also eliminate 154 of its brands. More
Nielsen has announced plans to launch its single, cross-media solution Nielsen ONE in Q4 2022, phasing it in fully by the Fall 2024 season. The system provides a comparable metric for TV and digital video consumption across all platforms, services and devices. More
Ad targeting and retargeting specialist Criteo has hired Brendan McCarthy - most recently SVP and Head of Communications and Product Marketing for Nielsen Global Media - as its new CMO. More
Comscore and ad tech company MediaMath have partnered to launch a connected TV (CTV) and video contextual targeting solution for programmatic ad exchanges. More
Marketing analytics company DataTile has hired former Ipsos MediaCT Asia Pacific exec Steve Garton and former Telmar Communications MD Alex Maddox, as Senior Partners. More
CX and voice-of-the-customer software firm Alchemer has announced a partnership with UK-based Voxpopme, allowing the former's clients to capture customer-recorded video feedback. More
Former Nielsen Chief Executive Mitch Barns has joined the Board of automated ad and innovation testing platform Zappi. More
In London, Dennis Publishing has promoted Seema Hope to serve as its first Global Customer Insight Director. More
ANTENNA, which provides analytics for media subscription businesses, has raised $4.2m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to launch online client tools, expand its coverage into new subscription categories, and launch content and ad analysis solutions. More
Tesco-owned customer data firm dunnhumby has promoted Grant Steadman to the role of President of North America, focusing on growing and expanding partnerships with retailers and brands throughout the region. More
In London, real-time digital customer engagement, location and communications technology provider Localz has raised £2m in a venture round of funding, for further development of its product portfolio. More
Nielsen has appointed Jamie Moldafsky, formerly CMO at Wells Fargo Bank, as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, effective immediately. More
In the US, shopper intelligence specialist Catalina has partnered with TV platform Cadent to add linear TV, advanced TV and OTT programming data to its BuyerVision managed service, which also includes digital and in-store activation data. More
Xandr, the advertising and analytics division of AT&T, has partnered with European ad visibility analyst Meetrics to help advertisers check the validity of their metrics and fight ad fraud. More
Sainsbury's loyalty and insights business Nectar360 has partnered with tech CitrusAd to launch a retail media platform allowing targeted sponsored product offers, banner advertising and analytics across the Sainsburys.co.uk web site. More
In London, retail scenario testing firm Virtual Store Trials (VST) has appointed long-time industry execs Helen Davis and Charlotte Kiddle as Account Directors, to lead partnerships with FMCG retailers and CPG brands. The company is also planning to open a US office next year. More
In Europe, data-driven digital signage provider Intuiface and face analysis specialist Sightcorp have integrated their solutions to create a no-code approach to running and measuring digital out-of-home ad placements, delivering individually targeted content at the right time and place. More
Apple has confirmed plans to introduce a feature known as 'App Tracking Transparency' (ATT) next year, which will prevent apps and web sites from monitoring the way a user behaves online. More
Israel-based consumer journey analytics platform Konnecto has raised $3.5m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to increase its Data Science team and expand into new verticals and geographies. More
In the US, ad tech company Viant has been granted a US patent for technology allowing the identification of an Internet connected household (ICH). More
Swedish brand tracking and consumer science firm Nepa has reported its 'strongest operating profit ever', SEK 5.9m for the third quarter of calendar 2021, compared with a loss of SEK -13.9m a year earlier, on the back of reductions in personnel costs and other expenses. More
Global consulting group Accenture has made a 'strategic investment' of undisclosed size in data privacy solution provider TripleBlind. More
In New York, Omnicom-owned healthcare media planning and buying agency SSCG has teamed up with Nielsen to launch a tool called ChannelDX, helping to identify the optimal channel mix for client campaigns. More
In New Zealand, global out-of-home media company JCDecaux has agreed to sell half its Calibre audience measurement solution to ANZ-based rival oOh!media. The firms say the move will 'cement Calibre's position as the industry-wide [OOH] audience measurement solution'. More
Comscore has reached an agreement to provide global in-game advertising leader Anzu with its Validated Campaign Essentials (VCE) and Brand Survey Lift solutions for mobile campaigns. More
Mobile data marketing firm Kochava Collective and location data platform Foursquare have partnered, to enable marketers and publishers to enhance their first-party intelligence with 'real-world' location data. More
Berlin, Germany-based tracking and optimization platform Swaarm has raised EUR 800k in a seed funding round, and will use it to drive company growth. More
AI-powered audience intelligence platform Pulsar has partnered with online physician community Sermo to launch The Drug Sentiment Index, providing details of what doctors, the public and the media think about 165 top-selling drugs. More
Nielsen is launching its own ID resolution system, which it says will support cross-media measurement in a cookieless world. More
Boston, US-based customer data targeting platform Klaviyo has raised $200m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to drive product development, double headcount, and for customer support and international expansion. More
UK-based brand communications and experience research agency The Nursery has become employee-owned, with rights transferred to a trust set up for the benefit of all staff. More
In the US, customer feedback solutions specialist SureCritic has been awarded a patent for the methodology behind its ReScore solution, which applies 'post concern resolution' to measuring customer satisfaction. More
YouGov has acquired Turkish online-focused MR firm Wizsight for an undisclosed sum. The company will be renamed YouGov Turkey. More
Customer experience management (CXM) and insights platform Alida - previously known as Vision Critical - has announced a partnership with video insights provider Voxpopme. More
In the UK, food and drink sector research and support organisation Campden BRI has announced that current COO Pete Headridge will become Chief Executive on 1st January 2021, following the retirement of Chris Huscroft. More
Mobile app A/B testing service Taplytics has received an undisclosed amount of growth capital financing from CIBC Innovation Banking, for use in fuelling customer acquisition and growth plans across North America and Europe. More
In New York, global marcoms group dentsu has partnered with personalized video content creation platform VidMob, to launch a new solution tracking the effectiveness of creative across digital channels. More
Nielsen Global Connect and management consultancy Bain & Company have partnered to help clients in the consumer packaged goods industry improve capabilities across pricing, promotions, assortment optimization and customer planning. More
In the UK, film industry researcher Stephen Follows has launched a web site called VOD Clickstream, providing analysis of the subscription video on demand (SVOD) sector. More
UK-based video intelligence platform Big Sofa Technologies has secured an undisclosed 'seven-figure' amount of funding, which it will use to drive the continued development of its platform and to make hires in the UK and US. More
Data-driven marketing agency Merkle has promoted Anne Stagg to the newly created role of UK Chief Executive Officer, and CEO of its Customer Experience Management Line of Business (CXM). More
Comscore has reported lower revenue - down 6.7% to $88.0m - but adjusted EBITDA up around 14% to $7.3m, in the third quarter. The company also announced that as a result of its strategic review it will look to recapitalize with an anchor investor, lowering debt and enhancing liquidity. More
Panel provider Intra Research has appointed Marina Moshenska as its new CEO, with incumbent Kaspar Jänes moving to the Chairman's role. More
Montreal, Canada-based real estate industry location intelligence platform Local Logic has raised $CAN 8m ($6.1m US) in Series A funding, earmarked for continued recruitment and growth of the platform across North America. More
Mobile ad and in-app monetisation platform Vungle has promoted COO Jeremy Bondy to CEO, replacing Rick Tallman who remains as a strategic advisor. More
UK-based branding and innovation agency Brand Potential has partnered with structural and sustainable design consultancy Touch to launch HALO, a joint venture focused on insight and innovation and promising to help clients with sustainable pack and product innovation. More
Sample marketplace Lucid has partnered with digital identity resolution specialist Tapad to give users access to its Tapad Graph privacy-safe global cross-device solution. More
Glasgow, Scotland-based 'social intelligence' provider Talking Medicines has secured £1.1m in funding, to support the launch and roll-out of a new AI data platform which it says will 'translate what patients are saying into actionable pharma grade intelligence'. More
Technology consultancy Gartner has reported results for the third quarter, with revenue down just 1% (constant currency) at $995m, and adjusted EBITDA up 19.4% on the same basis to $168m. Excluding the Conferences segment, revenue rose by around 5%. More
Former employees of GroupM and Comscore, Michael Bologna and Joanna Drews, have launched HyphaMetrics, which will use a proprietary panel of 5,000 homes to track viewing across devices. More
Digital MR products and solutions company Borderless Access has launched a sub-brand, BA Health, combining a range of technology and analytics-driven research capabilities for clients in healthcare, life-sciences and diagnostics, with a team strengthened by 24 recent appointments. More
Nielsen has announced revenues of $1,563m for the third quarter of 2020, down 3.3% year-on-year on a reported basis, and 3.0% at constant currency. Adjusted EBITDA was $501m, equivalent to a 6.1% rise at constant currency. More
Consumer data giant IRI and product data specialist Label Insight have expanded their relationship to help CPG marketers design marketing campaigns based on consumer demand for product attributes such as 'gluten-free' and 'sustainably sourced'. More
Forrester Research has reported third quarter revenue of $108.6m, a fraction down on last year's figure in like-for-like terms. However, CEO George Colony says demand for services increased during the pandemic. More
Consumer intelligence platform Toluna has secured a 'significant' round of financing, which it will use to fund planned global growth initiatives. More
In New York, digital media measurement software and analytics specialist DoubleVerify (DV) has raised $350m in a new investment round, which it will use to purchase shares from existing shareholders and to support growth in the business. More
Former ESOMAR President Dan Foreman has made an undisclosed amount of investment in retail tech provider Virtual Store Trials (VST), which offers AI solutions for shelf and pack testing, macro-space optimization, planogram visualization, and automated planogram builds. More
In Australia, Publicis-owned marcoms agency Zenith has promoted Joshua Lee to the role of National Head of Digital & Data. More
Our Data Visualization special issue is published today. Here, in his Introduction, Ipsos co-founder & CEO Didier Truchot talks about clients' need for clarity, AI's potential to change our industry, and why insight professionals should be confident about the future. More
In London, mobile-based customer insights firm Streetbees has raised $40m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to accelerate development of its platform, and increase headcount from 100 to 230 during the next twelve months. More
Nielsen has announced that is consumer business will be renamed NielsenIQ, once it becomes a standalone company. Separately, a report in the Financial Times suggests that private equity group Advent International is in talks to buy the division in a deal valuing it at about $2.9bn. More
In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has ordered information giant Experian to make 'fundamental changes' to the way it handles people's personal data for marketing services purposes. Experian CEO Brian Cassin says his company will appeal the decision. More
Marcoms giant WPP has appointed former Baidu President and Microsoft China Chairman Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang as a Non-Executive Director on its Board, with effect from 1st January 2021. More
Clear Channel Airports (CCA), the Americas-based airports business of advertising group Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings is rolling out a new audience impressions methodology, pioneered by independent OOH ad currency organisation Geopath. More
In Los Angeles, full service MR firm Alter Agents has appointed five new members of staff, including Lauren DeWitt Thompson as Research Director; Ryan Palmer, Adrienne Scotti and Roxanne Benoun as Research Managers, and Taryn Akiyoshi as a Senior Research Analyst. More
Ipsos has posted revenue of EUR 468.6m in the third quarter of 2020, down 6.2% on a reported basis but just 3.3% on a like-for-like, constant currency basis despite the impact of the pandemic. The group says this reflects 'a renewed stability since June', with recovery month by month. More
Penske Media Corporation (PMC), with publishes titles such as Variety and Rolling Stone, has agreed a 50/50 joint venture with Billboard charts operator MRC, bringing together their data businesses. More
UK market research budgets experienced another 'marked decline' in the third quarter - the second sharpest since data collection for this category started in the final quarter of 2012 - according to the latest IPA Bellwether Report. More
London and New York-based eCommerce financing and marketing analytics platform Wayflyer has raised $10.2m (£7.8m) in a seed capital round of investment, which it will use to fund up to one thousand more eCommerce stores, while further developing its proprietary technology. More
In London, Kantar has appointed long-time Procter & Gamble exec Alexis Nasard as Chief Executive Officer, effective 30th December. He replaces Eric Salama, who left the business in February. More
Tesco-owned customer data firm dunnhumby and retail media platform CitrusAd have announced a partnership. The resulting solution uses historical data from a customer's off- and online purchasing behaviour to help retailers showcase relevant products to shoppers using non-interruptive native ads. More
In Los Angeles, insights design and strategy agency Hypothesis has appointed former Millward Brown North America CEO Mary Ann Packo as a Senior Partner, leading client growth, research innovation and talent acquisition. More
Data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company Merkle has promoted Michael Komasinski from EMEA President to President, Merkle Americas; while his previous role is to be taken by Margaret Wagner. These appointments will take effect January 1st, 2021. More
Manchester, UK-based market intelligence provider Kids Insights has expanded to Russia and China. More
Marcoms group Havas Creative has launched an international customer experience (CX) network, dedicated to delivering brand experiences across the entire customer journey. More
New York-based audio intelligence platform Veritonic has raised $3.2m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to bring its approach to audio marketing, and hire new staff with a focus on data science and sales. More
San Francisco-based cannabis data and marketing platform Happy Cabbage Analytics has closed a $1.5m seed funding round, which it will use to expand its team, invest in partnerships, and develop products and integrations. More
Marketing and CX management company Merkle has promoted Sam Taverner to lead its newly created EMEA Technology Services division. Ben Gott takes over Taverner's previous position as SVP Marketing Solutions Europe. More
In the US, not-for-profit body the Radio Research Consortium (RRC), which provides audience estimate data to non-commercial radio stations, has renewed a multi-year agreement with Nielsen, licensing its syndicated products to hundreds of subscribers. More
US-based Service Management Group (SMG) has partnered with video insight platform Voxpopme, to offer a combination of video feedback and experience management data. More
Last year, research revenue for the Top 50 US-based market research and data analytics companies rose 4.8% to $14.8bn - comprising an almost equal split of domestic (50.2%) and international (49.8%) business - according to the latest annual Top 50 Report. More
Kantar has reversed the decision to close its Philippines Media Division, made just a month ago. Its key client, TV and new media network ABS-CBN, had been set to close down but has now signed a new TAM contract with the agency. More
Comscore and LiveRamp have partnered on a new version of the latter's TV measurement solution. Now known as 'Data Plus Math powered by Comscore', the solution integrates the latter's established TV and digital ad exposure data with LiveRamp's identity and data connectivity solutions. More
US and Canada-based patient-focused recruitment specialist Rare Patient Voice (RPV) is expanding to Europe through a partnership with research software firm Q One Tech. More
Nielsen has announced that the headquarters for its Global Consumer Business will be in Chicago, from January 1st, 2021. More
Marcoms group Dentsu Aegis Network is to change its name to Dentsu International Limited, dropping a name it acquired with the purchase in 2012 of British-owned Aegis Group. More
Kantar is planning to cut around ten percent of its US staff due to the impact of the pandemic, according to online reports. More
Television measurement, attribution and analytics company 605 has signed an agreement with retail giant Walmart, to provide ad impact and audience analysis via its PLATF0RM solution. More
European data collection company Norstat has hired Evelin Pae as MD for its Estonia business, replacing Kaspar Küünarpuu who has left the company. More
Customer insights firm Vision Critical has changed its name to Alida, and aims to disrupt the global customer experience (CX) industry, taking on the likes of Qualtrics and Medallia. More
UK television audience measurement body BARB has issued a refreshed invitation to tender, covering five research contracts, as it looks to keep pace with changes in television viewing including the ongoing development of SVOD services and the roll-out of 5G mobile networks. More
Marketing analytics company Survata has a new name, Upwave, and has announced the integration of its ad server with Google Campaign Manager. More
YouGov has created two new senior roles - Global Sector Heads for Travel & Tourism, and Leisure & Entertainment - and has a new South African affiliate, MR agency KLA. More
Comscore has announced a partnership with cross-screen television data and analytics provider Samba TV, expanding its TV measurement footprint in Europe. More
UK professional body the MRS has noted a slight positive shift in the expectations of companies in the post-Covid world; and has downgraded its earlier call on the government to 'save the sector' to a more modest appeal for investment in infrastructure and innovation. More
London-based data company TeakOrigin has partnered with mobile intelligence platform Streetbees to launch a study to understand the link between nutritional value and consumption of fresh produce. More
Australian digital research platform Pureprofile has re-launched its media business under the name 'Pure.amplify', led by media industry specialist Tasneem Ali. More
UK-based full-service agency Market Measures has launched a Customer Experience (CX) practice called Market Measures 360CX, to be headed by CX specialist Tobin Sparrow. More
YouGov has expanded in the Asia Pacific region through a partnership with Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-based behavioural science specialist Decision Lab. More
IBM has partnered with Nielsen Global to launch a solution called 'Watson Advertising Weather Targeting', designed to help marketers make the connection between weather and product sales, without the use of third-party cookies or identifiers. More
In New York, consumer emotion analytics platform Truthify has appointed Justin Wisz as Chief Executive Officer, replacing co-founder Kevin Knull who now serves as Executive Chairman. The firm has also closed a $1.3m private funding round, with participation from Wisz. More
TV measurement and analytics company 605 has announced new data partnerships with Catalina, PlaceIQ and Polk Automotive Solutions by IHS Markit, combining ad exposure and content viewership with consumer behavior and business outcomes on a 'massive scale'. More
In the US, customer experience management (CEM) specialist Sprinklr has raised $200m at a $2.7 billion valuation from private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, and an additional $150m in convertible securities from growth investment specialist Sixth Street Growth. More
In the US, consumer data giant IRI has appointed Jeremy Allen as President of Market and Shopper Intelligence (MSI), responsible for leading and further enhancing solutions in the area. More
In the US, AI-based insights platform Birdie has appointed long-time industry exec Ted Clark as Chief Operating Officer, charged with overseeing operations, leading the Client Services team, and driving the firm's growth and business development. More
Data collection specialist Norstat has appointed Romain Barbet as Managing Director in its Paris office. He will replace Norstat France co-founder Marc-Antoine Jacoud, who is staying with the firm for the next couple of months to assist with the handover. More
French audience measurement agency Médiamétrie has acquired the daily SVoD barometer, previously operated by NPA Conseil in partnership with Harris Interactive. More
Hall & Partners has teamed up with first-party data and insights platform Dynata, whose connected data capabilities and technology will power the ad and brand research specialist's data visualization and storytelling platform, The Hub. More
Digital experience management software firm Sitecore has appointed Steve Tzikakis as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Mark Frost, who will continue as an advisor to the business. Tzikakis will be based in the firm's London office. More
Kantar is shutting down its Philippines TV ratings service at the end of the year, following the closure of its biggest client, commercial television and new media network ABS-CBN. The move will result in Kantar having to lay off around 50 employees. More
US-based research agency Gongos has partnered with audience insights platform DISQO, to offer organizations an 'agnostic digital consumer view' of brands and their categories. More
In London, comms specialist The Creative Engagement Group (TCEG) has launched a Behavioural Science unit, headed up by Guy Champniss. More
In the US, marketing and consumer sciences firm HCD Research has partnered with neuroscience and consumer research specialist Dr Martha Bajec to launch a new unit focused on consumer health and wellness products. More
London-based identity infrastructure provider InfoSum has raised $15.1m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use for expansion across North America and Europe. The firm has also named Brian Lesser, the founder of analytics business Xandr, as its new Executive Chairman. More
Australian data intelligence company Potentiate and New Zealand-based longitudinal relationship analytics specialist MirrorWave have partnered, to provide a service which 'follows' customers, employees and partners over time. More
Audience technology platform Eyeota has achieved certification from the IAB's Tech Lab industry standards body for the latter's recently launched 'Data Transparency Standard Compliance Program'. More
Sample, survey and quantitative research specialist Market Cube has joined the FocusVision Sample Marketplace, which gives researchers access to sample providers directly from the FocusVision Decipher survey platform. More
Brighton, UK-based social media analyst Brandwatch has partnered with Philadelphia, PA-based real-time TV data specialist Kinetiq to provide cross-channel marketing intelligence. More
Research and analytics company MESH Experience has partnered with insights software and services agency Cambrian Analytics to build an interactive dashboard providing insights on brand performance. More
Marcoms giant WPP has reported a first half loss before tax of £2.58bn, compared to a profit of £409m a year earlier; and reported revenue down 12.3% to £5.58bn, from £6.37bn. Like-for-like (LFL) revenue declined 11.5%. More
Canadian polling, MR and strategy firm Leger has launched a customer experience consulting service called Leger MetriCX, supporting organizations that want to become more customer centric. More
In the UK, broadcaster ITV has entered a data partnership with identity infrastructure provider InfoSum, to give advertisers access to 30 million ITV Hub users without the need to exchange first-party data sets. More
Eye tracking hardware and software firm Tobii AB has announced results for the second quarter of 2020, with revenue down to SEK 332 million (US $37.75m) - an organic decline of 6%. More
San Francisco and London-based data science firm Dativa has changed its name to Deductive, reflecting a shift away from its origins as a generalist company, to one with a focus on offering a range of TV measurement and data services. More
London-based digital experience analytics firm Decibel has appointed Jason Lund as Chief Operating Officer (COO). More
Customer experience management (CEM) specialist Medallia has opened a Data Centre in Singapore, adding to its existing hubs in Santa Clara, Seattle, Denver, Toronto, Montreal, Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Sydney. More
In the US, product pricing, promotions, and availability data provider Datasembly has raised $10.3m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to accelerate product development and expand its sales and marketing efforts. More
Audience profiling firm Eyeota has expanded its data onboarding partnership with GfK to New Zealand and Switzerland, adding to fifteen countries already covered by the deal. More
GfK and cross-device targeting specialist Dstillery have expanded their partnership to launch 79 new segments for targeting automotive 'brand loyalists' and 'defectors', as well as those in the market to buy used cars. More
In South Africa, communities specialist InSites Consulting has promoted Heather Tluczek to Managing Director. She replaces Henk Pretorius, who moves up to Head of Consumer Connections, a global role leading consumer network strategy for the group. More
In the US, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has granted Foursquare 'Visits' its first accreditation for location data. The Council's Location-Based Advertising Measurement Guidelines were issued in 2017. More
In Canada, data management platform ThinkData Works has partnered with consumer intent data provider Prosper Insights & Analytics, to provide clients with a better understanding of spending patterns, consumer happiness and impulsivity, while gaining insights into intent over time. More
London-based human insight consultancy One Minute To Midnight is opening an Americas office in New York City, to better serve its growing US client base. More
Comscore has reported an 8% drop in second quarter revenue to $88.6m, but also a strong move towards profitability. Net loss was $10.4m, compared to a $279m loss in Q2 2019; while adjusted EBITDA was $9.2m, against a loss of $3.2m a year ago. More
UK-based kids, parents and family specialist The Insights People has raised £500k in investment funding, which it will use for international expansion, and to create eight new jobs at its Manchester headquarters. The firm has also appointed Stefan Lampinen as Chairman. More
Audience measurement firm Comscore has teamed up with behaviour-based data science company Consumer Orbit to launch Comscore Consumer Intelligence, offering the local market advertising sector the ability to link media consumption and shopping behaviour. More
In the UK, full service agency Relish has helped launch an eco-friendly, breathable face covering brand called Curb Mask, using data from its own consumer research. As CEO Monique Drummond explains: 'If we can innovate for our clients, why not do it for ourselves?' More
A consortium of ad industry associations and companies have launched a new initiative, the Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media, which aims to 'advance and protect' areas like digital media customization and analytics, while 'safeguarding privacy and improving consumer experience'. More
Mobile app testing company HeadSpin is to return up to $95m in funding to investors after an internal review of irregularities forced it to restate its financials. In addition, the company has replaced CEO and co-founder Manish Lachwani with a new Chief Executive, Rajeev Butani. More
Global marketing group Publicis has appointed Adrian Farouk as ANZ Chief Executive Officer of its data company Epsilon, in addition to his existing position as ANZ CEO of marketing and technology agency Digitas. More
Australian media group Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has brought together its Research & Insights and Strategy & Insights divisions to form a media research and insights unit called SCA iQ. More
Nielsen has reported an 8.1% drop in second quarter revenue (-5.9% on a constant currency basis) to $1.49 billion compared with $1.63bn in the prior year period; while net loss was $30m, compared with net income of $123m in Q2 2019. More
In London, mobile-based customer insights platform Streetbees has hired former Foursquare MD Omid Ashtari as Chief Operating Officer, as the company plans an expansion and recruitment drive following 110% growth in the first six months of 2020. More
Century City, California-based TV, film and video research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) has appointed Steve Ridge as Executive Vice President of its recently formed Television News Group. More
Tech industry consultancy Gartner has reported a 6% rise in second quarter revenue for its Research division - from $826.1m in Q2 2019 to $875.3m a year later. With currency effects removed, the rise was 8%. Events revenue was wiped out, but the firm says the division will bounce back. More
Ad and innovation testing platform Zappi has divided its executive team into two: the Futures team, which will set the company direction, and manage its vision and values; and the Leadership team, which will focus on day-to-day operations covering revenue, resourcing and efficiency. More
Research and analytics group YouGov has signalled its intent to increase market share in the media sector by bringing in US and European 'heavy-hitters' Tamara Alesi and Julian Newby. More
GfK has partnered with technology designer stickee to develop the 'Daily Pricing Monitor', a fully-automated data collection, monitoring and analysis suite for the telecoms sector, feeding back through an online dashboard. More
The UK division of Future Thinking has taken its new parent Savanta's name, following its acquisition earlier this year. More
Start-up Advertima, which uses AI to customize in-store experiences, has closed a EUR 15m ($17.3m) funding round, earmarked for further development of its tracking platform. More
IBM and data-based influencer marketing platform Influential have teamed up to launch a solution using AI to help brands identify those influencers who best align with their brand values. More
In Chicago, full-service healthcare consultancy SPM Marketing & Communications has promoted Patti Winegar from CEO to Vice Chair of SPM Group, while filling the Chief Exec role via the appointment of Amanda Seaford, effective September 1st. More
Technology specialist Forrester Research has announced a 3.5% drop in Research division revenues to $73.6m, in the second quarter. Chairman and CEO George Colony said the company had performed better than expected during a challenging quarter. More
Insight-led healthcare branding and communications consultancy THE PLANNING SHOP has appointed Rebecca Rehder as Global President, to lead the organization across the UK and US. She takes up the position next Monday, and will be based in New York. More
In Helsinki, Finland, behavioral analytics data company Verto Analytics has hired Surath Chatterji for a newly created role, Vice President of Technology; the first exec at Verto to directly control and oversee all R&D. The firm has also added two new members to its Board. More
Anti-fraud and brand safety organizations the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) and the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) are to merge under the TAG brand name. More
In the US, Omnicom Health subsidiary Adelphi Research has promoted Ratna Wynn to the position of EVP, Head of Research, Operations and Innovation, with responsibility for all research functions and operations. More
In the US, media company NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has promoted Mónica Gil to the position of EVP, Chief Administrative and Marketing Officer, overseeing operations, growth marketing, and strategy and insights. More
Research & Results, the organiser of the annual Munich, Germany-based trade show for market research, data and insights professionals, has decided to close its whole business because of the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. More
UK-based kids, parents and family specialist The Insights People has expanded to Canada and Australia, to meet international demand for its market intelligence solutions. More
In the US, brand and marketing insights company Shapiro+Raj has appointed Cindy Tran as company President. The position has been vacant for the past two years, since the departure of Margaret Mueller, who now serves as CEO of the Executives' Club of Chicago. More
Global shopper insights agency PRS IN VIVO has hired long-time Ipsos exec Karen Gombault for a newly created role, EU Managing Director, based in its Paris office. More
UK-based consumer research agency MMR and Paris, France-based research and marketing intelligence institute Repères have signed a partnership agreement, giving each access to a combined methodological toolkit and increased geographical footprint. More
Henry Cheang, founder and Chairman of Australia-based data company Potentiate, has launched a business called AdClarity Pty Ltd, which will serve as the local distributor for digital MR firm BIScience's flagship digital ad intelligence tool, also called AdClarity. More
In New York, IPG Mediabrands global media agency network UM has promoted Arielle Garcia for the newly created role of Chief Privacy Officer. More
Business software giant SAP is to sell shares in its Qualtrics experience management business on the public market in the USA - but will remain its largest shareholder. More
Naomi Gooblar, the founder of London-based qual and quant fieldwork services firm Field Sauce, has set up a dedicated team called Field Sauce Kidz, working with young people aged from 0 to 20, as well as their parents and educators. More
The UK government is to upgrade its 'Research Marketplace', a 'Dynamic Purchasing System' for public sector buyers to find and commission research agencies. The new c.£300m contract will start in February 2022 and run for four years. More
Edinburgh, Scotland-based ad measurement and optimization firm TVSquared has partnered with Sky's ad sales arm Sky Media, to launch a web attribution tool across linear, on-demand, and addressable TV ad campaigns. More
In Australia, Nielsen has been hit by a suspected ransomware attack on its servers, resulting in delays to its release of daily television ratings. More
A new study conducted by industry trade association ESOMAR has highlighted that 7 in 10 people are concerned about sharing their personal data with businesses, while two thirds say they don't like the current privacy practices employed by data collectors. More
In the US, marketing and consumer research firm HCD Research has partnered with artificial intelligence and sensory research agency Aigora, to launch a tool designed to help clients understand the relationship between consumers and brands. More
Ipsos has posted revenue of EUR 786m for the first half of the year, down 13% from last year's EUR 903.4m. The firm says that after a close to flat performance in the first quarter, the second was heavily affected by the 'havoc' wreaked by Covid-19. More
UK TV audience measurement body BARB has announced a year-long extension of the tender process for two of its main research contracts, as a result of the pandemic. The organisation has also begun investigating remote data collection alternatives. More
In the US, grocery retail giant Kroger has promoted Milen Mahadevan, COO of its data analytics subsidiary 84.51°, adding the role of President. He is now responsible for 84.51°'s day-to-day leadership, management and vision. He replaces CEO Stuart Aitken. More
Toronto, Canada-based customer insight solution provider Vision Critical has received US$20m in debt investment, which it will use to fund its growth strategy and roadmap centered on delivering a customer experience management (CXM) and insights platform. More
In the US, investment firm Saroras Private Capital has launched a new company called Apollo Intelligence Corporation, focused on tech-driven data and insights solutions for the life sciences and healthcare sectors; and has acquired data collection company SHG as part of it. More
Kantar has announced the launch of 'Project Moonshot', described as 'a major milestone' on the road to an advanced independent platform for measuring ad effectiveness. The initiative includes deals with Google, Pandora, in-game ad platform Anzu, Dish, Pinterest, Roku, Snap, Spotify and Twitter. More
Location-based predictive analytics firm Intalytics has appointed Justin Tischler as its new President, succeeding co-founder and Principal Bob Buckner. More
Dentsu Aegis Network is to expand its business transformation specialist Isobar Consulting to India. The launch builds on existing consulting capabilities at agencies Fractal Ink and Isobar India; and the agency will be led by Priyanka Agrawal as Country Head. More
The holding company of Toluna, Harris Interactive Europe and KuRunData is adopting the Toluna name as its principal brand, replacing ITWP which will be phased out. Toluna is celebrating this change and its twenty years in business with a new corporate identity. More
Customer data pioneer dunnhumby has expanded its India leadership team, adding three industry veterans: Finance Director Dipti Bhatia, Director of Media Products Sourabh Sharma and Director of Technology and Operations Sai Prakash Dilipkumar. More
Audience research body MRUC India has reportedly paused production and publication of its IRS 2020 readership survey, and has told subscribers it will refund their payments, due in large part to the economic impact of Covid-19. More
Nielsen says it is making 'sweeping changes' to its digital measurement methodology, focused on future-proof, privacy-centric, comparable, cross-platform measurement. Separately, US ad body the 4A's has criticised the firm's plans to combine in-home and OOH TV ratings. More
Innovation insights firm Clarivate Analytics has announced the launch of a Global Business Center in Penang, Malaysia, to be led by VP Shankar Nagalingam. Two more such centres are planned, for London and Chandler, Arizona. More
Marketing tech firm Kenshoo has partnered with CPG and retail competitive intelligence service DataWeave to offer real-time aggregate data on digital shoppers. More
San Francisco-based digital media consultancy MightyHive has launched a global data practice, promising client organizations better understanding of how their customers make business decisions. More
In the UK, marcoms group Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has appointed Merkle exec Nick McCarthy to lead its new EMEA Global Technology Alliances team. More
In New York, food data platform Crisp has raised $12m in a Series A round of funding, for use in expanding its supply chain technology and building an open data platform connecting thousands of companies across the sector. More
In Australia, online automotive, motorcycle and marine classifieds business Carsales has hired former Tesco exec Mark Cripsey for a newly created role, Chief Product and Data Officer. More
US-based insight-led marketing services firm LRW Group has been renamed 'Material', bringing its ten companies into one unified offering. More
UK-based kids, parents and family specialist The Insights People has hired seven new members of staff, increasing the team to 31. The company is now looking for a new 3,000 sq ft Manchester city centre office to accommodate this expansion. More
Former Kantar CEO Eric Salama has joined the Board of New York-based consumer insights platform Morning Consult, along with Karen van Bergen, former CEO of Omnicom Public Relations Group. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's digital advertising and marketing services investment vehicle S4Capital has raised £116m through the issue of 36.8 million shares at 315 pence each. Proceeds from the sale will be used to fund further acquisitions. More
SaaS-based customer intelligence platform (CIP) Zeotap has raised $42m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to continue invest in its platform, and in its recently launched universal marketing identity solution, ID+. More
In the UK, television marketing body Thinkbox has announced that its founding CEO and current non-executive Chair Tess Alps has decided to retire at the end of the year. More
London-based crowdsourcing, idea management and 'open innovation' platform Wazoku has raised £1.25m in a new funding round. The company has also acquired US-based innovation firm InnoCentive. More
The New York Stock Exchange has begun the process of delisting multi-channel marketing solutions firm Harte Hanks after the latter firm failed to stay above required thresholds for stockholders' equity and/or market equity. The firm will not appeal the decision, and will trade on the OTCQX instead. More
Former Lightspeed GMI and Research Now exec Martin Filz has been appointed CEO at Australia-based digital research platform Pureprofile Ltd, effective 3rd August; while John Griffin is promoted to Chief Technology Officer. More
Breweries have a new tool for working with Nielsen data, courtesy of a partnership between Nielsen Connected Partner TABS Analytics and sector specialist Brewers Advisors. More
Experience management (XM) company Qualtrics has launched the XM Institute; a community and resource for XM professionals, practitioners and leaders. More
Nielsen Sports has closed its office in Singapore, as part of its parent's recently announced measures to drive 'operational efficiencies' and optimise Nielsen's global footprint. More
LA-based 'Neuroscience as a Service' (NaaS) platform Kernel has raised $35m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to develop new technology for recording brain activity, and for 'customer success' initiatives. More
In the US, media and entertainment data provide Nielsen Gracenote has appointed Emmy Award-winning David Faulknor as SVP Product Management. More
In the US, grocery retail giant The Kroger Co has moved SVP, Chief Information Officer (CIO) Yael Cosset back to its data analytics subsidiary 84.51°, where he will serve as Chief Executive Officer and SVP of Alternative Business. He will continue to lead Kroger Technology & Digital. More
Nielsen is carrying out an 'optimization plan' to drive permanent cost savings and 'operational efficiencies', which will result in the loss of around 3,500 of its c.46,000 employees. The firm also plans to exit several smaller, underperforming markets and non-core businesses in H2 2020. More
In the UK, marcoms group Unlimited has opened a 'Human Understanding Lab', with a focus on the use of behaviour-led science in driving client performance. The lab supports Unlimited's four divisions: Marketing, Communications, Insight & Analytics and Digital. More
Asia Pacific media intelligence business Isentia is expanding its coverage to monitor non-English language publications across Australia. The move comes a week after the company 'streamlined' by shuttering its North Asian operations, handing clients off to a partner firm. More
Social media management software firm Hootsuite has appointed Tom Keiser as Chief Executive Officer, replacing founder Ryan Holmes who will remain Chairman of the company's Board. More
In New York, digital media measurement software and analytics specialist DoubleVerify (DV) has appointed former Nielsen exec Mark Zagorski as Chief Executive Officer. He will join on July 21st, and replaces Wayne Gattinella who left in March to become CEO of R&D start-up DeBogy Molecular. More
Experience management company Qualtrics has expanded its partnership with video analytics firm Voxpopme, to help clients access quant and qual feedback side-by-side on one system and obtain a 'more complete' view of their customers. More
Boston, MA-based behavioral science and MR consultancy Protobrand has promoted Irina Zilberman to the role of company President. More
San Francisco-based Bluedot, whose technology provides location insights on mobile apps, has raised $9.1m in a Series B round of funding. This will be used to extend the firm's technology and launch a new predictive time-of-arrival targeting service called Tempo. More
In the US, AI-powered consumer intelligence platform Spiketrap has raised $3m in a seed round of funding, and plans to expand beyond the video game sector to additional verticals such as movies and streaming television. More
Kantar has added the newly created role of Deputy Chief Executive to the role of Chief Financial Officer Ian Griffiths. More
In Canada, marketing analytics company StrategyBox has raised $2m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to support more than 50 additional platforms, and add radio attribution as a service. More
Australia-based strategic brand agency Maven Intelligence has closed operations, according to reports, with its founders stating they need to return their focus to their other businesses. More
In the US, customer experience (CX) and data platform Arena has raised $2.3m in a seed round of funding, for use in expanding its sales and marketing team and growing its footprint in additional global markets. More
In the US, consumer data management tech company SRAX has raised $13m in debt funding, which it will use to finance the expansion of its investor intelligence and data analytics platform Sequire, and its consumer data platform BIGtoken. More
Nielsen has been granted Media Rating Council (MRC) re-accreditation for its Local People Meter (LPM) service and Set Meter measurement services in 19 of 31 mid-size US TV markets; as well as for its National People Meter (NPM) service. More
Marketing tech firm Kenshoo and eCommerce analytics platform Profitero have announced a strategic partnership, promising to help clients use multi-retailer analytics to dynamically optimize their ad and media campaigns on retailers including Amazon and Walmart. More
Kantar has been awarded a patent relating to Quantum Machine Learning, after work by its Brand Growth Lab in Singapore. Rather than bringing any immediate impact on its methods, the win helps Kantar stake a claim to be at the bleeding edge of AI in marketing. More
In New York, skin care and makeup products manufacturer The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has moved billionaire heiress Jane Lauder into the new role of EVP, Enterprise Marketing and Chief Data Officer. She will take up the position on July 1st. More
Bubo.AI, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the optimum price consumers are willing to pay for a product, has raised £650k funding to help scale its operations across Europe and North America. More
Nielsen Brandbank - which provides digital product content for eCommerce web sites, mobile shopping apps, merchandising and marketing - has expanded its partnership with rich content agency SKU Ninja + WhyteSpyder, allowing clients to add rich media to product pages. More
In San Francisco, customer identity specialist Unum ID has closed a $2m seed round of financing, which it will use to 'aggressively' accelerate its sales and product development efforts. More
The contracting authority representing the main Danish TV broadcasters has given Nielsen a five-year contract to provide 'cross-media video measurement' data in the country from 1st January 2022. More
Gordon Brown, the co-founder of Millward Brown, died peacefully at his home in the UK on Saturday 6th June, after a short battle with dementia. He was 76 years old. More
UK television audience measurement body BARB has launched the beta version of a BVOD planner (broadcast video-on-demand), to help agencies and advertisers plan campaigns across BARB-reported commercial broadcasters' linear channels and VOD platforms. More
Helsinki and New York-based behavioral and market research platform Verto Analytics has promoted Pat Brennan to CEO, replacing founder Hannu Verkasalo who moves to focus on strategic partners, customers, vendors, marketing and public image. More
Nicole Pike, former MD of Nielsen's video gaming analysis business Esports, has joined YouGov in the newly created role of Global Sector Head of Esports & Gaming. More
Paris-based OpinionWay Group has announced the opening of a new strategic regional hub in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to be led by Florence de Bigault, who joins the Group as MD of Sub-Saharan Africa. More
Mobile marketing and ad platform InMobi has expanded its product offerings, leadership team and local footprint in Southeast Asia. More
Microsoft has joined IBM and Amazon to limit US police use of facial recognition technology, which critics claim is racially biased. More
Retail and consumer goods image recognition and analytics firm Trax has partnered with in-store data and shopper insights platform Snooper, to provide brands in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) with a new store auditing solution which combines image recognition and crowdsourcing. More
In the US, smart TV viewing data provider Inscape has partnered with consultancy Dativa to launch a panel providing representative TV viewing data for all US households, demographics and geographies, built on Inscape's base of 15 million ACR-enabled Smart TVs. More
Nielsen Global Connect has launched a suite of shopper research solutions which use 'extreme' reality and gaming technology for virtual retail shelf and planogram testing, and to uncover in-store shopping behavior. More
MENA region's out-of-home (OOH) ad company BackLite Media and digital-out-of-home (DOOH) audience intelligence provider AdMobilize have partnered to provide cinema advertisers with analytics as they begin reopening sites during the summer. More
French audience measurement agency Médiamétrie has promoted Julien Rosanvallon to the position of Executive Vice President - Audience Measurements, replacing Benoît Cassaigne, who is retiring but will continue as an advisor. More
Fashion publisher Vogue Business has launched an index measuring the performance of the world's top 50 luxury brands, produced in partnership with research firm Phronesis Partners. More
UK-based insights and data firm delineate has boosted its leadership with the appointment of Wayne Evans in the new role of Chief Information Officer, and the promotions of Product Director James Stewart to CTO and Chief Customer Officer Ben Leet to COO. More
In the US, former System1 Research exec Will Leach has launched a new company called Mindstate Group, which offers a proprietary behavioral psychology model to help marketers create influential marketing strategies. More
DIY survey software company SurveyMonkey is combining its customer experience (CX) solutions from two recent acquisitions into one umbrella brand, known as the GetFeedback Suite. More
In Australia, full-service public sector consultancy ORIMA Research has launched a specialist Disability Services Research division (DSR), led by former National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) exec Tamara Reinisch. More
Personal data discovery, analytics, privacy and security platform 1touch.io has raised $14m in a Series A round of funding, for use in platform development and customer acquisition. More
Former Nielsen exec Scott McKinley has founded data intelligence company Truth{set}, which will focus on validating the accuracy and compliance of consumer data. The company has already raised $4.75m in seed funding from a variety of investors. More
Shopper data and insights business Nielsen Global Connect has appointed Tribune Media veteran Chandler Bigelow as its first Chief Financial Officer. More
In the US, personalization business MessageGears has raised $12m in a round of financing, for use in expanding resources in engineering, customer support, sales and marketing. More
Stockholm-based brand tracking and consumer science firm Nepa has announced net sales up 3.8% (constant currency) in the first quarter to MSEK 69.4m ($US 7.4m), with EBIT loss slashed from MSEK -3.3m to just -0.3m. The company has also moved quickly to off-set possible damage from the pandemic. More
In the US, media and ad tech firm Comcast Corporation has partnered with cabling and connectivity giant Charter Communications, Inc. and broadcaster ViacomCBS in ownership of Blockgraph, a software platform promising more secure use and sharing of aggregated and anonymized data. More
Boston, MA behavioral science-based market research consultancy Protobrand has appointed Veylinx co-founder Rainier van Rietschoten as VP, Client Services, starting today. More
US customer data platform (CDP) RudderStack has raised $5m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to accelerate product development and roll out to larger enterprises. The company has also acquired data integration firm Blendo for an undisclosed sum. More
London-based digital experience analytics specialist Decibel has raised an additional $23m in Series B funding, which it will use to 'double down' on product innovation as North American and European demand grows. More
Kantar and Comscore have announced the renewal of their partnership with Italian TV audience measurement body Auditel. The contract, ongoing since August 2017, will now run until December 31st 2023. More
New York-based retail behaviour and product data specialist Bluecore has raised $50m in a Series D round of funding, which it will use to launch a new AI application through which to learn and predict which product is most likely to drive a purchase by a specific individual. More
Consumer data firm IRI and retail and tech sector research and advisory firm Coresight Research have partnered to launch a joint, monthly retail trend report, providing insights into the future of the sector. More
Concluding our DRNO coverage of the Mobile Insights special edition, an interview with the inspirational founder and CEO of app-based feedback business Streetbees. The second half of this, along with lots more mobile-focused content, can be found in the supplement itself. More
Kantar Media's Global CEO Andy Brown has left the business, less than a year after WPP agreed to sell 60% of Kantar to private equity firm Bain Capital. Brown's next career move is not yet known, and his previous role has been filled on an interim basis by former Bain exec Serge Lupas. More
Netherlands-based data collection firm GDCC has consolidated its US-based call centers into an entirely work-from-home enterprise, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The firm has also promoted Lisa Mancini to the role of Vice President of Operations, North America. More
In the US, sports data analyst Hudl has received an undisclosed amount of investment from Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, along with existing investors, which it will use to support further global growth. More
UK sector specialist consultancy Cambridge Healthcare Research (CHR) has appointed Chris Stevenson as Chief Executive Officer. More
London-based research platform Attest has raised $15m from an unnamed investor. This new round of funding will be used to further expand in the US, where it has hired Marc Schraer and Tamer Abouleinein. More
Sports betting data and analytics provider QL Gaming Group (QLGG) has raised $1.1m in new funding, and acquired Finnish sports forecasting service Accuscore. More
Australian research and marcoms group Enero - which owns MR agencies The Leading Edge (TLE) and The Digital Edge - has appointed former Nike exec Brent Scrimshaw as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Matthew Melhuish who left the company in March. More
In the UK, out-of-home (OOH) audience research body Route has appointed Robert Ray as Chief Executive Officer, replacing James Whitmore who has led the organisation since 2005. More
User experience (UX) analytics platform Contentsquare has raised $190m in a Series D round of funding, which it will invest in artificial intelligence-based and predictive analytics initiatives, and to expand its business across the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. More
Magazine publisher Condé Nast has launched a data offering called 'Now|New|Next Segments', to help advertising clients identify, understand and reach three consumer categories it says are emerging from the current coronavirus pandemic. More
In Vietnam, Kantar has transferred David Anjoubault from Worldpanel to take up the role of CEO of its Insights division. He replaces Nitin Nishandar, who has been named Chairman of the Insights division in Vietnam and Chief Client Officer. More
AI-driven analytics firm Hypersonix has raised $11.5m in a Series A round of funding, for use in expansion and for deployment of its platform to a number of consumer sectors. More
The insights sector is in line for an $18.7 billion loss in value due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report released by industry body ESOMAR and based on a survey of 2,889 professionals from 127 countries. More
Digital media measurement software and analytics provider DoubleVerify (DV) has opened an office in Japan, and appointed former Google director Takashi Takeda to launch and lead the business. More
Israel-based automotive data services platform Otonomo has raised $46m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to scale its business and for geographical expansion. More
Full-service data-driven marketing agency Cheil UK has promoted David Coombs to the role of Chief Executive Officer, following Peter Zillig's resignation in February to take up a new client-side opportunity. Coombs will take over the position on 1st July. More
Ipsos has partnered with mobile research tech firm RealityMine to create a cross-device panel measuring digital behaviour on smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. The panel will form part of Ipsos' contract to supply the UK's online audience measurement standard. More
Technology researcher Forrester Research has reported a 5.4% rise in first quarter revenue to $106.3m, equivalent to a 2% rise pro forma. Reported revenue for the research division increased 6% to $72.7m, and for advisory services and events 5% to $33.5m. More
Audience measurement firm Comscore has reported results for the quarter ended March 31st, including a 12.5% decline in revenue to $89.5m. However, the firm also turned a $2.5m adjusted EBITDA loss into a $6.4m profit. More
Technology advisory firm Gartner has announced first quarter revenue up 6.1% (at constant currency) to $1.02bn. Adjusted EBITDA jumped 52.8% on the same basis, to $214m. Results would have looked still better but for a pandemic-related slump in its small Conferences division. More
Analytics-driven marcoms specialist W20 has appointed Bryan Specht as 'Group President, Transformation, Consumer Activation and Marketing', with a remit to enhance the consumer-focused digital capabilities of its healthcare offering. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's marcoms business S4 Capital has reported a 17% like-for-like increase in first quarter revenue to £71m, while on the same basis gross profit was up 19% to £60.7m. More
New York-based AI-driven ad personalization platform Clinch has announced expansion to Europe, where it is opening offices in Barcelona and Hamburg. More
Brand tracking and consumer science firm Nepa has partnered with mobile research tech firm RealityMine, to provide behavioural data technology for the former's Omnichannel Path to Purchase and Digital Pulse solutions. More
Continuing our focus on mobile insights, Brandwatch founder & CEO Giles Palmer talks sifting through 1.5 trillion pages of data; pulling apart the Model-T Ford; and why our industry could grow fivefold in 5 years. Excerpts from a podcast interview by Jamin Brazil of Happy Market Research. More
Keypoint Intelligence, which provides data and market analysis for the digital imaging industry, has appointed former Forrester Research exec Mack Brothers as President and Chief Executive Officer. More
In the US, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) has launched a study to understand how Smart TV and set-top box (STB) data can be combined to create datasets that measure all types of TV viewing. More
Pharma and healthcare data giant IQVIA has reported Q1 revenue up 3.7% at constant currency, to $2.754bn, and adjusted EBITDA down slightly to $562m from $587m a year earlier. The firm says the pandemic has affected business but it expects 'a strong recovery' by the end of 2020. More
Nielsen has announced information sharing and 'cooperation' agreements with one of its largest shareholders, hedge fund Elliott Management Corporation, which now owns a 13% stake in the group. It will also set up a Finance Committee and add IPG exec Jonathan Miller to its Board. More
GfK and cross-device targeting specialist Dstillery have partnered to launch Auto Intender ad targeting models, built on the attitudes and behavior of people who specifically intend to buy a new car. More
Nielsen has reported a 0.3% drop in first quarter revenues to $1.56 billion, equivalent to a 1.5% rise on a constant currency basis. It also turned a net profit of $43m in Q1 2019 into a net loss of $18m a year later, although adjusted EBITDA remained positive. More
In the US, ad fraud intelligence and marketing compliance platform Pixalate has earned accreditations for multiple metrics from the Media Rating Council (MRC), across over-the-top (OTT) / Connected TV (CTV) ad environments, including server-side ad insertion (SSAI) measurement metrics. More
Marcoms giant WPP has reported a 4.9% fall in first quarter revenue, reflecting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and has introduced further cost-saving measures. The group has also applied for a £600m government-backed loan. More
Nordic MR specialist Userneeds has partnered with mobile research tech firm RealityMine, aiming to provide a more holistic view of the digital behaviour of Nordic consumers. More
British-based full service insight consultancy Basis Research has opened an office in Chicago, where it has appointed brand insights and strategy specialist Katie Buckley as Managing Partner. More
Audience tech platform Eyeota and research and data firm YouGov have expanded their existing partnership, allowing activation of audiences based on the latter's data in seven new markets. More
In Germany, former McKinsey execs Ingo Lange and Tobias Roelen-Blasberg have joined with researcher Maximilian Lüders to launch a company called MARA | Market Research Automation with a EUR 147k pre-seed funding round of investment. More
Peak, which uses artificial intelligence to understand customers and automatically predict what they want, has raised $12m in an extended Series A round of investment. Funds will be used to support growth, for commercial expansion, and to ramp up investment in R&D. More
Continuing our focus on 'Insights in the Mobile Age' Mario Paic, Global Head of Data Science, looks at the rise of the smartphone and discusses its central role today at Ipsos Audience Measurement. More
Customer feedback analyst Mopinion has announced a software integration with UX analytics platform ContentSquare, combining digital experience analytics and customer feedback to provide context from the customer experience (CX) journey. More
Ipsos has posted first quarter revenue of EUR 428.7m, up 1.6% from the same period last year; but says its order book in the three weeks from March 30th has seen a significant fall. More
TV ad impact measurement company 605 has made a 'strategic' but unspecified investment' in London and Dublin-based advertising technology, measurement and services business Adscribe. More
Swedish eye tracking developer Tobii AB has announced that Chief Financial Officer Johan Wilsby has decided to leave his position to move to a new company. Wilsby has a six-month notice period and will leave Tobii in the autumn. More
YouGov has reported a 16% increase in revenue to £76.9m in its half-year (HY) results for the six months to 31st January, compared with HY 2019, when revenue increased 18% to £66.5m. The firm also says it has not yet seen any 'material impact' to the business from the Covid-19 pandemic. More
Continuing this week's focus on 'Insights in the Mobile Age' Andy Chandler, General Manager, UK & Ireland at mobile measurement and fraud prevention specialist Adjust, debunks three fashionable but misplaced ideas from this booming market. More
Former Comscore CEO Bryan Wiener and President Sarah Hofstetter have both joined eCommerce analytics platform Profitero with the same job titles, while Sandor Palfy, former CTO of LogMeIn, has joined as CTO. The firm has also raised $20m in a Series B round of investment. More
US agency Horowitz Research has launched a consultancy called Green Horizons, dedicated to delivering consumer insights for the cannabis and 'holistic health' industries. More
Data-driven performance marketing agency Merkle is retiring its Periscopix brand as part of a drive towards an 'enhanced operating model'; and its media agency will now be known simply as Merkle. More
Alcohol sector market analyst Overproof has raised an additional $1.25m from unnamed existing investors, in its fourth round of seed funding. More
British engineering legend Rolls-Royce has announced the launch of Emer²gent, an alliance of data experts aiming to support global businesses and governments recovering from the economic impacts of Covid-19. Members include IBM and Google Cloud. More
UK-based kids, parents and family market intelligence provider The Insights People has promoted two of its team, including Richard Craig who moves into the newly created position of Chief Data & Information Officer. The firm has also appointed seven new members of staff. More
Southeast Asia-based qual and quant marketing intelligence company Divergent Insights has opened an office in Jakarta, Indonesia. More
Retail data and analytics company EDITED has raised $29m in a round of funding, which it will use to boost product development, hire new staff, and expand its global presence. More
South West of England-based digital specialist Caffeine Marketing, which also owns Caffeine Market Research, is opening an office in Bristol. More
Asia Pacific-based data-led marketing and strategy consulting group Illuminera has partnered with marketing insights professional Ashok Sethi, to launch a specialist marketing and behavior change division called 'Behave!' More
In China, third party marketing data and tech provider Miaozhen Systems has split into two units: Omni-marketing Intelligence (OMI) and Business Intelligence & Analytics (BIA). More
Marketing and MR Agency System 1 has announced that its Chief Financial Officer James Geddes is stepping down on April 20th, after seventeen years with the firm. He will be succeeded by former British Airways exec Chris Willford. More
Anagog, which provides on-device solutions for understanding 'phone users' real-world behavior, has raised an initial $10m in Series C funding. The investment will be used to expand the firm's global sales and delivery capabilities, and support its core R&D team. More
In the US, retail sales, marketing and services company Acosta has appointed Sharon Hart as Chief Information Officer, to further develop the firm's proprietary digital and analytic solutions. More
UK-based kids, tweens and teens specialist Kids Insights has launched in Mexico, where it will survey a total of 21,000 children each year. More
US and Israel-based customer analysis software firm Revuze has raised $5.1m in a Series A round of financing, which it will use to expand its sales and marketing efforts, and hire for its R&D department. More
Last year, Facebook agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over the alleged inflation of its video audience metrics by anything up to 900%. An amended filing now claims the firm's execs were aware of its overestimating the number of people advertisers could reach, as far back as 2015. More
Global association ESOMAR is teaming up with MrWeb and its existing partner Women In Research to give data and insights professionals access to the world's largest specialist index of job opportunities, with new packages and offers also launched. More
Jane Frost, Chief Executive of Britain's MRS, has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak warning of the 'immediate and potentially catastrophic impact' of the Covid-19 crisis on the industry, and asking for further help in protecting it. More
Stockholm, Sweden-based brand tracking and consumer science specialist Nepa has reported net sales up 10.7% (constant currency) in the fourth quarter of 2019 and 7.5% in the full year; but also an increased loss (EBIT) for both periods - a statistic its new CEO is determined to change. More
Australian research and marcoms group Enero, the owner of MR agencies The Leading Edge (TLE) and Jigsaw Research, has appointed CFO Brendan York and Chief People and Culture Officer Fiona Chilcott as acting co-CEOs, while it seeks a permanent replacement for Matthew Melhuish. More
Tech-based market research company AudienceProject has replaced Comscore as the official measurement partner for Media Metrics Finland, the measurement body for the country's web sites and apps. More
Industry body MRUC (Media Research Users Council) has changed its name to MRUC India, a move intended to 'capture its national stature'. More
Comscore has completed a second round of discussions with potential buyers including Symphony Technology, according to reports. More
Silicon Valley-based computer vision and AI-powered video analytics company Deep North has closed a $25.7m Series A funding round, which it says will be used in 'digitizing the next generation of brick-and-mortar retail and shopping centers on a global level'. More
Audience measurement firm Comscore has announced a partnership with multiplayer entertainment platform Twitch, adding tagless audience reporting of the latter's livestreaming, including gaming and esports insights, to the former's digital audience solutions. More
In the US, location analytics and foot traffic data platform Placer.ai has raised $12m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand its US operation, and its R&D efforts to drive new product features and capabilities. More
UK television audience measurement body BARB has combined its daily audience data with the IPA's TouchPoints survey, to help media owners, clients and agencies understand more about viewers through a wider range of behavioural definitions. More
Paris-based ad targeting and retargeting specialist Criteo is being investigated by French data protection watchdog the CNIL, following a complaint made by campaigning group Privacy International. More
Munich, Germany-based enterprise loyalty specialist Loyalty Prime has raised EUR 5m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to drive the development of its software, based on artificial intelligence. More
Paris, France-based MR firm OpinionWay has expanded to Poland, opening offices in Krakow and Warsaw. More
In the UK James Whitmore, the MD of out-of-home (OOH) audience research body Route, is to step down for health reasons. Company Chair Katherine Almond is leading the search for a replacement. More
In the US, focus group facilities and recruiting services company L&E Research has expanded with the acquisition of the midtown Manhattan office of Consumer Center. More
In the US, customer data platform mParticle has raised $45m in a Series D round of funding, for use in expanding its platform. More
Edinburgh-based ad measurement and optimization firm TVSquared has promoted Jo Kinsella to the role of President, leading the firm's global commercial portfolio including client relations and strategic partnerships. She is based in the New York office. More
London-based full-service agency Opinium has officially launched its NYC office on legendary US advertising strip Madison Avenue. The firm has also appointed former Weber Shandwick Strategy Director Giulia Prati as Vice President of Research US. More
WPP has reported results for the fourth quarter and full year 2019. Improvements from Q3 were not maintained to the end of the year and shares tumbled around 14% on the news. Nevertheless CEO Mark Read said 'substantial progress' was made in the year the group sold a majority stake in Kantar. More
Nielsen Holdings plc has appointed Sean Cohan as Chief Growth Officer and President, International; and promoted Peter Bradbury to Chief Commercial Officer, U.S. and Karthik Rao to COO of its Media division. More
Ipsos has reported a 14.5% increase in full-year revenue to slightly more than EUR 2 billion; with organic, constant currency growth of 3.8%, the firm's best annual performance since 2011. More
Nielsen Holdings has announced 2019 revenues of $6.498bn, equivalent to a 1.7% rise at constant currency, although a fall of 0.3% as reported. Q4 revenues were $1.69bn, up 2.0% on a reported basis and 2.7% in constant currency terms. More
Stockholm, Sweden-based brand tracking and consumer science specialist Nepa has promoted Ann-Christine Fick to the position of Chief Financial Officer, while Michael Wallin joins in the newly created role of Head of Investor Relations. More
Oslo, Norway-based data collection specialist Norstat has appointed Mats Beck as Head of its newly established Strategy and M&A unit. More
In Indonesia, customer analytics platform MoEngage has raised $25m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to expand in Asia, integrate advanced capabilities into its product mix, and scale operations in the USA and Europe. More
Adam Crozier, former CEO of broadcaster ITV, the Football Association and Royal Mail, has been named Non-Executive Chairman of Kantar. More
In the UK, three former employees of 2CV Research - Adam Short, Ollie Willis and Alex Nketiah - have launched a global full-service insight agency called The Point, promising clients in the tech, entertainment and sport sectors 'better understanding'. More
In London, research and strategy consultancy MTM has promoted co-founder Caroline Wren to the new role of Managing Director, while fellow co-founders James Bryson and Richard Ellis will lead the Research and Commercial Strategy Consultancy teams, respectively. More
Audience intelligence and consent management company Quantcast has partnered with mobile data solutions firm Kochava to help clients comply with the new CCPA legislation (California Consumer Privacy Act). More
Research, media and events provider Informa Tech is bringing together its analysis and research units into a single entity. Ovum, Heavy Reading, Tractica and most of what was previously IHS Markit's TMT research business will be unified under the new brand, Omdia. More
Consulting group Gartner has reported fourth quarter adjusted revenue up 11% at constant currency, to $1.2bn, with profits also increased. Full year revenue was up 11% on the same basis to $4.2bn. More
Property intelligence firm Reonomy has announced a partnership with data and marketing solutions provider Infogroup, adding the latter's data on 315m individuals and 24m businesses to the former's database of commercial properties. More
New York-based data science, market research and analytics firm Schireson Associates has acquired two agencies, Blackbird and Stun Creative, to form a new company called 'Known'. Terms of the deals have not been disclosed. More
Dentsu Aegis-owned performance marketing agency Merkle has launched a Promotion and Loyalty Solutions division, to be led by Peter DeNunzio as Global Head of Loyalty. More
In the US, customer lifetime value modeling company Retina has raised $5m in a new round of funding, for use in expanding its services. More
Following its acquisition of WPP AUNZ's Data Investment Management (DIM) division, Kantar has announced a number of steps which it says will help drive growth for its clients in Australia, including the retirement of the Colmar Brunton brand in the country. More
In Australia, financial services insights and consulting firm DBM has appointed former National Australia Bank exec Kipling Zubevich as its new CEO. Co-founder Dhruba Gupta will continue to focus on business development and promoting the firm's DBM Atlas survey. More
Colorado-based Egg Strategy is moving its corporate headquarters within the state, from Boulder to Denver - where more than 40 percent of its nearly 70 employees live. More
Geospatial data and insights company Unacast has announced a partnership with location analytics firm Mapidea, with the aim of expanding in the international retail market and focused around Unacast's flagship product, The Real World Graph. More
Symphony RetailAI, which provides artificial intelligence-enabled solutions for FMCG retailers and CPG manufacturers, has appointed Chris Koziol as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Pallab Chatterjee, who has retired. More
P-O Westerlund has been named CEO of Sweden-based brand tracking and consumer science firm Nepa AB, replacing Fredrik Östgren who leaves the company with immediate effect. More
One-year-old immersive research firm Further&Further has added a fourth office in Chicago, to existing locations in Montreal, New York and London. Eve Ejsmont and Brian Flannery join the new office as Directors while Matthew Pemberton joins the Montreal office as a Film Director. More
Century City, CA-based TV, film and video research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) has announced a strategic partnership with insight community company My-Take, to offer clients recruitment of fans and customers into private advisory or VIP consumer panels of 1,000 to 100,000 members. More
In the US, media and entertainment conglomerate WarnerMedia has appointed former Nielsen exec Cheryl Idell as Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer of its Entertainment & Direct-to-Consumer divisions. More
Comscore has promoted Carol Hinnant to the position of Chief Revenue Officer, after fifteen years with the business. More
New York and Helsinki-based cross-media measurement specialist Verto Analytics has completed a $16m round of funding, which it will use to fuel the commercial roll out of its behavioral analytics research platform in the US and Europe. More
In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, full-service agency Explain Market Research has undergone a management buyout, with founder David Shiel selling his controlling 75% stake. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. More
In the UK, television audience measurement body BARB has begun reporting of unduplicated programme reach and time spent viewing figures across multiple screens. More
Dutch full service agency DVJ Insights has opened an office in Hamburg, and appointed GfK veterans Erk Maassen and Stephan Knäble as Managing Partners, to lead and develop it. More
Adam Crozier, former CEO of broadcaster ITV, the Football Association and Royal Mail, is said to be discussing the role of Chairman at Kantar. More
Research and data group YouGov has completed its acquisition of SMG Insight earlier than scheduled, after the sports specialist outperformed its revenue targets. The company has been rebranded as YouGov Sport and fully integrated into the wider Group. More
Tech and consumer specialist Breaking Blue Research is formally joining sister agency Cello Health Insight, in a move which the firms say will add specialist expertise to strengthen the overall business insights and analytics offer. More
Digital advertising industry body IAB UK has hired Elizabeth Lane for the newly created role of Head of Research and Measurement; Dominic Tillson as Head of Industry Relationships and Initiatives; and Antonio Forte as Industry Initiatives Executive. More
Researchers at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications are collaborating with Comscore, to identify the causes of advertising avoidance and audience drop-off during commercial airings. More
Full-service pharma market research and consultancy firm ThinkGen has hired former GfK Healthcare COO Bart Weiner as President, joining two ex-colleagues and replacing founder Noah Pines who moves to the role of Chief Executive. More
In New York, self-service customer data platform ActionIQ has raised $32m in a series C round of funding, earmarked for sales, marketing and product R&D activities. More
Nielsen has appointed David Rawlinson as Chief Executive Officer of its Global Connect business, while Linda Zukauckas will take up the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Global Media business. Both will join on February 3rd. More
Comscore's interim Chief Executive Dale Fuller has resigned as a Director of the company to 'pursue other ventures', following the recent promotion of Bill Livek to the CEO role. More
Comscore has expanded its box office measurement service to cover all theatrical film releases across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), following the latter's recent opening of commercial cinemas after a 35-year 'pause'. More
Consumer data firm IRI has teamed up with AI technology firm Influential to launch a new product, using IRI's Campaign Conversion Feed (CCF) to link weekly purchase data and off-line conversion to ad exposures and optimise influencer marketing campaigns. More
Snacks company pladis has brought in former PepsiCo Asia Pacific Insights & Analytics Lead Geoff Painter as Chief Insights Officer, starting today. More
Shopper intelligence specialist Catalina is partnering with consumer analytics platform and promotion network Koupon, to provide convenience store (C-store) retailers and CPGs with a more 'holistic' understanding of cross-channel consumer purchase behavior. More
Panel firm Bilendi has announced four senior hires for its UK sales team: Ian Roberts joins as Sales Director, Sarah Hillis as Senior Sales Manager, Daniel Paraschiv as Senior Business Development Manager and Charlene Adamah as Senior Key Accounts Manager. More
Tesco-owned customer data firm dunnhumby is moving its customer insights products across to Microsoft's cloud platform Azure, in order to give more retailers and suppliers instant access to shopper and business insights. More
US location data and technology platform HERE Technologies has partnered with out of home (OOH) audience measurement body Geopath and location infrastructure software firm Bentley Systems, to provide greater context around the best locations and times to place ads. More
The Stagwell Group, owner of the Harris and Harris Poll brands, has created a central marketing team with several new hires and promotions, including the appointment of former Kantar exec Anas Ghazi as Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer. More
A new firm called Oasis Intelligence has been launched in Los Angeles, offering access to consumer insights at scale, for marketers in the cannabis and hemp industry, as well as related sectors. More
Kantar has appointed former ITV plc COO and CFO Ian Griffiths as its new Chief Financial Officer. He will join the company on January 16th. More
In the UK, Cambridge Market Research (CMR) has hired former Future Thinking UK MD Adele Gritten as its first Chief Executive Officer. More
Retail data giant IRI is joining Facebook's Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) Program, which recognises it as a trusted third party which can leverage the social network's performance metrics to measure clients' marketing. More
This is 2019's last edition of Daily Research News. We wish a very Merry Christmas to all those celebrating it, and a Happy New Year and a great holiday to all readers, clients, contributors, partners and friends around the world. DRNO resumes in the first week of 2020. More
Entertainment technology and TV data provider TiVo is to merge with audio, imaging and computing technology products firm Xperi Corp., in an all-stock deal with an enterprise value of $3bn. The TiVo name will remain on its products but the combined company will be known as Xperi. More
Nielsen has named Laurie Lovett as its new Chief Human Resources Officer, starting January 13th; and Christopher Taft as SVP Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. In addition, former Microsoft and CBS exec Nancy Tellem joins the Board. More
Comscore has expanded its partnership with London-based movie theatre market analyst Gower Street Analytics (GSA), to include film comparisons in its own Box Office Essentials solutions. More
Mobile measurement and fraud prevention specialist Adjust has expanded its operations in Latin America, with the opening of an office in Mexico City. More
Automotive industry research specialist J.D. Power is to merge with sister company Autodata Solutions, a provider of data and software solutions for the sector. More
Ipsos has partnered with recently formed marketing agency Alchemy-RX in a deal which will bring each company's expertise to existing and potential clients, and expand client access to experts. More
Retail data firm The NPD Group has appointed Darren Person as Global Chief Information Officer, and Robert Taylor as SVP, Enterprise Systems. More
Audience technology platform Eyeota has promoted co-founder Kristina Prokop to the position of Chief Executive Officer, as co-founder Kevin Tan steps down from the role. More
2001, like 1984, was a year for which fiction had given us very specific expectations, and while disappointingly little coasted through the heavens to the strains of the 'Blue Danube', some MR industry giants certainly soared. Here's our review of the year on DRNO. More
Kantar Chief Executive Eric Salama has decided to step down from his role at some point in 2020, after which he will serve as a non-executive Director and Consultant at the company. Kantar has already begun the process of recruiting a successor. More
Kantar and consumer data giant IRI have launched a solution to help CPG clients measure and optimize marketing programs against the drivers of long-term brand health and short-term sales. More
US professional body The Insights Association has named former Dynata EVP Melanie Courtright as its Chief Executive Officer, beginning January 1st and succeeding David Almy. More
In the UK, data science company Black Swan Data has appointed Rupert Day, former Global CEO of WPP media agency tenthavenue. In his new role, Day is responsible for applying the firm's Social Prediction technology to the retail, content and advertising industry sectors. More
Indonesia-based consumer insights start-up Populix has raised $1m in a round of seed funding, which it will use to develop new product features and hire new employees. The firm is also planning to cover more countries in the Southeast Asia region. More
In New York, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has announced that its President, Patrick Dolan, will depart in June 2020 to pursue an undisclosed 'entrepreneurial opportunity'. More
California-based eCommerce targeting solutions provider Fanplayr has opened a 'corporate hub' in Mexico City, led by Mariano Tripiciano in the role of MD, Latin America. More
Canadian consumer and audience insights company Vividata has announced a partnership with consumer segmentation specialist Manifold Data Mining, applying the latter's Polaris Intelligence platform to the former's large-scale, established research studies. More
New York-based entertainment, sports and lifestyle sector data management platform (DMP) Audigent has completed a $6.7m Series A round of financing, which it will use to 'aggressively' expand its sales and marketing efforts. More
Today it's exactly 21 years since MrWeb was officially launched - a traditional coming-of-age here in the UK. In Internet terms, 21 is ancient really, and we'll do a bit of looking backward over the next few weeks, but we also have major plans for the coming year. Details here - and your feedback wanted! More
In New York, consumer behavior tracking specialist wappier has raised $4m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to continue building and growing its AI-powered revenue management and data visualization platform; and to strengthen its team in the US and Europe. More
UK-based marketing automation and audience understanding specialist BlueVenn has partnered with French database marketing agency Avanci, to deliver its customer data platform (CDP) across France, Switzerland and Belgium. More
WPP is to open a campus in the listed Marquette Building in downtown Detroit, where it will bring together a number of its agencies and locate up to 1,000 staff. More
Nielsen TV data is to be integrated into YouTube's audience planning tool, Google Reach Planner. Roll-out is initially in the US, with plans to go global next year. More
Marcoms group Interpublic has created a new practice focused on 'digital responsibility', within its recently formed Kinesso targeting and optimisation company. Acxiom / LiveRamp executive Sheila Colclasure has been hired to head it up. More
South African cross-platform audience measure the Establishment Survey will produce its final data next month, after a review by operator Kantar TNS and industry bodies the PRC and BRC. More
London-based Decibel, which provides real-time intelligence allowing businesses to measure and improve online customer experiences, has raised $17m in a Series B investment round. Funds will be used to further develop its technology and for expansion across Europe and North America. More
In New York, Nielsen Global Connect has hired IBM exec Jacqueline Woods as Chief Marketing Officer, starting on December 1st. More
The Malaysian Digital Association (MDA), the country's representative body for online publishers, ad agencies and digital service providers, has renewed its partnership with Comscore to provide audience currency data, while appointing SimilarWeb as its partner for market insight. More
In the US, shopper understanding company PreciseTarget has hired three new execs for its senior leadership team: Mitch Paletz as SVP Channel Partnerships; Andrew McCasker as Chief Technology Officer; and Brian Graziano as VP Marketing. More
In the US, retail automation solutions provider Focal Systems has received an undisclosed amount of investment, which it will use to drive further development of its AI-based on-shelf demand insights solutions. More
In the US, data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions provider Alliance Data has appointed Ralph Andretta as President and Chief Executive, effective from next February. He will succeed Melisa Miller, who has served in the role since the June 2019 retirement of Ed Heffernan. More
In New York, long-time GfK exec David Albert has been named Managing Director of research and data services company ENGINE Insights. The business is part of full-service media and marketing company ENGINE, which was previously the parent of ORC. More
Kantar has partnered with media consumption measurement specialist VTION, to roll out what the companies are calling 'India's first continuous OTT audience measurement solution'. More
India's MRUC (Media Research Users Council) has invited agency partners to pitch for the contract to conduct its Indian Readership Survey (IRS), as the council's three-year contract with Nielsen comes to an end. More
Nielsen has announced a major expansion of its relationship with US-based food giant General Mills Inc. More
WPP is once again considering acquisitions, in 'faster growing segments such as technology and commerce', according to CEO Mark Read in a call with investors on Thursday. More
US data protection organisations have written to the Federal Trade Commission to advise that Google's proposed $2.1 billion acquisition of health data company Fitbit will lead to 'a dramatic erosion of consumer privacy'. More
MRI-Simmons has partnered with cultural profiling firm EthniFacts to launch Cultural Suite, a tool for targeting different cultural groups. More
In Madrid, WPP Chief Exec Mark Read has opened the marcoms group's latest co-location campus, La Matriz, which is its largest in Europe to date. More
In Belgium, former Haystack execs Wim Hamaekers and Jasper Scheir have launched an insights consultancy called One Inch Whale, which promises to help people and brands to be 'relevant and sustainable'. More
Leuven, Belgium-based multisensory researcher Haystack International is changing its name to Haystack Consulting, stressing its focus on evidence-based consulting, as opposed to 'pure data delivery'. The move follows 'a thorough reflection and transformation process' over the past few months. More
Consumer data giant Experian has announced a strategic investment in smart mobile marketing data platform Vserv. Details of the deal were not disclosed. More
Nielsen has completed its strategic review, and announced plans to spin off its Global Connect business (similar, but not identical to the former 'Buy' segment), creating two independent publicly traded companies. The company also posted a respectable 2.4% constant currency revenue rise for Q3. More
US-based data collection and custom survey solutions provider SurveyHealthcare has changed its name to SurveyHealthcareGlobus (SHG), following an acquisition and underlining its continuing global reach. More
In the US, Sony Pictures has promoted Chris Liberge and Kate Donnelly, both taking the title of Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing and Research. The pair will co-run Sony's new group of film-specific 'strategy pods'. More
In the UK, industry-owned media auditor ABC has launched an online 'Data Hub' through which users can access current and historic audited data. More
In California, former JWT Intelligence director Lucie Greene has launched a futures, research and brand strategy consultancy called Light Years. More
In the US, hyper-personalization platform Folloze has raised $11m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to continue to expand operations and its business reach. More
Shopper intelligence specialist Catalina has hired Wayne Powers as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, replacing Jerry Sokol, who will continue as a Strategic Advisor during the transition period. More
User experience and technology solutions firm Credera has opened an office in New York City. More
Audience measurement firm Comscore has made two major announcements: a five-year deal with global film exhibitor Cinemex to provide an enterprise data platform and analytics software solutions; and an expansion of its partnership with global entertainment network Discovery, Inc. More
London-based boutique insights agency 2CV has promoted Sabine Cronick - previously Head of Quant - to Managing Director, UK; and Jennifer Axen, previously Head of Qual, to MD North America. More
Ipsos has reported organic growth of 3% in the third quarter of the year. Reported revenue rose fully 16.7% to EUR 499.4m, driven by the acquisition of units of GfK since last year, and to a lesser extent by that of Synthesio and by currency effects. More
In a trading update for the third quarter, WPP has reported its first like-for-like (LFL) revenue increase of the year - with insight division Kantar sharing in the improvement. Group reported revenue rose 1.9% LFL to £3.29bn. More
YouGov has appointed Laura Robbie as General Manager of its Australian operations, based in the Sydney HQ and reporting to APAC CEO Julien Chevignon. She replaces David Briggs, who is stepping down two years after his firm Galaxy Research was acquired by YouGov. More
Technology researcher Forrester has announced results for the third quarter, with total revenue up 28% to $108.6m, reflecting the acquisition of SiriusDecisions. More
TV audience measurement body BARC India has announced that founding CEO Partho Dasgupta is leaving the position, and will be replaced by Sunil Lulla. More
Former HBO Domestic Television President Scott Carlin has joined US-based custom researcher and strategy adviser Magid as EVP, Global Media & Entertainment, based in Los Angeles. More
For the first time in seven years, more UK marketers told the IPA's Bellwether survey their budgets decreased than increased during the third quarter of 2019 - although the change from the previous quarter was small. Figures for MR were the worst of any sub-sector and the worst in seven years. More
In Australia, outdoor advertising company JCDecaux has added facial emotion analysis technology to a panel advertising Yoplait Yoghurt Smoothies, in order to determine whether passers-by have happy or 'hangry' expressions, and dispense vouchers to enable them to sample the product. More
In the US, enterprise analytics specialist ThoughtSpot has partnered with Nielsen to launch a search and artificial intelligence-driven platform called Retail Insights, designed to help organizations understand and respond to changing consumer expectations. More
Turkish radio industry body RIAK has commissioned Kantar to deliver the Turkish radio audience ratings service for the next five years. More
London-based strategic insights firm Firefish has promoted Daniel Rose to the position of Managing Director of its qualitative, cultural insight and human strategy business, Firefish UK. He replaces Lisa Hill. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA has recruited RDSi director David Power to manage its quant and analytics offer, which is being rebranded as 'Crowd Numbers'. Power will join the firm in November. More
In the US, shopper targeting firm Valassis has promoted Cali Tran to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, replacing CEO Dan Singleton who will move into a senior advisory role for parent company Harland Clarke Holdings. More
In the US, online community and survey tech provider Toluna has launched a specialized practice focused on the needs of the Media & Entertainment industry, led by long-time company exec Patricia Chapin-Bayley. More
Kantar has been awarded the contract to deliver national radio ratings currency in Sweden for the four years commencing on 1st August 2020. More
GroupM's data and measurement-driven media agency Essence has announced the expansion of its services across China. More
In India, Kantar and artificial intelligence platform Frrole have partnered to launch a service called 'TGI Social+', which combines consumer profiles from Kantar's consumer survey TGI with social media analytics to provide a 'holistic' understanding of online consumers. More
British retailer M&S has hired former GroupM exec Mehdi Hosseini for a newly created role, Head of Data Science, including responsibility for recruiting for up to twenty new roles in the near future. More
YouGov has reported a 17% increase in revenue to £136.5m for the full year ended 31st July. The UK led the way with revenue growing by 31%, while the US also fared well with a 17% rise. More
Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of TV and telecoms firm Comcast Cable, has promoted Andrea Zapata to Vice President of Data Innovation and Insights, overseeing a newly formed Data Innovation and Insights team. More
Edinburgh-based ad measurement and optimization firm TVSquared has partnered with video ad campaign tech platform Extreme Reach (ER), to allow advertisers to measure the performance of impressions served across all ad-supported OTT streaming services. More
Marcoms giant Interpublic Group has formed a new division, Kinesso, building on its recent acquisition of Acxiom to create data-based marketing applications focused on trust and security, campaign optimization and precision audiences. More
In the US, out of home (OOH) audience measurement body Geopath has announced that its 'Insights' platform has been approved and launched as the industry currency for OOH measurement. More
Cazoo, an online used car sales platform, has hired former dunnhumby / MoneySuperMarket data chief Piers Stobbs as Chief Data Officer, ahead of its launch later this month. More
Greg Leibon, the co-founder of marketing personalization specialist Coherent Path, has obtained a patent for the firm's mathematical infrastructure, which can be used to map each customer's journey through a 'product space', and guide customers towards product 'discoveries'. More
Continuing our month-long focus on online communities Stephen Cribbett, CEO and founder of Further looks at projects where communities excel, offering huge benefits over other formats - with case studies of work for Bupa, VouchForMe, Condé Nast and Keyhouse software. More
Sweden-based holding company Modern Times Group MTG AB (MTG) has announced a partnership with Nielsen, providing sponsorship valuation and media measurement for its esports portfolio companies ESL Gaming GmbH and DreamHack. More
Our month-long focus on online communities continues with another podcast. Samsung's Director of European Countries CMI on work-life and other kinds of balance; the extremes of 'agile'; working on communities with Verve; backing up insights; and why brands should 'get out more'. More
App metrics specialist App Annie has acquired mobile analytics firm Libring, for an undisclosed sum, allowing it to provide its mobile publisher and brand clients with market data and advertising analytics side by side. More
UK-based marketing and media Plc Ebiquity has announced flat revenue (£35.3m) and profits (PBIT £2.9m) in Interim Results for the six months ended 30th June, citing a 'transitional period'. More
Off-line media measurement firm Freckle has announced its integration with newly established Out of Home ad buying and planning specialist Quan Media Group, promising brands detailed advertising attribution for outdoor campaigns. More
GfK has teamed up with digital measurement firm BrandTotal to allow marketers to track social campaigns that target custom segments. GfK says this includes 'dark marketing', highly targeted campaigns invisible to the general public but making up 88% of social media spend. More
Washington, DC-based research and consulting firm Luntz Global Partners has rebranded as Storyline Strategies, as it repositions itself with a wider offer and a focus on innovative methods. More
US programmatic ad tech and footfall insights provider Mobiquity Technologies has announced a successful recapitalization, cleared the way for a Nasdaq application, and extended the contracts of two key execs from recently acquired Advangelists, who it says will play a key role in its future. More
Shopper and product experience specialist PRS IN VIVO has expanded its global Luxury Practice, and added the concept of 'Happiness Science' to its behavioral science offering. More
Credit scoring and consumer analytics company Equifax has announced a global partnership with utility data aggregator Urjanet, allowing consumers and businesses to share payment data from thousands of utility, telecom and cable providers worldwide. More
New Jersey-based MR and applied consumer neuroscience company HCD Research has been awarded a patent for a new approach to mapping mood, product marketability and promotion, through physiological measures. More
Manchester-based kids, tweens and teens specialist Kids Insights has launched its first Asia Pacific business, Kids Insights India. More
WPP has appointed Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Unilever for most of the last nine years, as a Non-Executive Director, effective from 1st November. More
US-based consumer psychology expert Strategic Vision is opening its first office in India, located in Hyderabad and led by Ravindra 'Ravi' Kondagunta, in partnership with his company Traction Labs. More
Consumer data giant IRI and location intelligence firm PlaceIQ have further extended their partnership, integrating the latter anonymous foot traffic data in the former's Liquid Data loyalty card and point-of-sale analysis platform. More
In the US, trade association the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) has announced that it will lead a drive to move local broadcast measurement from a ratings-based to an impressions-based system. More
Customer data pioneer dunnhumby has launched an in-house tech accelerator called dunnhumby Labs (dh Labs), to develop its product offerings in the global retail marketplace. The new business unit will be led by Kyle Fugere, who also heads dunnhumby ventures. More
Consumer insights platform DISQO has appointed former MarketShare and Neustar executive Jean-Philippe Durrios as CFO and COO, based in its Los Angeles headquarters and charged with leading its plans for rapid growth. More
London-based research and analytics company YouGov has added a new partner in Japan, long-established agency Nippon Research Centre (NRC). The move extends its new affiliate Global Partnerships Programme across APAC. More
Paris-based qual and UX specialist MindSpark Research International is moving offices to make space for new two members of staff, design anthropologists Alicia Dornadic and Elvin Tuygan. More
On 29th November 1998 MrWeb - publisher of DRNO - officially launched with the appearance of its first job ad. To celebrate our twenty-first birthday we're publishing special supplements on five major growth areas in the sector, beginning this month with online communities. More
UK-based brand research agency The Nursery has merged with recently acquired Arkenford, and moved to refurbished offices in Rathbone Place, London W1. More
US-based qual insights and technology firm 20|20 Research has won a patent for methods using virtual environments in behavioral research, including the ability to instantly manipulate the environment based on a user's vision patterns and demographics. More
Escalent (formerly Market Strategies International-Morpace) has announced that Chief Information Officer Sharna Morelli has decided to retire, while John Sivak has been promoted to Senior Vice President, leading the firm's IT division from its Livonia, MI headquarters. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's recently formed marcoms business S4Capital has reported revenue of £87.97m for the first six months of 2019 - up an estimated 42%, or 38% in constant currency terms. According to the firm, it is on track to double in size organically by 2021. More
Birmingham, UK-based video feedback, insights and analytics company Voxpopme has closed a £7.5m ($9m) Series A1 round of equity financing, which it will use to fund further investment in its platform and add to its global team. More
In the US, digital advertising specialist Goodway Group has opened a Data Science and Analytics division which is run by new hires Lluis Canet, Vice President of Data Science and Analytics; and Benjamin Diesbach, Lead Data Insights Analyst. More
The insight sector around the world including traditional and new areas turned over around $80bn in 2018, according to ESOMAR's annual Global MR report - up from $76bn in 2017. New areas such as data analytics accounted for most but not all of the growth, rising around 10% year-on-year. More
Steve Buck, Comscore's SVP of Business Relations and Jim Zak, SVP of International Theatrical are among those to depart the company as it cuts 8% of its workforce, according to reports. More
In the US, Kantar has partnered with voice app testing platform Pulse Labs, to understand the motivation behind consumers' usage of voice assistant technology. More
Long-time Kantar exec Graham Page has joined US emotion measurement specialist Affectiva as Global MD of Media Analytics, leading a unit focused on the application of emotion analytics to content, media testing and the customer experience. More
US-based Further&Further, which combines qual research methods with immersive documentary film-making, has opened a European office, based in London. Former CrowdDNA director Kelvin Amos joins the office as European Managing Director. More
Dan Hess, former Comscore Chief Product Officer, has joined retail data specialist The NPD Group to lead its global product development and management. More
Consumer data giant IRI has partnered with Vistar Media, which provides programmatic technology for digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. The partners will deliver what they describe as a 'breakthrough offering' to measure the direct sales impact of exposure to DOOH ads. More
In the US, sensory and consumer product research specialist Curion says it has appointed thirty-five new employees this year, supporting rapid growth and the launch of three new services. More
Australia-based media intelligence group Isentia has reported revenue down 10.7% to $AUD 122.47m, and adjusted EBITDA falling 30.4% to $ AUD 23.06m. However the firm, which is in turnaround mode, described the results as 'acceptable progress'. More
Marcoms giant WPP is to open a new campus in San Francisco, in the heart of the US tech industry, where it will house more than 1,000 people from its companies around the city. More
Australian insights consultancy Fiftyfive5 has expanded its teams in Sydney and Melbourne over the past six months, with the appointment of fourteen new members of staff. More
In the US, software company Hudson MX has partnered with Comscore to enable local TV advertisers to buy inventory against automotive audiences from IHS Markit (formerly Polk), at scale. More
In London, online community specialist C Space has launched a suite of solutions called 'Customer as a Service' (CaaS), which combines multiple sources of data, technology and commercial consultancy to understand the customer and place them at the heart of the organisation. More
Consumer and audience insights company Vividata has partnered with mobile research technology firm RealityMine, digital data collection specialist Delvinia, and Ipsos, to launch what it calls the first passive panel of its kind in Canada. More
Montreal, Quebec-based loyalty analytics specialist Aimia is to sell approximately half its investment in purchase intelligence platform Cardlytics for $CAN 59.8m ($US 44.9m). More
In Australia, Publicis Media-owned Zenith has appointed Kim Xavier as National Head of Insights. Her appointment follows the departure of Tim Beveridge, who spent the previous four and a half years as Chief Strategy, Data & Insights Officer. More
Global information services company Experian has made an undisclosed 'strategic investment' in location intelligence firm PlaceIQ. More
US firms LoopMe and Numerator have partnered to offer 'traditional' retailers ad campaign attribution and in-flight optimisation, using off-line purchase data. More
Marcoms network WPP is to launch two co-location campuses in India, with more than 3,800 people due to move into a new Mumbai Campus later this month, and the establishment of a Gurugram Campus next year. More
In Brazil, Dentsu Aegis Network-owned digital marketing agency Isobar has launched what it describes as the first programmatic advertising service for print. Through the service, advertisers can deliver personalized ads to consumers based on their reader profile, geolocation and the time of day. More
Eye tracking hardware and software pioneer Tobii AB must fully divest recently acquired Smartbox Assistive Technology Ltd, after a ruling by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). More
Comscore Board member Paul J. Reilly has resigned, citing a lack of confidence in its operating strategy and innovation. In the last few days, the company's share price has dropped further to record lows around the $US 1.50 mark. More
In the US, data collection and fieldwork services firm Opinions Ltd has opened its newest testing center, in Staten Island, New York. More
Marcoms group WPP AUNZ has agreed to sell its entire stake in insight and analytics arm Kantar in Australia and New Zealand, as part of the global sale of Kantar shares to Bain Capital. The deal values the ANZ business at $AUD 168m. More
US marketing and data tech company SRAX has signed a joint venture agreement with Mumbai-based professional service and workforce outsourcing provider Melstar Information Technologies, through which SRAX will launch its BIGtoken consumer data platform in India. More
Next15's data and insights group Savanta has hired five new US employees while announcing a move to a larger office in New York City. More
In Africa, marketing services network WPP ScanGroup is to meet an obligation to sell two of its subsidiaries, following parent company WPP's decision to sell 60% of Kantar to private equity firm Bain Capital. More
Nielsen has reported a 1.2% drop in second quarter revenues to $1.63bn - although excluding currency effects it would have risen by the same amount. Adjusted EBITDA increased 0.4% to $470m - a rise of 2% at constant currency. More
Tech markets consultancy Gartner has posted a 7% increase in second quarter revenue to $1.1bn (up 9% on a foreign currency-neutral basis). CEO Gene Hall says the company is well-positioned for sustained long-term, double digit growth. More
Nielsen has entered a partnership with digital media analytics specialist Quotient Technology, whose purchase intelligence will be integrated into Nielsen's own audience and performance measurement solutions, creating a new industry omni-channel data set. More
Los Angeles-based consumer insights business MarketCast Group has appointed long-time media and entertainment exec John Batter as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Henry Shapiro who has moved into the position of Chairman. More
San Francisco-based ad retargeting platform AdRoll is expanding its presence in Salt Lake City with the opening of a new, 16,000-square-foot office and plans to expand headcount in the city from 58 to 100 employees by the end of the year. More
In the US, TV content demand measurement platform Parrot Analytics has partnered with Spanish television-industry consultancy GECA to gauge content demand and trends across emerging markets, particularly those in Asia. More
Ipsos has generated revenue of EUR 903.4m in the first half of 2019, up 14.9% compared with the first six months of 2018. Organic growth for the half year was 3.0%. More
Microsoft has tapped its experience of helping business to test the impact of IT changes, to develop a campaign testing service called Experiments, to be offered shortly to users of its ad platform. More
In the US, research and strategy consultancy LRWGreenberg has announced the formation of LRWGreenberg Gaming, a team led by Vice President Collin Leirvik and focused on what the firm says is 'now the dominant force in global entertainment'. More
Australian retail chain Woolworths has officially launched a standalone media business, Cartology, which will run a network of digital screens across supermarkets nationwide, and offer performance tracking modelling to assess campaign effectiveness. More
IRI has appointed Mike Eklund as CFO and Evan Swidler as Chief Human Resources Officer, with both replacing interim leaders. More
Florida-based shopper intelligence and personalized digital firm Catalina Marketing has partnered with LiveRamp to develop new audience segments and measurement offerings for US CPG marketers, for launch this quarter. More
Marcoms giant Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) is planning to drop the 'Aegis' part of its name and is continuing to streamline its Asia Pacific operations, reports suggest. More
Media and analytics firm Crossmedia Inc. has announced a partnership with former MDC Partners CMO Bob Kantor to launch a collaborative marketing services network called Dawn, with four members agencies already included and more to be added soon. More
Following Friday's announcement that WPP is to sell 60% of Kantar to private equity firm Bain Capital, more details are emerging of the firm's plans, including possible eCommerce acquisitions and expansion of services like Kantar Marketplace. More
Indonesia-based research and neuroscience start-up Neurosensum has followed up a recent $1.8m funding win with the launch of a new research tool, SurveySensum, and says it aims to double its size to around 90 employees by the end of the year. More
Nielsen has moved the processing of its core National Television Audience Measurement data from traditional on-premise server processing to a cloud-based infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). More
US-based meeting and incentive management firm Creative Group, Inc. has announced the launch of a new Design & Insights practice, which will bring insights to bear on program design. Melissa Van Dyke has been appointed as VP leading the new unit from August 26th. More
Automated MR platform Zappi and insight marketplace and MR tech provider Cint have announced a partnership to provide 'an integrated technology solution' giving Zappi customers results 'even faster than before, within hours', at much-reduced cost and with 'total control of their data'. More
Jumia, a pan-African e-commerce platform, has announced a link-up with UK-based analytics specialist Contentsquare, aiming to help clients provide seamless on-site experiences to customers and rapidly identify potential problems. More
WPP has agreed to sell 60% of its data, research, consulting and analytics business Kantar to private equity firm Bain Capital, in a deal which values the whole of Kantar at around £3.2bn ($4.0bn). More
The partners at pricing and strategy consultant Simon-Kucher have elected Mark Billige, from the UK, and Andreas von der Gathen, from Germany, as co-CEOs for the next five years. They will take up their new positions on January 1st 2020. More
Nielsen and retail and consumer goods image recognition and analytics firm Trax have launched three new offerings, designed to provide US brands with access to both episodic and continuous views of shelf conditions. More
Sky Media, the ad sales arm of communications company and broadcaster Sky, has launched a solution to enable media agencies and advertisers to plan, report and evaluate elements of their TV campaigns. More
Amsterdam-headquartered consumer insights solutions provider Veylinx has opened its first US office in Brooklyn, New York, where it has appointed former Pollfish exec Nihad Zahri as US Business Development Director. More
WPP has confirmed this evening it is now in exclusive talks with private equity firm Bain Capital, over the sale of a majority stake in Kantar. More
National audience currency provider BARC India has announced the launch of 'PrimaVU', a product designed to measure viewing in 'premium homes' and offered as a separate product from the ad currency service. More
In the US, automated consumer insights platform Zappi has appointed Zontziry 'Z' Johnson as Vice President of Customer Transformation. More
Digital data collection specialist Dynata has launched a multi-supplier, automated research platform called Dynata Marketplace, through which researchers can combine the firm's first-party consumer data with that of multiple third-party providers. More
Outdoor ad company JCDecaux's Singapore subsidiary has launched a mobile intelligence-based metric called Streetside Audience Measurement (SAM), which the business claims delivers more accurate and recent data than existing out-of-home (OOH) measurement systems. More
Mobile measurement and fraud prevention specialist Adjust has raised $227m in a new round of funding, which it will use to further develop its product suite and to expand its presence in new and existing regions. More
Alison Lewis is leaving her post as Chief Marketing Officer of consumer manufacturing giant Johnson & Johnson, as part of a business shake-up which will see the role scrapped altogether. More
Comscore and consumer media research lab MediaScience have announced a partnership to examine how and why cross-platform advertising works, while providing measurement of audience size, behavior, engagement and effect. More
Silicon Valley customer experience feedback specialist Medallia has filed for an IPO, seeking flexibility, working capital and options for acquisitions and investments. More
In London, the management team at agribusiness pricing, media, data and intelligence company AgriBriefing has bought the company for an undisclosed sum. More
In the US, marketing strategist and management consultant Ben Walters has launched a company called Pioneer Intelligence, which will use data to benchmark and explore the marketing performance of consumer-facing cannabis brands. More
Consumer data giant IRI has expanded its collaboration with marketing tech company 4C, to help advertisers better target cross-channel video planning and buying. More
US-based Numerator has appointed Eric Belcher as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Dennis Moore who becomes President, Panel Solutions. The firm was formed last year through the merger of omnichannel market intelligence firm Market Track and its consumer panel provider InfoScout. More
Mobile research firms RealityMine and MFour have partnered to launch a solution called 'Connected Consumer Data', providing clients with a single-source continuous data set that combines observed digital and location behavior with validated surveys. More
WPP media agency network Mindshare has launched a 'NeuroLab' in its New York office, using EEG and Galvanic Skin Response technology to measure second-by-second, non-conscious neurological responses to brand stories and media. More
UK-based Insights People has created eight new jobs, after receiving backing from business support agency, GC Business Growth Hub. The company is also seeking to finalise another round of investment to further scale its US and European businesses, and to launch into Asia. More
In the US, long-time entertainment industry exec Bruce Friend has joined Century City, CA-based TV, film and video research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) in the newly created role of Chief Product and Innovation Officer. More
BARB, the UK television audience measurement currency, has commissioned Kantar to install its 'Focal Meters' technology into the BARB panel of homes. More
Ycor, a French company owned by Publicis chairman Maurice Lévy, says it has put in its own bid for the Ad Server and DCO units of struggling tech firm Sizmek, higher than that of retail giant Amazon, and with the aim of maintaining an independent option for the industry. More
Global market reports and analysis firm Euromonitor International has launched an office in Dusseldorf, servicing the DACH region - Germany, Austria and Switzerland. More
In the US, Facebook-owned photo and video-sharing service Instagram has promoted Tamar Shapiro to the role of Head of Analytics, leading a team of more than 150 data scientists and data engineers. More
New York-based consumer insights specialist MRI-Simmons has announced a partnership with New Jersey social media metrics and off-line word-of-mouth specialist Engagement Labs, helping marketers to activate their off-line brand advocates and influencers and 'seed' new conversations. More
Marketing and MR Agency System 1 has reported flat constant currency revenue of £26.90m for the twelve month period ended 31st March 2019, and says it continues to invest heavily in its new AdRatings product. More
In the US, global strategy and consumer insights company db5 has announced the return of Chris Hubble as Chief Executive Officer, after a three year stint developing and managing DIY research platform PopResearch (Pop). More
Australian television audience measurement body OzTAM is searching for a new Head of Digital, following the departure of Digital Strategy Director Padraig O'Donovan to start his own consultancy business. More
In the US, Comscore's recently appointed Chief Operating Officer Kathryn Bachmann has resigned a month after taking up the position. More
Shopper intelligence specialist Catalina Marketing has partnered with TV data provider Samba TV, to integrate shopper behavioral data and video viewing insights at 'massive scale', encompassing tens of millions of households and billions of data points. More
Independent NED Mike Rogers has been appointed Chairman of consumer data giant Experian plc, effective 24th July. More
In Australia, Kantar has promoted Leigh Mander and Jacqui Brandt to MD roles, leading the Sydney and Melbourne offices respectively. Meanwhile James Brown moves into the newly created position of National Head of Shopper. More
In the US, J.D. Power has partnered with DIY survey software company SurveyMonkey to help businesses tap into those insights from automotive owners and potential buyers which can be missed through traditional survey channels. More
Consumer data giant IRI and product data specialist Label Insight are joining forces, to provide CPG manufacturers and retailers with more detailed insight into product performance based on nutrition and ingredient label data. More
In the US, post-click digital ad intelligence platform VuPulse has raised $1.025m in a Series A round of funding. More
Vista Equity Partners, a firm co-founded by Robert F. Smith, the richest African-American in the United States, has joined the list of bidders competing to buy a majority stake in WPP's insight and analytics arm Kantar. More
London-based behavioural insights consultancy Irrational Agency has announced that co-founder Elina Halonen is leaving the firm, to pursue independent work in the MR and consumer insights space alongside her academic research. Her co-founder Leigh Caldwell continues at the helm of Irrational. More
Neuromarketing and analytics company Neuro-Insight has promoted Shazia Ginai to the role of UK Chief Executive Officer, replacing Heather Andrew who will continue to serve on the Group Board as a Non-Executive Director. Ginai takes up her new position on 1st June. More
Independently-owned Sydney research and brand strategy consultancy Pollinate has opened a new office in Canberra, where it has promoted Garrett Tyler Parker to the role of Managing Director. More
Reports from several sources suggest that WPP has shortlisted private equity investors Bain Capital, Apollo, Platinum and a fourth undisclosed company to submit bids to buy a majority stake in its insight and analytics arm Kantar. More
In the US, Market Strategies International-Morpace has rebranded as 'Escalent'. The new name comes from the word 'escalate', which the firm says reflects its mission to help organizations accelerate, develop and grow. More
In San Francisco, management consultancy Bain & Company has opened a Media Lab, and launched an AI-driven analytics platform called Mensio, to analyze TV advertising and sponsorships. More
Organisations from India, Japan, France and Canada have teamed up to launch GAMMA, the Global Alliance for the Measurement of Media Audiences. The new body, headed by Global MD Brad Bedford, aims to align operational processes and technical standards in the sector. More
Santa Monica, California-based analytics firm Measured has launched out of stealth mode, after two years of development and testing of its platform, which helps clients optimise their marketing mix using always-on A/B experimentation. More
Location intelligence tech company Ubimo has partnered with WPP's digital OOH ad network Kinetic, to provide real-time audience data for out-of-home campaigns. More
Business intelligence, research and events group Informa plc has formally launched a new division, Informa Tech, bringing together research, media, training and events brands from across the group to serve the global Technology community. Gary Nugent serves as the new unit's CEO. More
Troubled direct marketing and targeting firm Harte Hanks has announced that CEO Bant Breen has resigned from his role, to 'focus on other interests and professional pursuits'. President and COO Andrew Harrison will now take the title of Principal Executive Officer. More
Dynata has partnered with local audience data specialist Eyeota to offer access to hard-to-reach global B2B and consumer audiences at scale. More
Newcastle and London-based research consultancy Differentology has promoted Mark James to the position of Chief Executive Officer, while Lizzie Gilthorpe takes over his previous role as Managing Director. Head of Research James Dickie and Head of Insight Dan Brilot complete the senior team. More
Tech research and advisory firm Gartner has reported an 8% increase in revenue in its Research segment, to $825m for the three months ended March 31st - equivalent to an 11% rise on a constant currency basis. More
In the US, consumer data specialist 84.51º is to relocate its Chicago office in preparation for an increase in headcount from 86 to 250 associates within the next five years. More
In the US, full-service ad and brand research specialist Phoenix Marketing International has appointed long-time Nielsen exec Michele Orlick as SVP, Networks & Media. She will be based in the firm's recently opened NYC office. More
Behavioural research specialist EyeSee has opened an office in London, to be run by former Nielsen exec Payal Patel who joins in the role of Director of Business Development. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's recently launched marcoms business S4 Capital has reported a 38% increase in revenue to £40.9m for the three-month period ending 31st March, with gross profit up more than 37% to £32.8m. More
In the UK, full-service agency ABA Research has been renamed 'Kokoro', the Japanese word for heart. The firm has also hired former Chime CIE Board Director Caroline Bates as Insight Consultancy Director in its leadership team. More
US-based Forrester Research has reported a 33% increase in first quarter Research Services revenue to $72.4m, reflecting the acquisition of b2b researcher SiriusDecisions. More
In Edinburgh, newly formed agency 56 Degree Insight has partnered with Kantar's omnibus team, to provide the local knowledge needed to ensure Kantar's Scottish Opinion Survey can continue. The new firm will also support Kantar's OnlineBus Scotland omnibus. More
Australia-based insight and strategy consultancy The Leading Edge has closed its London office, citing 'Brexit uncertainty-related issues' which it says have made clients reluctant to commit to budgets. The firm will now run most client accounts from its Sydney headquarters. More
Nielsen has reported a 2.9% fall in first quarter revenue (+0.4% on constant currency terms), to $1.6bn, with net income down 40% to $43m from $72m a year ago, but adjusted EBITDA up slightly (+0.5%) at $415m. More
In the US, Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) has appointed Nielsen's former SVP, Client Solutions Linda Dupree as Chief Executive Officer. She replaces Matt O'Grady, who has returned to Nielsen as MD, International Media, based in London. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA is to open an office in Sydney in July 2019, to be headed up by Elyse Pigram, who moves from the firm's London headquarters. Meanwhile the London office has added former Flamingo execs Dunstan Kornicki and Yuka Uchijima. More
Eye-tracking hardware and software firm Tobii AB has reported results for the first quarter of 2019, with net sales up 20% in constant currency terms, to SEK 393m ($US 41.3m). With continuing high investment in R&D division Tobii Tech, operating loss was SEK -37m ($US 3.9m). More
Ipsos has reported organic growth of 2.4% for the first quarter of 2019, which coupled with acquisitions including Synthesio and parts of GfK drove reported revenue up an impressive 15.0% to EUR 422.1m. More
First quarter revenue less pass-through costs in WPP's Kantar (DIM) division was flat (up 0.1% like-for-like), while the rest of the marcoms group saw declines. Kantar, whose sale process is said to be 'progressing well', saw particularly strong growth in Asia Pacific, LatAm and the Middle East. More
Automated consumer insights platform Zappi has opened a new office in Hamburg, Germany to support clients across Central Europe. More
In the US, consumer data provider Neustar has integrated TiVo TV viewing data into its Multi-Touch Attribution and Unified Marketing Analytics solutions, to provide brands with household-level TV viewing analysis. More
In the US, College Pulse has raised $1.5m in a seed round of funding, as it launches a real-time analytics platform to track and predict the opinions, interests and buying behaviour of US college students. More
Cultural insights and strategy consultancy Crowd DNA is opening an office in Sydney, in July. The business will be led by Elyse Pigram, who is transferring back to her native Australia after more than a year in the firm's London office. More
In the UK, location planning specialist CACI has teamed up with behavioural measurement data provider Huq Industries to add new on-demand geo-behavioural insight capabilities to ifs offer. More
London-based YouGov has expanded its Global Partnerships Programme with the addition of new members in Russia, Poland, Pakistan and Egypt. Additional partners are in development across the EMEA and APAC regions. More
In Canada, a non-profit organization called SYNAPSE C has been established, to help cultural and arts organizations better understand audience behaviour through data analytics. More
In London, Omnicom-owned brand and communications research consultancy Hall & Partners has promoted Sue Klinck to the newly created role of Global Head of People and Culture. More
London-based System1 Group plc has released a trading update for the 12 months ending 31st March 2019, showing a 1% annual decline in its key gross profit measure, to £22m, but a much improved second half performance (up 4%). More
In the US, consumer understanding specialist Curion has appointed Michael Garibaldi for a dual role, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. More
Outdoor advertising company JCDecaux has introduced an international solution for the airport industry called AAM (Airport Audience Measurement). More
Retail computer vision solutions firm Trax and consumer data giant IRI have partnered, to provide consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers with additional insights into in-store execution and analytics. More
US-headquartered real-time consumer behavior specialist First Insight has opened offices in London, UK and Chennai, India. The firm has also added twelve new currencies and ten new languages to its Customer-Centric Merchandising platform. More
In the UK, television audience measurement body BARB has issued an invitation to tender for two of its main research contracts: the first for its audience measurement panel and data publication, and the second for survey design and methodology. More
David Burrows, former Board Director at consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo, has set up his own consultancy, Zoetrope, offering cross-cultural human insight, to guide brand strategy, innovation and communications development. More
US-based TV audience measurement firm Tru Optik has raised $10m in a venture round, which it will use to increase its sales and marketing activity, accelerate international growth, and expand its proprietary OTT Household Graph - which comprises more than 80 million households. More
Kantar has partnered with eCommerce performance analytics firm Profitero to create a suite of services to help clients manage their eCommerce and omnichannel investments. More
YouGov has announced an 18% rise in revenue to £66.5m for the half year period ending 31st January 2019, compared with £56.3m in the prior year period. The firm says US demand for data products and services has enabled it to withstand the political uncertainty hitting business in Europe. More
Digital marcoms group Next Fifteen Communications has reported net revenue of £224m for the year ended 31st January 2019, with organic growth of 6.4% on a constant currency basis, and pre-tax profit up 23% to £36m. Research division Savanta stood out with organic growth of 30.6%. More
London-based insights agency Network Research has changed its name to 'Motif', and launched a new 'Loyalty Landscape Framework', designed to understand what drives customer loyalty and how it impacts purchasing behaviour. More
Nielsen has launched a Behavioral Sciences Institute, with the aim of educating leaders across industries on 'the power of conscious and nonconscious decision making'. The Institute will sit within, and tap the data library of the company's Consumer Neuroscience division. More
Japan-based research and marketing group INTAGE has merged its healthcare MR provider ANTERIO Inc. with customer relations specialist ASKLEP, under the new name of INTAGE Healthcare Inc. The new company is led by former ANTERIO CEO Yoshiya Nishi. More
MRC-accredited buy-side advertising platform Sizmek has initiated voluntary proceedings under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, as it looks for capital and reviews options to cope with debt. More
Nielsen CEO David Kenny has signed the LEAD (Leading Executives Advancing Diversity) Network CEO Pledge, committing the company to increasing the number of women in senior leadership roles globally. More
In China, Nielsen and eCommerce giant JD have signed a data-sharing agreement, and launched a big data product called Online Pricing Optimizer (OPO), to help brands evaluate their pricing on the JD platform. More
In London, out-of-home and location marketing specialist Posterscope has promoted Nick Halas to the position of Global Head of Strategy, while Russell Smither has been named Head of Research & Insight, with an international remit. More
In the US, TV ad impact measurement company 605 has expanded its national dataset to include more than 20 million households across all 210 designated market areas nationwide, through the addition of viewing data from TV intelligence company Inscape. More
In the US, direct to consumer marijuana platform NorCal Cannabis (NorCal) has appointed former Twitter researcher Jeffrey Graham as Vice President Business Intelligence, to lead its data strategy and customer insight. More
UK-based marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity Plc has announced results for the calendar year 2018, with an effective like-for-like revenue increase of 7% for its continuing business, but underlying profit before tax down £2.7m to £5.2m. More
In Australia, Seven West Media-owned (SWM) Pacific Magazines has merged its Strategy and Insights teams as part of a larger restructure, to create a new division called Pacific Insights (Pi). More
In Australia, Nielsen has partnered with geospatial expert RDA Research to launch a solution called GeoCMV Explorer, which promises to help clients create stronger responses to advertising briefs based on rich audience profiles. More
UK-based brand research agency The Nursery has launched a new division called The Nursery Health, building on its experience working across the Rx, OTC and wellness sectors. More
In New York, WPP-owned market research and political polling specialist Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB) has appointed Susan Ochs as Senior Vice President and Global Head, Financial Services. More
In the US, ad tech and data platform Kiip has appointed former Kantar exec Jason Lapp as Chief Executive Officer, based in its San Francisco office. He replaces founder Brian Wong, who left in February 'to focus on a personal, legal matter'. More
Sir Martin Sorrell's new group S4 Capital has presented its inaugural results for the period ending 31st December 2018. Pro forma revenue for the company and predecessors was £135.9m, up 58% on 2017; while pro-forma operational EBITDA was £22.4m, up 99%. More
Oracle is phasing out its offer of AddThis audience data in Europe, as a result of the post-GDPR regulatory environment. More
Kantar is dispensing with brands including TNS, Millward Brown, Lightspeed, Worldpanel and IMRB, and from 2nd April will deliver 'all services and offerings under the Kantar brand name'. More
In London, former Flamingo director Hadley Coull has launched an insight and strategy 'collective' called Headz, consisting of a network of independent researchers, strategists and consultants who will work with clients across the tech, media, and gaming sectors. More
Digital research and marketing analytics firm MetrixLab has promoted Pieter van der Gouwe to the role of Managing Director of its Netherlands operation, while Pim van Leeuwen moves up to Director of Client Strategy and Growth. The pair will jointly lead the Dutch office. More
In the UK, automotive and transport customer insight specialist APD Global Research has promoted Kathryn Courtenay-Evans to the position of UK Managing Director, as Rob Whalley steps down as CEO. Additionally, Karl Fisher moves up to the role of Client Services Director. More
YouGov media planning and audience segmentation tool Profiles has been combined with the IPA's TouchPoints survey, which provides an annual view of where, when and in what mood people consume media in Britain. More
US influencer marketing company Linqia has teamed up with measurement and attribution specialists Dynata, IRI, Foursquare, Placed and Samba TV to launch an 'Intelligence Suite', assessing the ROI and ad effectiveness of influencer campaigns. More
In the US, technology intelligence firm HG Data has rebranded to 'HG Insights', while launching a platform with the same name. The latter uses a segmentation process called 'technographics' to deliver technology installation information, IT spend data and contract intelligence. More
Shopper intelligence and personalization firm Catalina has partnered with digital tech services company GlobalLogic to accelerate the development and delivery of new data-driven products and digital solutions. More
London-based agency Basis has appointed former Hall & Partners Health CEO Soumya Roy as Chief Executive of its rapidly-growing New York office. More
In the US, Nielsen has partnered with Headset, a data and analytics service provider for the legal cannabis industry, to deliver insights on this market for CPG manufacturers. The firm has also revealed that it acquired Cannabiz Consumer Group last year. More
In the US, full-service ad and brand research specialist Phoenix Marketing International has appointed former Nielsen exec Tamilselvan Gurusamy as Chief Technology Officer. More
Ad and brand research firm Hall & Partners has promoted Joanna Fanuele to Managing Partner in its New York office, leading its consumer division. More
In the UK, Tesco-owned customer data science platform dunnhumby has appointed Julie Woods-Moss as Chair of Board of Directors. More
WPP expects to announce a deal selling a majority stake in Kantar to an investor by the middle of the year, according to Chief Executive Mark Read. More
In Australia, financial data specialist DBM Consultants has partnered with ad currency initiative emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) to create a product combining the financial attitudes, intentions and actual behaviours of consumers with demography, lifestyle and media consumption data. More
Omnicom subsidiary The Integer Group has launched Sky Bench, a 'retail experience design consultancy' combining online and off-line expertise, with services including shopper journey tracking and planning, retail CX audits and mapping, and venue and space analytics. More
WPP has reported a 4.5% decline (1.8% in constant currency terms) in revenue for its Kantar data investment management (DIM) division, for the year 2018. Reported revenue was down from £2.7bn in 2017 to £2.56bn in 2018. More
In Tokyo, online research firm Rakuten Insight Global has appointed Takahiro 'Tack' Yamaya as company President, replacing Hidefumi Watanabe who is being promoted to a broader director role within the Rakuten Group. More
Dentsu Aegis Network has launched its dentsu X media business in Canada. The agency uses an insight-driven media planning approach which goes beyond consumers' claimed behaviour and aims to understand audiences based on their motivations. More
Beth Ann Kaminkow, CEO of Kantar Consulting Americas, is moving across to WPP-owned sister agency Geometry as Global Chief Executive. She joins at the beginning of next month and replaces Steve Harding, who has decided to leave the business. More
Nielsen has reported a 0.9% decrease in full year 2018 revenue to $6.5bn. The company will now restructure into two new segments, Nielsen Global Media and Nielsen Global Connect, and CEO David Kenny says its 2019 focus is to transform into a 'product-driven technology organization'. More
Ipsos has reported organic growth of just 0.7% for 2018, with currency fluctuations reducing reported revenue to EUR 1.7bn, 1.7% down on the previous year. Q4 revenue was up 4.5% to EUR 535.6m, as the firm consolidates recent acquisitions. More
Shopper behaviour specialist Kantar Worldpanel has partnered with research-based marketing consultancy Kantar MRB, to enhance the household panel running in Bangladesh since 2012. More
Global ad and brand researcher Phoenix Marketing International has opened new offices in Florida and New York. The company is growing its team following the recent acquisition of Nielsen's Brand Effect solution in early 2018. More
Nielsen has joined the NPD Group in a new alliance which aims to 'reimagine the future of omnishopper measurement'. The partners are building a 'large-scale, comprehensive' consumer panel bringing together Nielsen's CPG measurement and NPD's general merchandise data. More
Facebook must answer questions from Congress about failures over the data security of users of its 'closed' health groups; and has also withdrawn its controversial Onavo VPN app. Rival Google is under fire over a hidden microphone in its 'Nest' security devices. More
Starcount, the customer data and insight analytics consultancy led by the founders of dunnhumby, has appointed Joanna Wardle as Chief Commercial Officer. More
Shopper intelligence and personalization firm Catalina Marketing has emerged from Chapter 11 status after financial restructuring and a change of ownership. Michael Bailey joins as CTO, and the company has also reaffirmed its commitment to its Nielsen Catalina Solutions JV (NCS), as has Nielsen. More
Former Kelton Global exec Amy Snow is launching a full-service research and strategy agency called Periscope, based in Los Angeles, California. More
Ian Pierpoint, founder of youth research specialist The Sound, has launched a new agency called Further&Further, which combines qual research methodologies with immersive documentary film-making. More
In the US, two of the co-founders of full-service shopper behavior specialist Alter Agents have left the company for their 'next big ventures', leaving Rebecca Brooks with sole ownership of the business. Terms of any deal have not been disclosed. More
WPP's specialist growth consultancy Kantar Consulting has opened a Retail, Sales & Shopper practice in Singapore, and has hired three new members for the team. More
In the US, consumer data giant IRI has appointed Baljit 'Bal' Dail as President of IRI Global, leading the firm's commercial efforts in the US and internationally. He will join on April 1st, 2019, and will also become a member of the IRI Board of Directors. More
US-based research and advisory firm Forrester has reported an 11% rise in research revenues to $62.0m for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with $56.9m in the prior year period. Full year research revenues were up 6% to $228.3m. More
In Israel, former Google CMO Alon Chen and techie Eyal Gaon have launched a food intelligence platform called Tastewise, to offer industry insights and predictions based on the analysis of billions of social media posts and photos, restaurant menus, reviews and recipes. More
In the US, consumer insights specialists GfK MRI and Simmons Research have formed a joint venture called MRI-Simmons, jointly owned by respective parent companies GfK and SymphonyAI Group, with GfK as the majority partner. More
In the US, retail information provider The NPD Group has hired Gina Pingitore as Senior Vice President, Research and Innovation. More
In New York, WPP's media investment arm GroupM has appointed research analyst Brian Wieser as Global President, Business Intelligence (BI). More
Mobile app measurement platform AppsFlyer has hired former App Annie exec Brian Quinn as US President and General Manager, with a remit to drive the company's expansion across North America. More
Independently-owned Sydney-based research and brand strategy consultancy Pollinate has expanded to Melbourne, where it has appointed former GfK, Nielsen Online and LRW exec Allan Dib as Managing Director. More
In New York, former ORC International Americas CEO Tom Markert has joined DIY consumer insights platform Perksy as Chief Operating Officer. More
Tech industry consultancy Gartner has reported a 7% rise in revenues to $1.1bn for the fourth quarter of 2018 (+12% in constant currency terms), while EBITDA, excluding divested operations, rose 6% to $211m. More
The NPD Group is to work with the U.S. Census Bureau to improve the way retailer data is fed into the Bureau's monthly programs. More
Consumer intelligence platform Frontier7 has appointed Daryl Maloney McCall as VP of Global Commercialization, responsible for global acceleration of its 'go to market' strategy. More
Consumer data giant IRI has partnered with MFour Mobile Research to launch a new tool called IRI OnSights, which uses MFour's first-party GPS location data to analyse visits to US bars and restaurants by hundreds of thousands of panellists. More
London-based full-service agency Opinium is opening an office in Manhattan later this year, to support its US client base. More
Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie has joined Swedish fashion group Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) as a Consulting Director of Research, to help the company use data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand its customers. More
Consumer goods giant Unilever has partnered with Kantar Media, Nielsen, Facebook, Google and Twitter to build a standardised cross-media brand measurement model. More
User experience (UX) analysis platform Contentsquare has raised $60m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to increase research and development focused on AI and predictive analytics, and to expand across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Middle East. More
In Australia, digital research and ad targeting platform Pureprofile has reported a 16% fall in revenue to $23.8m for the second half of 2018, along with a 50 percent drop in EBITDA to $AUD 0.6m. More
Restaurant sector marketing and analytics firm Fishbowl has appointed restaurant tech sector veteran Mike Dodson as its new CEO. More
MR and consulting firm Research America has opened a testing facility in Altamonte Springs, Orlando, Florida, to be led More
TV audience rating body BARC India has elected AAAI President Nakul Chopra as its third Chairman. More
US-based research firm Advertiser Perceptions has named co-founder Randy Cohen Chief Executive Officer from January 1st 2018. He replaces his co-founder Ken Pearl, who moves into the role of Executive Chairman. More
In New York City, veteran marketers David Dixon and Sebastian Shapiro have launched a marketing analytics company called Truesight Consulting, offering a combination of technology, data modeling and business intelligence solutions. More
Belgium-based customer data platform NGDATA has raised just over $19m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to accelerate global growth. More
YouGov has given Ben Glanville the task of replicating the growth of its UK Data Services offering - including its omnibus - across a number of key markets, including Germany, France and the Nordics. More
Retail data pioneer the NPD Group has appointed former GfK exec Stanley Kee as MD of its APAC business, effective January 2nd 2018, based in Singapore and leading teams in China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. More
comScore CFO Gregory Fink has been appointed as the company's Principal Accounting Officer Elect, replacing Michelle Spencer, who had only served in the role since last January. No explanation has yet been given. More
In the US, Hispanicize Media Group (HMG) has acquired a 'significant stake' in Megan Media, whose Athena Prime AI platform uses machine learning to target relevant Latino audiences. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
US-based experience management solutions firm Qualtrics has appointed Microsoft veteran Julie Larson-Green as Chief Experience Officer (CXO), advising clients on how to develop their experience management strategies. More
Tesco-owned customer data business dunnhumby has launched an online documentary series focusing on innovation in North America's food retail industry, with the first episode airing today. More
Digital data collection specialist Research Now has announced a social media data partnership with customer intelligence platform FullContact, to deliver '360-degree' person, customer, and relationship insights. More
Netherlands-based influencer marketing platform Join has raised an undisclosed amount of funding, which it will use to expand across Europe, while continuing to develop its AI-based software. More
In Australia, behavioural economics specialist The Behavioural Architects (TBA) has hired former Kantar TNS exec Sam Paul as Managing Partner to open its new Melbourne office; while in Sydney, Melissa Gill has been promoted to the role of Head of Behavioural Strategy. More
Arbitron veteran Scott Musgrave has joined Nielsen Music as US Head of Radio Client Solutions, while Paul Shaver, Vice President and Head of Nielsen Music, takes on an expanded role leading the radio business in the Canadian market. More
British luxury car and aero engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has launched a system of innovation hubs called R2 Data Labs, which will use analytics, AI and machine learning technologies to drive design, manufacturing and operational efficiencies. More
Technology, media and marketing services company IDG (International Data Group) has promoted Charles Lee to President, US of IDG Communications, while York von Heimburg becomes the division's President International. More
Following rapid expansion of its total reader base, the New York Times is to add three senior positions, including a Newsroom Audience Director, to 'ensure its audience is at the core of its work'. More
Publisher News Corp Australia has withdrawn its newspapers from the audit of the country's AMAA and will instead advise advertisers to use EMMA, which is based on readership numbers rather than circulation. More
In the US, shopper targeting firm Valassis has promoted former COO Wayne Powers to the new role of President; and moved Greg Green to the expanded role of Chief Data and Analytics Officer at parent company Harland Clarke Holdings. More
Rupert Murdoch's media group News Corp has launched an audience targeting platform called News IQ, combining first-party data from across its media properties, with data science tools. More
Automated MR company ZappiStore has expanded to Latin America with the appointment of former GfK exec Gabriel Velez, who will lead its operations across the region. More
In the US, people-based ad technology company Viant and consumer data giant IRI have partnered, to boost data and analytics offerings for shopper marketers. More
In London, last night's Market Research Society (MRS) awards ceremony saw The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) take home both the coveted 'Grand Prix for Greatest Impact' and the 'Innovation in Research Methods' prizes. More
In the US, outdoor advertising company JCDecaux has partnered with consumer data company Neustar, to provide advertisers with Out-of-Home (OOH) media analysis based on granular consumer attributes and behavioural data. More
In the UK, marcoms network the Unlimited Group has combined four of its existing insight businesses to form Walnut Unlimited, which it describes as a 'human understanding' agency. More
In London, consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo has made three senior hires: Lucas Galan as Head of Digital Forensics, Hazel Wilkinson as Head of Client Services, and Morten Jensen as Innovation Strategist in the Future Trends and Innovation team. More
Spanish language broadcast network NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and tech and communities business Maru/Matchbox have hooked up to launch what the firms describe as the largest insight community of its kind. More
Former Nielsen COO Steve Hasker is joining American entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as Chief Executive Officer of its recently restructured investment arm, CAA Global. More
Today we are launching a survey of the UK market research industry, in partnership with B2B specialist Circle Research. If you're a UK insights or analytics professional, we want your input! More
Local audience data provider Eyeota has appointed early investor Andrew Tu as Managing Director, Asia Pacific. He succeeds co-founder Trent Lloyd, who moves into a global role as EVP Global Publisher Strategy and Products. More
Supply chain solutions provider JDA Software has launched what it describes as the industry's first 'space-aware' assortment optimization solution, in partnership with shopper data firm dunnhumby. The tool uses data science to increase customer loyalty, return on inventory and space. More
Pakistan's recently established Broadcasters and Advertisers Council (BAC) has extended its official TV ratings deal with Medialogic until at least December 2021. Working with Kantar Media, the firm will expand its panel to cover urban and semi-urban Pakistan with 1,800 households in more than 40 cities. More
KPMG Australia has launched a new Advisory team for Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), within its Customer, Brand & Marketing Advisory business - and appointed Carmen Bekker as a Partner, heading it up. More
In the UK, mobile intelligence company Location Sciences has partnered with mobile MR and sample specialist On Device Research, to help brands and agencies measure media effectiveness and store visit uplift. More
In the UK, grocery shopping comparison web site mySupermarket has made its premium purchase intent data segments available through local audience data firm Eyeota's Private Data Marketplace (PDMP). More
In the US, former White House Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil has joined enterprise platform DataScience.com as an advisor to its product, engineering, and R&D teams. More
Dun & Bradstreet's former UK CEO Christian Erlandson is joining GfK as Chief Customer Officer next Monday. He will take over responsibility for sales and business activities across all regions from CEO Peter Feld. More
UK business Barnett Waddingham - which provides actuarial, administration and consultancy services - has appointed former John Lewis Partnership HR insights leader Peter Meyler as Head of it new Workplace Consultancy team. More
Quality Online Research (QOR) has acquired the right to transfer the 100,000 respondents of Australia Post's 'Australian Lifestyle Survey' (ALS) to its own panel, before the ALS closes on 1st December. More
Tash Whitmey, the CEO of Havas Worldwide's customer engagement agency Havas helia, is leaving the business to join Tesco in the newly created role of Loyalty and Membership Director, leading the supermarket giant's Customer Loyalty Marketing scheme. More
In New York, marcoms giant Havas US has partnered with former Flamingo/Omnicom Managing Partner Sam Hornsby to launch a brand insight and culture consultancy called TRIPTK. More
US-based word-of-mouth specialist Bazaarvoice has opened a new office in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where it plans to hire more than 100 sales and customer service employees over the next three years. The firm has also hired Sophie Light-Wilkinson as Vice President Marketing EMEA. More
Crowdsourced in-store data provider BeMyEye has raised $10.5m in a Series C round of financing, which it will use to accelerate its European expansion and scale the business globally. More
UK-based behavioural economics specialist The Behavioural Architects has announced 'four new significant hires' and says it has 'big plans for further expansion in 2018'. More
In the US, Hispanic media giant Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) has promoted Roberto Ruiz to the role of Executive Vice President, leading its newly-formed Research Insights & Analytics group from its offices in New York. More
Boston-based retail intelligence specialist Survey.com has opened a new office in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it plans to hire 25 full-time employees in the next six months. More
In the US, ad industry strategists Megan Kent and Betsy Liegey have set up a brand and customer experience design consultancy called THE GO LAB, with an offer including consumer research, VOC data analysis, competitive audits and UX journey mapping. More
In the US, a team of former consumer goods and retail marketing execs have launched a 'cognitive marketing' agency, AIQ, which will use shopper engagement data and artificial intelligence (AI) to help brands and retailers communicate with consumers and enhance ROI. More
Harris Interactive has launched a product called PackTest Express, the latest tool in its digital new product development research suite. More
In the UK, former BrainJuicer and System1 Group COO Alex Batchelor has joined behavioural research agency Watch Me Think as Non-Executive Chair. More
New York-based influence marketing company WHOSAY has integrated predictive personality characteristics data to analyze millions of posts across social media platforms, and match influencers to brands. More
Influencer marketplace Octoly has raised $10m in a Series A round of funding, from marcoms giant Havas Group, venture capital firm Otium Venture, marketing business Twin Partners, and the EU's SME Instrument programme. More
Prague-based response:now, which provides AI-powered market research, has launched in the USA and appointed Dr. Frederick Barber as Managing Director of North America. More
Shropshire, UK-based virtual reality (VR) company Igloo Vision has opened operations in both the New York and Los Angeles areas, where it will offer access to its '360 degree projection dome' environments. More
Sweden's audience measurement body MMS has extended its digital ad ratings, produced by GfK, to a 'Total Video' service designed to measure the ROI of cross-platform video ads. This includes linear TV, smart TV, PC, smartphone and tablet devices. More
Borderless Access, known as a specialist in emerging markets, has introduced proprietary panels in three distinctly developed economies - Germany, the UK and the US - as well as Egypt. More
SKO, the industry body responsible for the reporting and monitoring of viewing behaviour in the Netherlands, has renewed GfK's television audience measurement (TAM) contract until 31st December 2018. More
YouGov Group Chief Strategy Officer Alex McIntosh has been promoted to the role of Chief Financial Officer, replacing Alan Newman who is leaving the company at the end of the year. Both McIntosh and COO Sundip Chahal will be given seats on the Board. More
UK-based agency Future Thinking has appointed former Joint UK MD Adele Gritten as (sole) UK Managing Director, following the recent departure of Claudia Strauss. The firm has also restructured and split its client teams. More
Financial giant American Express has launched a platform called Amex Advance, which uses machine learning techniques to help marketers customize target audiences, personalize experiences and measure their own marketing effectiveness. More
In the US, consumer intelligence specialist Resonate has raised $8m in growth capital, which it will use to expand its sales efforts targeting B2C brand verticals, as well as agency partners. More
In New York, iHeartMedia has appointed former Yahoo! insights leader Michele Madansky as EVP of Insights, Research and Data Analytics. More
Ipsos grew its Q3 revenue to EUR 434.0m, equivalent to organic growth of 4.9% and representing 'solid recovery'. Due to currency effects - a fall in the value of the US dollar and pound sterling against the euro - the reported figure was up only 0.5%. More
Technology research and advisory company Gartner has reported Research revenue of $653.4m for the third quarter of 2017, a rise of 38% at constant currencies - reflecting its acquisition of CEB. For the group, Gartner reported a Q3 loss of $48.2m, compared with a profit a year earlier. More
In New York, consumer insights firm Simmons Research has appointed former Nielsen exec Andrew Feigenson as Chief Executive Officer, replacing President and Chief Research Officer Pat Pellegrini, who will be leaving the company. More
In the US, digital research data firm Research Now has partnered with US Hispanic membership platform SABEResPODER (SEP), to launch a platform giving researchers access to more than 750,000 Hispanic consumers across 50 US markets. More
Online panel and behavioral data specialist Netquest has promoted long-time company exec Enric Cid to the role of Managing Director, North America, leading its expansion into the US. More
WPP's Data Investment Management (DIM) arm has seen third quarter like-for-like revenue fall 2.9%. CEO Sir Martin Sorrell admitted to investors that it had been a 'tough quarter' as the group predicts a 'broadly flat' 2017. More
Technology specialist Forrester Research has reported third quarter revenue up 3% for its Research division and 6% in its Advisory Services and Events wing, for a total of $80.4m (Q3 2016 $77.4m). Pro forma net income fell slightly to $5.6m on substantially increased operating expenses. More
In the US, consumer data provider Neustar has partnered with auto research specialist JD Power to develop an advanced automotive audience solution for use in targeted marketing campaigns. More
In India, Dentsu Aegis Network's Out-of-Home (OoH) division Posterscope has launched a benchmarking tool called rateOOHmeter, in response to 'a lack of neutral, credible and standardised data' in the country. More
In Canada, marketing services and data firm Environics Analytics has partnered with location intelligence technology provider SiteZeus, to provide market planning capabilities for restaurants, retailers, convenience stores, and firms in the commercial real estate sector. More
UK market research budgets appear to have fallen for the ninth successive quarter - but at a much slower rate than previously, according to the latest 2017 IPA Bellwether Report. Meanwhile marketing budgets have risen for a net 10% of companies. More
Shopper intelligence firm Catalina has appointed Kraft Foods veteran Tom Corley as Global Chief Retail Officer and President of US Retail. More
In Australia, Roy Morgan Research has teamed up with Adshel to help advertisers profile and precisely target locations where commuters work and shop - 'not only where they live'. The new service is based on the Helix geo-digital psychographic segmentation tool. More
Chicago-based analytics firm Clarity Insights has promoted Neil Huse, currently Managing Partner overseeing the healthcare practice, to President. Tom Thimot will step down as CEO, but will continue to advise the Board. More
Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) has extended GfK's radio audience measurement contract by a further five years. The new deal includes investigation of a new multi-million-dollar Measurement Innovation Program (MIP), to explore the potential for a hybrid future for radio measurement. More
Finbarr O'Neill, CEO and President of California-based auto research specialist JD Power, is to retire from the company next spring. More
YouGov has released preliminary results for the year ended 31st July 2017, with revenue up 9% on a constant currency basis to £107.0m, and adjusted profit before tax up 24% to £16.4m. More
Manchester, UK-based consumer insight agency Join the Dots is to open an office in New York, led by Jeff Haselum who has been promoted to Head of US Research. More
Oslo-based data collection company Norstat has partnered with German agency dp2research to develop the Destination Satisfaction Index (DSI), which evaluates travel destinations on twenty factors to produce an overall attractiveness rating. More
YouGov CFO Alan Newman has informed the Board of his intention to retire by the end of the year. The recruitment process for his successor is underway. More
Toymaker Mattel has reportedly cancelled the launch of another connected device aimed at children. 'Aristotle' was designed to collect and store data about children's activity, acting as both baby monitor and voice-controlled computer. More
Media group Dentsu Aegis Network has signed a two-year licence to use YouGov's segmentation and media planning tool Profiles for its audience understanding, strategy and activation needs. The group previously used Kantar TGI. More
The three founders of London-based video ad distribution and tracking platform Unruly are stepping down from their roles, two years on from its acquisition by Rupert Murdoch's media group News Corp. More
Tech consultancy Gartner is 'exploring and evaluating strategic alternatives', including a possible sale, for its CEB Talent Assessment business, formerly SHL. More
In the US, four former Altimeter Group analysts have launched Kaleido Insights, a new boutique research and advisory firm focused on helping companies 'transform the 'kaleidoscope' of technological disruption into clear, actionable strategies'. More
UK consultancy Simpson Carpenter is expanding its pharma and biotech operation with a new office in Manchester's MediaCity. Alex Martin and Shaan Bassi join the company and will be based in the new location. More
In Australia, KPMG has appointed former Virgin Australia Chief Customer Officer Mark Hassell as a Partner, leading customer and brand transformation for its new Customer, Brand and Marketing advisory business. More
comScore has teamed up with location intelligence firm PlaceIQ to launch a joint solution measuring lift in retail visits resulting from TV, mobile and desktop advertising. More
In New York, influence marketing company WHOSAY has launched a division focusing on shopper marketing campaigns at the time of purchase. More
UK firm Ebiquity has announced Interim Results for the six months ended 30th June, with revenue of £44.6m, flat on a like-for-like constant currency basis. The group says its Advertising Intelligence subscription services have returned to growth on the back of two new metrics products. More
Nielsen Sports has shuffled and strengthened its leadership team. Middle East leader Jon Long will move to London in January as MD, UK and Ireland, to be joined by Richard Brinkman, former Global head of KantarSport. Long replaces Jon Stainer who has moved to an expanded MD Americas role. More
comScore has given Wesley Nichols, Paul Reilly and Bryan Wiener seats on its Board of Directors, as part of its settlement agreement with one of its largest shareholders Starboard Value. More
Marcoms group Next15 has reported a 16% rise in half-year revenue to £93.5m (with organic growth accounting for 2%). The firm's data and insights division now accounts for 6% of group revenue, compared to less than 2% two years ago. More
Nielsen has filed a lawsuit to prevent comScore from launching a new service called Extended TV. The service uses data from Nielsen's PPM technology, to which comScore and others gained access at the time of the Arbitron buy, but in a way Nielsen says is outside the scope of that agreement. More
Marketing personalization tech firm Qubit has promoted Joe Smith to Chief Revenue Officer and appointed Leah Anathan as CMO, and says it is hiring across multiple locations across three continents. More
Last year saw the MR industry experience its highest level of growth since 2010, according to the latest study by international association ESOMAR. More
Venice, California-based consumer intent analysis platform System1 has completed a $270m financing round, which it will use for product development and to extend support for its partners. More
Nielsen has partnered with audience-based TV sales specialist clypd, to offer a syndicated linear TV targeting solution for marketers and agencies seeking to plan and buy using demographics beyond age and gender. More
In the UK, dairy co-op Arla Foods has hired former dunnhumby exec Steve Millard for the newly created role of Head of eCommerce & Digital. More
Consumer tracking company The NPD Group has announced the appointment of former GfK leader Gerhard Hausruckinger as Group President for Europe and APAC. More
Sweden's audience measurement body MMS has extended Nielsen's contract for TV and video viewing data by five years. More
Microsoft has patented a tool called the 'Opinion Search Engine', to help companies collect and understand customer feedback and product reviews across the web, and to help consumers with their product choices. More
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) has elected Jill Spencer, Director of UK-based customer experience research specialist ReactCX, as its President for the next two years. She replaces Yvonne Kinzel of German CEM firm Multi-Value. More
Microsoft veteran Dave Coplin has left to set up a consultancy called The Envisioners, aiming to help organisations and individuals see the full potential of technology, with a focus on the humans who use it. More
Twitter-owned mobile ad network MoPub has launched a software development kit (SDK) with viewability support from independent metrics firms Integral Ad Science (IAS) and Moat. Publishers using the kit can offer measurement of viewability and other metrics for their in-app ad inventory. More
Marketing intelligence software provider Visual IQ has announced a partnership with data 'onboarding' specialist LiveRamp, providing the former's customers with a more rounded view of the cross-channel customer journey, plus campaign impact analysis tools. More
GfK has announced a transformation and investment programme, aimed at sharpening its focus on customer needs, accelerating digitization and getting the company 'back on a sustainable growth path'. Plans include a 'one office per country' strategy. More
Former Jaguar Land Rover exec Ana Ramirez has joined insights consultancy Simpson Carpenter as International Head of Automotive Research, starting in early September. More
US research agency Phoenix Marketing International (PMI) has appointed former MaritzCX exec Andrew Grant as President of its European Operations. More
In the US, location intelligence technology company Ubimo has partnered with shopper targeting specialist Advantage Media Solutions, to offer an intent-based mobile solution designed to reach customers with precise geographic and behavioral targeting. More
In London, online travel retailer lastminute.com group has launched a consumer insights tool, to enable brands to target customers with gamified surveys embedded in ads. More
WPP has slashed its full-year growth forecast for revenues and net sales to between zero and 1%, as clients cut their marketing budgets. For the second quarter, like-for-like revenue in the Data Investment Management (DIM) division fell 4.6% to £669m. More
Venture capital fund Meritus Ventures has sold failing print and imaging industry research and consulting firm Photizo Group to newly-formed Virtulytix, a predictive analytics company set up by Photizo founder Ed Crowley and several of his former colleagues. More
UK-based marcoms group Creston Ltd will now be known as 'The Unlimited Group' - following the theme of its earlier rebranding of operating companies using the 'Unlimited' suffix. More
In the US, Nielsen Sports' Global Co-MD Danny Townsend has left the firm to become CEO of Sydney Football Club. Glenn Lovett, who previously shared the title, has been promoted to sole Global Managing Director, leading all aspects of the global sports business. More
Nielsen has launched a new video gaming analysis business called Nielsen Esports, which will provide sponsorship valuation, fan insights, custom industry research and consulting services to rights holders, media platforms and brands. More
Kantar has announced that Richard Ingleton will take over the role of Chief Executive Officer of its Insights Division, from Travyn Rhall who will be leaving the business in November. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment about Rhall's next career move. More
US-based direct marketing and targeting giant Harte Hanks has received notification of non-compliance from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after its share price dropped below one dollar. More
Nielsen has launched the 'Ratings Academy', an interactive online portal designed to improve public understanding of its audience measurement methods and the environment in which it operates. More
Location-based audience data specialist Reveal Mobile has been awarded a US patent for its technology, which determines the specific location of a mobile device through beacon proximity activity, while also predicting where the device is likely to appear next. More
US research and advisory company Gartner has reported a 34% rise in second quarter Research division revenue (33% at constant currencies), to $613.7m. The result follows the acquisition of talent management insights firm CEB. More
GfK has partnered with Edinburgh-based personal financial management service Money Dashboard, to provide retailers and brands with insights into UK consumer spending patterns by category. More
In Sydney, Australia, Telstra's Muru-D incubator program has given its backing to start-ups including mystery shopping app Snooper and online ad campaign planning service Flobox. More
In the US, privacy watchdog the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging it to halt Google's tracking of consumers' in-store purchases. More
In London, brand performance measurement specialist Morar HPI has launched a creative services division called ARGO, offering evidence-based brand development work as well as stand-alone brand and creative services. More
UK-based mobile video MR specialist Voxpopme is integrating IBM Watson's machine learning and natural language processing capabilities into its platform, to provide brands with advanced analysis of customers' feelings. More
In Hong Kong, MR consultancy ABN Impact has appointed former YouGov co-CEO Patrick (Paddy) Corr as Executive Director for the Asia region. More
In New York, music industry execs Paul Conte and Camus Celli have set up a company called Truideation, offering campaign ideation and creation, and influence marketing, via a partnership with data science platform GRAPHIKA. More
Enterprise data and analytics company Acxiom and software giant Adobe have launched a solution called Connected Spaces, helping clients in retail, travel and leisure sectors to deliver real-time communications. More
Nielsen has reported a 3.0% increase in second quarter revenue to $1.644bn, equivalent to a 4.1% rise on a constant currency basis. In organic terms - excluding the acquisition of Gracenote - the quarter was almost flat. More
Netherlands-based customer insights agency SKIM has opened an office in Gothenburg, Sweden on the campus of Chalmers University of Technology. More
Ipsos has reported what it has described as an 'uneventful' first-half year, with revenue of EUR 833.8m, almost unchanged from a year before, and organic growth of just 1 percent. More
The management of UK-based telecoms and IT sector market research agency Rhetorik have bought the firm in a deal supported by a team of UK and North American data tech-focused investors. Terms were not disclosed. More
Nielsen has collaborated with Chinese eCommerce giant JD.com to launch a 'Multi-Touch Attribution' (MTA) offering in China, helping clients to assess the sales impact of their advertising and marketing investments. More
Health economics data specialist Context Matters and analyst IHS Markit have linked up to launch PriceCurrents, a global pricing tool for the pharmaceutical industry. More
The Stagwell Group has signed a 13-year lease for two floors in One World Trade Center, where it says it will bring together its portfolio of companies including Harris Insights & Analytics and former Nielsen company National Research Group. More
UK-based, kids-focused digital media platform SuperAwesome has received new growth capital - reportedly around £20m - from Mayfair Equity Partners. More
Joseph El Habre has been named Chief Executive of Ipsos Interactive Services (IIS) & Operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. More
In Germany, crowd-sourced shopper insights provider POSpulse has raised EUR 3m in a Series B round of funding, which it will use to roll out its products to additional international markets. More
In the UK, insight and big data business Beyond Analysis and online customer intelligence provider Celebrus Technologies have teamed up to help organisations develop and act on customer insight generated by omnichannel businesses. More
Global MR groups The Research Club, Women In Research (WIRe) and MrWeb have teamed up to put the world's biggest listing of research job opportunities in front of a hugely expanded audience of potential candidates. The search is also in a new more mobile-friendly format. More
In the UK, customer experience specialist Maru/edr has appointed Damian Miller and Ross Durston as Managing Directors for its Retail and Financial Services divisions, respectively. More
Retargeting technology company RTB House has opened an office in India, where it has appointed Kshitiz Randhir Shori to lead regional operations. More
In the US, retail payment data insights provider Commercial Signals has closed an additional $12m in Series B funding, which it will use to expand its products, partnerships and geographical reach. More
In the US, former Tesco exec Thomas Nielsen has joined health and wellness consumer insights agency SPINS as Strategic Advisor. More
UK-based digital signage company Signagelive has partnered with computer vision specialist AdMobilize, to deliver real-time audience analytics and dynamic creative capabilities. More
Nielsen has partnered with podcasting company Panoply Media to introduce audience targeting to podcasting for what the firms claim is the first time. More
In the US, retail information provider The NPD Group has promoted Tia Frapolli to the role of President of its Supplies business. More
In New York, ad industry trade association the 4A's has hired Louis Jones as Executive Vice President, in charge of its Media and Data Practice. More
Local audience data specialist Eyeota has partnered with YouGov to provide clients with an extensive database of consumer opinion and behavior data spanning the US, the UK and Germany. More
Senior GfK Leader Dr. Gerhard Hausruckinger has resigned from the company after seven years on the Management Board. Meanwhile Christoph D. Erbenich has been appointed as Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer. More
UK-based retail insights firm ABA Research has announced revenue growth of 14 percent, to £7.7m, in the year to March 2017. More
Audience measurement body BARC India has appointed Nielsen India as its primary digital measurement partner, as it looks to build its 'EKAM' cross-channel measurement solution. More
WPP has merged its digital ad agency POSSIBLE with the older and larger Wunderman. POSSIBLE, formed only in 2011, will continue to operate as a standalone brand within its new home. More
Surrey, UK-based Impact Research has been restructured, with Dawn Mulvey promoted to Head of Utilities, Stuart Grant heading Consumer, Monika Swift the New Generation unit and Jamie Margerison managing Healthcare, all now led by co-founder Michael Brainch as Managing Director. More
UK-based consumer insight agency Join the Dots has launched a dedicated qualitative research unit under the new brand name of Spirit. More
Georgia, US-based VR shopping specialist Advanced Simulations has partnered with research firm Azure Knowledge to launch two new virtual reality research products. More
Companies' intangible assets - including the value of their brands, reputation and employee skills - should be included on balance sheets in financial reporting, according to a growing lobby of experts from both multinationals and consultancies. More
UK-based data and analytics consultancy MESH has partnered with antipodean shopper consultancy 3Feet to bring the former's Real-time Experience Tracking (RET) methodology and experience metrics to Australia and New Zealand. More
Nielsen has launched Target Group Performance Analysis, a framework helping FMCG manufacturers to predict an innovation's overall viability and growth potential in specific segments. Also this week, the firm has extended its alliance with ingredient data firm Label Insight. More
WPP agencies POSSIBLE and Mindshare have linked up to launch an integrated marketing and commerce offer to help companies optimise their investments across the various platforms of online shopping giant Amazon. More
Nielsen has unveiled a 'Connected System' promising FMCG and retail decision-makers analysis of 'what's happening in the market from every angle', and designed to 'foster collaboration and align organizations'. The System integrates Nielsen data with data from partner companies. More
Hall & Partners has launched a new specialist consultancy dedicated to brand invention, under its OpenMind brand. Jen Drexler joins as Managing Partner to lead the company, which promises 'a radical new collaborative approach focused on rapid innovation'. More
Location data specialist Cuebiq has expanded its footprint to China via an exclusive partnership with big data-focused mobile Internet firm GeTui. More
Fishbowl, a customer engagement platform provider for the restaurant sector and now a part of Symphony Technology Group (STG), has named Jim Soss as CEO. More
In the US, Nielsen has partnered with retail vision technology specialist Trax to jointly create a new tool called the Shelf Intelligence Suite. The firms aim to help FMCG companies better understand how shelf performance directly impacts product sales. More
WPP-owned PR consultancy Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has launched a service called 'The Shanghai Addition', promising a new way to connect Chinese brands with audiences, cultures and markets around the world. More
London-based insight and strategy agency Flamingo has promoted MD Andy Davidson to become its first Chief Strategy Officer. More
Informa subsidiary Agribusiness intelligence has launched an agricultural insight platform, IEG Vu, focused on the processed food and soft commodity markets; and has recently added more than twenty new analysts to its team. More
The US research industry maintained a strong annual growth rate in 2016, despite 'tepid' overall economic growth, according to this year's AMA Gold Top 50 Report. Total revenue generated for the 202 companies surveyed was $11.584bn, up 5.7%. More
US investment advisory company The Stagwell Group has acquired Nielsen's Mobile Insights Survey and Total Communications Survey, which will relaunch under the name HarrisX. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
IRI has enhanced its core business of providing big data and predictive analytics for FMCG manufacturers and retailers, with the launch of a Growth Solutions practice. Former Premier Foods exec Daniel Hunt joins to help lead the practice. More
Professional services firm KPMG Australia has launched a specialist Customer, Brand & Marketing advisory business, which has already acquired Sydney-based market research firm Acuity Research and Insights. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
Toronto, Canada-based employee-owned research firm Hotspex has promoted Michael Dorr to the position of MD of its UK business, responsible for establishing an office and building the company's brand in the UK and Europe. He takes up the new role next month. More
In the US, consumer audience creation and data giant IRI has appointed former dunnhumby exec Nishat Mehta as President of its Media Center of Excellence. He will replace Srishti Gupta, who has moved to a senior position at Amazon. More
US-based behavioral targeting technology firm AudienceScience has gone into receivership, less than a month after losing the contract it held with Procter & Gamble for nearly a decade. More
In the US, Warner Bros. Pictures has promoted JP Richards, adding the role of Chief Data Strategist to his existing title of Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing. More
In the US, business intelligence solutions firm Prosper Insights & Analytics has appointed John Sydnor as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. More
London and Leeds-based Trinity McQueen has announced year-on-year growth of around ten percent, with sales up to £4.92m in the 12 months ending September 2016. More
In Los Angeles, mobile performance feedback platform Embrace.io has launched out of beta with a $2.5m round of seed funding. More
South African researchers have received the go-ahead to replace The South African Audience Research Foundation (SAARF) with a new Marketing Research Foundation, tasked with delivering an audience currency to replace the country's discontinued AMPS measure. More
In London, consumer specialist Razor Research has set up a kids-focused business unit called Razor Kids, and appointed Leslie Salem to lead it. The firm has also hired Kenny Fox as Associate Director. More
Former shareholders of Rentrak could receive around $19m to settle claims relating to the effect on share price of comScore's accounting investigation last year. The proposed settlement is currently seeking preliminary approval from a judge in Oregon. More
In the US, two former Apple engineers have launched a foot traffic counting and analytics firm called Dor, with $3.8m in seed funding. More
In New York, Ipsos Marketing has appointed Alison Chaltas, the co-founder of shopper marketing consultancy Interscope, as Global President, Path to Purchase. More
London-based insights and planning agency kubi kalloo has outgrown its former premises in Old Street and relocated to a larger space, a stone's throw away in Scrutton Street. More
Kantar Millward Brown has partnered with location data specialist Cuebiq, to create a new tool that helps marketers measure the off-line ROI of their advertising. More
WPP-owned growth and business strategy consulting firm Kantar Futures is launching a programme focusing all its analytical efforts on the topic of 'the future of consumption'. More
Nielsen is planning to install nearly 15,000 television audience meters in approximately 7,000 homes across the 140 markets currently measured by Local TV paper diaries. More
New York-based Geopath, which was formerly known as the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement, has partnered with marketing tech firm Ayuda[x] to power its new OOH (out-of-home) audience measurement solution. More
GfK has reported a 2.4% drop in first quarter group sales to EUR 352m, while the profit measure EBITDA fell 34.3% to EUR 29.4m. More
Less than two months after joining UK-based consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo, Desirée Lopez has been named Chief Executive Officer, replacing co-founder Kirsty Fuller who is leaving the business. Seven of the company's eight global offices are being closed by parent Omnicom. More
Mumbai-based researcher MRSS India has reported a 146% increase in consolidated net profit to Rs46.3m ($720k) for the twelve months ended 31st March 2017. More
US technology publisher TechTarget and B2B big data firm HG Data have partnered to provide sales and marketing teams with access to combined purchase intent and technology install data. More
Former dunnhumby CEO Simon Hay has joined the Board of Stockholm-based brand tracking researcher Nepa. More
GfK has extended its partnership with local audience specialist Eyeota, to help clients improve the accuracy of their consumer targeting initiatives using the global agency's 'Purchasing Power' data. More
Australian TV audience measurement body OzTAM has appointed Richard Herring as independent Chairman, replacing Michael Anderson who has served in the role since 2011 and has decided to focus on his new role as CEO of MediaWorks New Zealand. More
In the US, MR consulting and training provider CourtLynn Enterprises has launched a customer behavior insights division called Griffin Wilds. More
Quadrangle Group's data collection arm RED has partnered with Research Now to launch a solution called STOREWORKS, which promises retailers 'quick, quality feedback' from different groups of consumers. More
Omnicom-owned brand and communications research consultancy Hall & Partners has promoted Soumya Roy to Chief Executive Officer of its New York operation. More
Creston's Unlimited Group has combined its customer journey specialist EMO and customer relationship marketing agency The Real Adventure, to form a new Bristol-based business called Prophecy Unlimited. More
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell's pay for 2017 will fall by around £22m in 2017, with further drops scheduled for 2018 and 2021. The firm, whose high-paying 'Leap' scheme had in any case expired this year, notes that it 'understands share owners' increasing discomfort' with levels of 'reward opportunities'. More
In the US, research-led sales and marketing services company Maritz has appointed Charlotte Blank as Chief Behavioral Officer (CBO), tasked with leading its thought leadership, research, and the application of behavioral science. More
M&C Saatchi's qual/quant research agency The Source has opened a first Australian office, in Melbourne, to be led by former London MD Matt Swinson. More
Ipsos has recorded first quarter revenue of EUR 390.1m, representing organic growth of 1%, and says sales activity indicates this will increase in subsequent quarters. The group plans to announce a new programme of transformation at its June 6th Investor Day. More
Sweden-based eye-tracking technology firm Tobii AB has reported a slight real terms decline in revenue for the first quarter of 2017. More
Supply chain solutions provider JDA Software has partnered with shopper data firm dunnhumby, to offer a merchandising service incorporating consumer feedback, designed to help retailers and trading partners make the right assortment and space planning decisions. More
Nielsen has reported first quarter revenues of $1.5 billion, up 3.2% after excluding the impact of exchange rate fluctuations. The result was driven by a strong performance in the Watch media research division, while the Buy side saw a decline. More
comScore is to offer a free viewability measurement service, with data for display video, and mobile inventory compatible with metrics from its flagship vCE service. More
In the UK, online retail giant Amazon has launched a personalised shopping service incorporating weather data. The system will suggest relevant summer items based on the weather conditions where a customer lives. More
US research and advisory firm BIA/Kelsey and comScore have partnered to deliver an integrated view of a TV station's position in the local video marketplace. More
In the US, business technology specialist Pitney Bowes has set up a cross-company Data Practice, to help clients use location-based data to accelerate their digital transformation. More
IBM business The Weather Company has partnered with customer data 'onboarding' specialist LiveRamp, to help marketers integrate real-time weather data into their omnichannel campaigns and target consumers at relevant moments. More
Nielsen has begun working with Audiweb, the Italian Online Joint Industry Committee, on the terms of an agreement for further development of the country's audience measurement system. More
In the UK, Nielsen has launched an employee resource group (ERG) called MOSAIC (Multinational Organization Supporting an Inclusive Culture) at its office in Oxford, where the firm says its employees identify with 57 different nationalities. More
Omnicom is closing seven of the eight global offices of its consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo, citing 'underperformance' and its need to now focus on growth opportunities in London. More
Ipsos has promoted Frank Forkin to the role of President of its RDA division, which provides motor industry quality tracking and customer satisfaction measurement. More
In the US, comScore co-founder and CEO Gian Fulgoni has joined a $1.5m round of investment in social media display network UPshow, which will use the funds to grow its team, accelerate product development and expand sales into new markets. More
TV audience rating body BARC India is rolling out a suite of digital measurement products called EKAM (Sanskrit for 'one'), to provide the industry with a single platform for measurement across TV and digital. More
Global media giant Viacom has promoted Colleen Fahey Rush to EVP, Insights & Audience Science, and Chief Research Officer of its Viacom Media Networks subsidiary, effective immediately. More
GfK has appointed three new members to its Supervisory Board: Thomas Ebeling, Johannes P. Huth and Philipp Freise, following its agreement with investment group KKR which is now its partner in running the global group. They replace Peter Goldschmidt, Aliza Knox and Bruno Piace. More
The UK's supermarkets watchdog is reportedly looking into claims of inappropriate 'favouritism' shown by Tesco towards customers of its dunnhumby data business. More
In Australia, former Bain consultant Nik Samoylov and academic Prof. Ujwal Kayande have launched a technology company called Conjoint.ly, which automates conjoint analysis and discrete choice experiments to provide rapid concept testing, price optimisation and forecasting. More
Clear, the brand and marketing strategy company within ad agency group M&C Saatchi, has opened an office in Los Angeles, its first on the US west coast. The office will be led by consumer tech expert Ki Choi, and signals expansion into the booming sector. More
The four founders of Stockholm-based brand tracking researcher Nepa have sold 14.7% of the business to a range of Swedish institutional investors. More
Vienna-based community platform Talk Online Panel has appointed former Lightspeed GMI and Cint exec Arjen van Duijvenbode as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Managing Partner Klaus Oberecker who remains active as a company owner. More
Tesco-owned customer data business dunnhumby has a new Chief Executive Officer, current Google exec Guillaume Bacuvier. He takes up his new position in May, replacing Simon Hay who left the business in February. More
Nielsen has launched an eCommerce measurement solution, delivering a 'total consumer view' of 90% of online FMCG sales in the US market. The firm has also introduced Nielsen Artificial Intelligence; a technology that automates audience optimization using patent-pending AI methods. More
Kantar Media and local audience data provider Eyeota have extended their TGI-based segmentation partnership to Germany and France. More
GfK has appointed three execs to lead a new Customer and Audience Activation service, which creates segments using local audience data from partner firm Eyeota. Existing employee Niko Waesche will lead the unit while Cornelia Reitinger and Lauren Coppin join as Directors. More
The Hong Kong TAM Founding Subscribers Committee (FSC) has awarded CSM Media Research the contract for the provision of TV ratings in Hong Kong, from January 2018 until 2023. The company is a joint venture between Kantar Media and CTR. More
Interpublic's New York-based digital agency R/GA has opened its first office in Germany, where it has appointed former Razorfish CEO Sascha Martini as Managing Director, with responsibility for long-term growth and business development. More
London-based polling and research specialist ComRes has launched a new division, which will focus exclusively on supporting organisations following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. More
Transaction technology giant NCR has integrated its point-of-sale (POS) platform with the systems of cinema data specialist Showtime Analytics, promising cinema clients a better understanding of customer needs and experience. More
In the US, Kantar Worldpanel's ad analytics and insight division Shopcom has teamed up with consumer purchasing analyst Affinity Solutions, to help clients predict spend predictions, measure overall sales lift and gauge revenue impact in-store and through online channels. More
YouGov has reported a revenue rise of 24% to £51.4m for the six months to 31st January 2017 - equivalent to 8% on a constant currency basis. The rise was driven by 'strong growth' in the firm's subscription-based Data Products and Services business. More
US consumer intelligence company Simmons Research has partnered with mobile research technology firm RealityMine, to launch a joint solution helping brands and media companies create and measure cross-platform media campaigns. More
Interpublic innovation arm IPG Mediabrands has appointed Arun Kumar as its first Chief Data & Marketing Technology Officer. He takes up the new position alongside his existing role managing global operations at sister company Cadreon, which focuses on data, tech, insights and activation. More
In Singapore, WPP-owned agency network Wunderman has transferred Thomas Brauch to the role of Head of Data & Analytics for the Asia Pacific region. More
Kantar Millward Brown has expanded its brand marketing analytics platform Ignite Network, to provide access to more than three million mobile panellists in the US. More
In the US, retail information firm The NPD Group has promoted President and Chief Operating Officer Karyn Schoenbart to the role of CEO, succeeding Tod Johnson who will continue full time as Executive Chairman. More
In Japan, online specialist Macromill has completed its listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). More
The US' Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has called on seven digital giants to follow the example of Google and Facebook and replace their 'walled garden' approach to measurement with independent audits by the MRC. More
In London, ethical product industry specialist Ecovia Intelligence has been renamed 'Organic Monitor', reflecting the broader range of activities the firm is now involved with. More
US media groups Fox Networks, Turner and Viacom have formed a consortium to develop a TV audience platform industry standard called OpenAP, for cross-publisher audience targeting and independent measurement. More
In Australia, The Lab Insight & Strategy has opened an office in Brisbane, where it has appointed Amanda Windus as Strategy Planner. More
In the US, retail and healthcare data specialist IRI has partnered with information solutions giant Experian, to help marketers identify customers who will drive a better return on advertising spend. More
Sir Martin Sorrell has cemented his place as comfortably the highest paid exec in the UK's FTSE 100 companies, securing just under £41.6m in this year's pay award under the now-expiring performance-related 'Leap' scheme. Then again, what's a pound worth nowadays? More
IBM and Salesforce have entered a global strategic partnership to deliver joint solutions using artificial intelligence. A new practice within IBM Global Business Services will help clients rapidly deploy tools combining IBM Watson's big data with Salesforce Einstein's customer insights. More
GfK has appointed consumer goods industry exec Peter Feld as its new Chief Executive Officer. His predecessor Matthias Hartmann resigned last August due to 'differing views' on the long-term direction of the business between himself and majority shareholder GfK Verein. More
Research and insights firm Shapiro+Raj has promoted Nizam Sayeed to the role of Chief Technology Officer, as well as Managing Director of its Digital Insights and Intelligence Practice (DIIP). More
In the UK, brand building specialist Andrew Marsden has launched a brand activation agency called Pilgrim Marketing, offering clients business strategy and brand positioning services combined with creativity and access to in-house research. More
Frank Martell has been named President and CEO of property information and analytics provider CoreLogic, following the unexpected death of Anand Nallathambi on March 2nd after a brief illness. He was 55 years of age. More
In Africa, mobile-first messaging platform mSurvey and comms company Safaricom have partnered to launch a solution called Consumer Wallet, which quantifies Kenyan consumers' off-line spending, habits and trends. More
US-based data-driven marketing firm MediaMath has begun operating in India through an agreement with Zirca Digital Solutions, now its exclusive partner in the region. More
Manchester, UK-based Join the Dots has reported revenue growth of 26%, to £9.8m for 2016, matching its growth rate for each of the two previous years. More
Marcoms giant WPP has reported like-for-like falls in revenue for its Data Investment Management (DIM) arm Kantar, of 1.6% in the fourth quarter and 0.9% for the full year. However like-for-like net sales, which WPP has long said are a better indicator, rose 1.5% and 0.9% respectively. More
In New York, health marketing group Evoke has launched a multicultural insight agency called Fabric, which will help clients use insights to help create more 'culturally inspired' brands, and will be led by Managing Director Roger Salazar. More
YouGov has upgraded its market intelligence Reports business, through which clients and prospects can sample and interact with the firm's connected data. More
MR software firm Remesh has partnered with online panel and digital MR solutions provider eCGlobal Solutions, to help Latin American clients engage in conversation with their audience at specific moments - such as 30 minutes after viewing a TV show. More
Link, the long-established ad copy testing solution developed by Kantar Millward Brown, has completed an audit by the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB), recognised in the industry for assessing connections between marketing activities, metrics and financial performance. More
Ipsos has reported 2016 revenue of EUR 1,782.7m, virtually the same as in 2015 but representing 3 percent organic growth - currency effects cancelled out the growth in the Euros figure. More
Business information firm GlobalData Plc (previously PDM) has announced final results for the calendar year 2016, including group revenues passing £100m - including organic growth of 24% and the effect of major acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 71% to £20.6m. More
UK-based insight agency BrainJuicer aims to rebrand as System1 Research, forming System1 Group together with its recently-launched creative house, System1 Agency. More
Australian boutique MR and strategic planning consultancy Ruby Cha Cha has relocated from its central Sydney office to the city's affluent inner city suburb, Surry Hills. More
Toronto-based data collection specialist Delvinia has opened a new office in Quebec, led by former TNS exec Daniel Brousseau. More
Reading, UK-based point of sale consumer targeting specialist Ecrebo has raised £12m in an investment led by Air Miles and Nectar founder Sir Keith Mills, and former Warburg Pincus Head of Europe, Joseph Schull. Both will join the firm's Board of Directors. More
Online specialist YouGov has opened an office in Manchester, to support its customer base in the north of England and Scotland. More
Glasgow-based FMCG marketing platform Adimo has closed a £1m seed round of funding, which it will use to expand its commercial team and target new customers. More
In London, WPP insight arm Kantar has appointed former SABMiller Global Insights Director Julie Kollman as Chief Research Officer. She takes up her new post on 27th February. More
Nielsen has announced the impending departure from its board of Directors of former CEO David L. Calhoun. More
UK audience research body BARB has awarded its Dovetail Fusion cross-screen measurement contract to Kantar Media. The body began testing options from Kantar and Nielsen in late 2015. More
Retail data giant IRI has announced a strategic alliance with 'performance television' company Simulmedia, allowing CPG marketers to target ads to consumers based on actual purchase behavior, using IRI's ProScores. More
Eye-tracking tech firm Tobii AB has reported results for the fourth quarter and full year 2016, with SEK 1,053m ($119m) in annual sales, and increasing cash reserves for investment in VR and smartphones. More
Swedish online fashion company Ivyrevel has partnered with Google to launch an app which tracks a user's activity and lifestyle, then uses the resulting information to design a custom-made 'data dress' reflecting their habits and preferences. More
In the US, qualitative researcher Frank Hines has launched a new company called RealLife Research, which will offer services built around video-centric mobile ethnography methods. More
GfK shareholders have accepted an offer from US-based private equity firm KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) for 18.54 percent of the business. The buy is part of an agreement with majority shareholder GfK Verein to support the group's long-term growth strategy. More
ESPN veteran Artie Bulgrin is retiring from his role as SVP Global Research and Analytics in May, after more than 21 years at the Disney-owned sports broadcaster. More
In the UK, dunnhumby CEO Simon Hay is leaving at the end of the month to 'pursue new challenges', after 25 years with the business. More
UK-based BrainJuicer says it will rebrand, unifying its MR business with its recently-launched ad agency and sharpening its focus on behavioural science. The new name, 'though it may not be hard to fathom, has not yet been officially revealed. More
Nielsen has reported 2 percent growth in fourth quarter revenues to $1,656m, similar to the growth figure for the whole of 2016. Q4 revenue in the Buy consumer purchase behaviour segment fell 1.3% to $868m, while Watch media research revenue rose 5.8% to $788m. More
Entertainment, media and tech specialist Interpret LLC has promoted Michael Cai to President, overseeing all company divisions; hired Grant Robb as SVP / GM of a newly created Brand Consulting Group; and appointed Diane LightWaight as VP of Sales / Client Service. More
Mobile ad analytics company Marchex has integrated Facebook data into its Omnichannel Analytics Cloud platform, promising marketers the ability to optimize spend across all paid media channels based insight into which drove off-line actions. More
Ipsos has made changes to its Asia Pacific operations, with the news that its business in China will operate as a separate region, led by Lifeng Liu as Chairman and Chief Executive. More
Brand strategy and insight agency BrainJuicer has reported a 24% rise in revenue to £31.24m for the twelve months of 2016, compared with £25.18m in 2015. The firm says this growth - equivalent to 15 percent on a constant currency basis, is 'testament to the strength of its System1 approach'. More
Nielsen has gained Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its inclusion of digital measurement in its TV ratings solution - known as Digital in TV Ratings. This is the first solution to receive MRC approval for TV audience measurement of programming viewed on desktop or mobile devices. More
Mobile audience data and targeting specialist adsquare is to make GfK's region-based consumer insights available through its platform. More
Brand strategy and insight agency BrainJuicer has promoted Alex Hunt to the role of President, Research Business, in charge of running its market research offering worldwide, and with a seat on the company's Board of Directors. More
Shareholders in UK-based insight and big data business Beyond Analysis have bought back Visa Europe's stake in the business for an undisclosed sum. The firm says the move will allow it to generate insight from across the financial services industry. More
comScore has announced that it is unable to meet the February 23rd deadline to file late financial reports and regain compliance with Nasdaq's listing requirements, and warns that this may result in its stock being delisted from the exchange. More
US-based media, event and information company Winsight has received an undisclosed amount of equity and debt funding from investment firm Pamlico Capital, in partnership with the firm's existing management team. More
In Sydney, former Woolworths exec Emma Gray has joined Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) as its first Chief Data Officer. More
Technology research and advisory company Gartner has reported a 9% increase in fourth quarter 2016 group revenue, to $703.2m, driven by Research revenue which was up 15% at constant currencies, to $478.8m. More
US firm Impact Radius has appointed David Yovanno as CEO, replacing co-founder Per Pettersen who becomes Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer. More
WPP's Data Alliance has partnered with South African marketing services provider P:Cubed, giving access to the latter's 2700 fields of data on more than 42.8m consumers to operating companies across the group. More
In the US, cookie-less audience measurement specialist Tru Optik has partnered with Kantar Millward Brown, to help advertisers attribute brand sales to OTT ad campaigns. More
In the US, Nielsen has announced plans to expand its in-market consumer insights service Nielsen Scarborough, to local markets nationwide. More
Chime Insight & Engagement Group has appointed nine new members of staff, including former Northstar Research exec Jack Miles as Insight Director, heading qual and quant projects across a range of sectors. More
In a trading statement issued today, GfK said that both sales and adjusted income had fallen in 2016, in part as a result of negative currency effects. More
WPP-owned marcoms network Ogilvy is setting up a Center for Behavioral Science, aiming to establish a new system for defining how audiences think, feel and behave; and to help clients improve their marketing and communications. More
Nielsen is proposing to issue $500m in senior notes in a private offering, which it will use for 'general corporate purposes', and possibly to fund a proportion of its acquisition of media and entertainment data provider Gracenote. More
US data-driven mobile ad network AdTheorent has partnered with data collaboration company Commerce Signals, to use online and in-store transaction data to help optimize and measure digital media campaigns. More
US custom research provider Zogby Analytics has set up a division called the Small Communities Institute, to support towns and villages dealing with issues such as urban economic development planning and securing grants. More
Software veteran Oracle has partnered with audience profiling firm Eyeota, offering the latter's data via the Oracle Data Management Platform and Marketing Cloud. Users will be able to target and personalize campaigns outside the US - in Europe, APAC, and elsewhere in the Americas. More
In the US, a judge has ruled that TiVo Research and Analytics cannot seek damages over claims that Kantar Media Audiences stole trade secrets relating to TiVo's audience/shopping data matching solution. More
Nielsen has signed a multi-year deal with telecoms giant AT&T to add the latter's anonymized set-top box data to its local and national TV measurement service. More
In the US, automotive research specialist IMR has integrated data from Claritas' PRIZM lifestyle segmentation system into its syndicated consumer automotive research tracking study (CCAMS). More
Online data collection agency AskingCanadians has partnered with student and youth network yconic, to give clients access to the latter's youth-focused consumer insights panel. More
Pricing and strategy consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners has detailed another year of rapid growth, with revenue up sixteen percent to EUR 241m, and says it plans to grow both headcount and revenue in double figures in the coming year. US growth led the way with turnover up 30 percent. More
Retail technology company Cloverleaf has launched a tool called shelfPoint, which tracks customers' emotional reactions to products while they shop, and enables brands and retailers to capture engagement and sentiment data at the moment of an in-store purchase decision. More
US cable TV and Internet service provider Comcast has expanded Ed Brassel's role to include leading business intelligence (BI) and analytics efforts at Comcast Cable, and delivering BI across NBCUniversal's TV, film and theme park properties. More
In the US, NBCUniversal's Alan Wurtzel is stepping down from his role as President of Research and Media Development, to become a senior advisor to the company. More
Scientists at University College London (UCL) and consumer data giant dunnhumby have developed a model which they claim predicts when people are most likely to try switching to different products. More
US market research associations CASRO and MRA have completed their merger, forming the Insights Association. More
Asset management firm The Carlyle Group has joined up with former leaders of Nielsen Catalina Solutions to buy consumer segmentation division Claritas from Nielsen, for an undisclosed sum. More
Morgan Investors, the holding company for Quick Test/Heakin, Discovery Research Group and 3Q Global, has announced leadership changes affecting all three research firms. More
Californian retail marketing and b2b firm BDS Marketing has launched a new team and solution, BDS Research, whose offer will include analysis of sales impact and performance, visual merchandising and retail experience. More
Nielsen has appointed Nancy Ramsey Phillips as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective next week. She joins from Broadcom Corporation where she was EVP and CHRO; and replaces Mary Liz Finn, who announced her retirement from Nielsen in September. More
In Utah, USA, Busines Intelligence provider Numetric aims to accelerate its expansion after securing $3.75m, including $1.5m in December from EPIC Ventures. It has also appointed Greg Butterfield as Chairman. More
This is the last edition of Daily Research News for 2016. We wish all our readers, clients, contributors and friends around the world a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. More
Helsinki-based retail Internet of Things analytics and marketing platform Walkbase has opened an office in Dubai. More
Former comScore exec Manish Bhatia has joined Kantar Media as Chief Executive Officer of its North American business. More
In the US, user generated content marketing firm Chute has partnered with audience intelligence data company Macromeasures, to offer free audience data and preference reports to clients in the travel and fashion industries. More
In Australia, magazine publishers Bauer Media and NewsLifeMedia are withdrawing from the circulation audits provided by industry body AMAA, leaving only one major consumer magazine group subscribed. More
New York-based performance analytics company Limbik is to integrate Nielsen's PRIZM classification into its platform, which tracks audience size, composition and attention paid. More
Retail information firm The NPD Group has partnered with OTT (over-the-top) audience measurement and data management specialist Tru Optik, to better understand digital demand for movies and video games. More
In New York, Nielsen has partnered with location-based app and data marketing specialist Foursquare, to help marketers better understand how online ads drive consumers into brick-and-mortar stores. More
WPP AUNZ has rolled out the group's integrated retail practice The Store to the Australia and New Zealand market, and named Rob Draper as its CEO. With existing offices in the UK and US, The Store brings together shopper marketing resources from WPP companies around the world. More
The release of 2016 data from the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) has been postponed by six months, and is now promised for the third quarter of 2017. More
UK-based convenience retail strategy firm Insight Research has announced a strategic alliance with US-based retail strategy and design consultant Joseph Bona, MD of MoseleyBona Retail. The two firms will share a new office in Mayfair, London. More
New Jersey-based HCD Research has set up an Applied Neuroscience Laboratory Services unit, to help companies develop and install their own in-house neuroscience testing capabilities. More
New York-based location-based app and data marketing specialist Foursquare has hired Gayle Fuguitt - former President and CEO of the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) - for the newly created role of Chief of Customer Insights and Innovation. More
Swedish eye tracking technology firm Smart Eye has begun listing its shares on the Nasdaq First North stock exchange in Stockholm. More
US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is launching an offer for a substantial minority stake in GfK, and has entered an agreement with its majority shareholder GfK Verein to support the group's long-term growth strategy. More
Anders Bengtsson, the CEO of US-based boutique insights and strategy consultancy Protobrand, has acquired a majority stake in the company, after recently buying out co-founder Phil Granof's share. The firm has also secured new investors and strengthened its management team. More
In the UK, retail sector specialist ABA Research has appointed former Camelot Head of Insight Nick Bonney as Managing Director. He will take up the post next February, replacing founder Alison Bainbridge who will remain active in the business. More
Maryland and Connecticut-based online consumer sample provider Full Circle Research has partnered with marijuana MR and tracking firm Cannabiz Consumer Group (C2G), to launch an omnibus called CannaBus. More
Retail and healthcare data giant IRI has announced a partnership with digital shelf analysis specialist Clavis Insight, to help CPG marketers track and assess a brands' holistic online and off-line performance. More
US retail giant Kroger has announced that its Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Kevin Dougherty is to retire at the end of January, when he will be succeeded by Yael Cosset, who currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Information Officer of the company's analytics business 84.51 degrees. More
comScore co-founder Magid Abraham has resigned from the company's Board of Directors, to concentrate on his role as Executive Chairman of wearable technology developer APX Labs. More
Kantar TNS was one of the big winners at last night's MRS Awards, taking home the Grand Prix for Greatest Impact; the MRS/BIG Award for B2B Research, alongside digital data collection arm Lightspeed; and the awards for New Consumer Insights and Social Media Research (the latter with Unilever). More
In Australia, digital out-of-home business Shopper Media Group has launched a new research data division making use of its network of 'Smartlite' digital panels installed in more than 150 shopping centres across the country. More
Fairfield, NJ-based Buyers Laboratory, LLC (BLI) and InfoTrends - which it acquired last year - are uniting under a new name, Keypoint Intelligence, providing market intelligence and tools for the digital imaging industry. More
Nielsen has partnered with product data specialist Label Insight to help CPG clients understand the influence of labels that provide data about nutrients and other content, on what consumers buy, what manufacturers make, and how government organizations regulate. More
Credit card provider Mastercard has launched a global approach called Decision Intelligence, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and sophisticated algorithms to detect normal and abnormal shopper spending behaviour. More
London-based full service agency Relish Research has appointed former ICM Unlimited exec Joe Wheller as Head of Quantitative Research, while setting up an Analytics unit led by newly promoted Joe Catling. More
Retail and healthcare data giant IRI is to add information from SSI's seven million US panelists to its eCommerce and millennial consumer and shopper segmentation approaches, to enhance its insight into consumer purchasing behaviour. More
TV rating body BARC India has issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for firms able to provide TV viewing related consultancy services to its subscribers. More
Qual consumer insights consulting firm RealityCheck has opened an office in Miami, from where it will support clients in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. More
Former BBC Sport Digital Development Editor Chris Hurst is joining Nielsen Sports as Head of Digital for the UK. More
In Australia, digital screen ad network VMO has unveiled DART 2.0, described as the country's 'most intelligent out of home audience measurement system'. More
UK-based sister companies Green 4 Solutions and 4Sight Sport & Leisure are merging their offers, bringing together CRM and ticketing software with strategic insight services. More
Mobile app intelligence provider Apptopia has raised $2.7m in a second round of seed funding, led by Sound Ventures and earmarked for develop of the company's next generation platform. More
In New York, location-based platform Vistar Media has partnered with enterprise data firm Acxiom and its customer data 'onboarding' specialist LiveRamp, to enable advertisers to deliver digital out-of-home (OOH) ads based on their customer data. More
Quadrangle has undergone a restructure involving the promotion of Adrian Ward and Jenny Betteridge to Director roles, creating two client-facing teams, and re-defining the role of the partners with a focus on mentoring directors and supporting the teams. More
In the US, pricing intelligence specialist Market Track has combined its feature ad data with Nielsen product sales data to form a new product called Feature Sales Advisor (FSA), tracking the success of this kind of promotion. More
US firm HCD Research has formed a new market research practice dedicated to chain and fast food restaurants, employing a mix of traditional and applied neuroscience methods. More
In the US, Prosper Insights & Analytics has extended a partnership with international think tank Fung Global Retail & Technology to launch a co-branded Amazon Shopper Intelligence service, highlighting and explaining the online giant's 'encroachment' into different retail sectors. More
GfK has partnered with audience data firm Eyeota to offer a new range of financial segments, the first to be based on information from its Financial Research Survey (FRS). FRS data is also being added to GfK's Crossmedia Visualizer platform. More
Location intelligence firm xAd Inc. has raised $42.5m in funding and has acquired weather data specialist WeatherBug, for an undisclosed sum. Meanwhile former comScore CEO Serge Matta has joined the company as President of Global Sales and Marketing. More
WPP has announced the formation of a global multi-year partnership between its Data Alliance organisation and music streaming service Spotify. More
In Australia, Ipsos has teamed up with audience data firm Eyeota to create a new range of targetable audience segments, based on the former's emma media survey and its geoTribes person-level geodemographic classification system. More
Ipsos has announced changes in its ownership structure, designed to simplify it and ensure the company's independence over the long term - following the death in December 2014 of co-founder Jean-Marc Lech. More
A sharp fall in income for GfK's Consumer Experiences segment (-7.4%) more than balanced growth in Consumer Choices (+5.4%) in the first nine months of 2016, giving GfK as a whole a 1.7% organic decline in sales. Third quarter sales fell to EUR 355.3m while EBITDA dropped by around a quarter to EUR 43.3m. More
Finland-based retail IoT analytics and marketing platform Walkbase has expanded to the US, and has appointed location intelligence specialist Kevin Hunter as President of the Americas. More
In the US, market research, events and publishing company Light Reading has partnered with Informa's Broadband World Forum to launch an online community called UBB2020, which will track and analyse developments in the global ultra-broadband (UBB) tech and services sector. More
GfK has appointed Gary Schanzer to lead its Point-of-Sale (POS) teams in North America - including retail panels for the pet, optics and tire markets - as well as the Group's Value-Added Services in e-commerce content, discount ad tracking, and technology research for investment firms. More
Netherlands online publisher group VINEX has awarded Kantar Media a contract to deliver a new 5,000-strong panel for Internet audience measurement, replacing a previous service operated by GfK. More
Technology analyst Gartner has reported a 16% rise in third quarter Research division revenue to $461.5m - or a 17% increase excluding the impact of foreign exchange. More
Tokyo-based sample and survey software business dataSpring has appointed MApps CEO Ikuo Hagino as Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Masahiro Takanohashi who will remain with the firm until the end of the year, when he will leave to pursue 'other leadership opportunities'. More
Vancouver, Canada-based mobile customer engagement specialist Mobify has nearly doubled its space, with a move to new headquarters housing 115 local employees. More
WPP's Data Investment Management arm has reported a 12.1% increase in third quarter revenue to £655m, reflecting the lower value of the pound. On a like-for-like basis, DIM revenue fell 2%, while other divisions averaged more than 4% growth. More
Marketing technology and analytics specialist David Raab has launched a new trade association called the Customer Data Platform Institute. The association aims to educate companies about the solutions available for building a single view of customers, identifying behavior and tracking interaction across channels. More
Retail and healthcare data giant IRI and digital data collection specialist Research Now have expanded their relationship to create what the firms describe as the CPG industry's 'most robust and unique data set'. More
Ipsos has reported a 0.9% increase in third quarter revenue to EUR 431.7m, with organic growth a 'satisfactory' 3.2% during the period. More
Chicago-based 3-D virtual store research specialist InContext Solutions has closed a $15.2m round of funding, which it will use to accelerate its sales and marketing efforts, expand its geographical footprint, and improve its virtual reality (VR) product portfolio. More
Nielsen has reported a 2.5% rise in third quarter revenue to $1.57bn (3.6% on a constant currency basis) compared to Q3 2015. The 'Watch' segment grew rapidly (up 6.7% at constant currency), while restructuring in 'Buy' held back its revenue and drove an 8.3% fall in Nielsen's overall net income to $132m. More
In New York, social media intelligence specialist Brandwatch has appointed former Visible Technologies CEO Richard Pasewark as Chief Revenue Officer, overseeing the sales, marketing, customer success and partnerships functions. More
Consumer and media research specialist GfK MRI has partnered with customer profiling and trend measurement software developer Cubeyou, to help clients understand the relation between social media and product usage. More
Nilesen has announced it will use its Portable People Meter (PPM) technology and panelists to measure out-of-home viewing for national television clients, and will provide subscribers with ratings combining this with in-home audiences. More
Automated MR platform ZappiStore has raised £12m from Amsterdam-based venture capital firm Prime Ventures, which specialises in European tech companies. More
Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba has made a strategic investment in PlaceIQ, allowing the New York-based location intelligence firm to scale up its services in response to demand. More
In the US, Nielsen Sports has appointed former Repucom execs Danny Townsend and Glenn Lovett as Co-Managing Directors, following its acquisition of the business earlier in the year. In addition, Repucom founder Paul Smith has announced he will leave the business at the end of the year. More
From today, DRNO will be adding a new section focusing on more news of actual surveys - from project wins to interesting fieldwork and results. See the link above for 'Survey Briefs'. We're also, for the first time, offering advertisers a chance to sit at the very top of the news email, for one day. More
In the US, insight-based marketing and tech services provider Advantage Solutions has launched a new business unit, Advantage Media, which will use its proprietary 'MomentAware' data management platform to target shoppers when they are most open to making a purchase. More
In Australia, The Lab Insight & Strategy has opened an office in Sydney, where it has hired former GfK director Andrew Therkelsen as Managing Director. More
Print and digital media company Time Inc. has appointed Judith Hammerman as Vice President, Global Data Commercialization, charged with bringing together the group's brands and businesses to drive monetization of its commercial data. More
Detroit, USA-based agency Morpace has appointed Helen Armstrong to lead its growing European Consumer and Retail business. More
Insight and brand strategy consultancy Flamingo has launched a new division dedicated to healthcare and pharmaceutical clients, and appointed former Hall and Partners exec Lee Gazey to lead it. More
YouGov has announced strong preliminary results for the year ended 31st July, with group revenue up 12% on a constant currency basis to £88.2m, and adjusted profit before tax up 46% to £13.3m. More
In New York, consumer insights firm Simmons Research has strengthened its leadership team, adding former comScore SVP Steven Millman as Chief Scientist, Alan Resneck as CFO and Pyeush Gurha as CTO. More
In New York, fashion trend analysis and forecasting specialist WGSN has launched a dedicated resource for trends across consumer insights, retail strategy, marketing, and innovation; supported by a global editorial team which will focus on building content and expertise for the product. More
Consumer data giant dunnhumby has moved around 800 staff into a new global HQ building in Shepherds Bush Road, Hammersmith, London. More
In the US, multi-screen analytics company 4C Insights has raised $26m in a Series C financing round, which it will use to expand both its product suite and the business globally. More
US media conglomerate Viacom has promoted Christian Kurz to the new global role of SVP, Global Consumer Insights, overseeing corporate and consumer research, with a focus on exploring new technologies and consumer behavior. More
UK television measurement body BARB has hired former Guardian News and Media Head of Research Rhiannon Griffiths as Head of Strategic Developments. More
Researcher and information provider The NPD Group has announced a partnership with real-time analytics pioneer Neustar MarketShare, combining NPD's data with Neustar's modeling, planning and resource allocation solutions. More
Purchase data and ad ROI analyst Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) has announced an agreement with Facebook, allowing CPG marketers to use its data to measure the in-store sales impact of their Facebook ads. More
In Australia, Nielsen Book General Manager Shaun Symonds has left the company after seventeen years, to seek 'new opportunities', and Julie Winters has been appointed to head up the Australia and New Zealand business. More
Shopper insight specialist Kantar Retail has partnered with eye tracking firm SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI), to create a virtual shopping experience that provides shopper data via a controlled environment. More
Nielsen has partnered with research and technology firm Vision Critical, promising clients the ability to extract additional value from their insight communities and better understand their customers. More
UK-based location intelligence specialist Purple has raised $7m in a round of funding, which it will use to recruit an additional 100 new staff in the UK, Spain, the US, Singapore and Australia, as well as at new international locations as they open. More
Montreal, Canada-based SweetIQ, a provider of retail measurement and marketing software, has acquired part of Californian direct-to-business local marketing firm Connectivity, in an all-cash transaction; and has opened a new office in Irvine, CA. More
After more than six months, comScore's investigation into 'certain accounting matters' has concluded that its last three years' financial statements 'should no longer be relied upon', due to the erroneous inclusion of non-monetary transactions which inflated revenue and other figures. More
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has sent the government its proposal for a regulatory framework for radio audience measurement, not dissimilar to that recently set up for television metrics. More
Northumberland, UK-based success story Dipsticks Research has rebranded, bringing together no fewer than seven group companies under the new umbrella brand of DRG. More
Technology and communities business MARU/VCR&C has launched a new Qualitative Insights arm, which will make use of a broad range of online technologies to probe deeper into consumer behavior. More
Nielsen has set out plans to introduce all-electronic measurement for local TV ratings across all 210 of the USA's designated market areas (DMAs) by mid-2017 - and to stop using paper-based TV diaries early the following year. More
In the UK, outdoor advertising audience research body Route has commissioned Ipsos Connect UK to undertake an expanded and renewed six-year research project, providing data to the outdoor industry until 2023. The new contract, funded by an injection of £20m, begins on 1st April 2017. More
Nielsen has partnered with i2C - the joint venture between Sainsbury's and Nectar card owner Aimia - to combine the latter's shopping data with Nielsen Marketing Cloud's consumer and media data, and provide brands with an omnichannel view of customers. More
Omnicom-owned ad agency BBDO has appointed former MEC digital analytics head Sharona Sankar-King for the newly created role of Head of Marketing Science, based in its New York office. More
Los Angeles-based consumer insights specialist Kelton Global has relocated its headquarters from Culver City to LA's tech hub Playa Vista, to accommodate expansion and the diversification of its services. More
WPP's data investment management division Kantar has re-branded its twelve operating businesses with a unifying prefix, for example 'Kantar TNS' and 'Kantar Millward Brown'. The exception is digital data collection specialist Lightspeed GMI, which now reverts to its original name Lightspeed. More
Consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo has promoted Sam Gomez to the role of London co-CEO, alongside current agency head Ednyfed Tappy. The firm has also hired former Kantar exec Robert Nagadowski as its first Group Chief Operating Officer. More
Oslo, Norway-based fieldwork group Norstat has opened an office in Paris, where it has appointed former Research Now MD Marc-Antoine Jacoud as Managing Director. More
In the US, retail sales, marketing and services company Acosta has appointed former Nielsen leader Steve Matthesen as President and CEO. He succeeds Robert Hill, who has become Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. More
Audience measurement firm comScore says it will request a hearing to discuss a return to compliance with NASDAQ requirements, after a notification from the exchange's Listing Qualifications Department that its shares will otherwise be suspended in a week's time. More
New York-based location intelligence firm xAd has announced a partnership with Chinese marketing data specialist AdMaster, to provide a measurement solution linking mobile campaign delivery to physical store visits. More
In the US, retail merchandising and marketing services provider SPAR Group has appointed R. Scott Popaditch as President and CEO, replacing Jill Blanchard who left last month. More
Colorado-based cannabis industry data and insight provider BDS Analytics has launched a consumer research division, dedicated to conducting studies to help better understand the range of people who buy and consume marijuana. More
YouGov has announced the opening of a new office in Chicago, as part of its continued expansion across the US. More
GfK's majority owner GfK Verein has dismissed a report published in German weekly magazine WirtschaftsWoche, which claimed the company may be considering putting itself up for sale. More
Indoor positioning solutions specialist sensewhere has received a £1.4m grant from Scottish Enterprise, which it will use to add staff and further develop its location software. More
GfK may be considering putting itself up for sale, alongside other options, according to reports in German weekly magazine, WirtschaftsWoche. More
Instant messaging service WhatsApp has announced it will share user information with its parent company Facebook, whose corporate advertising clients can use it to improve their ad targeting. More
Kantar's TNS Gallup team will continue to provide TV ratings for Norway for at least another seven years, after the firm won a competitive pitch against Ipsos. The new contract, running initially from 2018 to 2023, is billed by the partners as 'the most advanced hybrid model for TV and video measurement yet seen in the world'. More
Newly rebranded US agency AMC Global has appointed former MarketQuest Global CEO Mary Beth Lake as EVP, Corporate Strategy & Innovation, leading the product design and development practice. More
Software giant SAP has invested in Vivanda, which provides a context-sensitive personalization platform for the food and beverage industry based on a digitized 'food and flavor genome'. More
In-store shopper analytics firm RetailNext Inc. has continued its growth in the Asia-Pacific region with a partnership in Singapore; and announced further investment, also from a company headquartered in the island state. More
Ipsos has partnered with two centers at Yale University and senior insight figures in a number of top consumer companies to launch a new behavioral economics body, The YCCI-Ipsos Think Tank. More
WPP has reported Q2 revenue of £3.46bn, up 3.5% in like-for-like (LFL) terms. Net sales, the group's preferred measure, rose 4.3% on the same basis. As in previous quarters data investment management (DIM) lagged other divisions, with LFL revenue down -0.4% and net sales up 2.0%. More
Australia-based media monitoring and intelligence group Isentia has reported revenue up 22.6% to $AUD 155m, and EBITDA up 20% to $AUD 51m. Most of the revenue growth ($AUD 20.5m) came from its acquisition of King Content a year ago. More
Bluebell, PA-based MR and consulting firm Attitude Measurement Corporation is rebranding as AMC Global, reflecting its wider ambition. More
In the US, retail information firm the NPD Group is combining its luxury tracking services with its 'Softlines' unit, following the departure of luxury tracking President Fred Levin. More
In the UK, subscription-free satellite TV provider Freesat has launched a live audience measurement service, which shows viewer behaviour across channels and programmes gathered from more than 100,000 connected set-top boxes. More
Yieldbot, which enables publishers to monetise data based on the purchase intent of their visitors, has raised $35m in a Series C round of investment. The funds will be used to expand sales and marketing presence across the US, drive product growth, and explore acquisition opportunities. More
Emerging technology specialist Lux Research has appointed former Verisk Health CEO Mike Coyne as President and Chief Executive, based in its Boston headquarters. He succeeds Dennis Philbin, who has served in the role for more than eight years. More
Nielsen and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) have formed a partnership, to help retailers and manufacturers better understand the change driven by digital technologies within the food marketplace. More
Marcomms giant WPP has resumed its buying of comScore stock, with the purchase of a further 120,000 at c.$26 apiece last week. The measurement firm's share price has dropped by a third since January this year. More
App metrics firm Apteligent has integrated its product with the Leanplum mobile marketing platform, providing users with a combined solution for reducing app churn and retaining customers. More
GfK has announced that its results for the first six months of the year are 'below prior year's financials for the same reporting period', and warns it is no longer likely that group sales growth will outperform the market. More
Accommodation rental marketplace Airbnb has launched an innovation and design studio called Samara, tasked with developing new ideas and services to support its community. More
New York-based location intelligence firm PlaceIQ has enhanced its technology with the addition of location-based spending data from MasterCard's insights arm MasterCard Advisors. More
Mobile marketing platform Pulsate has closed a $1.5m round of funding from dunnhumby Ventures and PayPal, along with Enterprise Ireland and other private investors. The firm has also launched a suite of tools for mobile app engagement, analytics and location-based targeting. More
Stockholm-based eyetracking technology firm Tobii has reported first half 2016 sales of SEK 493m ($US 57.5m), up 11 percent at constant currency. Continuing high investment in the Tobii Tech division outweighed profits elsewhere to leave an operating loss of SEK -46m. More
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed former Kraft Foods insight exec Jen Acerra as Vice President, Global Brand Research and Insights, leading the group's global MR team. More
Brand identity and media relations firm PUBLIC NYC has spun off its PANIC Brand Metrics perception measurement solution into a separate consulting practice with the same name. More
In the UK, full service agency DJS Research has reported a 17% increase in annual turnover from £3.6m to £4.2m for 2015/16. More
Nielsen has reported a 2.4% increase in second quarter revenues to $1.596bn, with both its Buy and Watch businesses providing a 'solid performance'. On a constant currency basis, revenues were up 4.5%. More
Ipsos has reported first half 2016 revenue of EUR 833.6m, equivalent to 3 percent organic growth once currency effects are excluded. The result is an improvement after a flat 2015. More
Recently-acquired Repucom has rebranded as Nielsen Sports. Leaders and staff will remain in place, the firm says, working from the same location. More
UK online retailer Shop Direct has appointed has appointed McKinsey & Company junior partner Assi Gol to lead its customer intelligence teams. He replaces Dene Jones, who left the company earlier this year. More
Dubai-based management consultancy UAE Business Solutions (UBS) is launching a restaurant consultancy division, which will offer market research, feasibility studies, support, planning and strategy for new and existing eateries. More
comScore co-founder Magid Abraham has resigned as Executive Chairman of the Board, to focus on his new role as Executive Chairman of wearable technology developer APX Labs. He will remain on the comScore Board for the remainder of his term, which expires in 2018. More
YouGov has opened an office in Washington D.C., with a focus on custom, academic, public affairs and public opinion research. Amy Emmatty joins as Managing Director of the new operation. More
Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) CEO and President Gayle Fuguitt has decided not to renew her contract when it expires, but will continue to lead the organization until the end of October. More
In the UK, branding and retail design consultancy Portland Design has launched a standalone unit, offering consumer insights and trends for the retail, travel and leisure industries. More
Australian TV audience measurement (TAM) body OzTAM has extended Nielsen's contract to supply TAM services in the country's five mainland capital cities and nationally for subscription TV (STV); and is also increasing the number of homes in its TAM panels by 50 per cent. More
In the US, retail information firm The NPD Group has added data from consumer and media research specialist GfK MRI to its BrandLink tool, to help users predict the likelihood that a celebrity will resonate with fans of specific brands. More
A new marijuana market research and tracking firm called Cannabiz Consumer Group has launched in the US, where it has hired Kinesis Survey Technologies co-founder Leslie Townsend as Chief Executive Officer. More
Mystery shopping and performance improvement firm Grass Roots has teamed up with Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) specialist QuestBack to launch a packaged survey solution called Tune, to enable brands to listen to and act on customer feedback. More
WPP Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell, 71, and his wife Cristiana are expecting their first child together in November. More
US-based Amplero, which offers a predictive customer lifetime value (CLV) management platform, has closed an $8m Series A round of funding. The money will be used to boost presence in the telecoms sector and expand into gaming, banking and subscription software. More
US portfolio company Eagle Holdings has named Path to Purchase Institute founder Peter Hoyt President and CEO, following its recent acquisition of his former company and publishing firms Stagnito Business Information and Edgell Communications. More
Research Now has partnered with category management and shopper insight specialist Lucros Partners, and will sell its Shopper Intelligence platform in the US. More
Nielsen firm Brandbank has launched in the US, where it will provide CPG and retail clients with product and brand image content via digital means. More
Nielsen Book has announced that Sales Director Simon Skinner is to leave the business this week following structural changes in its Discovery & Commerce Solutions business. More
Shopper behaviour division Kantar Worldpanel has formed a global partnership with Facebook, integrating the latter's data on mobile ad exposure data with the former's Consumer Mix Model (CMM) service. More
The founders of wealth intelligence specialist Wealth-X are to step down in September 2016 from their roles as CEO and President. Chief Commercial Officer Marc Cohen and CFO Richard Green become Co-Presidents, while Prasanth Ramanand and Christine Noh join in senior roles. More
Professional services and consulting giant KPMG is to open an Innovation Lab in Sydney, Australia, and two clients Insight Centres in Sydney and Melbourne, starting in September this year. More
Magazine publisher Condé Nast has launched Spire, an ad targeting and optimisation solution powered by the data and insights platform of its sister company 1010data. More
Retail data giant IRI has extended its long-running partnership with natural, organic, and specialty products insight provider SPINS, to launch a new Shopper Intelligence solution for natural retailers. More
BrainJuicer has officially launched its 'System1 - Feel More: Buy More' creative agency, which taps the group's work in behavioural science and its belief that the emotional, instinctive 'System 1' brain trumps the rational, evaluative 'System 2' brain when consumers make brand choices. More
Ross Young, the founder of flat panel research specialist DisplaySearch, and former LG Philips Display exec Bob O'Brien have set up a new market research firm called Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) in Austin, Texas. More
In Minneapolis, WPP's GroupM has set up Team Arrow Partners, an agency combining analytics with creative media thinking and focused on servicing retailer Target. Jason Harrison moves across from Gain Theory to take the CEO role, while Nicole Pomerleau becomes Chief Client Officer. More
Research-based consultancy Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) has appointed Jack MacKenzie as Executive Vice President, leading its Global Media and Entertainment practice based in Los Angeles. More
In a trading update, WPP says its Data Investment Management division Kantar returned to like-for-like growth in April, after a flat first quarter. Net sales were up 5.8 percent at constant currency, or 0.3 percent like-for-like. For the Group as a whole, the comparable figure was 3.1 percent. More
Publishing group Time Inc. has appointed Leslie Dukker Doty as EVP, Consumer Marketing and Revenue, in charge of using consumer data and analytics to reach new customers. More
Behavioral data platform Amplitude Analytics has raised $15m in a Series B round of investment, which it will use for recruitment, further product development, and sales and marketing expansion. More
Australian brand and communications research agency Luma has opened a new office in Sydney, where it has appointed ad and brand researcher Kate Platter as Client Service Director. The firm has also expanded its team in Melbourne. More
In the US, Prosper Insights & Analytics has partnered with MacroSavvy to develop an index of consumer confidence and sentiment called the Spending Confidence Index, which integrates psychological and behavioral factors affecting spending. More
Global airline alliance SkyTeam has launched a customer feedback tool called the SkyPriority Audit App, through which passengers can rate their travel experience. More
In India, newspaper and magazine circulation measurement body the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has partnered with Nielsen to launch a solution for accredited digital measurement. More
Audience research agencies GeoPoll, Kantar Media and Cuende have launched a product called 'Pan-African OOH', providing a regular measure of out-of-home (OOH) media consumption across the continent. More
In New York, full service ad agency AKA has launched a research business called Show & Tell Broadway, using online surveys, in-person focus groups, and other tools to provide insights into how theatergoers interact with brands. More
UK agency Future Thinking has launched a new approach called Skin Deep, using the technique of galvanic skin response to gauge consumer emotions. More
In the UK, two veteran sports researchers have set up a new full service agency focused on the sector. Jack Murray was most recently Head of MR at Kantar Sport, while Michael Stone led research at Sports Marketing Surveys. More
Beacon technology and proximity data provider Unacast has raised $5m in a Series A round of financing, which will be used to grow the company globally. More
Australian industry body The Readership Works has added a media planning tool to its 'emma' cross-platform audience insights and readership survey, allowing planners to track the 'complete' readership of magazines over time. More
The new Chief Executive of British high street legend Marks & Spencer has promoted head of marketing Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne and halved the size of the company's operating committee as the retailer looks to speed up decision-making and put the customer 'at the heart of everything it does'. More
Predictive analytics specialist Intalytics and location intelligence firm Cuebiq have announced a partnership which will integrate large, proprietary mobile datasets into predictive analytics solutions to help retailers with marketing plans and decisions, including the location of new stores. More
According to German-language sports industry news site SPONSORS, Nielsen is planning to buy sports broadcast measurement specialist Repucom for more than $100m. More
GfK has achieved 'moderate' organic growth of 0.9% during the first quarter of the year. Currency effects meant the reported sales figure declined 0.6% to EUR 360.5m versus Q1 2015. The firm's Consumer Choices sector grew strongly while 'Consumer Experiences' revenue fell. More
Marketing software giant Adobe has added PlaceIQ's tools into its Audience Manager platform, to provide clients with access to location-based consumer audience data, measurement and analytics. More
Digital audience, brand and ad effectiveness analyst Effective Measure has expanded its coverage of the African media market into Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, where it says there are 129.9 million Internet users. More
US technology publisher TechTarget has promoted COO Mike Cotoia to the role of Chief Executive Officer, as the firm shifts its focus to providing clients with subscribers' purchase intent data. He replaces Greg Strakosch, who moves to the role of Executive Chairman. More
Research technology provider Interactive Video Productions (IVP) has unveiled a 'Neuro Omnibus for Video Testing', allowing researchers to put their video in front of an audience of consumers and track their subconscious response. The Omnibus is supported by HCD Research. More
Kantar Retail has transferred Cédric Guyot to the CEO role in its Virtual Reality unit, replacing Jeremy Cohen who moves into the role of CEO Kantar Retail Europe. More
There may be no timescale set, but WPP has confirmed that it is beginning to think about who may eventually replace CEO Sir Martin Sorrell, including internal and external candidates. More
Palo Alto, California-based promotion-testing specialist Eversight has raised $14.5m in funding, with which to scale up its cloud-based predictive analytics software. More
WPP has reported first quarter revenue of £3.076bn, up 5.1% in like-for-like terms. Net sales - its preferred measure - rose 3.2%. As in recent quarters however, insight division Kantar performed less well than other units, with like-for-like revenue and net sales figures flat (up 0.5% and down 0.1% respectively). More
Ipsos has announced organic growth of 3.7 percent for the first quarter of 2016, with revenue rising to EUR 386.9m, its best result for some time. The rise 'concerns all regions', with revenue up 4.6% in emerging economies and up 3.3% in developed markets. More
Nielsen has launched a new service, the Total Channel Solution, promising its clients the ability to 'unify' all their data sets - proprietary and third party, across multiple platforms - and get 'a full picture view of all factors affecting their business '. More
Customer data pioneer dunnhumby has bought a share of marketing management tech company Aptaris, three months after the firms announced they would integrate their software. More
eCommerce analytics company and new Nielsen partner Profitero has appointed Daniel King in the new role of President and COO. More
Dublin based agency RED C Research & Marketing Ltd has opened a UK office, in Soho, London. RED C Research UK Ltd is a joint venture between the agency and Richard Barton and Charlotte Butterworth, both of whom left MD roles at Future Thinking in February. More
Fast food leader McDonald's is in buoyant mood, pushing a growth agenda by 'applying forensic analytics across all aspects of the business', according to CEO Steve Easterbrook. More
US researcher Gongos has formed a strategic partnership with Minneapolis-based consumer trends specialist Panoramix Global. The firms aim to provide corporate clients with a holistic understanding of the forces shaping their business including cultural context, business environment and consumer insights. More
TV and online ad targeting specialist Videology has extended its relationship with Nielsen to include audience segments from the latter's eXelate subsidiary, allowing better cross-screen segmentation. More
News broadcaster CNBC has launched an in-house commercial agency called CNBC Catalyst, with a focus on delivering research and data to help brands shape their campaigns. To help drive this effort, the firm has hired media researcher David Evans as Head of Data and Insight. More
Mobile audience targeting platform Go2mobi has partnered with location-based ad targeting firm Placed, to provide insight into 'mobile moments' that drive engagement, foot traffic and in-store revenue. More
In the UK, WPP firms Millward Brown and Kantar Worldpanel have partnered to develop a new solution called Sales Insights, which allows clients to evaluate digital marketing campaigns simultaneously on two measures: brand uplift and actual sales. More
Nielsen has reported a 2.0% rise in first quarter revenue to $1,487m, equivalent to growth of 5.2% on a constant currency basis. Growth reflects what it describes as 'solid performance' in both its Buy and Watch businesses. More
The Media Rating Council (MRC) has accredited the Audience module in comScore's vCE 2.0 tool. Now, with both its Audience and its Validation modules accredited, the firm claims to be the first to offer an MRC-accredited viewable GRP for desktop display and video campaigns. More
In the US, the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement (TAB) is to be renamed Geopath, as part of its shift from out-of-home (OoH) ratings to audience location measurement. The new brand will go live on September 19th this year. More
Kantar Media has today announced a partnership with local audience data provider Eyeota. Beginning in the UK, the deal will give advertisers and media buyers access to pre-defined segments built from the research firm's TGI consumer and media study, for use in online ad targeting. More
Philadelphia-based b2b firm NAPCO Media has appointed a Director of Research, former Forrester analyst Nathan Safran, to lead a newly created market intelligence unit, NAPCO Research. More
London-based full service agency Basis Research has opened its first US office, in Los Angeles, led by former Hall & Partners exec Kate Hartzell. More
Nielsen and eCommerce analytics company Profitero have partnered to incorporate the latter's Digital Shelf 360 suite into the former's eCommerce offering, allowing FMCG manufacturers to correlate digital shelf analytics with actual sales data. More
Media services division Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has unveiled a new data-driven marketing agency network, Hearts & Science; and appointed Scott Hagedorn - formerly Chief Executive of its analytics division Annalect - as its CEO. More
UK-based research company Join the Dots has announced 2015 revenue of £7.75m, an annual increase of 27%. More
In the US, TapInfluence and Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) have announced they are working together to help CPG brands measure the in-store sales impact of their influencer marketing campaigns. More
In the US, online pregnancy and parenting resource BabyCenter, a division of Johnson & Johnson, has appointed Laurie Dewan as Vice President of Research, Insights and Data. More
US data collection and fieldwork services firm Opinions Ltd has opened a new facility at the Coral Square Mall in Miami, led by Matt Wilson. More
US-based DIY research company SurveyMonkey has launched a mobile app insights platform, providing app publishers with data on more than a thousand mobile apps ad well as the overall app economy. The launch follows the acquisition of app data start-up firm Renzu. More
Music industry web site Mediabase, which offers airplay charts and analysis, has announced a partnership with music recognition and content sharing app Shazam, and will offer weekly analysis of the latter's top songs in the US, Canada and Europe. More
Facebook has teamed up with Tesco's data business dunnhumby to tie ads on the social network in with off-line sales. More
Millward Brown has appointed former Warc CEO Louise Ainsworth as Chief Exec in the UK. She replaces UK MD Dale Beaton, who is transferring to the role of SVP Global Practice Lead. More
Four former Hall & Partners execs have launched a new London-based qualitative agency called Compton+Dean, focusing on brand and communications research. More
Nielsen has signed a multi-year agreement with cable and satellite television group DISH Network, to add the latter's aggregated set-top-box (STB) data to its National and Local TV ratings service. Nielsen says this is the first nationwide dataset to be calibrated with its panel. More
UK-based BrainJuicer is planning to commence a share buy-back, using existing cash resources to purchase up to one million of its ordinary shares. More
Online specialist InSites Consulting has reported a 20% increase in revenues so far in this fiscal year, and says it is anticipating revenues of EUR 23m - representing 30% organic growth - by the year end on 30th June. More
St Louis-based multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotech corporation Monsanto has appointed Nielsen CEO Mitch Barns to its Board of Directors. More
US full service agency Resolution Research has opened a new focus group facility in Denver, including facilities for one-on-one interviews, product tests and training. More
Israel-based customer insight and personalization software provider ciValue has closed a $2.4m seed round from a group of investors including Nielsen Innovate. The funding will be used to roll out a new self-service solution for grocery, health and beauty retailers. More
London-based brand consultancy Morar has named co-founder Roger Perowne as MD, and Julian Dailly as Head of Consulting. The firm has also hired former Redshift Research Director Jane Hall, and Paddy Sutton, founder of The Nautilus branding consultancy. More
Winchester-based Marketing Sciences Unlimited has opened a London office, at the HQ of parent company Creston, in Soho. More
Strategy and innovation agency The Sound has launched a dedicated content division called The Sound Media, which will harness the firm's anthropological and filmmaking expertise to produce documentaries and culture-focused content. More
In New York, predictive analytics start up Zodiac has secured a $3m seed funding round, which it will use to launch its solution forecasting individual customer lifetime value (CLV). More
GfK has partnered with local audience data specialist Eyeota, to make its regional purchasing power data available to advertisers in the UK and Europe, and help them tailor their online ads to specific income target groups by region. More
Microsoft has launched a service called Video Pulse, to help market researchers, political campaigners, brands and movie studios measure the recorded reactions of audiences and customers to ads, political campaigns or other digital content. More
UK-based online research agency YouGov plc has announced interim results for the six months ended 31st January 2016, showing revenue of £41.5m, up 13% at constant currencies, and adjusted profit before tax up by 42% to £5.0m. More
WPP is linking the panels and other data sources of its Kantar / DIM division with the expertise and planning tools of its GroupM media investment management division, to launch LIVE Panel. The new consumer and media insight solution will help advertisers develop and measure 'precise and targeted' media plans. More
UK-based BrainJuicer Group has announced 'modest' revenue growth of 3% (constant currency) in the calendar year 2015, to £25.18m. This is the second year of slower growth for the pioneering company, which nevertheless increased profits and cash at hand. More
comScore has announced a multi-year partnership with media giant Viacom, for cross-platform measurement - its first such since merging with Rentrak. Meanwhile the ratings company faces class actions over its handling of filing delays relating to an accounts enquiry. More
UK-based pharmaceutical and strategic marketing group Cello has announced a 7.4% fall in revenue to £157.3m for the calendar year 2015. However, profits and earnings per share rose and the Group says it has made a good start to 2016. More
Hollywood movie research veteran Richard Del Belso has died at the age of 76, after a year-long battle with lung cancer. More
Shopper insights specialist Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) and media giant Time Inc. have teamed up to launch a cross-platform ad measurement tool, tracking the quantifiable in-store sales impact of campaigns across print, digital and TV. More
The UK's 'professional research and evidence market' has grown massively in the last three and a half years to an annual turnover of £4.8bn - up 62% - and a workforce of 73,000 professionals, according to a report by PwC for the MRS. More
WPP Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell has received shares worth £60m, according to reports. With salary and annual bonuses the figure is 'likely to approach £70m'. The share award is triggered by the group's success in outperforming both its peers and the FTSE 100 over five years. More
Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger says his company has 'very limited access to the consumer' and doesn't have 'any idea of who went to see Star Wars in the movies'. Laudable honesty - and of course he is looking to change that - though of course the answer is 'practically everyone'. More
Indian TV audience rating body BARC (The Broadcasters Audience Research Council) has issued satellite TV firm Raj Television Network with a legal notice for allegedly bribing BARC panel home members, according to a report in the Times of India. More
In London, news publisher the Financial Times has appointed Sacha Bunatyan as Global B2C Marketing Director, responsible for expanding audience reach, reader engagement and paid-for readership numbers. More
US-based direct marketing and targeting giant Harte Hanks has acquired strategy, business analytics and operations consultancy Aleutian Consulting for an undisclosed sum. In addition, Harte Hanks has opened new offices in Denver, Colorado to accommodate both firms' teams in the city. More
In the US, neuroscience research specialist HCD Research has partnered with testing lab provider IVP to offer integrated sensory research and user experience (UX) services. More
Seattle-based customer intelligence specialist AreaMetrics has raised $2m in a seed round of funding, which it will use to expand the reach of its product, and add new staff to its executive team. More
Shares in audience measurement specialist comScore plunged 35% to $26.52 yesterday, after the firm disclosed that its Audit Committee has not finalized an ongoing review of 'certain potential accounting matters'. More
In the UK, retail and healthcare data giant IRI has partnered with retail media agency Capture, to enable supermarkets and brands to track the real-time effects of their in-store marketing material. More
WPP has reported total 2015 revenue up 5.3% on a like-for-like basis, with headline EBITDA of £2.002bn, up 7.7% at constant currency. Revenue in pounds was up 6.1% to £12.235 bn. The insight-focused 'data investment management' division (DIM) remained flat for the year, although slightly improved in Q4. More
UK-based 2CV has promoted Sabine Cronick to Head of Quant, and Nicola Godfrey to Head of Qual. More
Sagaci Research has opened an office in Luanda, Angola - its second base in Portuguese speaking Africa after the opening of the Maputo, Mozambique office in 2014. More
GfK is bringing its Consumer Choices and Consumer Experiences divisions closer together in North America, and has appointed Gary Cofer as Managing Director responsible for both sectors in the region. More
Outdoor ad company Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA) has launched a suite of research, data and analytics tools called RADAR, to help advertisers and agencies reach their target audiences and measure the impact of their Out-of-Home (OoH) campaigns. More
Millward Brown has partnered with on-demand online community specialist GutCheck to launch a qualitative tool called Pre-LinkNow, which offers a copy-testing framework to help marketers better understand ad performance. More
Nielsen has promoted Megan Clarken to the newly created role of President of Product Leadership, leading its Marketing Effectiveness practice and Watch media research products. More
In the US, pharma researcher Decision Resources Group (DRG) has acquired health plan data specialist Adaptive Software. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
In India, TV rating body BARC and Nielsen/Kantar joint venture TAM India have formally launched their meter management company, Meterology Data Pvt Ltd. (MDL). BARC will have full control with a 51 percent stake in MDL, while TAM India will own 49 percent. More
In the US, consumer technology-driven market research firm Touchstone Research has launched a new division called Touchstone VR, to provide MR services to the virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) industries. More
Nielsen has reported constant currency revenue rises of 5.6% for the fourth quarter of 2015 and 5.0% for the year as a whole. Reported revenue dipped 0.6% in Q4 to $1.624bn, and 1.8% for the full year to $6.172bn. More
Mystery shopping firm Jancyn has relocated to new office space in San Jose, California, as part of its ongoing growth and expansion plans. More
Brand insight agency BrandHook has open an office in Sydney and appointed Leading Edge co-founder Tim Biddlecombe as Head of Strategy. More
Incentive software platform 360incentives has changed its name to 360insights, and launched a new service called the Channel Success Platform. The firm recently announced it had secured $10m in funding to support development of its predictive analytics offering. More
Manchester-based agency Join the Dots has opened an office in Singapore, its first outside the UK. Karen Schofield, previously the company's Innovations Director, will head it up as MD, Singapore. More
Former P&G and Walmart exec Andy Murray is to join the latter's UK subsidiary Asda next week as its Chief Customer Officer, taking a seat on the executive board and replacing Barry Williams who is leaving the company. More
UK-based full service research agency Trinity McQueen has announced another year of double-digit growth, with turnover up 13 percent to £4.48m in the 12 months ending September 2015. The firm also has eight new recruits. More
Kantar has moved Adrian Gonzalez into a broader group role in charge of its Consumer Insights businesses - he was previously CEO of Millward Brown's Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific (AMAP) region. TNS APAC CEO Chris Riquier is among those leaving the business in the restructure. More
Canadian opinion polling and consumer research specialist Insights West has moved its Vancouver team from Gastown to Yaletown, in order to accommodate growth in headcount, while showcasing its full-service capabilities. More
In Australia, insights consultancy fiftyfive5 has expanded into retail strategy, category management and shopper insights, appointing Sue Temple as Director Shopper and Category, and Peter Firth as a Consultant. More
Consumer data giant IRI has allied with Yieldbot, which offers publishers a marketplace to monetise real-time data about the purchase intent of their visitors. The deal will help connect online campaigns to in-store sales, and analyse the relationship between the two. More
GfK returned to organic growth (up 1.1%) during the 2015 financial year, after a decline of 2.0% the previous year. Reported sales increased by 6.3% to EUR 1.54bn (from EUR 1.45bn). More
In New Zealand, the Radio Broadcasters Association (RBA) has commissioned GfK to provide official radio research services for the country. The contract sees New Zealand's commercial networks, public broadcaster and independent stations join the same radio ratings system for the first time. More
African agency Sagaci Research has expanded with the opening of three new offices, in Ivory Coast, Chad and Algeria. More
ThinkNow Research, which until now focused purely on the US Hispanic consumer segment, has expanded its coverage to include African-American and Asian demographics. More
Nielsen is expanding its Twitter TV Ratings to include Facebook conversations, and has renamed the service 'Social Content Ratings'. The firm says it also plans to integrate Instagram at a later date. More
UK-based consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo is opening its eight office next month, this time in Jakarta, Indonesia. The new operation will be headed by Adri Reksodipoetro, who was previously MD of the firm's APAC hub in Singapore. More
UK-based independent media company Dennis Publishing has appointed J.D. Power veteran Brian Walters as Director of Research and Insight, tasked with developing its Driver Power car ownership survey into a standalone brand. More
In Europe, Nielsen has launched a Customer Experience practice, building on its alliance with CEM software firm ResponseTek and centred around the Nielsen Listening Platform, a real-time customer feedback platform the two announced a year ago. More
In the US, location-based retail data specialist Euclid Analytics has closed a $20m Series C funding round, with which to continue its rapid growth. More
Nielsen has promoted Angela Talton to the role of Chief Diversity Officer, reporting to CEO Mitch Barns. She succeeds Dr D Sangeeta who moves into the new role of Global Client Operations Leader, overseeing all regional and client-related operations and deployment. More
App store analytics firm App Annie has closed a $63m funding round, which it will use to improve and expand its suite of products, and further scale global business operations to meet the needs of app publishers. More
In the US, customer experience analytics specialist Foresee has appointed former NetSuite exec Pete Daffern as Chief Executive Officer. He replaces Larry Freed, who left the company in 2014, following its acquisition by Q&A platform Answers.com. More
In Germany, Kantar-owned media research specialist TNS Infratest has moved former MD Dirk Steffen to the newly created position of Chief Digital Officer, and promoted company veteran Oliver Ecke to replace him. More
WPP agency MediaCom has set up a global partnership with emotional analytics specialist Realeyes, to incorporate emotion measurement technology into its content testing and media planning services. More
Mobile location data platform UberRetail has teamed up with geospatial business intelligence consultancy B.I. Spatial and US shopping center data source Directory of Major Malls (DMM), to analyze shopping centers and malls using mobile device GPS data. More
Canadian retail analytics software provider Askuity has closed a $2m Series A round of funding, led by existing investor dunnhumby Ventures. More
Nielsen has stopped using paper diaries to collect demographic data in 31 mid-size US TV markets, replacing them with its new 'Viewer Assignment' method and in consequence losing MRC accreditation for this part of the data. More
Customer data pioneer dunnhumby has announced a partnership with Aptaris, whose software manages and integrates clients' marketing and promotions management. Clients will gain new tools for scenario planning, forecasting and response measurement. More
Nielsen has appointed James A. Attwood, Jr. as non-executive Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective January 1st and succeeding David L. Calhoun. More
Online gaming giant Tencent has struck separate deals with WPP's GroupM and with Dentsu Aegis Network, giving access to data from the Chinese firm's huge customer base of c.860m active monthly users. More
Nielsen has partnered with alcohol industry analytics specialist BARTRENDr to launch a real-time mobile insights tool called Nielsen Bar Moments, which will analyse conversations taking place among alcohol consumers at bars and social gatherings in real-time. More
Millward Brown and comScore have teamed up to connect validated ad viewing with changes in consumer behaviour, helping brands assess the performance of their digital advertising. The service will cover 'all markets outside the US, Canada and Taiwan'. More
In Thailand, the Media Research Development Association has awarded Kantar Media a five-year contract to deliver the official multi-platform TV ratings for the country. The tender process also included GfK and Video Research. More
In New York, Nielsen is promoting Steve Hasker to the position of Global President and Chief Operating Officer from January 1st. He takes over the COO role from Brian West, who announced his resignation last month. More
Information services giant Experian has sold two high profile consumer insights businesses, Hitwise and Simmons, to Symphony Technology Group for $US 47m plus up to $5m in earnout. More
US consumer data giant IRI has partnered with location intelligence firm PlaceIQ to provide marketers with insights into shopping journeys, and to examine how information about off-line purchases can be used to target advertising. More
Publicis-owned digital intelligence network VivaKi China has partnered with web sites China Unicom, BabyTree and Alibaba, to access their data and provide an audience profiling / targeting service. More
Just weeks after Nielsen's entertainment research subsidiary NRG was acquired by Mark Penn's investment company Stagwell, former PSB leader Jon Penn has been named as NRG's new Chief Executive. More
London-based agency IFF Research has announced eight appointments and says it is gearing up for more recruitment in the New Year, to meet 'ambitious growth plans for 2016'. More
In the UK, the Market Research Society (MRS) has published its Annual League Table, with data drawn from 86 eligible organisations generating a combined turnover of more than £2.7 billion. The figure represents overall year-on-year growth of 4%. More
US-based app intelligence company AppDynamics has secured $158m in growth financing, which it will use to fuel platform and sales expansion. More
Full service agency Morpace and influencer marketing specialist Keller Fay Group have partnered to offer word of mouth (WOM) advocacy and influencer research and consulting services to clients in the automotive sector. More
Technology firm Tobii is claiming a world first with the launch of a large-scale survey panel providing continuous online attention data from eye trackers. The data will come from 1,000 homes representing the Swedish population. More
Manchester, UK-based research agency Join the Dots has taken on eight new graduates, the third wave of its annual Graduate Development Programme. It has also hired former TBWA exec Hollie Clark, who will design creative strategies for global brands. More
New York-based mobile ad targeting specialist 4INFO has partnered with WPP's Kantar Shopcom to enable SKU-level targeting for retailers across more than fifteen categories. More
US-based SIS International Research has launched a new practice called SIS Big Data Solutions, complementing its traditional research methods by applying big data across all industry segments. More
Ad measurement firm iSpot.tv, and attribution specialist TVSquared have jointly launched a solution which they say will enable brands to understand the impact of TV advertising on sales, within hours of a commercial airing. More
Cincinnati-based restaurant industry consumer analytics specialist Zipscene has received an undisclosed amount of growth funding from Fifth Third Bancorp. More
Online marketplace eBay is beefing up its predictive targeting offer in the UK with new tools and segments to help advertisers personalise their promotions. Segments cover Christmas shopping behaviour and different phases of parenthood. More
Madison, Wisconsin-based Networked Insights is partnering with Twitter to provide new levels of insight and analytics based on the latter's recently launched Audience API. More
Brand and comms researcher Hall & Partners has hired three staff for its mobile-focused division, Tempo, running since February and formally launched just last month. Simon Walker joins as 'Director of Crowds' and Kimberly Webb as Director, while Gedas Tamutis takes the role of 'Project Engager'. More
UK-based InsightBee, a service which gives access to the desk and primary research skills of a network of consultants via an online interface, has announced a partnership with independent consultant network MBA & Company. More
GfK has appointed former Disney and MTV exec Laura E. Wendt as EVP, Media for both its Consumer Experiences and Consumer Choices divisions in North America. More
GfK has reported 0.7% organic growth for the third quarter, with sales in Euros up 4% to EUR 371.4m. For the first nine months of the year, the group saw sales rise 6.0% to EUR 1.118bn - up just 0.4% in organic terms. More
US-based full service agency Market Probe has appointed former Maritz Research CEO Michael Brereton as a Senior Consultant, to advise the firm on new CEM products and technology platforms and participate in business development activities. More
US agencies Mystery Researchers, Insula Research and Beyond Hello have merged under the new name SeeLevel HX. More
Czech Republic ratings body the Association of TV Organisations (ATO) has chosen Kantar Media and comScore to deliver a cross-platform measurement pilot of TV and video content. More
UK-based research / business intelligence firm Future Thinking has streamlined its company structure with a simplified offer. More
Focusing in on its role as an all-round audience measurement firm, comScore is selling its BI service Digital Analytix to Adobe; entering a strategic partnership with streaming service Spotify; and launching a household media measure called the 'Total Home Panel'. More
WPP division Mindshare is rolling out its Shop+ real-time retail data unit globally. The unit works with a range of methods from beacons in physical stores to real-time response technologies used by online retailers. More
comScore has reported third quarter results for 2015, with revenue up 13% to $92.4m vs Q3 2014, and a slightly larger rise in the profit measure adjusted EBITDA, which rose 16% to $23.4m. More
Product research and sensory testing company Contract Testing Inc. (CTI) is moving to a new location in Grand Rapids, Michigan. More
Multi-screen audience measurement specialist Rentrak has reported a 30% rise in second quarter revenue to $32.8m. The result was driven by a 53% increase for the TV Everywhere product line, up from $13.3m to $20.4m in the prior year period. More
STW Group-owned brand development and insight consultancy Added Value has promoted Dennis Wong to the position of Managing Director, Australia, replacing James Pike who has moved to sister agency Bohemia. More
In a London museum, cultural and semiotic insight specialist Space Doctors has launched an installation called Choco-Phonica, consisting of a series of booths which explore consumers' relationship with chocolate through sound and taste. More
Chief Operating Officer Brian J. West has resigned from Nielsen, effective at the end of the year when his responsibilities 'will be divided among existing company executives'. More
McGraw Hill Financial is considering selling its US-based auto research specialist JD Power and Associates for up to $1 billion, according to an exclusive report published by Reuters. More
Australian firm Local Measure, which provides customer intelligence for the tourism sector, has expanded to the US with an office in Miami. The new office will help local hotels, malls, airlines and attractions extract customer insights from publicly shared social media posts. More
Technology consulting specialist Forrester Research has reported a 3% increase in Research revenue to $52.2m for the third quarter, compared with $50.6m in Q3 2014. However, on a constant currency basis, Research revenue rose 7%. More
In-store marketing analytics provider NOMi has been awarded a patent for the tracking and analysis technologies available in its Brickstream LIVE sensor device. More
In the US, shopping center operator Westfield Corporation has appointed Raghav Lal as its first Chief Data and Analytics Officer, responsible for overseeing a newly formed Big Data and Analytics division. More
WPP has reported like-for-like revenue up 4.6% for Q3 2015. The insight division, known as 'Data Investment Management', was among those 'improving versus the second quarter' but once again was the only one to report a slight decline in revenue. More
Nielsen and GfK have announced a partnership for future co-operation within the book sector, with the aim of helping clients identify multinational trends and giving them more detail on market developments. More
Digital TV and DVR pioneer TiVo has announced that its TiVo Research audience measurement division will provide free TV ratings from the first quarter of 2016, in order to 'celebrate' comScore's forthcoming acquisition of Rentrak. More
Nielsen has reported a 5.0% constant currency increase in third quarter revenue to $1.53bn on a basis, and adjusted EBITDA up 6.9% to $479m on the same basis. More
Ipsos has reported a 3.7% increase in revenue to EUR 428m for the period from July to September, but at constant scope and exchange rates this equates to a fall of 2.2%. The decline cancels out a small real-terms rise in the first half of the year. More
Online store analytics specialist Clavis Insight has received a $20m growth equity investment, part of which will help expand its sales and customer support efforts in the US, Europe and China. The firm has also appointed Jeremy Radcliffe as its UK General Manager. More
Tesco data firm dunnhumby has renamed its price modeling and customer insight firm KSS Retail 'dunnhumby Price and Promotion'. More
Business intelligence solutions firm Prosper Insights & Analytics has formed a strategic alliance with Hong Kong-based Fung Business Intelligence Centre (FBIC), to provide insights and analysis on retail and technology trends among US and Chinese consumers. More
Italian TV audience measurement body Auditel has suspended publication of viewing figures after the identities of families on its panel were accidentally disclosed, reportedly as a result of human error in a mail sent by supplier company Nielsen. More
The hearing of Kantar Market Research Services' appeal against Indian government guidelines effectively banning its TAM joint venture with Nielsen has been postponed yet again, this time to February 9th 2016. More
San Francisco-based Quri, which provides retail intelligence based on reports from mystery shoppers, has raised $17m in a Series C round of funding. Plans for the money include expansion into markets in seven other major US cities. More
In India, Nielsen / Kantar joint venture TAM Media Research and WPP agency IMRB International have jointly launched a cross-media consumption data service called TeleWeb Audience Measurement, covering TV and online platforms. More
In the US, retail and healthcare data giant IRI has tagged a million of Research Now's consumer panelists using its 'propensity-to-purchase' ProScores models, enhancing its ability to select consumers and shoppers based on their predicted purchase behaviour. More
Three founders of US full service agency Dialogue have renamed the company Alter Agents, and launched a CPG research platform called Shopper STAT. The fourth partner, Patrick O'Neal, will continue to deliver qual research and strategic planning under the Dialogue company name. More
In the US, Teradata Marketing Applications, a division of big data analytics platform Teradata, has partnered with micro-location tech firm Localz to provide iBeacon tools delivering personalized content direct to an individual's mobile device. More
London-based brand and comms research specialist Hall & Partners has formally launched a mobile-focused division called Tempo, which uses technology to gather 'in the moment' feedback in the form of data, pictures, video and stories. More
YouGov has reported a 13 percent revenue rise - including organic growth of 11% - in preliminary results for the year ended 31st July. The year saw strong growth in new markets France and Asia Pacific; and a higher proportion of revenue from favoured product lines. More
Luxury department store Harrods is investing in audience measurement technology, to help understand which customer types are watching its in-store advertising screens. More
In the UK, Research Now co-founder Andrew Cooper and the firm's former Chairman Geoff Westmore have led a $1.5m investment in mobile video MR specialist Voxpopme. More
UK supermarket Tesco has decided to abandon the sale of its customer data business dunnhumby, after its price tag dropped from an initial £2bn to around £700m. More
Broadcast and entertainment giant Viacom has appointed Julian Zilberbrand as EVP of Audience Science, effective two weeks from today. More
Consumer information specialist The NPD Group has combined two of its units - the Video businesses within its Entertainment practice, and its Connected Intelligence division - and created a distinct new practice area for its BrandLink product, led by VP Barbara Zack. More
UK commercial radio association Radiocenter has launched a new tool called Brand Music Navigator, to help advertisers and agencies optimize their use of music to strengthen brands. More
Los Angeles-based media and entertainment company AwesomenessTV has launched a new firm called Wildness, offering research and strategy services for brands engaging with youth culture. More
In India, TV rating body BARC has commissioned Nielsen to conduct what it is describing as the country's largest universe estimation study on television ownership and viewing habits. More
GfK has announced it now has all the assets needed to fully evaluate ads across media - including at a brand impact level. This involves the actual measurement of individual exposure to ads, as well as attribution of those exposures across multiple devices and different ecosystems. More
UK supermarket Tesco is reportedly close to giving up on the sale of its customer data business dunnhumby, which has seen bidders withdraw and its potential price plummet in recent weeks. Instead it is said to be discussing the sale of its businesses in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. More
In New York, Ipsos Marketing has appointed Nagisa Manabe in the new role of Global President of the Path to Purchase & Shopper service line. More
In London, shopper analytics specialist Walkbase has partnered with Samsung to provide in-store analytics to retailers who use the electronics giant's digital screens. More
According to reports in the press, WPP is the last remaining bidder for Tesco's data business dunnhumby. More
US-based business information and analysis specialist Neustar has partnered with Kantar Shopcom, to help marketers measure the impact of their off-line and online marketing initiatives. More
In the US, grocery giant The Kroger Co. has added to the responsibilities of its CIO Chris Hjelm, naming him EVP and putting him in overall charge of its recently launched data division, 84.51 degrees. More
Cubic Corporation company Urban Insights has teamed up with financial giant MasterCard for a new travel data platform promising to help planners and developers develop 'smarter, more inclusive cities'. More
Colorado-based cannabis industry data and insight provider BDS Analytics has officially launched with a $1.5m round of investment funding. More
YouGov-owned sports and sponsorship specialist SMG Insight has appointed Richard Brinkman as Director of Strategy and Growth in the UK; Tracy Schoenadel as Senior Vice President, North America; and Joseph Eapen as Senior Vice President, India. More
Latin American media measurement specialist IBOPE Media is to be rebranded in the region as Kantar IBOPE Media, following the WPP division's recent investment. More
US-based Civicom Marketing Research Services has opened an office in London, to support client qual research needs across the UK and EU. More
UK-based full service agency Tpoll has been re-named MindMover, and has announced the appointment of Laura Lake as Managing Director. More
In the US, audience measurement specialist Rentrak has partnered with retail and healthcare data giant IRI, to expand the delivery of TV insights data. More
European auto industry information provider Deutsche Automobil Treuhand (DAT) has partnered with GfK to create a range of new products for car dealerships, manufacturers, importers and end consumers. The pair will also develop joint services covering the entire life cycle of a vehicle. More
US-based direct marketing and targeting giant Harte Hanks has appointed Karen Puckett as its President and Chief Executive Officer, replacing former Synovate CEO Robert Philpott who left in July to 'pursue other interests'. More
As part of a senior reshuffle, UK retailer John Lewis has promoted its Head of Marketing Craig Inglis to the role of Customer Director, with a seat on the Board. He retains responsibility for marketing and customer insight. More
In the UK, two major brands have underlined their focus on customer experience - British Airways with an appointment and Morrisons via an announcement by the CEO; while a third, publisher Trinity Mirror, has raised eyebrows with a new analytics-led business approach. More
GfK has partnered with the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA) to launch a new reporting currency for the country's travel industry, based on forward booking info supplied by participating VISTA members. More
Japanese research and online panel provider GMO Research, Inc. has agreed a strategic capital and business alliance with Chinese ad network Ignite Vision Holdings, making its China Cloud Panel 'the number one panel in China in terms of reach'. More
Swedish-based affluent sample Provider Red Carpet Research now has a presence in Switzerland, following the appointment of former OnePoint and Annik exec Gary Stocks. More
US-based mobile campaign attribution analytics and optimization firm Kochava has opened an office in Seoul, South Korea. More
A number of firms previously hoping to buy Tesco data firm dunnhumby have pulled out of the race amidst fears about future funding, according to a report broadcast on Sky News. More
Nielsen and multicultural consumer MR specialist Culturati have partnered to launch a new segmentation model, to help clients market to the Hispanic demographic in-store and elsewhere. More
The Publishers Audience Measurement Company (PAMCo) - the replacement for the UK's NRS - has appointed Ipsos MORI to provide the published media industry's new audience measurement service; and has named Aviva Group Brand Director Jan Gooding as its new Chair. More
UK-based business intelligence specialist Future Thinking has appointed Dan Young as Research Director and Head of its Quantum Lab in London. More
In the US, the AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) has set up a full-service marketing agency called Influent50, to help brands communicate and market products and services directly to those aged 50 and over. More
Retail and healthcare data giant IRI has partnered with workforce management specialist Gigwalk to provide retail intelligence to CPG brands. More
Brand and comms research specialist Hall & Partners has announced the opening of an office in Dubai, led by Managing Director Ziad Skaff, who previously served as Regional Executive Director of Research and Insights at sister company Omnicom Media Group MENA. More
Tesco customer data business dunnhumby has set up a joint venture with Chinese supermarket chain China Resources Vanguard (CRV), through which the latter will provide the former with data from its shoppers and twenty million loyalty card users. More
TV audience rating body BARC India has confirmed that it has partnered with Nielsen/Kantar joint venture TAM India, to form a new meter management company. According to a statement issued by BARC, ratings data produced by the new firm will be the sole trading currency for the country. More
In the US, retail and healthcare data giant IRI has launched a point-of-sale (POS) tracking service for the 'on-premise' marketplace, which includes outlets where food and drink are consumed such as bars and restaurants. More
WPP has reported that revenue in its Data Investment Management (DIM) arm fell slightly (0.3%) to £1.173bn during the first half of the year, from £1.176bn in last year's first six months; while DIM headline profit before tax rose 11.7% to £100.6m from £88.1m a year earlier. More
Brand tracking researcher Nepa UK has partnered with qualitative social media intelligence specialist Bakamo Social, promising their shared clients a holistic understanding of consumer behaviour. More
Media research company 'other lines of enquiry' has consolidated its TV broadcast, radio and press research offerings under one umbrella brand, reflecting the converging of media platforms as well as company growth. Former Ipsos AD Sara Rice joins the newly merged team as Senior Manager. More
In India, retail big data specialist IntelligenceNODE has raised $4m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand to the US and hire more engineers / data scientists to build out its platform. More
In the US, audience measurement specialist Rentrak has partnered with advance ticketing firm MovieTickets.com to produce a suite of marketing, planning and ROI measurement tools for the movie and TV industries. More
In New York, WPP's brand, media and comms researcher Millward Brown has hired former Kantar IT EVP Matt Glace as Global Chief Information Officer, and a member of its global Board. More
UK-based marcoms group Chime has announced revenues down 7% to £184.5m, with profit before tax slumping from £9.57m in H1 2014 to just £1.41m. Much of the drop hinged however on difficult comparatives and the effect of cyclical sporting events, and the insight division CIE was solid. More
'Tis only a rumour at this stage, but an Indian online publication suggests that long-time rating agency and Nielsen / Kantar joint venture TAM Media Research is talking to new audience body BARC about a 'merger' - which considering their previous relations would be some turnaround. More
Middle Eastern insights provider 4SiGHT has appointed Steve Hamilton-Clark as a non-executive Advisor. Hamilton-Clark has spent the last 21 years working for TNS and predecessor companies in MENA, most recently in a long spell as TNS CEO. More
GfK has reported organic growth of just 0.3% in the first half of 2015. Reported sales climbed 7.1% to EUR 747.2m, but almost all this increase resulted from the weak Euro. Adjusted operating income rose 3.7% to EUR 71.2m, and CEO Matthias Hartmann sales should pick up in the second half. More
Lower than expected earnings and difficulties financing a deal are pushing down the potential price of Tesco customer data business dunnhumby to around £700m, according to reports. Earlier rumours had talked the price up to around £2bn, and a large number of potential bidders have been involved. More
Multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has reported a 23% rise in fiscal 2016 first quarter revenue to $27.5m ($22.3m in the prior year period), driven by a 49% revenue increase in its TV Everywhere division. More
London-based consumer agency Firefish has expanded to South East Asia with the opening of a Singapore office. The venture will be led by former ABN Impact Director Angela Cross, while company Board Director Bob Cook becomes Regional MD to help kick-start the business. More
In the UK, retail and healthcare data giant IRI has appointed Stephen Lampard as Head of Convenience and Stuart Byron as Head of Impulse for its recently launched Convenience Market Place initiative. More
In the US, data collection and fieldwork services firm Opinions Ltd has opened a new facility in the Northeast Mall in Hurst, Texas - its 28th mall-based facility to date. More
Nielsen has reported second quarter revenues of $1,559m, down 2.2% in dollars but up 4.8% on a constant currency basis, compared with the second quarter of 2014. More
GlobalRoam's subsidiary GNum Pte Ltd has acquired a 'significant minority stake' in aSpecial, which was set up by three former execs of Singapore Press Holdings and is backed by a number of prominent local entrepreneurs and angel investors. More
Twitter has announced the launch of a service allowing clients to target advertising at audiences for particular events, as they happen. More
Ipsos has reported half-year revenues up 10.2% in Euros to EUR 832.9m. Given that the Euro has lost around 20% of its value against the dollar and 10% against the pound in the last 12 months, this equates to a real-terms decline of -0.4%. Profit measures showed a slight improvement. More
Alibaba Group and Unilever China have announced a comprehensive strategic partnership giving the global consumer goods giant access to Alibaba's data-driven ecosystem to target customers across China. More
Potential buyers for Tesco's consumer data company dunnhumby will have to negotiate a new contract with the supermarket group within five years, according to reports from Sky News. More than half dunnhumby's current revenue comes from the deal with its parent. More
Around a dozen middle-ranking execs have been laid off in the Los Angeles office of Nielsen's movie tracking division NRG this week, according to unconfirmed reports. More
In the US, entertainment giant NBCUniversal has promoted Ari Perler to the newly created role of SVP, Research & Strategy in its Television & New Media Distribution, U.S. & Canada unit. More
US fieldwork services firm Opinions Ltd has opened an additional mall-based data collection facility in Seattle, and appointed Dorothy Thomas to manage it. More
The Nielsen Company has appointed Eric Dale, formerly a Partner at Robinson & Cole LLP, as its new Chief Legal Officer, effective August 1st. More
US-based marketing and communications specialist HCD Research has struck an agreement with sensory research specialist SENSANALYSIS, to co-develop and market products and services integrating neuroscience methods and qualitative 'multi-sensorial' research tools. More
Media pioneer TiVo Inc. has appointed former Crossbeam Media President and erinMedia co-founder Frank Foster to lead its TiVo Research and Analytics subsidiary. More
Fresh from a big investment last month, Mumbai, India-based analytics and research company Hansa Customer Equity (Hansa Cequity) is to set up a customer marketing institute offering training in data science, technology, digital and campaign management. More
Senior insight exec Ronita Mitra is leaving Vodafone India after two years, reports indicate. Her next destination is currently unknown. More
Former Synovate CEO Robert Philpott has left his most recent role as Chief Executive Officer of direct marketing and targeting giant Harte Hanks, in order to 'pursue other interests'. The firm expects to incur a pre-tax severance charge of around $2.0m to $2.5m. More
Nielsen has partnered with atVenu, a tool that helps musicians track and report sales via mobile and online while on tour. The deal will enable artists to report their venue sales through Nielsen's music reporting tools. More
Japanese research and online panel provider GMO Research has partnered with lifestyle and brand-focused loyalty card provider BCARD, adding more than three million Malaysian consumers to its platform. More
Travel industry technology firm Amadeus has launched a suite of intelligence tools giving travel agents worldwide access to data and insights for business growth and strategic decision-making. More
In the US, home shopping channel QVC has hired P&G veteran Sanjay Singh as Senior Vice President, in charge of its newly formed Business Planning & Analysis (BP&A) division. He will be based at the firm's headquarters at West Chester, PA. More
Shopper targeting specialist Valassis and point-of-sale analytics provider Retail Solutions Inc. (RSi) have announced a partnership to help retailers and consumer goods manufacturers reach and attract local consumers. More
Retail and healthcare data giant IRI has partnered with e-mail analytics specialist Return Path, to offer FMCG clients insights from eCommerce receipt and transaction data. More
US-based retail tracking provider The NPD Group has appointed John Bremer as Senior Vice President, Research Science, to lead the team that designs, maintains and enhances its methodologies. More
UK-based RS Consulting, part of the Cello Group, has rebranded as Bright Blue. The new brand unites and replaces the four separate identities which have until now made up the RS Group - Consensus Research, Leapfrog, mruk and RS Consulting. More
US-based fashion trend analysis and forecasting specialist WGSN has formed a joint venture with industry association the China Textile Information Center (CTIC), in order to further develop its business across the Chinese market. More
According to reports in the press, dunnhumby founders Edwina Dunn and Clive Humby are 'considering involvement' in a bid to buy back the company from Tesco. More
London-based research and planning agency ruby cha cha UK has been renamed kubi kalloo; and has moved into new offices in Shoreditch. More
Google is exploring the possibility of a joint bid for Tesco loyalty data firm dunnhumby, partnered by UK-based investment firm Permira, reports Sky News. More
Kenya-based marketing services firm Scangroup Limited has prefixed its name with WPP, reflecting its majority ownership by the group, and signifying the 'shared vision and values' of the two firms. More
Technology veteran James Powell is to join Nielsen as Global Chief Technology Officer, from July 6th, from Thomson Reuters where he is EVP and CTO. More
Mark Pejic, the CEO of Australia's second largest media agency MediaCom has left after four years leading the WPP firm, which was recently embroiled in a controversy over faked campaign reports for three major clients. The departure adds to a number of key roles already vacant at the company. More
Wealth-X, which provides intelligence and insight on the 'ultra-wealthy', has completed the integration of Mayfair, London-based wealth intelligence specialist Ledbury Research, which will now be known as Wealth-X Custom Research. More
In the US, mobile data tools provider SessionM and MR firm Phoenix Marketing International (PMI) have announced a partnership giving access to a 'mobile-first' panel of more than twelve million consumers. More
In the UK John Browett, a former Tesco executive who also ran high street retailer Dixons, is in talks with private equity firm Apax Partners over a potential bid for dunnhumby, according to Sky News. Separately, the Sunday Times says US equity company Hellman & Friedman are also interested. More
Nielsen has announced a further secondary share offering by its Valcon holding company, aiming to raise in the region of $400m. More
The American Marketing Association has teamed up with research body CASRO to produce this year's AMA Gold Top 50 report, ranking US research suppliers. The report suggests total US research revenue for 192 surveyed firms grew in real terms by 1.6% in 2014. Four companies grew revenue by more than 40 percent. More
Marcoms group Creston has reported a 5% increase in annual revenue for its Communications & Insight businesses, to £56.2m. However, headline profits before interest fell slightly to £8.1m from £8.3m last year, due in part to the weakening Euro. More
Digital ad management company Sizmek has partnered with retail data specialist Retailigence, to enable brands to incorporate real-time and off-line shopping data into ads on all screens, and ultimately drive in-store foot traffic at brick-and-mortar retail locations. More
Tesco's price tag for analytics pioneer dunnhumby may be reduced from around £2bn to something like half that following the dissolution of the firm's JV with US supermarket chain Kroger a month ago, reports Sky News. More
In San Francisco, web analytics platform Jumpshot has received $22m in Series A funding from Avast Software. Funds will be used to scale its operations and extend its two core offerings, the Jumpshot Plus web platform and Jumpshot Strategic Analytics. More
FEPE, the worldwide association of outdoor advertising companies, has partnered with a consortium of firms to develop what it claims will be the first standardised industry approach to measuring digital out-of-home (OOH) audiences. More
WPP has promoted Tamara Ingram to the new position of Chief Client Officer, overseeing more than 50 client teams and all the marcoms giant's global accounts. More
Marcoms network MDC Partners and its digital strategy agency Doner have launched a specialist multicultural business called Cultura United Agency, offering full-service ad and PR expertise driven by insights across Hispanic, African American and Asian audiences. More
German beer manufacturer Astra Bierre is using facial recognition technology embedded in an outdoor digital advertising board, to target potential female beer drinkers. More
In New York, the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB) has been replaced by the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB), with a remit to spearhead research to quantify the 'selling power' of TV content. More
In Australia, real-time marketing tech firm Signal has announced a partnership with beacon technology provider iProximity, promising marketers the ability to connect customer journeys across channels, target promotions accordingly, and even alert sales staff to the arrival in-store of a hot prospect. More
WPP has acquired a majority stake in London-based and data-driven sports marketing agency Two Circles Ltd, and will immediately incorporate it into ESP, a new global agency within GroupM serving rightsholders from the worlds of sports and entertainment. More
Roy Morgan has announced an exclusive partnership with location technology provider AdNear, allowing the research firm's Helix Personas segments to be targeted on over 11 million mobile devices across Australia and New Zealand. More
In the US, data-driven CRM agency Merkle has announced a strategic partnership with booming audience measurement specialist Rentrak, combining the former's consumer segmentation expertise with the latter's 'massive and passive' viewing data. More
In London, mobile app quality specialist Perfecto Mobile has launched the Mobile Test Coverage Index, a benchmarking service to help app developers and marketers test their products on the most appropriate devices and systems. More
US cinema ad network National CineMedia has changed its name to NCM and launched two new audience-targeting tools, Cinema Audience Targeting Optimizer (CATO) and Cinema Accelerator. More
In the US, data collection and fieldwork services firm Opinions Ltd has hired Iris Blaine as Executive Director, while Kelly Parsons and Janet Kennedy join in the role of Client Services Manager. The firm has also opened its 26th mall-based data collection facility - this time in the Annapolis Mall in Washington DC. More
GfK has reported first quarter sales of EUR 362.5m, an 8.2% rise of which 6.8% is the result of currency effects, and just 1.3% is organic growth. However, operating income and margins were up. More
In the US, sports entertainment media firm ESPN has announced plans for closer integration of its marketing, data, research and sales functions; and accordingly has added consumer marketing and research responsibility to the role of sales and marketing leader Ed Erhardt. More
Fashion, beauty and lifestyle media specialist Fashion Insight has acquired the Fashion4Media and Beauty4Media databases from their parent company News4Media, for an undisclosed sum. More
Ipsos has appointed Millward Brown Vermeer founding partner Oscar Yuan as President of its insights-based brand and marketing advisory unit Strategy3. More
In the US, The Walt Disney Company has promoted Leslie Ferraro to the position of Director of its Consumer Products division. More
Technology specialist Gartner has reported a 5% increase in first quarter revenue to $471.2m, with the profit measure normalized EBITDA falling 5% to $80.7m. Separately, the Board has authorized $1.2bn for share repurchase. More
Research-led media group Light Reading has launched its first region-specific research service, focusing on Africa and the Middle East (AME). More
In Silicon Valley, USA, location-based marketing company Kiana Analytics has secured more than $1 million in venture capital financing. More
Sticky, which uses web-cam based eye tracking technology to measure ad effectiveness, has raised $5m in Series A funding. The latest investment will be used to expand the firm's sales and technology teams, and enhance its products for the digital and advertising marketplace. More
Online fashion retailer Zalando has opened a 'Fashion Insights Centre' in Dublin's Silicon Docks, and plans to recruit up to 200 new staff for it over the next three years, including specialists in big data, data science and engineering. More
Tech specialist Forrester Research has reported first quarter revenue up to $75.2m from $73.1m in Q1 2014. Revenues from the Research division were up 2% to $51.9m from $50.8m, while Advisory Services and Events revenues rose 5% to $23.3m from $22.2m a year earlier. More
UK-based companies Creston Group and Future Foundation have partnered to combine the former's market research and neuroscience services from its ICM Unlimited, Marketing Sciences Unlimited, and Walnut Unlimited companies, with the latter's consumer trends and insight offer. More
In London and Hong Kong, two branding veterans have set up a new company called WeAreFearless, using consumer neuroscience to help clients understand brand partnerships, experiences and storytelling. More
In Cincinatti, staff from dunnhumbyUSA, the joint venture between retail analytics pioneer dunnhumby and grocery giant The Kroger Co., are being moved into a new agency. To be known as 84.51°, this will be wholly owned by Kroger, will use dunnhumby's tools under licence, and will employ around 500 people. More
Manchester, UK-based mobile research tech firm RealityMine is expanding its syndicated TouchPoints and passive measurement business to 20 new markets worldwide; simultaneously securing rights to the TouchPoints name and the services of the co-founders of USA TouchPoints. More
Nielsen has announced the sale of another 20-23m of its shares with another underwritten secondary offering. Shares were trading last week above $46 - a considerable rise since the last offer, in December. More
Nielsen has teamed up with Chinese eCommerce company Alibaba to launch a solution called 'New Offer Advisor', to help online retailers analyse their eCommerce performance, identify areas of market potential, and drive product innovation. More
WPP has reported like-for-like first quarter revenue growth across all its business sectors except for the Data Investment Management (DIM) division, where revenue fell 1.4% to £558m from £566m in the prior year period. More
Ipsos has reported 0.8% organic growth in revenue for the first quarter of 2015 - though measured in Euros revenue was up 10.6% to EUR 379.6m. More
Retail and healthcare data giant IRI has partnered with digital research specialist comScore and audience analysis firm Rentrak to launch a solution linking cross-media advertising to actual shopping behavior. More
Nielsen has reported a 2.1% drop in first quarter 2015 revenue to $1.46 billion, caused by the impact of foreign exchange - at constant currency, revenue was up 4.4%. Profits rose 8.6% to $63m from $58m in Q1 2014. More
In the US, location-centric ad platform Verve Mobile has appointed former Axciom exec Nada Stirratt as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Tom MacIsaac who has left after five years with the business. More
US-based HCD Research has launched a video game research division, combining neuroscience tools and traditional research methods to probe consumers' subconscious and cognitive response to video game concepts; andh as hired game development exec Josh Drescher to lead it. More
US consultancy Guidance is launching a Retail Strategy Solutions practice and has named eCommerce veteran Brian Beck to lead it. More
Research and technology firm Instantly is to build a research panel focused on South Asian audiences in the UK, on behalf of ethnic audience research specialist Quant Edge Ltd and known as Multi Cultural Britain Think. More
US publisher Progressive Business Media, which owns eight titles in the home furniture, furnishings and gift markets, has launched a new research division. The unit, Progressive Market Research, will be headed by Director of Research Dana French. More
The European Commission has awarded EUR 3.6m to Imperial College London and emotion measurement specialist Realeyes, to develop their technology. More
Music streaming service Spotify has launched a targeting service that will deliver ads based on consumers' apparent moods, and their demographics. More
Nielsen Book has announced a partnership with Chinese retail tracking service Openbook. The deal promises clients in the English language book markets in the US and UK a better understanding of the market in China, and vice versa. More
In India, former Toluna execs Sandeep Chibber and Ashish Mathur have launched a new company called SampTech Consulting Services, to help retailers and corporate clients understand how individuals behave when choosing a product and what influences those decisions. More
IBM is to invest $3 billion over the next four years to establish an Internet of Things (IoT) unit, which will capitalize on the company's expertise in gathering, combining and making sense of real-time data gathered from a variety of sources. More
In the US, Sony Pictures has appointed former Nielsen NRG exec John Restall as Executive Vice President of Domestic Market Research, overseeing research for US theatres. More
Retail data giant IRI has appointed former Hovis category exec Tim Dummer as UK Head of Grocery and Health & Beauty. More
London-based mobile ad tracking and app analytics start-up InstallTracker has raised $1m in seed funding, with which to launch its product, expand its team of developers, and open a 24/7 support division. More
Nielsen has announced a strategic alliance with RetailNext, which provides in-store analytics for bricks-and-mortar retailers. Nielsen becomes RetailNext's preferred channel for its service, which uses cameras and mobile tech to track shopper activities. More
UK-based agency SPA Future Thinking has dropped the first part of its name, as it prepares for 'aggressive' expansion. More
UK-based research group RS Consulting has announced seven promotions, including Lorena Arrospide, Rhiannon Jones and Danielle Rodgerson who all move from Senior Research Consultant to Research Manager. More
Software and services provider NeoGrid has partnered with Nielsen to launch two new products for the Latin American supply chain market. More
Today we're launching a new recruitment site, 1potato, dedicated to opportunities for data and analytics professionals. Many readers and users of MrWeb / DRNO have been asking for something like it for years, and with the big data / data science boom, the time should be ripe. More
In the US, point-of-sale data giant Catalina has promoted Dak Liyanearachchi to the role of Chief Data Officer, overseeing its Insights and Analytics division and the use of its database of shopper purchase history for behavioral insight. More
Manchester, UK-based agency Join the Dots has reported a 25% rise in annual revenue to £6.1m, driven by both existing clients and a number of new community contracts. More
Tokyo-based online specialist Macromill has opened a new office in Singapore, where it has appointed former Millward Brown exec Rob Valsler as Managing Director in charge of the Southeast Asian team. More
UK-based online research firm YouGov has announced interim results for the six months ended 31st January, with revenue up 11% year-on-year to £36.2m - up 10% in organic terms - and adjusted profit before tax up from £3.0m to £3.5m. More
Location-based marketing specialist xAd has announced four senior hires: former Twitter exec Paul Gelb; former Facebook Director Lissette Fernandez; Reagan Nunnally, previously of Google; and James Davies, currently Chief Strategy Officer at outdoor ad firm Posterscope. More
UK-based online specialist BrainJuicer has decided to close its office in Italy, which has made a 'significant' loss. The group as a whole published its formal results yesterday, confirming it had grown revenue just 1% in 2014, to £24.65m. More
UK-based health and consumer marketing group Cello has reported a 9.9% rise in 2014 headline operating profit before tax to £81.0m, on revenues up 6.4% to £169.9m. The group has also appointed a new COO. More
Japanese-based online specialist Macromill has appointed IBM veteran Kuniko Ogawa as Chief Technology Officer and former General Electric exec Teruaki Kido as Chief Financial Officer. More
China-based brand consultancy Labbrand is expanding into Europe with the launch of an office in Paris. More
Ask Afrika CEO and founder Andrea Rademeyer has moved back to South Africa, and will reportedly add the responsibilities of Chairman Ken McArthur to her remit as he retires after just ten months in the role. Meanwhile the company is launching a new benchmark survey focused on consumers in the country's townships. More
Research and technology provider Instantly has announced partnerships with location-based mobile advertising specialist xAd and Vistar Media, which it says will expand its Ad Effectiveness offering. More
Reports say WPP has now made a bid for a majority stake in retail data powerhouse dunnhumby, with current owner Tesco apparently keen to retain a minority share. Separately, the media giant's CEO Sir Martin Sorrell is said to be 'in line for a £36m bonus'. More
Omnicom-owned brand and comms research specialist Hall & Partners is moving its global headquarters across the Thames to Bankside, making room for further growth. More
App store analytics firm App Annie is to open an office in Singapore, which will act as the centre of its operations across India and South East Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. More
In the US, mobile research and retail data collection specialist Field Agent has raised $2m in a funding round, which it will use for expansion and new product development. More
TNS has promoted Andy Turton to the position of Head of Automotive for the Americas, based in Los Angeles. More
WPP has announced preliminary results for 2014 including like-for-like revenue up 8.2%, like-for-like net sales up 3.3%, and good profits - EBITDA grew 7.5% at constant currency. However like-for-like revenue in the firm's insight or 'Data Investment Management' division (DIM) was up just 0.6%. More
In the US, Kantar Shopcom has teamed up with retail data giant IRI to create a portfolio of solutions for all-outlet, multi-channel media planning, targeting and measurement, based on a traceable view of more than 95% of total US consumer packaged goods spending. More
UK-based BDRC Group has reported a 17.8% increase in turnover to £24.5m for the twelve months ended 30th September 2014, compared with £20.8m the previous year. Gross profits climbed 19.4%. More
Berlin-based zeotap, a technology company that helps mobile network operators make use of their data assets, has launched a US office and hired former Sprint exec Serge Bushman to lead it. More
GfK has partnered with travel intelligence specialist ForwardKeys, to offer clients a more 'holistic' view of the travel supply chain. More
Targeting technology company RTB House has opened an office in Moscow, where it has appointed former Gemius exec Anton Melekhov as Country Manager. More
Recently rebranded research technology company Instantly has teamed up with mobile location-based platform Vistar Media, to measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns across out-of-home (OoH) media. More
Oxfordshire-based consumer insight and sensory specialist MMR Research Worldwide (MMR) has opened a new office in Mumbai, India and another in Durban, South Africa. More
Nielsen has announced a further sale of shares - around $360m worth of its common stock - in a secondary offering. More
Nielsen is planning to move its legal domicile from the Netherlands to the UK in the third quarter of the year, in a bid to attract a broader group of investors from around the world. This change is not expected to significantly alter the firm's worldwide corporate tax rate. More
Japanese research and online panel provider GMO Research (GMOR) has teamed up with emerging markets specialist Borderless Access to add the latter's panellists to the former's Asia Cloud Panel, which now reaches more than fourteen million consumers across the APAC region. More
Ipsos has brought together its brand communication, advertising and media businesses under a new division called Ipsos Connect, which has replaced legacy brands Ipsos ASI and Ipsos MediaCT. More
Ipsos has reported a 2.2% increase in fourth quarter revenue to EUR 500.7m - a rise it describes as a 'timid return to growth' reflecting more favourable foreign exchange trends - and 'slight' organic growth of 0.8%. More
Toy manufacturer Mattel has created a new Internet-connected Barbie doll, which listens and responds to children who talk to her via Wi-Fi and voice-recognition technology, records resulting conversations, and sends data to a team of researchers to be analyzed. More
Retail and healthcare data giant Information Resources Inc. has formed an alliance with MR and management consulting firm Kline & Company, to serve consumer healthcare clients including over-the-counter (OTC) drug companies. More
Cardlytics - whose technology tracks consumers' buying and rewards individuals according to their purchase behaviour - has moved its corporate headquarters to midtown Atlanta, following a recent $70m round of investment financing. More
Consumer insights specialist Revmetrix has secured $2.2m in seed funding, which it will use to launch its omnichannel data platform for retailers. More
In London, Basis Research has appointed Dr Sarah Jenkins, formerly Head of Qualitative in Ipsos MORI's MediaCT division, as a Senior Director to lead and develop its media, content and technology offer. More
YouGov has confirmed former Chief Strategy Officer Alex McIntosh as its new UK CEO, replacing Tim Britton. More
US research consultancy RDA Group has announced 2014 revenue of $23.8 million, up 14% year-on-year and up 60% over the last five years. More
LA-based research technology company Instantly (formerly uSamp) has opened an office in central Manhattan, New York City, adding to its existing US location in Los Angeles. More
Nielsen has reported Q4 revenue up 1.4% to $1.6 billion. Excluding the impact of the Arbitron and Harris Interactive acquisitions, the increase was just 0.1%. However the firm notes that this was its 34th consecutive quarter of revenue growth. More
In Chicago, Ipsos Loyalty has opened a Customer Experience practice, and transferred John Carroll to head it up. More
Roy Morgan Research has partnered with big data insights specialist Qrious to offer clients an in-depth understanding of the trends, needs and wants of New Zealanders, and the communities in which they live. More
In Boulder, Colorado, former ABI Research leader and Pike Research founder Clint Wheelock has launched a new MR and consulting company called Tractica, which focuses on the understanding of human interaction with technology. More
LA-based research technology company Instantly (formerly known as uSamp) has introduced a new crowd-sourced insights tool called Product Watch, which alerts brands about newly launched consumer products and tracks their performance across key metrics nationwide. More
In Australia, behavioural insights firm Beyond Analysis has appointed ad agency veteran Jeff Sanders as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Neil Boulton who is leaving the company this month. More
In the US, advertising research specialist Ameritest has opened a Brand Consulting division, to help clients define what their brands stand for. More
In Singapore, Nielsen is investing an initial sum of $SG 14m over the next five years in the launch of an 'Asia Innovation Centre', to encourage the development of new research and measurement techniques for organisations operating across the continent. More
In the UK, Sainsbury's veteran Kirstin Knight has joined Kantar Worldpanel, to manage the Grocery Retail division. More
In the US, location analytics firm Birdzi has partnered with ProLogic Retail Services to allow retailers to deliver personalized offers to shoppers at the checkout. More
GfK has reported a 2.9% drop in annual sales to EUR 1.451 billion from EUR 1.495 billion the previous year. Currency effects accounted for a 0.9% reduction: in organic terms, sales were down by 2.1%. More
Fashion retailer Gap has appointed company veteran Scott Key as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Customer Experience, in charge of the newly combined eCommerce and Marketing teams. More
Consumer product and media intelligence provider Mintel has opened an office in Munich, Germany. The new location will be led by Frank Weibelzahl, who has returned to the company after a stint at concept testing and forecasting software specialist Affinova. More
Former Infotools MD Ian Murray and Conquest Research Director Catherine Heaney have launched a new agency called house51, which will offer brand, communications and social research through a network of senior consultants. More
Retired Unilever exec Harish Manwani has been elected as a member of the Board of Directors of Nielsen, N.V. Manwani, who joined Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in 1976, rose to the position of COO, which he held until last month. More
Sports marketing research group Repucom has commenced a restructure of its business operations in Europe, including the departure by mutual consent of President Europe Marcel Cordes. Meanwhile Alexandre Callay has joined as Global Director Media Research and Content. More
The year 2015 is starting with marketers in buoyant mood, according to the Global Marketing Index (GMI) compiled by WARC sister company World Economics. Individual ratings for trading conditions, marketing budgets and staffing levels all showed positive movement. More
Analytic Partners has teamed up with social media consultancy Converseon and word of mouth (WoM) research firm Keller Fay Group to launch a new solution called Integrated Social Exploration Modeling (ISEM), combining on- and off-line data and marketing mix modeling to assess the value of WoM. More
British Airways has restructured its marketing team, according to reports, giving the new role of Head of Customer - including research and insight, customer service transformation, innovation and brand proposition - to former Head of Marketing Abigail Comber. More
UK-based health and consumer marketing group Cello has reported 'strong trading' in an update for the year to 31st December 2014. The Health division reports double digit revenue growth and a strong business pipeline for 2015, while growth in the Signal consumer division is slower. More
Personalized shopping recommendation specialist RichRelevance has promoted Eduardo Sanchez to Chief Executive Officer, replacing founder David Selinger who will continue to serve on the Board of Directors. Meanwhile Bill Pearce has been elected Executive Chairman of the Board. More
YouGov UK CEO Tim Britton has left the company after seven years, to pursue 'the next stage of his career'. He is replaced on an interim basis by Chief Strategy Officer Alex McIntosh. More
Film and television measurement specialist Rentrak has partnered with Kantar's data integration, analytics and insights division Kantar Shopcom, to integrate retail purchase data with TV viewing information. More
Retail tracking specialist The NPD Group has expanded Michel Maury's role as Group President for Europe, to include management of its Asia Pacific operations; meanwhile former Ipsos exec Philippe Cabin Saint Marcel joins as General Manager of Commercial Activities for Europe. More
In Edinburgh, flight search engine and travel comparison specialist Skyscanner has appointed Adam Drake as its first Chief Data Officer, in charge of a newly created Data Science team. More
Supermarket giant Tesco has confirmed it has appointed investment bank Goldman Sachs to explore options for its data analytics business dunnhumby - language which usually indicates a forthcoming sale. More
US-based marketing and communications specialist HCD Research is introducing its integrated cognitive and applied neuroscience market research services across China. More
Virgin Media has appointed former Unilever and British Airways marketer Kerris Bright as Chief Marketing Officer, with an expanded remit that includes data, insight and analytics. She will join the company on 19th January. More
Marketing services conglomerate Havas has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to develop targeting based on individuals' musical taste. More
New York City MR firms UniversalSurvey and SurveyHealthCare have completed an equity and debt funding round, for use in developing their current platforms and for planned M&A activity. More
UK high street fashion chain Monsoon Accessorize is combining shoppers' online and in-store purchasing history to offer personalised offers to them in-store. More
In the US, digital data marketer Peter Brooke has set up a new firm called Travel Tech Strategies, to help clients in the sector mine their existing big data to uncover trends in customer behavior, demographics and social media relationships. More
American film and TV production company Alcon Entertainment has hired National Research Group co-founder Catherine Paura, and her sister Angela, as co-presidents of Worldwide Marketing. More
US retailer Target Corporation is creating a 'center of excellence' to strengthen its data, analytics and business intelligence capabilities. The initiative will be led by Paritosh Desai in the new role of Senior Vice President, Enterprise Data, Analytics and Business Intelligence. More
In the US, location analytics firm PlaceIQ has partnered with media agency Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) to develop a platform called SMG MAPS, which uses consumer behavior insights for media planning, activation and measurement. More
In the US, trade association the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has agreed to sell its VantagePoint retail POS data-reporting platform to research company the SportsOneSource Group (SOS). More
Nielsen has announced the forthcoming sale of 20m shares of its common stock, priced recently at $43.77 per share. More
In the UK, Tesco has promoted Robin Terrell to the position of Head of Customer, replacing Jill Easterbrook who is transferring to head the retailer's Business Transformation programme from 1st January. More
UK-based mobile video MR specialist VoxPopMe has expanded to Singapore with the appointment of Robert Fry as Managing Director, Asia Pacific. The firm has also launched an app for iPhone, with an Android version available early in 2015. More
Ipsos has announced that its Co-President Jean-Marc Lech died this morning in Paris, after suffering from a 'serious health issue' since the summer. More
In Turkey, full service agency Barem and retail panel specialist OPR Research have signed an agreement to provide mutual clients with a combined range of 'new generation' information services. Separately, OPR exec Ali Levent Orhun will join Barem in January as CEO. More
Trade association The British Marine Federation (BMF) has appointed Alastair Wilson to head its Statistics and Market Research service. More
Buses in Norwich, UK, are piloting a new initiative using beacon technology to deliver location-based messages from retailers to passengers' smart devices. More
In the UK, River Research co-founder and Partner Julian Kenway has left the company after six years to join SPA Future Thinking as its new Commercial Director, leading business development across all areas of the company. More
MMR Research Worldwide (MMR) has launched a new Sensory Science Centre in Singapore, with a panel of thirteen sensory assessors led by newly appointed Sensory Director Antonella Scarabelli. More
Business information and events group Informa has agreed to buy US trade show operator Hanley Wood Exhibitions for £237m; and is consequently considering 'alternatives' for its Consumer Information and Forecasting businesses. More
Former Nielsen Indonesia MD Catherine Eddy is to join GfK in January as Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand. She takes over the role from Gary Lamb and Juergen Merz, who are moving to new positions within the group. More
Oslo-based Schibsted Media Group has hired former Google and Twitter exec Adam Kinney as Head of Data Science, tasked with creating insights and data-driven products for the group's companies and brands. More
UK radio and television audience measurement veteran Tony Twyman died last Friday, 31st October, at the age of 82. More
US start-up agency Mizzouri has hired Procter & Gamble veteran Kim Dedeker as Principal and Chief Research Officer. More
Millward Brown has expanded its team in Indonesia with eight appointments, including former Diageo exec Chris Thomas as Director of strategic consulting arm Millward Brown Vermeer. More
US retail data specialist Retailigence has partnered with mobile engagement firm Gimbal, to combine information about in-store product availability with shopper data gathered from beacon technology. More
In the US, Cardlytics - whose technology tracks consumers' buying and rewards them according to their individual purchase behaviour - is looking to expand with the help of a $70m funding round. More
In London, Kantar Media has appointed Alex Kuhnel as Chief Operating Officer of its TGI global online / off-line consumer behaviour and media consumption study. More
WPP-owned media agency Mindshare has partnered with beacon technology firm Footmarks to improve how retail consumers are targeted on their mobile devices across Southeast Asia. More
Nielsen has reported third quarter revenue of $1.57 bn, a 13.3% increase year-on-year but reduced to 2.5% once the effects of acquiring Harris and Arbitron are removed. Similarly, profits fell nearly 30% - to $91m - but adjusted EBITDA was up 19.8% to $477m. More
In Boston, Dave Balter is said to be leaving his role as Global Head of Investments at Tesco-owned data company dunnhumby, to become CEO of jobseeker skills testing service Smarterer - a company he co-founded. More
Ipsos has reported third quarter revenue of EUR 412.7m, representing marginal organic growth (0.2%) year-on-year. The decline in reported figures slowed to 1.4%. More
Mobile demand-side platform Adelphic has announced a partnership with Seattle-based location-based ad targeting firm Placed. More
In the UK, marketing budgets were revised up for the eighth consecutive quarter, reflecting continued confidence in the business outlook, according to the Q3 2014 Bellwether report from ad association the IPA. More
London-based brand communications agency PrettyGreen has launched a sister company, Pretty Black&White, combining research, planning and creative functions. More
Amsterdam-based games market specialist Newzoo has opened its first international office, in Shanghai, China; and announced the launch of new research covering six SE Asian countries. More
Online research specialist YouGov has reported preliminary results for the year ended 31st July 2014, with revenue up 10% in constant currency terms, to £67.4m, and adjusted profit before tax rising 12%. More
GfK MRI has teamed up with modeling and analytics provider Santiago Solutions Group to launch a health and wellness-based segmentation and solution, SSG Wellness Spectrum. More
Enterprise data and analytics firm Acxiom has announced a European-wide partnership with global media network Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG), sharing data and assisting entry into new geographical markets. More
Film and television measurement specialist Rentrak is to acquire the US TV measurement business of WPP's Kantar Media for $98m in Rentrak common stock. WPP will then spend a further $56m to bring its overall share of the US-based firm to 16.7%. The deal gives WPP's GroupM agencies full access to Rentrak audience data. More
In the US, survey and panel management software specialist Kinesis Survey Technologies has announced a new technology partnership with mobile panel firm Paradigm Sample. More
Tokyo-based Research Panel Asia (RPA) has launched an East Coast US office in Avenue of the Americas, New York - its seventh office worldwide. More
Sky News has reported that venture capital firm TPG has approached Tesco with a c.£2bn bid to buy its data gathering and analysis subsidiary dunnhumby, the firm behind the Clubcard loyalty scheme. More
Consumer insight and anti-fraud specialist Transactis has set up a 'fraud and loss prevention coalition' known as TRADE, through which retailers can share their transactional and consumer insight data in a bid to spot potential fraudsters. More
Israeli analytics firm Appsee has secured a $2m Series A round of funding, which it will use to develop further iOS features, launch an Android version, and pursue additional R&D. More
British retailer Argos has appointed Ian Dobson as Head of Customer and Market Insight, based at its head office in Milton Keynes. More
WPP-owned brand development and insight consultancy Added Value has appointed Lynne Gordon as Managing Director, based in its office in Johannesburg. More
Business information and events group Informa has announced that Kenneth Bohlin is to retire from his role as President & CEO of Informa Financial Information (IFI) and Informa USA at the end of the year. More
Palo Alto, California-based online shopping data app Slice has launched an analytics business, Slice Intelligence, which makes use of a panel of more than 2 million online shoppers. More
In the UK, automotive intelligence specialist EurotaxGlass's Group has appointed Informa veteran Lindsey Roberts as Chief Executive Officer. She will take up her new role on 22nd October. More
US-based consumer and retail tracking provider The NPD Group has launched a new wearables advisory service, led by Eddie Hold, Vice President of the firm's Connected Intelligence division. More
German product, pricing and marketing strategy specialist Simon-Kucher is opening an office in Barcelona. More
In the US, the Board of the Media Rating Council has voted to remove accreditation for Simmons Research's National Consumer Study (NCS), following an independent audit which uncovered 'declines in service performance metrics'. More
Insight and marketing services group Cello has had what it describes as 'an excellent half year', with revenue up 9.4% to £78.3m, and a 14.8% rise in gross profits to £39.5m. More
MRSS India has partnered with computer vision technology developer SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) to integrate the latter's eye tracking solutions with its full service offer. More
In New York, Nielsen has hired former Accenture exec Benjamin Hayes as Chief Privacy Officer, overseeing its global privacy program. More
Location-based ad targeting specialist xAd has raised $50m through a combination of equity and debt financing led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). While the firm says it has no immediate plans for the money, it confirms it is currently evaluating 'strategic acquisitions'. More
Australian national airline Qantas has spun off a data marketing business, Red Planet, which will analyse data from the company's 10.1m Frequent Flyer loyalty program members and other sources, to offer targeted advertising and research to third party clients. More
SKO, the industry body responsible for the reporting and monitoring of viewing behaviour in the Netherlands, has extended GfK's television audience measurement (TAM) contract by a further two years to 2017. More
Chicago-based 3-D virtual store research specialist InContext Solutions has opened an office in the UK, led by Alki Manias, with the title of Group Vice President Europe, Shopper & Retail Solutions. More
Tel Aviv-based algorithmic pricing and business intelligence platform Feedvisor has raised $6m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to further develop its service. More
Recently formed strategic consultancy Millward Brown Vermeer has launched in Australia, and appointed Caspar Wright as Managing Partner there. More
In Texas, former Bank of America exec Tim Mahaffey has set up a brand strategy firm called Retail Passage, offering a platform for product developers and inventors to assess a product's retail potential. More
Kantar has partnered with US non-profit agency disABILITYincites to create what is described as the country's largest panel of consumers with disabilities. More
In Sydney, Australia, former Ipsos execs Peter Fairbrother and Veronica Mayne have launched an insights consultancy called Faster Horses, which will cover both the east and west coasts of Australia, while also reaching clients in the Asia Pacific region. More
In Chicago, web based 3-D virtual store research specialist InContext Solutions has received $12m in Series D funding, which it will use to fuel its expansion plans. More
WPP's data investment management division (DIM) has reported Q2 net sales of £436m and revenue of £611m, the latter up 2.6% in like-for-like terms but well below the overall group growth of 10.2%. More
In the UK, former Mindshare CEO Jed Glanvill has been brought in by newspaper industry body Newsworks, to chair an advisory group compiling a brief for a 'future-proof' cross-platform measurement system and approving the appointment of research providers. More
Canadian data mining and predictive analytics firm Vantage Analytics has raised $1.1m in its first funding round, which it will use to further develop its offer, and to support its current recruitment drive. More
Retail analytics giant dunnhumbyUSA says it will make the move to its new corporate headquarters in downtown Cincinnati in the first quarter of 2015. More
In the US, customer retention specialist Windsor Circle has raised $5.25m in a Series B round of financing, which it will use to extend its technology, launch into new verticals, and expand both its team and marketing efforts. More
Shopper insights specialists Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) is combining its data on what consumers watch and buy, with set-top-box (STB) data from FourthWall Media, in order to extend its single-source panel for CPG marketers. More
Nielsen has promoted John Lewis to the role of Global President, in charge of its worldwide business in the FMCG vertical. Company veteran Karen Fichuk replaces him as President, North America. More
Retail analytics giant dunnhumby has acquired a 50% stake in consumer behaviour modelling firm Sandtable, and will create a joint venture through which to develop new ways of predicting and understanding consumer behaviour. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
In the US, customer experience management (CEM) software firm Medallia, which last week partnered with TNS, has received $50m in funding from its existing sole institutional investor, Sequoia Capital. More
In New York, Mediamorph as appointed Rob Gardos as its new CEO. Mike Sid, co-founder of the firm, which provides cross-platform media and entertainment data management and analytics, will take the role of Chief Strategy Officer, focusing on corporate and product strategy. More
In New York, consumer brand analysis specialist L2 has appointed former Millward Brown President Scott Ernst as Chief Executive Officer. More
Online research specialist YouGov has promoted Sundip Chahal to the newly created role of Group Chief Operating Officer. More
GfK has reported a 1.6% organic decline in sales for the first half of 2014, to EUR 697.9m, magnified to 4.2% by currency effects - but says that it is now seeing the positive effects of the 'strategic realignment' plan it has been pursuing. More
Hollywood-based entertainment research start-up C4 has completed the acquisition of the assets of Motion Picture Group (MPG), which was shut down in controversial circumstances in June. C4 says it now has 20 staff and will grow to 45 in the next couple of months. More
South African service business FoneWorx has bought a 35% share in consumer and industrial research specialist BMi Research, as it looks to strengthen its customer consulting business unit Knowledge 350 degrees. More
Resurgent UK firm Nunwood has reported 23 percent growth in first half sales to £5.3m, from a disappointing £4.3m in H1 2013. A list of big client wins has been matched by a £1m investment in its Fizz: Experience Management reporting technology and £330,000 in its Customer Experience Excellence Centre. More
Two announcements from Ipsos: the Loyalty division has a new syndicated study providing benchmark data on consumers' views across 23 sectors in 30 countries; while Canada's Ipsos Reid will work with the country's Sporting Goods Association (CSGA) to track trends in equipment, clothing and participation. More
Manchester, UK-based research agency Join the Dots has reported revenue growth of 16% in the first half of the year, compared with H1 2013. More
German-based consulting firm Simon-Kucher & Partners has reported first half revenue growth of 14 percent to EUR 82.5m, and says it made 80 new hires, raising its headcount to 720. More
In Cold Spring, KY, USA, former Procter and Gamble exec Sarah Faulkner has launched her own consultancy providing insight-driven innovation and brand building services for consumer goods and services companies. More
Sony Music Entertainment has launched a survey called the 'Music India Segmentation Study', to help artists, marketers and brands understand the music consumption habits of consumers. More
San Jose, CA-based in-store big data analytics specialist RetailNext has completed a $30m round of financing, which it will use to expand operations in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and other, emerging markets. More
Nielsen has reported a 15% increase in second quarter 2014 revenue to $1.59bn - excluding acquisitions the figure was still a very respectable 4.4%. Q2 profit fell to $76m from $426m due to fees for re-financing long-term debt, but Adjusted EBITDA was up 16.2% to $460m. More
Slovakian TV audience measurement steering committee PMT has renewed its contract with Kantar Media for the provision of audience measurement services. Kantar-owned TNS will manage the service until 2021. More
In the US, shopper insight specialist Nielsen Catalina is planning to hire new sales people, analysts and consultants at its Vine Street headquarters in Cincinnati. More
Pharma research giant IMS Health has reported a 6.1% increase in second quarter revenue to $662m. However, due to a number of one-off charges and expenses the firm suffered a Q2 net loss of $200m, compared with net income of $8m in the prior year period. More
Ipsos has reported a 5.9% drop in first half revenue to EUR 756m, with currency effects responsible for most of the fall (5.1%). In organic terms, second quarter decline all but wiped out the modest gains of the first quarter, giving overall H1 organic growth of 0.1%. More
Nielsen is integrating RDA Research's geoTribes segmentation tool into its Consumer and Media Insights (CMI) service, to provide a 360 degree view of the New Zealand consumer. More
London-based insight consultancy Firefish has revealed impressive revenue figures for the first year of operation of its US office - $1.9m - and says it will be further expanding its team 'in the coming months' to cope with demand. More
Millward Brown has launched its new Vermeer brand and business strategy consultancy in South Africa, servicing clients across Africa and the Middle East and with Nicki Cunliffe at the helm. More
In Singapore, retail customer engagement specialist Capillary Technologies has closed a $14m Series B round of venture financing, which it will use to enhance its cloud-based insights-driven marketing platform. More
In Germany, four former senior GfK execs have founded Exevia, a new healthcare market research agency based in Nuremberg. The four are Norbert Schell, Ulrik Scheuermann, Andrea Gock and Roland Herterich. More
Nielsen has opened an office in Qingdao, in Eastern China, to support clients based in the coastal cities of eastern Shandong Province. More
Shopper research specialist PRS (Perception Research Services) has opened offices in Shanghai and Chicago. More
Brighton, UK-based global insight consultancy Space Doctors has appointed former Added Value semiotics specialist Cato Hunt to lead its London office. The firm has also announced plans to establish teams in Asia Pacific and the Americas. More
Bruce Shandler, a former President and CEO of North America for TNS and CEO of TNS Custom Research, has been named as the new President - CEO of Leger USA, based in Philadelphia. More
ITWP, the parent company of online community and survey technology provider Toluna, has acquired Harris Interactive's European arm from Nielsen. As part of the deal, Nielsen will take a minority share in ITWP. More
UK firm Product Perceptions has been acquired by one of its Directors, Yvonne Taylor. Founders Dominic Buck and Keith Greenhoff will retain a financial interest in the business following the buy-out, but have also set up a new firm called Sensometrica. More
In Sydney, Australia, ethnography and qual specialist Charlie Cochrane has set up a new research consultancy called Jump the Fence, which he says will 'challenge the notion' that consumer psychology determines brand and buying motivation. More
North of England-based online panel firm ResearchBods has opened its first overseas office near Melbourne, Australia; and appointed David Gibbs to lead it. More
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble is to restructure its marketing function under the name 'brand management', with marketing directors worldwide becoming 'brand directors' with 'single-point responsibility for the strategies, plans and results for the brands'. More
UK-based agency business intelligence firm SPA Future Thinking has appointed Tom Meyritz, formerly of QuestBack, Lightspeed and Ciao, as Commercial Director, responsible for leading business development across all areas of the company. More
UK-based retail and consumer goods consultancy Retail Insight has expanded to Australia, where it has relocated Peter Goggin to head up its new initiative in Sydney. More
In Hollywood, former OTX and MPG Chief Executive Vincent Bruzzese is heading up a new entertainment research firm, C4, with the backing of three film producers. The move closely follows the closure of MPG, many of whose staff are joining the new company. More
Retail data giant Information Resources Inc. (IRI) has appointed P&G veteran José Carlos González-Hurtado as President of International, responsible for strategy and execution of all services across Europe, Asia Pacific, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. More
Spanish-language broadcasting group Univision Communications has fired an executive at its KSCA-FM (101.9) station in Los Angeles for using a number of Nielsen's Portable People Meters (PPM) to inflate audience ratings. More
Millward Brown has acquired global marketing strategy consultancy EffectiveBrands, and will merge it with its Optimor brand strategy division to form a new business called Millward Brown Vermeer. More
In Australia, marketing and sales services company Crossmark has launched Shopper Republic, a specialist shopper marketing division focused on global insights and 'deep retailer collaboration'. More
Employee-owned MR provider Illuminas has reported a 27% revenue rise to £10m for the year ended February 2014. The firm has also appointed Steven Maskell as Senior Vice President in its New York office. More
UK-based Brass Insight has changed its name to Trinity McQueen, as part of a management buyout by its Joint MDs Anna Cliffe and Robin Horsfield. The rebrand will move it away from its former parent firm, marcoms agency Brass. More
In the US, consumer data management specialist Krux has raised $35m in Series B funding, which it will use to expand its global sales and support teams, and for research and development initiatives. More
Ipsos and Warsaw-based consumer neuroscience specialist NEUROHM have announced an upgrade of the IRT system, which probes unconscious consumer associations and perceptions, and assesses their impact. NEUROHM will also now act as Ipsos' primary partner for IRT roll out. More
Apple has hinted that its forthcoming iOS 8 operating system may make it impossible for analytics companies to track iPhone and iPad users in (real-world) retail stores. More
Seattle, US-based location analytics specialist Placed has raised $10m in a series B round of venture capital, and says it will use the funds to expand its suite of location insights and mobile ad intelligence products. More
Nielsen is once again the 'official market research supplier' for an Olympic Games, adding Rio 2016 to London 2012 and Beijing 2008. More
Consumer products specialist MMR Research Worldwide has appointed Suzanne Hernandez as US Head of Business, based in New York and overseeing its Stateside strategy development and expansion. More
This week sees the launch of the 'first ever' overnight television ratings service in a number of African markets. Mobile survey platform GeoPoll will bring the data to countries including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda in time for the viewing and advertising bonanza of the World Cup. More
Multi-screen audience measurement specialist Rentrak has reported a 40% rise in Q4 revenue to $21.6m, mainly driven by its TV Everywhere measurement segment, where revenue nearly doubled to $10m. For the full year 2014, revenue was up 33% to $75.6m. More
US-based online / off-line purchasing data firm Datalogix has closed a $45m round of funding, which it will use to finance the expansion of its suite of audience and measurement products. More
US marketing and communications specialist HCD Research has partnered with kids and families research, brand and product innovation firm PlayCollective, to provide a specialist service for clients targeting flavour and fragrance products at children and parents. More
Retail analytics specialist Askuity has closed a $1.8m seed round of funding from a group of investors including investment division dunnhumby Ventures. More
In Australia, media intelligence group iSentia - formerly known as Media Monitors - is headed for a June IPO which it hopes will raise $AUD 283.5m. Funds will help consolidate market positions and continue growth in Australia and New Zealand, and in South East and East Asia. More
Mystery shopping and retail audit specialist Helion Research has opened an African regional HQ in Johannesburg, led by Customer Experience Agency founders Ian Jeffrey and Ronelle Van Rensburg. More
Cello-owned consumer specialist 2CV has relocated to new premises in Singapore, double the size of its previous office. More
Ditto Labs, which mines photos on social media sites to help brands understand target audiences, has raised $2.2m in new funding. More
GfK has announced results for the first quarter, with an organic decline of 0.7% in sales, reported as EUR 334.9m, a decline of 3.5% due to currency effects. However the Group said it achieved 'a significant increase in all profit indicators', and has confirmed its forecast for the year. More
Kantar is reportedly working with London-based software firm Onzo Ltd to investigate ways of gathering and analysing smart meter data on household energy use. More
Customer data pioneer dunnhumby has teamed up with BSkyB's customer intelligence business Sky IQ to what the firms describe as 'the largest panel of viewing and shopping insight in the UK', offering clients new ad targeting possibilities. More
US researcher Michael Kassab has announced the launch of a new MR firm, ConsumerDNA, following the acquisition of the assets of Savitz Research Solutions, the firm he has led for sixteen of the last 30 years. Savitz' office in Richardson, Texas will form the headquarters of the new company. More
The Pineapple Lounge (TPL), youth and family division of London-based Firefish, has added five new members of staff to its existing team of seven, to meet fast-growing demand for its services. More
Kantar has completed its upgrade of the Indian MarketPulse consumer panel, first announced last year, and have rebranded it as Kantar Worldpanel. The panel is operated jointly by the Kantar Worldpanel division and sister agency IMRB International. More
Cheshire, UK-based agency DJS Research has announced its twelfth consecutive year of growth, with revenue up 32% to £2.9m. More
UK-based consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo is opening an office in São Paulo, in September, to serve as a hub for research throughout Brazil and the wider Latam region. More
Brand engagement and communications research specialist Hall & Partners has relocated its global headquarters within London, from Dean Street in Soho, to Holborn in WC1, to support recent and planned growth in the business. More
In the US, former Ford Motor Co. Market Research Analyst Mark Fields is to become the company's ninth President and Chief Executive Officer, when Alan Mulally retires in July. More
Tech sector researcher and analyst Gartner has reported a 12% increase in its first quarter Research revenue to $348.1m, compared with Q1 2013. More
In Canada, cosmetics giant L'Oréal has appointed Stéphane Bérubé as Chief Marketing Officer, in charge of creating a 'pool' of expertise and activities around consumer insights, business intelligence, digital and customer relationship management. More
In the US, full service consumer product testing agency Q Research Solutions (QRS) has appointed four new members of staff at its Old Bridge, New Jersey office. Each has two decades or more of research experience. More
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell saw his annual pay package rise by nearly two-thirds to £29.8m in 2013, from £17.5m the previous year, boosted by a plan linked to the company's share price and performance. More
UK-based real-time tracking and analytics firm EVRYTHNG has raised $7m in a Series A investment round. More
In the UK, youth brand and marketing specialist Steve Reece has launched a consumer research agency called Kids Brand Insight, offering qualitative research for the toy, gaming and children's entertainment sectors. More
Nielsen and The NPD Group have signed an agreement to produce a quarterly US Beauty Cross Channel Monitor, providing a 'comprehensive view' of the US beauty market. More
Nielsen has reported a 12.9% rise in first quarter 2014 revenues to $1.49 billion, driven by 28% growth in its media research business following the acquisition of Arbitron. More
Ipsos has reported a 4.5% drop in revenue to EUR 343.3m in the first quarter of 2014, compared with EUR 359.6m a year previously. However organic growth - at constant scope and exchange rates - was 1.5%, in line with the performances recorded in the third and fourth quarters of 2013. More
UK insight and communications group Creston says it is expecting a drop in revenue to £74.8m for the year ended 31st March 2014, compared with £75.2m a year earlier. More
US-based 'influencer' research specialist MSS has opened an office in London, led by Susan Luebke, who has been promoted to Director, Global Research and Analytics. More
Six companies including researcher / analysts IRI and Rentrak have formed a consortium running a cross-industry study to drive thought leadership and best practice in marketing to Hispanics. More
Retail data giant IRI has formed a partnership with point-of-sale (POS) data specialist GuestMetrics, and acquired an undisclosed stake in the company. More
Online community and survey technology provider Toluna is integrating BrainJuicer's proprietary emotion measure FaceTrace into its global survey platform. The upgrade will allow clients to gauge emotional reactions to stimuli such as products, web sites, packaging and ads. More
In the UK, Tesco has rolled out PriceStrat software created by US company KSS Retail, across the organisation, offering buyers and category planners analytical tools to help plan consumer offers and assess their likely impact. More
Firefish's specialist children and families research consultancy The Pineapple Lounge (TPL) has launched in the US, where it has appointed children's industry expert Cheryl Gotthelf as Managing Director. More
UK-based behavioural insights firm Beyond Analysis has appointed Sophie Neary as Group Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for taking the business from a consultancy-led to a product-focused enterprise with the launch of its new DIY 'Quick & Easy' insight platform. More
London-based emotional analytics specialist Realeyes has signed an agreement to provide Ipsos with facial coding and body gesture response metrics, to help measure how people feel while they view advertising and communications content. More
In Mumbai, full service agency MRSS India and Frankfurt-based Scent Analysis have formed a joint venture called SA#M, which will provide a multi-sensory research platform for projects in all areas of product and concept development. More
US-based hyper-local digital ad targeting specialist MaxPoint has established European headquarters in London, and appointed Jeanette Taylor as UK Country Manager. More
WPP's Data Alliance practice has partnered with publisher eMarketer, to provide all WPP operating companies with access to the latter's global database of digital marketing research data. More
The Readers Studies Council of India (RSCI) and the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) have suspended results from their Indian Readership Survey (IRS) for a further four to six weeks, to provide extra time for a third party to complete the re-validation and audit of its fieldwork. More
Video analytics firm Vidiro, ebook consumption and reader behaviour specialist Jellybooks, and GPS-driven retail offer app Tempster are among the winners of the 'Digital Innovation' competition organised by government-funded IC Tomorrow. Winners receive funding and mentoring. More
UK-based online shopping cart recovery software provider Ve Interactive has opened an office in Hong Kong, to support is AsiaPac client base. More
In the US, brand strategist The Beauty Company has spun off its consumer research and beauty product testing division into a separate firm called The Benchmarking Company, which also houses the consumer PinkPanel. More
Kantar and Twitter have strengthened their global partnership with a five-year agreement under the program name 'Data of Now', and will collaborate on new research products. In addition, the firms' 'social TV' ratings and analytics will be extended to new regions in Asia, Africa and Europe. More
Online research specialist YouGov has reported a 9% increase in revenue to £32.6m for the six months to 31st January, while adjusted operating profit was up 31% to £2.9m. The company made a loss of £400k, reportedly because of costs relating to two acquisitions made during the period. More
US company Precision Opinion, which provides market research field services to the entertainment industry and political polling for the government, has opened a mobile division, Turning Point Research, at its headquarters in Las Vegas. More
Mobile ad targeting specialist Flurry has partnered with Research Now to build a panel and behavioural data set on mobile consumers, through which marketers will be able to target defined audiences. More
Pharma research giant IMS Health is preparing to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the next fortnight, which could value the company at around $7 billion. More
Nielsen has set up a new Multicultural Growth and Strategy team, to provide market understanding of, and deliver strategies to reach multicultural consumers. Mónica Gil has been promoted to lead it, as Senior Vice President and General Manager. More
Manchester-based consumer research agency Join the Dots has announced a 23% increase in annual revenue to £4.9m in 2013, driven by a mix of existing and new clients, and 35% growth in international revenues. More
UK-based independent agency firefish has announced an annual revenue increase of 18%, to £9.55m in its full financial year 2014. More
In the UK, the Market Research Benevolent Organisation (MRBA) is hosting its annual online charity auction, to raise funds for industry personnel who are in need of financial help. More
GfK has merged its existing retail tracking and media business with full service agency PT Primera Indonesia, in order to offer its Consumer Experiences portfolio to clients across Southeast Asia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
San Mateo, CA-based online retail analytics firm Reflektion has raised $8m in a Series B round of funding. Money will be used to roll out eCommerce and business intelligence solutions, while supporting existing clients and expanding sales and marketing activities. More
Retail data giant IRI has appointed former Nielsen France MD Olivier Humeau as Managing Director of IRI France, from 31st March. He will replace Philippe Cabin Saint Marcel, who left at the end of last year to become MD of Ipsos Marketing in the country. More
Nielsen has promoted Dr. D. Sangeeta to the role of Chief Diversity Officer, reporting to Chief Executive Officer Mitch Barns and effective immediately. More
San Diego-based facial analysis firm Emotient has announced a $6 million Series B round of funding, along with the launch of new 'glassware', using the camera of Google Glass to measure wearers' emotions. More
Consumer specialist The NPD Group has partnered with Nielsen to introduce a new data and analytics service looking at the market for school and office supplies. More
Nielsen has announced that a group of its shareholders is planning to sell 30 million shares of common stock, with a possible value of around $1.4bn. More
In the US, marcoms agency Pavone has spun off its 'Food Trends' report into a separate food and beverage industry business called quench, focused on changes in consumer preferences, shopper marketing insights, and developments in technology and media consumption. More
TNS Baltic has announced plans to enhance its existing Television Audience Measurement services in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania over the next four years. They include new measurement technology to replace the current Eurometers; larger panels; and enhanced processing systems. More
WPP's Data Investment Management Division (DIM) has reported a 3.6% increase in annual revenue for 2013. More
Ipsos has reported a 4.3% decline in annual revenue to EUR 1.71bn, from EUR 1.79bn in 2012. The company blames the fall on exchange rates, its partial withdrawal from Eurozone countries like Greece and Portugal, and the sale of its Los Angeles-based film testing arm. Organic growth was 0.8%. More
In the US, Ipsos MediaCT and comScore have introduced a new cross-media planning tool which combines the Ipsos Affluent Survey with comScore Media Metrix data, in order to understand how affluent audiences access media across channels. More
Canadian firm Leger Metrics has partnered with Dublin-based Red C Research, in order to extend its reach to Europe. More
Nielsen has promoted CFO Brian West to Chief Operating Officer, replacing Mitchell Habib; and has appointed Jamere Jackson, who joins from General Electric, to fill the vacant finance role. More
The New York Times (NYT) has hired mathematician Professor Chris Wiggins as its first ever Chief Data Scientist, tasked with creating a Machine Learning division which will help the group uncover information about the way readers consume its content. More
In the UK, WPP-owned Kantar Media has promoted Richard Poustie to the position of Chief Executive Officer of its TGI & Custom division, which has recently been expanded to include the Kantar Sport business. More
US-based online community specialist Passenger has expanded to China through a partnership with Asia Market Development (AMD). More
comScore is enhancing its Validated Campaign Essentials (vCE) product with the integration of ethnicity data from Batanga Media's digital content for US Hispanics and Latin Americans. More
WPP digital agency Possible has appointed Mikhail Goldgaber as Head of Experience, with a remit to build the firm's User Experience (UX) team in London, and introduce UX, digital psychology and consumer neuroscience techniques across all departments. More
Retail data giant IRI and foodservice industry consultant Technomic have announced a new joint offering, Restaurant to Retail (R2R) Insights, which combines consumers' retail point-of-sale (POS) data with their habits eating at major chain restaurants. More
An Indian court has given ratings agency TAM a lifeline, postponing some provisions of the government's recent policy guidelines which would have left the company in breach and the country without audience currency for most of the year. More
Stockholm-based brand tracking specialist Nepa has opened a subsidiary company in Helsinki, and appointed Minna Mehtälä to lead it. More
Nielsen has reported a 5.5% increase in annual revenue to $5.7 billion. Media measurement arm 'Watch', enlarged by the Arbitron buy, saw revenue rise 11.2%, compared with 1.9% growth in the consumer research 'Buy' division. More
UK-based footfall counting and analysis specialist Ipsos Retail Performance has opened an office in Toronto, Canada, with the aim of servicing retailers across North America. More
GfK's sales have dipped back below the EUR 1.5 billion mark, not helped by a strengthening of the currency: the 2013 figure fell by 1.3%, from EUR 1.514bn in 2012 to EUR 1.495bn in 2013 despite modest organic growth of 0.8%. Adjusted operating income crept up by 1.5% to EUR 190m. More
US-based multicultural research specialists Michele Cordoba, Brenda Lee and Iris Yim have set up a new full service research and strategic consulting firm called Vision Strategy and Insights (VSI), with a focus on Hispanic, African American and Asian consumers. More
WPP-owned media investment management company GroupM has opened a new division called Multicultural Marketing Analytics, focused on examining the performance of marketing initiatives targeting multicultural audience segments. More
GfK has signed a five-year contract with Saudi Media Measurement Company (SMCC) to introduce the 'first ever' electronic television audience measurement (TAM) service to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More
Ipsos is facing a legal challenge from a number of broadcasters in Egypt, who accuse it of bias in reporting audience ratings, according to reports in the Egyptian press. A statement from the global group says it is committed to quality and transparency and will prosecute those making unfounded claims. More
German product, pricing and marketing strategy specialist Simon-Kucher has reported a 5% 2013 revenue increase to £125m, driven by double-digit growth in the banking, consumer goods/retail and industrial / machinery sectors. More
In the UK, the National Readership Survey has announced that Radio Advertising Bureau MD Simon Redican will be its next CEO, replacing Mike Ironside when he leaves at the end of June. More
Millward Brown has signed a multi-year deal with emotion measurement specialist Affectiva to integrate the latter's Affdex automated facial coding as a standard feature in all MB's 'Link' ad copy testing services. More
Insight and marketing group Cello has recorded double-digit 2013 revenue growth in its Health and Consumer divisions, according to a trading update. More
UK pregnancy, baby and parenting club Bounty has extended its partnership with custom panel provider EasyInsites to launch the 'Word of Family' panel; building on its existing 39,000-strong 'Word of Mum' opinion panel to provide insights into the rest of the family. More
In India, TV ratings regulator BARC has confirmed rumours that French company Médiamétrie is its official technology partner, and will provide licences to BARC to use its TV metering system. Meanwhile the country faces the prospect of having no audience ratings at all until October this year. More
Consumer product and media intelligence provider Mintel has expanded to Poland, appointing former Euromonitor execs Honorata Jarocka and Regina Maiseviciute as Analysts in its Global Food and Drink Analyst team. More
US marketing and communications specialist HCD Research has opened a Flavor and Fragrance market research division, which will combine neuroscience tools with traditional methods to provide a view of both respondents' subconscious and cognitive response to stimuli. More
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and SPINS LLC have expanded their existing relationship to provide enhanced data and solutions for the natural / organic and specialty products market. More
The Indian government has announced it will regulate television ratings agencies in the country, requiring them to register with the I&B Ministry within 30 days, and raise sample size to a minimum of 20,000 panel homes - potentially a blow to Nielsen/Kantar joint venture TAM. More
Former Paddy Power Insight Director Danny Russell has joined mobile phone giant Telefónica O2 as General Manager of Business Intelligence. The firm has also made two other senior appointments in its marketing team, which is led by Marketing & Consumer Director Nina Bibby. More
Peter Rigby has retired as London-based business information and events group Informa Plc - whose subsidiaries include research firm Datamonitor - to be replaced by Stephen A. Carter. Group Finance Director Adam Walker has also left the company with effect 31st December. More
Full service agency FieldGlobal has opened a research facility in London, where it has appointed Illitch Real as Associate Vice President - Business Development. More
Four new regional radio survey providers have been accredited by Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) to join its panel of suppliers, and to undertake audience measurement research from 2014. More
In New York, GfK has appointed Pat Pellegrini as Executive Vice President of both its Media & Entertainment and Digital Market Intelligence teams. More
GfK has finalised its $100m plus five-year contract with four of Brazil's broadcasters, bringing its TV audience measurement service to the country, and says it plans to hire approximately 100 new employees to support the project. More
WPP-owned Kantar is to combine the resources of Kantar Retail with its TNS Retailer & Shopper practice, to form a new organisation offering a single source of retail and shopper expertise. More
UK audience research body BARB has announced a deal with information services group Experian, allowing customers to analyse potential TV channel splits and schedule choices using the latter's Mosaic geodemographic groups. More
UK-based insight and communications group Creston plc has announced that Keith Bates is to step down from the role of Head of Creston Insight, seeking 'new challenges' outside the Group. More
Sports marketing researcher Repucom has appointed media measurement and consumer behaviour expert Joseph Eapen as Senior Vice President, South Asia, based in Mumbai, India. More
Brand and media specialist Millward Brown has opened an office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to support local, regional and global clients operating in the country. Piotr Chodakowski joins to lead the new operation, with a team of ten. More
Nielsen has appointed Ipsos ad research veteran David Brandt as Executive Vice President, Advertising Effectiveness Strategy, with a focus on leading the development of the firm's 'Nielsen NeuroFocus' neuroscience-based copy testing solutions. More
Ipsos has reached an agreement with WPP-owned behavioural targeting services firm I-Behavior, Inc. to help marketers manage and assess campaigns among affluent US consumers. More
Former OECD Ambassador Karen Kornbluh has joined Nielsen as Executive Vice President of External Affairs, leading the firm's government and public affairs services, and overseeing privacy strategy, corporate social responsibility and multicultural market development. More
Panel and sample provider Offerwise is expanding throughout Central and South America, including the Caribbean. More
Retail data giant Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has formed an agreement with Japanese research no.1 INTAGE, giving the former's clients access to Japanese POS data and the latter use of IRI's data and services from other markets. More
UK-based Marketing Sciences has hired Andy Grout, former European Head of Quantitative Research at The Leading Edge, as a board member; and has also promoted Laura Ablett to its board. The company also reports strong first-half results. More
Indian audience measurement body BARC met over the weekend to decide between short-listed suppliers for its television ratings contract. With no official announcement as yet, some reports suggest French firm Mediametrie has been chosen, with a contract to be signed this week. More
WPP brand development and insight consultancy Added Value has appointed Kenneth Lee as Managing Director for China. More
Former Millward Brown Ireland CEO Richard Waring has joined customer satisfaction and mystery shopping firm Catalyst Marketing Research as a Partner and Director. More
European banking group Santander has appointed its first UK Chief Marketing Officer, Keith Moor, responsible for all UK marketing activity across the company. More
UK-based insight and comms group Creston has reported results for the six months ending 30th September. Overall revenue fell 4.0% year-on-year to £35.7m, and headline EBITDA from £5.4m to £4.6m, but the Insight division grew revenue by ten percent to £6.1m and improved profitability. More
Hard to believe, but on Friday 29th November, DRNO's publisher MrWeb is celebrating 15 years in business. More
After nine years as Nielsen's CEO, David Calhoun is to join The Blackstone Group, one of six private equity firms that purchased the research giant in 2006. More
WPP-owned marcoms network Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) has opened a 'Marketing Analytics Centre of Excellence' in Singapore, which it says will turn Pan-Asian consumer insights into customised, targeted and measurable marketing strategies. More
Millward Brown has appointed Gonzalo Fuentes as Chief Executive Officer of its Latin American business, succeeding Fabian Hernandez who will retire in early 2014. More
Three analytics and insight providers - Martini, Acxiom and Ipsos Mendelsohn - have partnered to provide information about the media habits and lifestyles of affluent households in the US. More
Nielsen plans to lay off around 333 workers at the Columbia, Maryland site which formed the headquarters of Arbitron, according to reports. Now renamed Nielsen Audio, the division employs around 1,000 workers across the US, a majority based in the Columbia site. More
Digital marketing agency XM Asia Pacific, a part of WPP, has announced the launch of a Behavioural Sciences practice, building on the expertise in the Consumer Experience Lab it established last year. More
GfK has reported a 4% drop in sales to EUR 361.4m during the third quarter 2013, from EUR 376.7m in Q3 2012, driven by what the firm describes as the 'considerable impact' of negative currency exchange effects. Like-for-like, sales were down by around 1.5%. More
GfK has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with four Brazilian television broadcasters: Band TV, Record, RedeTV! and SBT, to bring its audience measurement services to the country. The planned initial contract will have a five-year timespan and a value of more than $100m. More
Prima Research, which develops wireless location-tracking technology, has been granted two US patents for a solution tracking any radio frequency emitting tracking device - such as mobile phones, tablets or computers - across any three dimensional space indoors or out. More
Helsinki-based in-store behaviour analyst Walkbase has raised EUR 3m in a Series A round of funding, which it will use to strengthen its sales, marketing and customer insights teams. More
Google is testing a system which will track a user's location on the high street, in order to serve them targeted ads relating to the shops they have visited. More
Full service agency Northstar Research Partners has opened a new Insights practice in London, and hired Noah Roychowdhury as Principal, with a remit to broaden the firm's range of market research and brand consultancy services. More
Ipsos MediaCT has appointed Adam Hodgson as Research and Operations Director for its contract with The Readership Works' newspaper and magazine readership survey, emma. More
Predictive gaming analytics firm Ninja Metrics has raised $2.8m in Series A funding, which it will use to expand into new markets. The firm has also launched the 'Katana Analytics Engine', to provide social media data to gaming companies. More
Pharma and CPG giant Johnson & Johnson is moving to a more global approach to market research for some of its major brands. More
Global research consultancy The Behavioural Architects (TBA) has hired five new members of staff at its offices in London, Shanghai and Sydney. More
Technology research and analysis specialist Gartner has reported an 11% Q3 revenue rise in its Research arm - to $316.5m. For the group as a whole, revenue increased 10% year-on-year to $410.7m. More
Nielsen is to promote Mitch Barns to the role of Chief Executive Officer from January 1st 2014, replacing David Calhoun who takes on the role of Executive Chairman. More
Cardlytics - which offers technology to track consumer purchases and reward individuals according to their purchasing behavior - has opened a base in Manhattan and begun building a team there to support its agency clients. More
Manchester-based consumer research agency Join the Dots has moved to a new head office in the city, reporting £1 million of new client business and 20% growth in 2013. More
WPP has reported third quarter revenue growth of 3.2% in its 'Data Investment Management' (DIM) businesses, to £617m, and growth of 2.6% to £1.8 billion for the first nine months of the year. More
Ipsos has announced a 5% drop in third quarter revenues to EUR 418m (Q2 2012: EUR 440m) - the result of a 6.8% negative currency effect. The decline was partly offset by 1.8% organic growth during the period. More
Nielsen has reported a 2.7% increase in third quarter revenue to $1.39 billion, the result of a 2.2% rise in the 'Buy' consumer research arm to $871m, and a 3.4% rise in the 'Watch' media research arm to $516m. More
In the US, retail data giant IRI and health and wellness consumer insights agency SPINS have introduced a segmentation model called SPINS NaturalLink, which focuses on how shoppers think about, purchase and use natural, organic and eco-friendly products. More
North American industry body the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) and audience research firm GfK MRI have linked up to enable publishers to include the latter's top-line print and digital readership data in AAM reports, as well as in its cross-media database, the Media Intelligence Center. More
Patrick Dodd has been appointed as Managing Director of Nielsen China, based in Shanghai, with responsibility for all business activities across the region. More
US retail analytics provider Prism Skylabs has secured a $15m Series B round of funding, which it says it will use to drive continued adoption of its products. More
Mobile-focused retail market research provider InfoScout has raised $5m in a Series A round of funding from dunnhumby Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures and Founder Collective. The company has also launched the public beta of its 'freemium' consumer shopping analytics service. More
YouGov's Middle Eastern subsidiary has expanded its team in Dubai with five new staff, including Ali Draycott who joins as Commercial Director MENA. Also joining are quallies Milos Bugarcic and Hend Abdel Sattar, and quant researchers Isaac Thiga and Nidhi Sharma. More
Management consultancy McKinsey & Company has launched the Asia Consumer Insights Centre (ACIC) in Singapore, as part of its 'Innovation Campus' partnership with the country's Economic Development Board. More
Consumer specialist The NPD Group is to acquire the retail sales tracking and consumer research business of Boulder, Colorado-based sports and recreation researcher Leisure Trends. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
Online research and polling firm YouGov has reported an 8% rise in group revenue to £62.6m for the year ended 31 July 2013. UK, US and Middle East companies all saw substantial growth. More
In the UK, National Readership Survey CEO Mike Ironside has announced his intention to step down from the role in June 2014. More
Nigel Sharrocks, previously CEO of Aegis Media Global Brands, has joined UK TV ratings body BARB as Chairman, succeeding Nigel Walmsley who moves on after eleven years in the role. More
WPP firms Kantar Worldpanel and IMRB have formed a partnership to run a joint consumer panel service across India, providing insight on purchasing habits across a broad range of products. More
US-based direct marketing and targeting giant Harte-Hanks has appointed former Xerox exec John Dusett as Managing Director of its Marketing Intelligence division, which monitors and tracks the B2B technology industry. More
Digital ad intelligence specialist Exponential Interactive has teamed up with WPP-owned behavioural targeting services firm I-Behavior, to help advertisers target consumers online based on their high street purchasing habits. More
San Francisco-based retail intelligence specialist Quri has raised $10m in a Series B round of funding, which it plans to use to meet growing demand for its in-store analytics. More
Following the Nielsen acquisition, a number of Arbitron's execs are said to be leaving the company, including CFO Debra Delman. It is also rumoured that Arbitron CEO Sean Creamer will be leaving at the end of the year. More
Online research specialist BrainJuicer has partnered with branding agency MBLM to launch a consumer study using neuroscience methods to understand the decision-making process and the drivers of 'brand intimacy'. More
Nielsen has announced that Vice Chair Susan D. Whiting has decided to retire at the end of 2013, after thirty-five years with the company. More
Millward Brown has appointed two Regional Managing Directors in Europe: Benoît Tranzer takes responsibility for France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands; and Jean-Michel Janoueix for Central / Eastern Europe and the Nordics. More
UK-based research consultancy Incite has announced a number of appointments in its recently opened New York and Singapore offices. More
DVR and TV viewing data pioneer TiVo Research and Analytics, Inc. (TRA) has extended its two-year relationship with dunnhumbyUSA, signing an exclusive partnership agreement further integrating the firms' grocery purchasing and television audience data. More
TNS has made a further substantial investment in automotive customer experience specialist Enprecis Inc., which will now become the key technology provider underpinning its own automotive data management. More
Cable set-top box (STB) viewing data specialist FourthWall Media has been granted a patent for its broadband device personalization technology, which stores individual viewer profile data on consumers' television or mobile device, for future use in advertising and content delivery. More
Retail analytics giant dunnhumby has launched a seed-stage investment fund, dunnhumby Ventures, focusing on innovations in retail technology. The fund will support those 'embracing data for innovations along the consumer's path to purchase'. More
US-based in-store analytics firm ShopperTrak Corporation has appointed Bill McCarthy, previously CTO at the company's Chicago headquarters, as CEO of its EMEA operations. Current EMEA head Todd Starcevich returns to Chicago for the newly created role of head of the global mall division. More
The FTC has announced it has reached an agreement with Nielsen, allowing the latter's acquisition of Arbitron to go through, with a condition safeguarding Arbitron's September 2012 cross-platform project with comScore and broadcaster ESPN. More
Web personalisation software provider Monetate has launched a micro-segmentation service called LiveAudience, powered by the audience data and data management platforms of BlueKai. More
Leading edge UK-based agency BrainJuicer has announced Interim Results for the six months ended 30th June, with revenue up 4% to £10.8m, and operating profit up 81% to £1.3m. More
WPP-owned Xaxis - which links the group's ad buying technologies with a proprietary database containing 'the world's largest pool of audience profiles' - has appointed former Microsoft leader Christian Wilkens as Managing Director for Germany. More
UK MR agencies Engage Research and Bonamy Finch have partnered to introduce a proprietary approach called 'EvolveScope', through which brands can evaluate new ideas, claims or packs prior to launch. More
App store analytics firm App Annie has raised $15m in Series C funding, which it will use to grow its sales and marketing teams in San Francisco, expand its global offices across Asia and Europe, and accelerate its product development program. More
Kantar Media has teamed up with audience targeting specialist I-Behavior to develop a service called Ad-Vantage, allowing advertisers to reach specifically defined consumer groups online. More
David Jones, a former Head of Communications at First Direct, has launched a new UK-based market research agency called Habit5, which will focus on providing mutual understanding between brands and their customers. More
Former Nielsen colleagues Jeff Stewart and Christophe Cazes have launched a new firm called Asia Market Development (AMD), offering alternative approaches to the larger global firms which they say offer 'inflexible solutions' not designed for the Asian market. More
US-based digital audience targeting specialist Datalogix has opened an office in Chicago, to support growth in its consumer products business, which it says has tripled in size in the last year. At the new office, the firm has appointed former Google, Yahoo! and Gannett execs. More
US technology firm Versium has raised $2.5m in investment funding, which it will use to drive the roll-out of its predictive analytics scoring technology. More
US-based research and consulting firm The Pert Group has relocated its London office to larger premises close to St Paul's Cathedral, in preparation for continued growth and future expansion. More
In the UK, WPP-owned Kantar Media has promoted Sarah Sanderson to the position of Managing Director of its Custom research unit. She replaces Liz McMahon, who is transferring to sister agency TNS UK as Managing Director, Consumer. More
Nielsen is said to be in negotiations with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding its acquisition of ratings giant Arbitron, with talks centering around a concession involving the combined company licensing measurement technology to rival comScore and other parties. More
In Australia, audience measurement firm Roy Morgan Research has hit out at industry body The Newspaper Works' plans to offer its new emma newspaper and magazine readership survey free for the next 12 months, describing the move as 'predatory pricing'. More
European consumer and luxury goods research specialist Stratégir has appointed Jackie Tarran as Managing Director in its UK office, replacing Dorte Torpe Hansen, who is moving into the role of International Business Development Director. More
TNS has been retained for The European Commission's $85m framework contract to deliver the Standard Eurobarometer studies for the next four years, seeing off competition from Ipsos, Gallup and GfK. More
Anna Noonan, formerly Qualitative Field Manager at ICM Direct, has launched her own face-to-face field agency called Strawberry Field, named after the London suburb where she lives. More
UK youth marketing specialist The Beans Group has spun off its market research arm into a separate agency called Voxburner. More
In Africa, Kantar has teamed up with fellow WPP agency TNS RMS to form a joint consumer panel, for use in shopper and product research studies. More
Former Hall & Partners New York Managing Partner Mark Stapylton has launched his own firm, BrandPanorama Research & Consulting. More
Customer loyalty and marketing platform Belly has secured another slice of venture capital financing, in the form of $12.1m of Series B-1 investment, which it will use to expand its core product offering. More
In the US, big data specialist Retention Science has raised $750k in new funding, adding to the $1.3m it received in a seed round last year. More
US-based Cardlytics - which offers technology to track consumer purchases and reward individuals accordingly - has launched in Europe through a partnership with the UK's Lloyds Banking Group. More
Netherlands-based agency SKIM has expanded to Latin America with the opening of new offices in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and San José, Costa Rica. More
Arbitron has announced MRC accreditation for its PPM ratings in another eight markets, along with continued accreditation in eighteen markets previously approved. More
According to reports, India's Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has shortlisted five bidders for the technology section of its soon-to-be-launched television ratings system. TAM Media Research is not said to be amongst them, although both its backers, Nielsen and Kantar, are. More
The City of London Corporation, which provides local authority services to the business district around St Paul's, has ordered marketing agency Renew to stop collecting data using devices in recycling bins in the Square Mile streets. More
Australian industry body The Readership Works has announced that its new 'emma' newspaper and magazine readership survey will roll out monthly from November. More
GfK has announced organic revenue growth of 1.7% in the first half of 2013, with sales totalling EUR 728.6m, and a 'particularly profitable' Q2, with adjusted operating income up 15.7 percent. More
WPP is to accelerate its move towards digital sources and fast-growth markets, raising longstanding targets for the proportion of business from each, according to a LinkedIn post by CEO Sir Martin Sorrell. He also appears to be phasing out the words 'research' and 'insight' in favour of a catchy new expression... More
Nielsen is 'running into rising regulatory static' over its proposed $1.26bn acquisition of radio ratings giant Arbitron, according to reports in the New York Post. Arbitron also has a potential headache as a critical media owner takes his argument with its methods to the US authorities. More
UK-based consumer insight and database marketing company Transactis is upgrading its data centre and moving its Liverpool office to a new location. More
Japanese research giant INTAGE Inc. has signed a strategic alliance agreement with New Delhi-based R.S. Market Research Solutions, through its subsidiary INTAGE India. More
The world's 25 largest research firms reported a 'better than expected' 2012, thanks in large part to syndicated services and global acquisitions, according to industry authority Jack Honomichl. More
London-based full service agency IFF Research has launched a Health & Wellbeing (H&W) division, to provide a range of services from patient satisfaction tracking surveys and health and lifestyle studies, to more niche studies involving hard-to-reach audiences. More
Canadian software company Datacratic, which analyses and models real-time data on consumer behavior, has opened an office in New York City. The company has also made three senior hires. More
London-based financial sector big data firm ERN, having added $1m in seed funding to its coffers on Friday, has acquired two UK analytics companies, Inspired Analytics and Elucidata, in undisclosed deals involving cash and stock. More
In India, WPP-owned IMRB has expanded its household consumer panel to reflect changes taking place across the country. More
Retail data giant Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has announced a deal with cloud-based predictive analytics software company Applied Predictive Technologies (APT), adding the former's POS data into the latter's Test & Learn software suite. More
In the UK, retail data specialist dunnhumby is planning to relocate 1,000 staff from its two Ealing offices to a newly refurbished, 115,000 sq ft building in Hammersmith, in 2016. More
Nielsen has reported a 3% rise in second quarter revenue to $1.38 billion, driven by a 2% increase in its Buy retail measurement division and 5% in its Watch media analytics arm. More
Chicago-based full service agency Peryam & Kroll Research (P&K) has promoted Richard Popper to the position of Chief Executive Officer, replacing Beverley Kroll, who will continue in the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors. Eric Maddux meanwhile becomes President. More
Retail data giant Information Resources Inc. (IRI) has hired Diageo veteran Richard Hurst for the newly created role of Practice Leader of its Beer, Wine, Spirits and Tobacco vertical. More
Following a 2.7% fall in first quarter revenue, Ipsos has reported a 0.4% rise in its second quarter figures. However, negative currency effects meant that total first half 2013 revenues fell by 4% to EUR 803.7m. More
Japanese IT solutions and consulting services provider Nomura Research Institute (NRI) has bought a 25% stake in Indian research company Market Xcel Data Matrix (MX), in order to strengthen its own research and consulting services offer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
In the US, travel industry research firm PhoCusWright has appointed United Airlines veteran Tony D'Astolfo to lead it as Managing Director. His remit includes building the firm's research and events services and expanding its global reach. More
GfK is transferring Florian Kahlert to the position of Managing Director of its US media and consumer insight arm GfK MRI, replacing former CEO Kathi Love who left in February to pursue her interest in psychology and sociology. More
Ipsos has filed a lawsuit in London's High Court against Aegis, claiming that the marcoms giant failed to disclose tax and fraud probes at Synovate, before it sold the company for £525m ($792m). As a result, Ipsos is seeking up to £65.8m ($100m) in compensation from Aegis. More
US-based retail price comparison service Shopzilla is to launch its 'Aisle A' audience targeting division in Europe, offering marketers access to proprietary shopping intent data across the region. More
Euromonitor International has launched a Centre for Analytics, Modelling and Innovation (CAMI), led by Marius Dundulis and combining its quant research expertise with capabilities for modelling, innovative data exploration and visualization. More
In the US, business intelligence technology firm Geoscape has opened a new division to provide multicultural market research, integrated with its existing data resources and analytics expertise. More
comScore has been appointed as the official Internet audience measurement currency for Malaysia, by the MDA, the country's representative body for online publishers, ad agencies and digital service providers. comScore beat two other bidders in a multi-stage review process. More
India's fair trade regulator the CCI has asked the country's broadcasters, media buying and ad agencies to send feedback in the next two weeks on their views of audience measurement agency TAM Media Research, as it investigates claims of unfair practices. More
Tokyo-based panel operator AIP Corporation has opened an office in Jakarta, Indonesia, and made an unspecified investment in local MR firm Pixel Research to enhance its market knowledge and services in the country. More
WebSideStory founder Blaise Barrelet has partnered with video game industry veterans Lee Jacobson and Mark Caldwell to launch a real-time game and mobile app analytics company called Apmetrix. More
While turnover in the UK market research industry is still 'fragile', the sector has reported a slower decline in the past twelve months according to research conducted by the Market Research Society (MRS). A majority of firms expect growth in 2013. More
In Australia, industry body The Readership Works has finally got round to naming its new newspaper and magazine readership survey, three years after Ipsos MediaCT was selected to run the programme. It's to be known as 'emma' - Enhanced Media Metrics Australia. More
In Germany, former Ebiquity MD Mathias Giloth has joined media control GfK International as Managing Director, replacing Ulrike Altig who is leaving the company next month. More
In the UK, specialist social research agency TNS BMRB has won a £17m contract to deliver the next three waves of the 'Understanding Society' household study, which is claimed to be the largest social research programme of its kind in the world. More
Nielsen has launched beta trials of its Cross-Platform Campaign Ratings tool in the UK with brands including Unilever and Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods), agencies Aegis, OMG and Universal McCann London, and several publishers and ad networks. More
Symphony Teleca, which supplies software services to the mobile communications industry, has spun off its big data predictive and social media analytics tools into a standalone division called Symphony Analytics, targeting clients in the banking, financial services, retail and healthcare sectors. More
UK-based consumer and cultural insight agency Flamingo is opening a sixth international office next month in Mumbai, adding to bases in London, New York, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. More
Retails analytics firm Ugam Solutions has announced four appointments, aimed at 'significantly enhancing capabilities to provide clients with smarter and sharper analytical solutions.' The four are Sudhir Holla, Navin Dhananjaya, Sridhar Sharma and Vinayak Hegde. More
Television production firm Shine America has appointed former NBCUniversal researcher Kevin Ivey to set up and lead a new research department in Los Angeles. More
Octonogerian Gerald (Gerry) Glasser, the co-founder and CEO of media measurement firm Statistical Research Inc. (SRI), died on Sunday after a brief illness. More
In the US, panel and research technology provider Toluna has partnered with online 'tween' fashion site FashionPlaytes to help clients gain insights from the latter's community of more than 880,000 'Gen Z girls'. More
A new firm promising to put big data to work for the travel industry has launched in Nashville, TN, USA. nSight deploys a database of over 25 billion global travel searches and transactions from over 5,000 consumer web sites to help clients understand individual travellers. More
Analysis conducted by industry authority Jack Honomichl points to a 'weak downward trend' in the research sector in 2012. A total of $9.5 billion was spent in the US on the sector, which is defined as including marketing, advertising and public opinion research services. More
Lakewood, CO-based qualitative and sensory testing specialist Ingather Research has opened new facilities in downtown Denver. More
Consumer research and analytics firm Blueocean Market Intelligence has expanded its North American team with the appointment of three industry veterans as Vice Presidents - Client Development, while also opening offices in Chicago, Dallas and Cincinnati. More
Robert Philpott, former Chief Exec of Synovate, is to join US-based direct marketing and targeting giant Harte-Hanks as President and CEO at the beginning of next month, replacing Larry Franklin who is retiring after more than 40 years with the firm. More
Multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has restructured its theatrical movie measurement management team, aiming to drive growth across the business. More
Australian consultancy InfoReady has launched a Marketing Intelligence practice, specialising in multi-channel marketing and analytics, and appointed James Forbes to establish and lead it. More
Biometric measurement specialist Innerscope Research has appointed former Nielsen media researcher Bill Moult as Chief Executive Officer, according to US press reports. More
UK-based consumer agency Firefish has appointed former Flamingo director Liz Seok as Group Qualitative Director. More
US shopper analytics specialist Euclid has appointed ShopperTrak co-founder Tad Shepperd as Senior Vice President, responsible for driving sales and overseeing New York-based teams of sales execs, client services managers and analysts. More
Nielsen has completed a successful trial using technology developed by mobile streaming provider Syncbak to capture and measure viewing of TV content on mobile devices. More
Millward Brown has appointed Adrian Gonzalez as CEO of its Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific (AMAP) region, effective July 15th. He succeeds Travyn Rhall, recently promoted to Global CEO. More
Former Molson Coors MD of Brands Chris McDonough has joined Asda as Marketing Director, as the Walmart-owned UK retail giant restructures its marketing department. More
Millward Brown has appointed Travyn Rhall as Global CEO, succeeding Eileen Campbell who is stepping down in mid-July for personal reasons. More
In the US, the Marketing Research Association (MRA) has appointed Nestle Purina PetCare insights exec Jill Donahue as its 2013-2014 Chairman. More
Austin, TX-based Compare Metrics has raised $4.2m in first-round financing. The funds will be used to support 'aggressive' growth plans for its platform, which customizes merchandising for individual shoppers while creating new intelligence into how and why shoppers buy. More
Former Ipsos MORI Scotland exec Margaret Frazer has opened a new agency called 9 Dots Insights, with bases in Edinburgh and London and offering market, brand and communications research as well as strategic marketing consultancy. More
US ad agency veteran Sheree Johnson has launched a firm called SJ Insights, which will offer market intelligence and analysis, proprietary market research, media planning and buying, along with marketing and advertising related consultancy services. More
Nielsen has issued a public offering of 35 million new shares of common stock at $35.01 each, which it says will generate nearly $1.3 billion for certain existing unnamed shareholders. More
GfK has issued an ad hoc statement on preliminary figures for the first quarter, showing organic sales growth of only 0.6 percent, and adjusted operating income and margin down on Q1 2012. However the global group says order levels are good and it should meet annual forecasts of 3-4 percent sales growth. More
Minneapolis-based custom qual provider Gordon Weiss Research has rebranded as Sivo Insights with immediate effect. More
Radio ratings giant Arbitron has reported a 5.1% increase in Q1 revenue to $111.8m, compared with $106.4m in the prior year period. Earnings are slightly down - Q1 EBITDA was to $34.7m vs $36.6m a year earlier - due the firm says to the costs associated with the planned Nielsen merger. More
Bart Michels, UK MD of WPP's brand development and insight consultancy Added Value, will take on the role of Global Chief Executive Officer from 1st July, replacing Janine Hawkins who is leaving the company. More
In Australia, supermarket giant Woolworths has taken a 50% non-controlling stake in customer data analytics firm Quantium, which in return will gain access to Woolworth's customer data and provide insights to the retailer's packaged goods suppliers. More
Millward Brown has appointed Surekha Poddar as Managing Director in charge of its Mumbai operation - the firm's largest in South Asia. She replaces Muder Chiba, who is leaving 'to pursue other interests'. More
In the US, RetailNext has completed a $15m Series C round of financing, which it will use to expand its engineering team, deliver new detection and predictive analytics capabilities, and grow its operations in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. More
In London, Kate Anderson has been promoted to the position of Joint MD of Cello-owned RS Consulting Group. She replaces Phil Stubington, who will now focus on developing the group's key accounts, while leading its innovation development programme. More
Nielsen has reported a 3% increase in Q1 revenues to $1.38 billion, despite performance in Europe which CFO Brian West said in a conference call continues to be a 'pretty big drag' on the company. More
In the US, GfK is to increase the size of its KnowledgePanel by a third in 2013, in a bid to provide greater access to those populations that are often difficult to reach using traditional survey methods. More
US-based online / off-line purchasing data firm Datalogix has closed a $25m Series B round of funding, and says it will help to accelerate the adoption of its audience and measurement solutions across display, mobile, video, social media and search channels. More
In the US, Thumbspeak founder Dean Wiltse has joined online 'tween' fashion insights community FashionPlaytes as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. More
Ipsos has been awarded a further year's contract to track Italian radio audiences, using its mobile radio audience measurement system MediaCell. More
US-based research consultancy THREE has opened an Asia Pacific division, and appointed Jeff Lee for the newly created position of Research Director, working from the Los Angeles area. The firm says that it is also planning to open South American and European units in the coming year. More
In the US, Silicon Valley-based social media intelligence platform Swipp has raised $2m in investment funding, while also launching a product called Swipp Plus to provide real-time customer insight around products, brands and offers. More
In the UK, shopper and leisure sector research consultancy Touchstone Partners has appointed former Johnson & Jonson director Sarah Lacey as Head of its Shopper Consultancy division. More
In the US, the company known for the last three years as SymphonyIRI is now once again just IRI (Information Resources Inc.). More
Emotional response measurement specialist Forbes Consulting Group has announced a partnership with Arab research boutique iQual, to bring 'cutting-edge applied neuroscience and emotional insight to businesses throughout the Middle East'. More
Retail and healthcare specialist SymphonyIRI has added the title of Chief Client Strategy Officer to former P&G exec Beverly Grant's existing role as President of Retail Solutions. More
UK-based consumer insight and strategic consulting firm The Future Foundation has expanded to the US with the opening of an office in New York, where it has relocated Heather Corker in the role of VP, Consumer Trends, North America. More
eBay has hired Zoher Karu, formerly VP of Marketing Analytics at Sears, for the new position of Vice President, Customer Optimization & Data, tasked with using analytics to target customers. More
Shopper marketing specialists Jim Cusson and Jared Meisel have set up a new agency called Theory House in Charlotte, North Carolina. More
WPP's media investment management group GroupM has expanded its line-up of multicultural insights services and brought them together in one until called GroupM Multicultural, led by Hispanic media specialist Gonzalo Del Fa. More
UK consumer specialist Incite has launched a dedicated Behaviour Change practice, which will use multiple disciplines - including behavioural economics, neuroscience, health psychology and CRM - to help brands influence the behaviour of consumers. More
Michigan, US-based research and consulting firm RDA Group has announced 2012 revenue growth of 9% to $19.1m. More
GfK has fully integrated its custom research division GfK Blue Moon into its global structure, and renamed it GfK Australia, Consumer Experiences. More
US-based Collective Bias - which operates a community of 1,400 'shopping-focussed influencers' - has raised $10.5m in a Series A round of investment, which it will use to expand its model internationally. More
Ipsos has sold its theatrical research division the Motion Picture Group (MPG) to a private investment company led by former MPG President Vincent Bruzzese. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
Down Under, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and Circulations Audit Board (CAB) have merged into a unified legal entity known as the Audited Media Association of Australia. More
London-based Realeyes, which measures facial expressions and quantifies people's emotional reactions through standard video devices such as webcams and in-store cameras, has completed a $3.2m round of investment. More
GfK has launched its Brand and Customer Experience practice (BaCE) in the UK, and promoted Iain Stanfield to lead it. More
Panel firm Research Now has announced an international deal with Experian Marketing Services, the data giant's insight and targeting wing, combining online behavioural data with the ability to survey the same individuals. More
Facial imaging specialist nViso and US-based neuroscience firm Sands Research are to combine their software on a single platform and service offering. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed. More
GfK has confirmed a 10.2% increase in 2012 sales to EUR 1.5 billion, exceeding its target of 9%. 'Strong' organic growth of 3.1% is cited as a key reason for beating the target. More
Automotive information specialist R.L. Polk has brought in advisors to explore 'strategic growth opportunities' including a possible sale or IPO, or acquisitions of its own. More
New York's Supreme Court has ruled that the $1 billion lawsuit brought by New Delhi Television (NDTV) against Nielsen and WPP should be heard in India. The broadcaster alleges that staff at the firms' TAM joint venture took bribes in exchange for overstating ratings. More
Media and ad research exec Lauren Bronchtein has been named SVP, Research and Insights at MPA - the Association of Magazine Media, replacing Wayne Eadie who is retiring after 40 years in the magazine sector. More
US retail data specialist Retailigence has secured $6.3m in new funding, which it plans to use to drive expansion of its 'O2O' online-to-offline local marketing and commerce platform. More
Ipsos Marketing has announced a strategic partnership with Bounty, the UK's largest parenting club. The deal gives Ipsos clients access to Bounty's 37,000 strong Word of Mum Panel, comprising mums-to-be, new mums and those with pre-school age children. More
Ipsos has reported 2012 revenues of EUR 1.8bn, up from EUR 1.4bn in 2011, but disappointing given the addition of Synovate. Accustomed to rapid growth, the group blamed the stall on politicians, the integration process and competitor poaching of senior staff. Profits however remained solid. More
The UK's National Readership Survey (NRS) has awarded comScore the online audience measurement contract for its print and digital data product NRS PADD. More
Aimia, owner of the Nectar loyalty scheme, has promoted David Johnston to the newly created role of Group Chief Operating Officer, with a remit to further develop its global operating model. Separately, the firm has reported a flat year, propped up by strong EMEA performance based around Nectar UK. More
Lauren Demar has been promoted to the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer, with responsibility for two Ipsos Marketing divisions: InnoQuest and MarketQuest. More
Consumer specialist The NPD Group has reorganized its senior management team as part of its strategy to 'accelerate growth and innovation'. More
GfK has integrated its 'EMO Scan' facial expression measure into its existing ad testing system, to help clients understand consumers' spontaneous emotional response to advertising. More
US provider Strategy Analytics, which focuses on clients in the technology sector, has opened a new Consumer Insights Practice (CIP) led by Motorola Mobility's former Head of Consumer Insights Joy Ganvik. More
Swedish eye tracking technology firm Smart Eye has secured a SEK 25m investment (c.EUR 2.9m), which it will use for further product development and market expansion. More
US branding agency ParkerWhite Brand Interactive has opened an insight and social media analysis business, Immersive Youth Marketing, in partnership with youth marketer Gregg Witt. More
Shopper analytics specialist Euclid has closed a $17.3m round of financing, which it will use to further service its growing customer base. More
Central London-based qual/quant agency Vision One has opened an office in Liverpool from which it will service clients in northern England and Scotland. More
Here are the best set of mean salary stats for the UK MR industry you're ever likely to see. Best as in good, solid bases and careful compilation; and the average rise is not bad either. But there's one shocker, and it doesn't take a great analyst to spot it. MrWeb's Nick Thomas continues our celebrations for job no. 100,000. More
In Dubai, Yahoo! has confirmed that from 1 April, its online research business Yahoo! Maktoob Research will no longer offer external support to clients, but instead focus on providing research services to the group's own advertising clients. More
Millward Brown has developed a model which it claims 'cracks the code' for how brands drive financial growth for their organisations. More
Nielsen has reported a 1% rise in revenue to $5.6 billion for the full year 2012, compared with the 8% increase it posted the previous year. Revenue in the firm's Buy retail measurement division was flat while the Watch media analytics arm saw a 3% increase. More
Market research was once said to be 'recession-proof', but we don't hear that quite so often these days. Are we in a 'double-dip'? And in our new, more cautious mode, who are we recruiting and how many of them? Nick Thomas looks at the stats for 2005-12 as we celebrate our 100,000th job ad this week. More
MasterCard's insights arm MasterCard Advisors has acquired a stake in decision science and data analytics firm Mu Sigma, and will work to combine its anonymous purchase behavior data with Mu Sigma's advanced analytics. More
US online research and analytics company InsightExpress has added auto specialist Polk's census of vehicle registration data to its own Ignite Auto research solution, to provide marketers with an understanding of how ad exposure drives buying behavior. More
Serco-owned game usability testing firm PlayableGames has changed its name to 'ExperienceLab', reflecting the convergence of mobile, gaming and web and the multi-platform environment in which its clients now operate. More
Retail and pricing intelligence firm Upstream Commerce has raised $3m in funding, which it plans to use to strengthen its core technology, big data analytics, and recommendation and prediction capabilities. More
GfK has named four senior leaders for its operations in the CEE-META (Central and Eastern Europe Middle East, Turkey and Africa) and APAC (Asia and the Pacific) regions. More
US-based online video ad targeting specialist Videology has extended its partnership with Kantar Shopcom, which helps clients link consumer purchases with campaign exposure. More
Bob Shullman, the former President of affluent consumer measurement business Ipsos Mendelsohn, has set up his own consultancy called the Shullman Research Center, which offers a 'Luxury and Affluence Monthly Pulse' of future purchasing intentions of the US marketplace. More
US-based product innovation specialist InsightsNow has appointed former NPD Group LatAm President Mark Turim as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer. More
Millward Brown (MB) has announced plans to open a new office in Myanmar (Burma) during the first quarter of 2013, subject to the approval of the local authorities. The new office will be led by Compass Research co-founder Lyndal Pearce. More
Preliminary results indicate that GfK's full-year revenue rose 10.2% in 2012, to approximately EUR 1.5bn, with organic growth of 3.1%. More
London-based Purple Market Research has announced a partnership with US consumer insights specialist Kelton, as part of the latter's Global Group alliance of international partner firms. More
German product, pricing and marketing strategy specialist Simon-Kucher is moving to larger premises in London, after reporting 20% growth in 2012 global revenue to EUR 145m. More
London-based book publisher HarperCollins has appointed former EMI Music SVP of Insight David Boyle, to bring consumer insight to 'every aspect of the publishing process', from acquisition and content development to sales and marketing. More
Semetric, the firm behind digital music analytics platform Musicmetric, has raised £3m ($4.7m) in new financing from two backers, and says it will use the funds to expand into new sectors. More
Multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has extended its International Box Office Essentials service to India, through a partnership with Asian MR firm Majestic MRSS, which will collect daily theatre-level attendance and ticket sales information across the region. More
Consumer, retail and healthcare specialist SymphonyIRI has promoted Piyush Chaudhari to the newly created role of President of the Americas, with a focus on driving performance and growth for domestic and select global clients. More
Millward Brown has announced a major expansion of its Link and Facial Coding technology, and says two of its biggest clients, Unilever and The Coca-Cola Company, will use the technique for all their ad testing in 2013. More
Japan-based GMO Research has announced an ambitious Chinese JV with Internet research specialist Horizon E-lab Ltd. A new company, GMO E-Lab Marketing Research (Shanghai) is scheduled to open in April and aims to be 'number one' in the region 'within three years.' More
In the UK, mobile network O2 has lost its Marketing and Consumer Director Sally Cowdry to National Lottery operator Camelot, where she will take the same title, with a role including consumer insight. She joins her new employer in 'a few months' after helping O2 with the transition. More
Dubai-based researcher POINT Consultancy has launched a specialist FMCG division, Ignite, which will focus on the MENA region and offer a number of proprietary tools and approaches. More
Consumer insights specialists Cristina de Balanzó, Siemon Scamell-Katz and Rafal Ohme have set up a new London-based neuroscience consultancy called The Walnut Group. More
Miami-based sales performance agency The Retail Outsource Companies has launched a new sister company called 'The Consumer Insight' (TCI), which will offer a range of mystery shopping, customer surveys, compliance audits and competitive intelligence services. More
Qual specialist The Sound Research has reported its most profitable year so far, with 2012 revenue up 25% to $7.4m. More
UK supermarket chain Morrisons has promoted Marketing and Operations Director Nick Collard to the new role of Group Marketing and Customer Director. He will join the management board in June. More
Data collection group Schlesinger Associates has launched new viewing facilities at Passerelles Bastille in Paris. More
Japanese researcher INTAGE Inc. and Cairo-based ConField MENA have announced a non-exclusive alliance agreement to provide customized research services in their respective regions. More
German TV station partnership the Arbeits-gemeinschaft Fernsehforschung (AGF), has re-commissioned GfK to monitor TV viewing in Germany, initially until 2018. GfK has been providing the service since 1985, and the new contract is valued at around EUR 130m. More
New York-based media services company Horizon Media has appointed former Ipsos exec Kirk Olson as Director of TrendSights, to create, develop and manage a global trendspotting team with its new division, The WHY Group. More
Nielsen and Twitter have reached a multi-year agreement to produce a new metric, the 'Nielsen Twitter TV Rating', for the US market, covering the reach on Twitter of conversation about TV programmes. The first figures will be commercially available from the fall of 2013. More
Nielsen has announced a reduction in the size of its Board of Directors to eleven members, with one director each from its six controlling partners. More
GfK NOP, ABA and Research Bods scooped three of the major categories at this year's MRS Awards ceremony held in London last night, while mobile crowdsourcing innovator Nathan Eagle received the inaugural MRS President's Medal. More
Bob Barocci, the President and CEO of the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), is to retire at the end of the year and move to a senior advisory role after his successor is named. More
In the US, ad targeting and analytics tech startup Adelphic Mobile has raised $10m in an investment round led by Google Ventures. The firm says it will use the funds to double its headcount and scale its product development. More
German consultancy Simon-Kucher, which advises on product, pricing and marketing strategy, has announced the appointment of six new partners, all based outside its home country. The firm has recently opened offices in Dubai and Istanbul, and will soon add Sao Paulo and Santiago de Chile. More
London-based consumer agency Firefish has expanded its quant team with four new appointments, including Paul Harvey as a Director, plus Jen Culby, Tom Birch and Louise Dinesen. More
Online data firm BlueKai has formed a partnership with mobile ad network Jumptap, to improve the targeting of ads to mobile devices using a broad set of mobile, online and off-line data segments. More
Chicago-based Insights in Marketing (IIM) has launched a new division called 'i on Women', dedicated to understanding female consumers. More
Digital TV solutions provider NAGRA is to collaborate with Kantar Media to offer clients subscriber data from in-home devices. The service will be pre-integrated with NAGRA's OpenTV 5 media convergence platform. More
UK-based agency MMR Research Worldwide, which focuses on the food, drink, personal and household care sectors, has announced seven new appointments including Client Services Director Janine Gamon and ADs Dan Hibbs, Tim Button and Tom Pile. More
Research software firm Kinesis Survey Technologies LLC has announced a strategic partnership with its client StartSampling, which will offer users end-to-end in-home product testing services. More
UK store group The John Lewis Partnership has announced that current Lloyds Banking Group Customer Value chief Paul de Laat will move to the retailer in January to become its first Customer Insight Director. More
Facial recognition in a retail environment, previously conducted by digital signage and kiosks, has just received a slightly scary makeover courtesy of Italian company Almax, whose EyeSee mannequin videos shoppers and categorises them for marketing purposes. More
In the UK, former AQR Chair Peter Lovett has announced the closure of Consumer Profile Ltd, the Oxfordshire based full-service agency he founded in 1986. He will remain in the industry via a new consultancy, Bespoke Qualitative Research. More
ROI tracking software provider Bizible, Inc. has raised $1.7m in a Series A round of financing led by Madrona Venture Group. The firm was founded in 2011 by Microsoft advertising veterans Aaron Bird and Peter Thompson. More
In the US, mystery shopping app provider Mobee has launched out of private beta, with $1.1m in seed funding. More
UK consumer insight and sensory specialist MMR Research Worldwide has partnered with consumer-generated video insights firm 'Watch Me Think', which offers panellists financial rewards in exchange for submitting smartphone videos containing their feedback on specific topics. More
GfK has reported 'a significant sales increase' of 9.8% to EUR 1,096.8m in the first nine months of 2012, with much of the rise however due to currency effects and acquisitions. Q3 revenue was up 11.3% to EUR 376.7m. EBITDA fell 18.5% to EUR 50.6m. More
Local market specialist Scarborough Research has formally announced its entry into Puerto Rico with a new insights service combining extensive attitudinal data and consumer behavior-based measures. More
Millward Brown is boosting its support for clients in North Africa via a Cairo office, its third new location in the Africa and Middle East region this year, and led by Praveen Abraham. More
In the UK, Lloyds Banking Group Head of Retail Strategy Alex Owens is leaving to take up the role of Head of Insight at supermarket chain Sainsbury's. He starts the new job in January. More
UK research provider BDRC Continental has launched a Sports & Sponsorship division and appointed Director Mark Long to lead it. More
UK out-of-home measurement body POSTAR is set to launch a new GPS-enabled 'currency' next February, covering a wide range of outdoor environments including road, tube and rail. The launch has been made possible with a £19m investment from companies in the sector. More
The founders of behaviorally-targeted shopping app Pickie have raised $1m in venture funding, which they plan to use to fuel international expansion. More
Ipsos has reported 9-month revenues of just under EUR 1.28bn, up 45.1% on a constant currency basis since gobbling up Synovate a year ago. The firm says now that the integration is complete, it will 'resume its focus on growth' and on meeting its service quality and profitability targets. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has reported an 8.3% rise in third quarter revenue to $114.3m, while net income increased to $15.8m from $15.4m. More
Consumer and retail specialist The NPD Group has restructured its European management team in response to what it describes as the 'changing needs' of clients and retail partners. As part of the reshuffle, David Pritchard has been named General Manager of Commercial Activity. More
Nielsen has announced third quarter revenue up 5% year-on-year, on a constant currency basis, to $1.423bn, with its Buy (4%) and Watch (5%) segments both contributing. Adjusted EBITDA rose 7% on the same basis to $424m. More
Kantar Retail is to open its first South American office, in Brazil, where it will team up with WPP sister company TNS to use the latter's primary shopper research capabilities. Former Mars and LVMH executive Eric Debarnot will head up the new office as MD. More
Indian television measurement body TAM is suspending publication of its viewing data from week 41 (October 7th) onwards, for 8 weeks while four of the country's biggest cities switch over from analogue to DAS. More
In the US, Brain Surgery Worldwide, which specialises in what it calls describes as 'emotion based behavior insight', has made three key appointments in its senior management team. More
In San Francisco, Adam French and Anne Lacey - who previously worked at M&C Saatchi-owned brand consultancy Clear - have joined forces with former Unilever insights leader Dr Nick Anderson to launch an innovation and insight company called Antedote. More
Ipsos has launched a qualitative practice called Fusiona within its Ipsos UU business, promising to help clients connect with Hispanic consumers at a 'deeper level'. More
Retail data specialist dunnhumbyUSA is to extend its presence in Chicago by taking the entire twenty-second floor of the city's Merchandise Mart, where it has plans to add 30 or more new members of staff in the next eighteen months. More
Broadband and telecoms giant Telefónica has partnered with GfK to open a big data business unit called Telefónica Dynamic Insights, which will sell anonymised and aggregated mobile network data to companies and public sector organisations worldwide. More
UK mobile phone retailer The Carphone Warehouse used misleading research-based claims in an ad on its web site for a child-safe network, Bemilo, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled. More
Louise Chater, head of movie market research at Walt Disney Studios, has left the entertainment giant. More
UK-based agency 2CV has promoted Mark Bagnall to Managing Director of its UK office, following Doug Edmonds' relocation to San Francisco, where he now serves as Group CEO. More
A year after returning to TNS Jan Hofmeyr has refined his ConversionModel, to help clients identify how people feel about their brand and determine how external barriers like price and availability affect consumer spending. More
UK-based supermarket giant Tesco is planning a new Clubcard scheme which will provide consumers with products and games offering 'simple, useful, and fun' personalised access to their own shopping data. More
In the UK, marketing services and print group St. Ives Plc has invested around £1m in additional staff to support future growth plans at its recently acquired market research agency Incite and consumer consultancy Pragma; and says it has plans to finance these businesses further. More
Nielsen and the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) have formed an 'Innovation Committee' to develop and test potential new approaches to mobile television audience measurement for Nielsen's mTAM initiative. More
Online / off-line purchasing data firm Datalogix has opened an office in Birmingham, in Michigan's Detroit metro, to support its growing DLX Auto motor industry business. The move follows the hiring of client partnership execs Matt Mendez and Scott Bonato. More
Ad intelligence provider Exponential Interactive has partnered with MasterCard's analytics arm to incorporate retail-level consumer spending behavior data into its online audience targeting services. More
Point-of-sale data giant Catalina is planning to triple the size of its Boston,US-based team and relocate it to a 75,000 square foot office in the city's 'Innovation District' in November. More
GfK has appointed seven leaders in China, Korea, Malaysia and Japan, as part of a strategy to expand its global research solutions across the Asia Pacific region. More
Qureshi Market Research MD Bob Qureshi has opened a new facility in London's West End, offering eye tracking, dial testing and NeuroFocus services. The five-studio facility also provides access to a bar for use in drinks research projects. More
UK-based insight and marketing group Cello has reported a 2.8% increase in revenue to £63.3m for the first half of the year, but has noted a 'marked slow-down' in qual and quant client research activity across its Consumer division. More
Online specialist BrainJuicer has opened a 'client-facing' practice in India, where it has appointed Pooja Haldea as Managing Director – India, based in New Delhi, and Sarah Cowell-Thomas as Head of Juice Generation – India, based in Mumbai. More
New York-based collaborative product invention platform Quirky has raised $68m in Series C funding, which it will use to expand its service across a number of verticals such as electronics, kitchen, and toys. More
London-based communications research agency MESH Planning has expanded to the US with the opening of an office in Manhattan, New York, led by Experience Director Nathan Evans. More
Former Ipsos Reid President Steve Mossop has launched a full service agency called Insights West, based in Vancouver and servicing private and public sector clients across Western Canada. More
US ratings giant Arbitron has appointed Nielsen veteran Manish Bhatia as Executive Vice President, New Product Innovation, to direct the firm's cross-platform initiatives and lead teams tasked with developing non-radio research services. More
DemystData - which helps financial institutions tap into consumers' social media and other online data - has secured an undisclosed amount of Series A investment, which it will use to expand its team of engineers and data scientists to support global demand for its service. More
In China, Eddie Chien has joined ad and brand research specialist Ipsos ASI as Managing Director, after twenty years at Procter and Gamble (P&G). More
India's News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has asked the government to suspend reporting of TAM data, in the light of the ongoing row between broadcaster NDTV and Nielsen and WPP's joint venture. Meanwhile Nielsen is reportedly the front-runner for the forthcoming RSCI readership measurement pitch. More
Music and media writer, researcher and analyst Jeff Green is launching a new Nashville-based firm called Stone Door Media Lab, which will provide ratings research, digital media consumption analytics, market analysis and business intelligence for the entertainment sector. More
Japan-based GMO Research and its subsidiary GMO Japan Market Intelligence (GMO Research/JMI) are to open the group's first operations centre in India at the end of August, led by former GMI exec Anupam Kaul. More
WPP is considering proceedings against Indian broadcaster NDTV for defamation, following the latter's claims that staff at its TAM Media Research joint venture took bribes in exchange for overstating television ratings. More
In the US, Camille Nicita has taken the role of CEO of Gongos Research, following the death of the firm's founder John Gongos last month. More
Irish sports betting chain Paddy Power has appointed former BskyB exec Danny Russell as its first Insight Director, and former Domino's Pizza director Robin Auld as Brand Director. Both commence their new roles in mid-October. More
Consumer research agency rdsi has promoted ten members of staff, including Research Directors Emma O'Connell and Tim Gowing (pictured) who join the Senior Management team. More
Asian agency ABN Research has opened an office in Hong Kong, from which it plans to expand beyond the FMCG and white good sectors to supporting service industries such as finance and telecoms. The firm has also been re-named as 'ABN Impact'. More
New York-based consumer behavior research and consulting firm Envirosell has opened an office in Istanbul, Turkey, led by recently appointed telecoms specialists Melik Karabiyikoglu and Burc Tutanc. More
Digital agency XM Asia Pacific has opened a Consumer Experience Lab in Singapore. The facility will use Tobii eye-tracking technology, heuristic techniques and usability metrics to examine how Asian consumers absorb the information they see in digital ads and traditional media. More
GfK has reported a 9.1% increase in sales to EUR 720.1m for the first half of 2012, most of which comes from currency effects and acquisitions. Organic growth of just 1.7% results from a healthy 4.2% rise in the Consumer Choices business combined with flat performance from Consumer Experiences. More
In the US, former MarketQuest CEO Mary Beth Lake and Chief Research Officer Paul Holtzman have joined Chicago-based full service marketing and sensory research firm Peryam & Kroll Research (P&K) as Senior Vice Presidents. More
India-based MR technology and operations company Annik has partnered with mobile home screen messaging specialist Mobile Posse, to provide access to the fifteen million consumers who have signed up to receive offers and content via the latter's pre-loaded software. More
iKen Solutions - the developer of a consumer analytics system called Mooga - has received an undisclosed amount of investment funding from the India Innovation Fund (IIF). More
Gaming analytics provider iQU has launched an office in Los Angeles and hired Jeannette Weinstein to lead it as US CEO. More
In the US, Spanish language media company Entravision Communications Corporation has launched a new big data analytics and modeling business called Luminar, to help clients predict US Latino consumer behavior. Franklin Rios leads the new division as President. More
Following Indian broadcaster NDTV's legal action against Nielsen and Kantar Media Research over bribery claims, the Indian government has now stepped in with its own investigation. More
Multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has partnered with product placement analysis firm iTVX, to help brands and programmers understand the impact on audiences when a TV show uses a brand in a story line. More
YouGov has recorded a 'solid trading performance' for the year ended 31 July 2012 in an update issued by the London Stock Exchange. More
Qual/quant agency MM-Eye has reorganised the management team at its London office, promoting Damien Field to Managing Director responsible for the overall performance of the business. Field will work alongside Anne Bolingbroke, who becomes Chairman. More
In the US, the ongoing Apple vs. Samsung patent lawsuit is throwing some interesting light on the business style of the iPhone and iPad giant - including the fact that it's not so averse to market research as it has sometimes claimed. More
Eye tracking software solutions firm iMotions has struck a deal with emotion measurement specialist Affectiva, to integrate the latter's wireless Q Sensor into its Attention Tool platform. More
comScore has announced financial results for the second quarter of 2012, including a much-slowed growth in revenue - up just 4% to $60.3m. Adjusted EBITDA remained relatively robust at $9.6m (16% of revenue), compared to $11.1m in Q2 2011. More
In South Africa two former employees of RI and GlobalEDGE Marketing Consultants, Andrew Johnson and Catherine Read-Fletcher, have set up a new agency, Beyond Insights. More
US-based predictive analytics and consulting services firm Intalytics has announced an exclusive partnership with forecasting and analytics expert Jim Stone, principal consultant of Chain Store Advisors. More
In Australia, Emelia Millward has left public broadcaster SBS after eight years to take on the same title - Head of Research and Insights - at Seven. More
Indian broadcaster NDTV is suing Nielsen and Kantar Media Research over claims that staff at the firms' joint venture TAM took bribes in exchange for overstating ratings. According to the suit, this practice has damaged NDTV's business to the tune of around $810m in the past eight years. More
Nielsen has partnered with Israeli-based venture capital fund Partam Hightech to launch a subsidiary called Nielsen Innovate, which will help develop and fund business ideas and bring them to market for its clients globally. More
Nielsen has launched an upgrade plan for its Local Audience Ratings, which includes quadrupling sample size across all local markets and doubling it in diary markets. The firm says this will provide broadcasters with 'more granular data' for both programing and ad sales. More
Nielsen/Arbitron joint venture Scarborough Research has hooked up with GfK MRI to offer a service exploring the links between the attitudes of American consumers and their shopping and media consumption patterns. More
Ipsos has reported a 53.4% increase in first half revenues to EUR 837.0m, reflecting the integration of Synovate into its financial statements. More
Nielsen has reported a 1% fall in second quarter revenue to $1.39 billion as a result of weak foreign currency exchange rates - but on a constant currency basis, revenue was up 4%. More
Yorkshire-based Swift Research has added four wet rooms to its Innervisions viewing and testing facility, through which clients can observe how consumers use and interact with personal care and hair care products. More
Shopper research specialist PRS (Perception Research Services) has opened a new office in Rome, Italy, led by Account Manager Roberto Fois and Project Director Gianluca Sacchet. More
UK broadcasting measurement body BARB is to expand the circulation of its Web TV meter, adding another 500 homes to its core panel, currently just 100-strong. The system measures TV viewing via laptops and PCs. More
US ratings giant Arbitron has reported second quarter revenue up 9.1% to $104.4m, with a 31.4% increase in net income to $10.0m. Separately, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has accredited its ratings service in five additional markets. More
EMI Music is to release parts of its 'EMI Million Interview Dataset' to around 150 data scientists from non-profit organisation Data Science London, who will study what EMI describes as the 'most extensive collection of data on music consumers ever shared'. More
In the US, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has received $1m in funding from a consortium of major brands, to launch a global study that will aim to evaluate mobile's contribution to marketing ROI. More
Finnish shopper and visitor analytics specialist RapidBlue Solutions has been granted an EU-wide patent for profiling consumers based on their historical and current movements, gathered anonymously using radio frequency technologies. More
In the US, Georgetown University has established a new Institute for Consumer Research, centred around technology-focused consumers and how to market to them. More
San Francisco-based ad re-targeting platform AdRoll has raised $15m, which it intends to use to further develop its data-driven advertising technology and to scale its business to meet demand. More
After more than six years in its office in Charing Cross Road, London-based brand and communications research agency Hall & Partners has returned to its Soho, where it was founded more than twenty years ago. More
Research group Cello has revealed that it has spent £600k in the last year on consolidating operations and reducing headcount in its Research and Consulting division; and is now splitting its business into two new divisions. More
In Canada, multi-cultural marketing specialist Monsoon Communications has opened an MR agency called Third Eye, to deliver insights into the ethnic audience it defines as 'Zero2Five New Canadians'. The firm will be led by former TNS leader Gautam Nath. More
UK-based ecommerce service provider eCommera has appointed former IBM Coremetrics Director John Squire to lead its Retail Predictive Analytics Software division, and spearhead the firm's US expansion. More
New York-based Affinity Solutions - which analyzes consumer spending data to help clients with their targeted marketing initiatives - has completed a $14.5m round of funding, which it will use to finance product and technology innovation, and business development. More
In the US, Ipsos has appointed former Yahoo! AdLabs head Ken Mallon as Global President of Ipsos ASI|digital, a practice focused on advertising research in digital and social media spaces. More
Nielsen has promoted Mathias Bernhardt to Managing Director in Germany, responsible for developing the firm's Buy consumer purchase behavior segment. More
In the UK, Kantar Media Audiences CEO Richard Marks is leaving the firm in August to set up his own consultancy business. He will be replaced by Richard Asquith, who currently leads the firm's TGI and Custom division. More
In the UK, media group Future Publishing has recruited former T-Mobile insights leader Simon Wainwright for the newly created role of Market Research Director, with responsibility for driving its consumer insight strategy. More
The fifty largest research firms reported a 5.1% increase in US-based aggregated revenues to $9.2 billion in 2011, according to the 39th annual report by industry authority Jack Honomichl. More
Kantar Media TGI and Nielsen have teamed up to launch a new media analysis tool in Ireland, combining Nielsen's TV data with the TGI survey of consumers' brand and product use, attitudes and media habits. More
In the UK, consumer specialist Leapfrog Research has closed its Windsor-based headquarters and moved into sister agency RS Consulting's offices in London. Parent company Cello says the move follows an agreement between the two agencies to form an 'alliance'. More
UK-based behavioral insights firm Beyond Analysis has opened an office in the US, led by Hunter Albright, who has been appointed CEO for North America and Global Head of Consulting. More
Nielsen has revised its full year 2012 revenue guidance downwards, following what it describes as 'changes to operating conditions' in its Buy consumer purchase behavior division outside the US. The company is now expecting constant current revenue growth of 5% to 6% for the full year. More
In the US, Scarborough Research is adding nationwide voter data from political data provider TargetSmart Communications to its own consumer database, to enable agencies, politicians and lobbyists to examine consumer behavior relevant to specific election issues. More
Infrastructure provider Gigya, which has offices in the US, Israel and UK, has secured $15.3m in funding, which it will use to expand its suite of products. More
Bruce Friend has resigned from his role as President of Ipsos OTX MediaCT and will leave the company after ten years, to return to the client side or work in a smaller provider company. More
Multi-screen measurement firm Rentrak Corporation has announced a joint venture to measure audiences in the People's Republic of China; and has released Q4 and full-year results showing continued rapid growth in its Advanced Media and Information (AMI) business. More
Research consultancy Kadence India has appointed former Hansa Research General Manager Maninder Khurana as Vice President - Consumer Insights. More
Magazine ratings provider GfK MRI and word-of-mouth consulting firm Keller Fay Group have combined data from their syndicated research databases to form a new product called TalkTrack/GfK MRI Data Fusion. More
Retail analysis giant SymphonyIRI Group has appointed former Aon COO Andrew Appel as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding John Freeland who plans to retire later in the year. More
US-based kiosk firm smartDIGITAL has raised $2.7m in Series A funding, which it plans to use to expand its presence in Chicago with the launch of a new product line. The company makes interactive display units that store and analyse consumer behavioral data. More
Former ICM Group Chairman Justin Sampson has been appointed as CEO of UK television measurement body BARB, succeeding Bjarne Thelin who announced his resignation in February after nine years in the role. More
Researchers Dorothy and Ray Parker have set up a new marketing research and competitor intelligence company called 4insight in St Helier, Jersey, which offers what they claim to be the Channel Islands' first professional viewing studios. More
In the US, the Missouri School of Journalism has partnered with HCD Research to conduct studies combining biometric and eye tracking measures to further understanding of consumer choices. More
Brand development and insight consultancy Added Value has appointed Richard Prévost as a Business Director in its office in Johannesburg, South Africa, and says it has plans to extend its offering 'further into the African continent'. More
GfK is integrating elements of its brand, communication, satisfaction and loyalty research into a new global practice, Brand and Customer Experience, and has appointed Helen Zeitoun to head it up. More
Multi-screen measurement firm Rentrak Corporation has agreed a deal with MasterCard, combining the former's TV Essentials viewing data from US homes with the latter's consumer trends insights derived from billions of payment transactions. More
Swedish firm EyeTrackShop has closed a $3m funding round, which it will use to accelerate its international expansion plans. More
GfK has reported an 11.3% increase in sales to EUR 345.1m for the first three months of 2012, with organic growth of 4.9%. Adjusted operating income rose 10.2% to EUR 33.5m. The firm says its new 'Own the Future' corporate strategy has contributed to the healthy figures. More
Berlin-based Moviepilot, which gathers information and online 'buzz' for early-stage input to movie promotion, has raised $7m in a Series B funding round. More
Nielsen has written to inform clients it is developing a range of new audience meters and digital tracking codes, for possible deployment in or after 2004. More
In Mumbai, consumer goods giant Unilever has set up its first Indian Customer Insight and Innovation Centre to study how consumers shop for FMCG products. More
In Australia, Roy Morgan Research has announced a partnership with local trade body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) with an eye to using their complementary experience to provide clients with insight on the retail process. More
In Singapore, Nielsen has launched an Asian 'innovation hub' incorporating divisions for neuroscience (NeuroLAB), virtual, mobile and eye-tracking technologies (ShopperLAB) and market measurement and consumer information (MSciLAB). More
UK-based qual and quant agency Marketing Sciences has promoted Jane Rudling to the position of Managing Director, replacing Keith Bates who takes on the role of Executive Chairman. More
Technology researcher Gartner has reported a 12% increase in first quarter revenue to $369.2m, from $329.5m a year earlier, while net income rose 17% to $71.2m. More
Customer intelligence technology supplier iJento has announced a global partnership with web analytics consultancy Semphonic, which will help clients track and understand both digital and multichannel customer behaviour. More
Kantar has paid around $1.2 million for a minority stake in online automotive customer feedback specialist Enprecis Inc. More
In the UK, behavioural research and usability consultancy SimpleUsability has announced the addition of a new laboratory and observation room to its Leeds office, and the appointment of Steven Lilley as Head of Technology. More
Ipsos has reported a 46% increase in first quarter revenues to EUR 379.9m, reflecting the addition of Synovate's business. However, it admits the need to integrate the two businesses has slowed expansion: volume of sales was down slightly on Q1 2011, and organic growth of just 2% is expected this year. More
National Research Group (NRG) co-founder Catherine Paura has set up a new firm called Capstone Global Marketing and Research Group, with the aim of 'interpreting the tastes and behaviors of the 21st century entertainment consumer'. She is joined by her sister Angela, former NRG COO, in the new venture. More
Nielsen has reported a 3% rise in revenue to $1.3 billion for the first quarter ended March 31. Growth was fairly even in its Buy consumer purchase behavior segment (up 2.7% to $800m)and its Watch media research division (up 2.6% to $480m). More
Web-based consumer researcher BuzzBack has partnered with Swedish eye tracking solutions firm MRC international, to offer new ways for marketers to evaluate their packaging and communications. More
In the UK, book publisher Harper Collins has appointed the BBC's Head of Digital Insight Rufus Weston as Customer Insight Director. More
Quratulain Ibrahim has been promoted from COO to Chief Executive Officer of full service agency TNS-Aftab, the global agency's affiliate company in Pakistan and Afghanistan. More
US radio ratings giant Arbitron has reported a 5.5% increase in revenue to $106.4m for the first quarter. Operating income rose 7.4%, to $31.2m, and net income 9.6% to $17.8m. More
In the US, WPP-owned brand development specialist Added Value has changed the name of its consumer insights-based innovation consultancy Cheskin Added Value to 'Added Value Cheskin', to underline the firm's integration into the group. More
Richard Surratt, the Chief Financial Officer of radio ratings giant Arbitron, is leaving the company for 'personal reasons' after just 14 months in the post. When he leaves on May 11, Surratt's duties will be assumed by COO Sean Creamer until a replacement is found. More
Nielsen has partnered with The University of Chicago Booth School of Business to offer a historical perspective on consumer purchases to all US-based academic researchers. More
In Canada, research firm Hotspex has partnered with strategy specialist LEVEL5 to design BrandMap, an online tool that quantifies and links the emotional and rational drivers of brand usage. More
Ipsos has expanded in the Middle East through a joint venture with family-owned business group Darwish Holding, which is headquartered in Qatar. The new Doha-based initiative is led by Ipsos Qatar Managing Director Elie Nawar. More
UK-based Yell Group, which began life as the online version of Yellow Pages and now offers a variety of digital services, has appointed former Sitel exec Tim Schuh in the new role of Chief Customer Experience Officer. More
New Jersey-based Bowker, which provides information for the publishing industry, has merged its US-based PubTrack Consumer and UK-based Book Marketing Limited (BML) under a new global brand, named Bowker Market Research. More
US radio ratings giant Arbitron has reached a $7m legal settlement with a shareholder, regarding claims that the company misled investors about the rollout of its Portable People Meter service (PPM). More
Consumer specialist The NPD Group has appointed Mike Leahy President in Canada, overseeing all aspects of its technology, home, fashion, food and custom market research business in the country. More
In the US, ratings giant Arbitron has agreed to pay $400k to settle a lawsuit in California in which it was alleged to have under represented black and Hispanic listeners in California, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More
Chip maker Intel has invested $21m in technology firm Tobii, to help the company move its eye tracking and gaze interaction solutions to 'mass-market' applications such as mainstream computers, cars, games and other consumer products. More
In New York, Ipsos MediaCT and biometric measurement specialist Innerscope Research have designed a new methodology, emoTV, which measures both the conscious and unconscious responses of audiences to TV shows. More
The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong (HK4As) has awarded Nielsen a five-year Television Audience Measurement (TAM) contract for the period 2013 to 2017, incorporating measurement across multiple platforms. More
Online sampling and panel exchange firm Cint has announced a new partnership with UK online parenting community Netmums Ltd, giving its clients access to an 'unrivalled' number of individuals in the 'Mothers of Babies' category in the UK. More
Entertainment giant Twentieth Century Fox has boosted its marketing and research team with the appointments of former Warner Bros and CBS Films exec Debbie Miller, and former MarketCast MD Kevin Yoder. More
WPP's GroupM is working with Nielsen to develop a new cross-platform measurement service, integrating media planning and measurement across television and the Internet. More
Ipsos has announced the appointment of Synovate veteran Jenny Broughton as a Global Talent Management Partner, and separately has given more details of the structure of its new InnoQuest Practice. More
Location analytics firm Placed, Inc., formerly known as Sewichi, has completed a $3.4m Series A round of funding, and announced beta availability for its forthcoming 'Placed for Developers' solution. It has also recruited Andrea Eatherly as Director of Marketing and Operations. More
In the UK, the Market Research Society (MRS) has announced that former GfK NOP Head Phyllis Macfarlane will become its new Chairman in April, following the completion of Vanella Jackson's two-year term. More
A suit filed in the US by Tom Robinson and Marianne Grogan, the founders of recently closed media measurement specialist Affinity, claims GfK Mediamark Research & Intelligence (GfK MRI) stole trade secrets while in the midst of acquisition talks, and proceeded to drive their firm out of business. More
In the US, research software and services firm MarketTools has partnered with new product forecasting specialist Top Box Associates, to provide a 'one-stop approach' to forecasting for new product launches, line extensions and re-launched products. More
Kantar Media has expanded its Global Target Group Index (TGI) network of syndicated marketing and media studies through the addition of TNS Media Belgium's Brand Media Monitor (BMM) study. More
In the US, app user analysis specialist Kontagent has reported a 500% increase in annual revenue to 'just under $10m'. More
London-based app analytics firm Mopapp has received EUR 1.5m in funding from credit reporting and business information firm CRIF. More
Nielsen and its partners TV ad sales firm Atmedia and cable operator UPC Polska have been awarded a contract to launch what is described as the largest TV audience measurement panel in Poland. More
Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has brought together all its search and optimization agencies under its Resolution Media brand, to offer integrated services across areas including SEO, digital behavior analysis, behavioral targeting, social media and mobile. More
Manchester, UK-based B2B International is gearing up for the April launch of a new consumer-focused agency called 'deep see', which aims to 'get to the bottom of what customers really think'. More
WPP-owned ad agency Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) has launched a practice called Social@Ogilvy, through which the agency's global network of social media strategists will deliver solutions for areas including social media commerce, online listening and impact analysis. More
US ratings giant Arbitron has reported full-year 2011 revenue up 6.8% to $422.3m, and operating income up 29.6% to $85.1m. For the quarter, ended December 31, revenue was up 7.6% to $120.1m and operating income up 8.8% to $20.7m. More
US media network NBCUniversal (NBCU) has partnered with Google and comScore to explore new ways to measure single source consumption of video content on TV, PCs and mobiles / tablets during the 2012 London Olympics. More
WPP agencies tenthavenue and GroupM have linked up in China to acquire full service mobile marketing agency Wisereach, and launch a new company, MJoule, providing a 'holistic view' of mobile consumer behavior. More
In the US, consumer research company the NPD Group has decided to stay in its current headquarters in Port Washington, NY and expand the premises rather than move to a bigger alternative location. The company will also site its expanded data center at its headquarters and create ten new jobs. More
US-based word-of-mouth specialist Bazaarvoice has announced it is to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of approximately 9.4 million shares, 9 million of which will have a target price range of between $8 and $10, with a further 484,000 offered by existing shareholders. More
Multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has reported a 20% revenue increase to $9.9m for its Advanced Media and Information (AMI) division during the quarter ended December 31 - but due to continued decline in its Home Entertainment wing lost $1.9m overall in the period. More
In the US, social marketing platform Extole - which promises to help clients convert their customers into brand advocates - has secured $10m in Series C funding, which it will use to fuel growth, scale operations, and accelerate product and platform investments. More
Nielsen has reported good growth and profit with full year 2011 revenues up 8% (6% at constant currencies) to $5.53bn and adjusted EBITDA up 10% (8%) to $1.546 bn. More
In the US, NPD Group has announced an agreement with Walmart to process its point of sale data. The firm has also appointed four new analysts, plus Raj Misra as Director of Marketing. More
Retail and mall foot-traffic counting specialist ShopperTrak Corporation has boosted its planned expansion in Europe with the appointment of a European CEO. Former company COO Todd Starcevich moves from the Chicago headquarters. More
Ad and brand research specialist Hall & Partners has appointed Kevin Ford as Global Head of Research Solutions, based in London and reporting to Global CEO Vanella Jackson. More
In the US, retail performance consultancy Claris Solutions has joined forces with data analytics start-up Euclid Elements, to offer a solution that uses mobile sensors to map shopper traffic patterns in retail spaces. More
North of England-based Dipsticks Research has opened two new divisions - travel and tourism specialist 'explore research', and bespoke consumer solutions unit 'fmcg insights'; and appointed Katie Bryan-Brown and John Vincent to lead them. More
In the US, audience targeting exchange company eXelate has partnered with shopper insights specialists Nielsen Catalina Solutions to give CPG marketers access to data on in-store purchasing behaviour. More
GfK has announced revenue up 6.2% to EUR 1.374 billion in 2011, in preliminary figures released today. Almost all (5.8%) was organic growth. Operating income grew relatively little due to specific items including write-downs and recruitment of a new CEO. More
Millward Brown has partnered with emotional measurement company Affectiva to offer clients deeper insight into the emotional impact of their TV advertising. Affectiva's facial expression analysis technology Affdex will be integrated with MB's LINK copy testing and optimization solution. More
Three firms - researcher Kantar Shopcom, ad platform provider Videology and targeting specialist I-Behavior - are teaming up to help marketers to target online video advertising and measure the actual off-line purchases that result. More
US media measurement and analytics firm TRA and auto market intelligence provider Experian Automotive are the latest partners to link TV audience data and automotive buying. 'Media TRAnalytics TV Auto Ratings' will automatically match auto registration with TV data at the household level. More
Amsterdam-based Olery, a specialist in online reputation monitoring for the leisure sector, has raised $1m (EUR 750k) in a funding round from an undisclosed source, which it will use to build its presence in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, and improve and launch products. More
In Germany, Bernd Wachter has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of qual specialist The Psyma Group, succeeding Fargel Matthias who is retiring after ten years in the role. More
Media and entertainment giant Time Warner has opened a media lab in New York, aiming to provide a 360 degree view of consumer behavior. The Lab features biometric monitoring and eye tracking, a 50-seat screening room, in-home living room simulation, and a live broadcast capability. More
Retail analysis giant SymphonyIRI has partnered with UK independent grocery comparison web site mySupermarket, to provide what the firms describe as 'the first' multi-channel view of shoppers' behaviour in the UK - both online and in-store. More
UK supermarket Sainsbury's has finally filled the vacant role of Marketing Director, appointing Heineken's UK Marketing Director and former Innovation Director Sarah Warby. More
In the US, former NielsenConnect President Jon Mandel has joined TV ad targeting and measurement firm PrecisionDemand as its new CEO, replacing Tyson Roberts who assumes the role of Chief Revenue Officer. More
Market intelligence company Mintel has today announced the opening of three offices in the Asia Pacific region. Already open for business, the three are located in Mumbai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. More
In the UK, former JRA Research Associate Director Stuart Green has launched a new consultancy, fresh research. The company will specialize in integrated qual-quant projects. More
In the US, e-commerce media solutions firm HookLogic has appointed Jeff Griffin, the co-founder of Interpublic's Shopper Sciences arm, as President of Retail. More
UK-based insight and research consultancy The Behavioural Architects (TBA) has expanded into China by merging with Shanghai-based agency Research Essentials, which will now be known as The Behavioural Architects, China. More
In the US, dunnhumby - the data firm behind the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme - has appointed Yael Cosset as Global Chief Information Officer (CIO), alongside his existing role as CEO of the company's price modeling and customer insight firm KSS Retail. More
Ipsos-owned Marketing Management Analytics (MMA) has opened a new real-time Pricing Strategy practice, integrating predictive analytics with behavioural data and consumer research to help clients make judgments on pricing or react quickly to competitors' pricing actions. More
Consumer and sensory specialist MMR Research is expanding into Asia, with the opening of an office in Singapore, where it has appointed former TNS sector CEO Clive Little to lead the operation; and a Sensory Science Centre in Shanghai. More
US-based social media tracking and targeting firm Lotame and predictive segmentation specialist Alliant have joined forces to offer advertisers household targeting using purchase histories and direct marketing performance metrics. More
Ipsos has launched its first online panel for the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia. The move coincides with the opening of Ipsos Interactive Services (IIS) MENA, lead by Director Nader Kobeissi, in the region. More
In Chicago, web based 3-D virtual store research specialist InContext Solutions has received $1.5m in venture capital investment from a consortium co-led by newly launched Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP) and Hyde Park Angels, and including graphics and computing company AMD. More
UK privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has called for foot traffic monitoring firm Path Intelligence to give consumers the chance to opt out of its system, which tracks their mobile phone signals as they move around shopping centres. More
UK agency Holden Pearmain has appointed former TNS MD Dr Tacis Gavoyannis as head of its Consumer Division. Also joining the firm are FMCG specialist David Beech, methodologist Svetlana Gogolina and qual researcher Wei Wei Yang. More
In the US, research veterans Sanjay Vrudhula, Lyle Durbin and Tod Higginbotham have set up a new firm, Reconnaissance Market Research (ReconMR), targeting Texas-based companies with $1 billion or more in revenue. More
Boulder, Colorado-based digital media analytics firm Next Big Sound (NBS) has closed a $6.5m Series A financing round, which it will use to open an office in New York and to expand its tech team. More
The team at MrWeb would like to wish all our readers and friends around the world a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. More
In the US, Nielsen and comScore have settled patent infringement lawsuits relating to both firms' online measurement copyrights, and as part of the deal, Nielsen has acquired $19m of comScore common stock. More
Reports in the Turkish press claim that the country's Television Audience Research Committee (TÃAK) has severed its agreement with AGB Nielsen, following claims that staff at the firm leaked a list of panel members to TV producers who then bribed them in order to manipulate TV ratings. More
Paul Walton, the co-founder and CEO of Cello-owned brand development consultancy The Value Engineers (TVE), is to retire at the end of the year. More
In the US, data and analytics company InsightExpress has followed up last week's deal with SymphonyIRI by announcing a partnership with Kantar Shopcom, further expanding its Ignite CPG product. More
In the US, InsightExpress has partnered with SymphonyIRI to launch a tool which combines digital ad measurement capabilities with off-line consumer data, helping to link online ad exposure and in-store buying behavior. More
In the US, digital specialist Specific Media has partnered with ad performance specialist Nielsen Catalina Solutions to launch 'Shopper Access', a service which combines off-line purchase behavior with online ad data to provide insights into how advertising influences consumer purchases. More
IBM is planning to acquire consumer analytics firm DemandTec in a transaction valued at approximately $440m, or $13.20 per share. A number of shareholders have claimed that the transaction undervalues DemandTec and have legal teams investigating. More
London-based CURB Media has launched what it describes as the UK's first 'sensory out-of-home division' (SOOH), which will enable advertisers to embed scent, sound and taste into their billboards to increase recall and mood by triggering emotions. More
Ipsos has announced its new senior leadership line-up for the UK, following the Synovate acquisition. Former Synovate senior execs Dave Hannay, Hilary Worton, Paul Stamper, Deborah McCrudden and Yusuf Ramadan are all included in CEO Ben Page's team. More
New York-based Insight Research Group has changed its name to Insight Strategy Group, reflecting its 'evolution and expanding scope of services'. More
In the US, retail price optimization specialist Revionics, Inc. has announced a partnership with online competitive intelligence provider RivalWatch, aimed at helping clients to adjust their pricing strategy in real-time. More
Following its acquisition of Synovate, Ipsos has promoted Grant Bertoli to the position of CEO for South East Asia (SEA), and confirmed the appointment of Synovate's Singapore MD Miranda Cheung as MD of Ipsos in Singapore and SEA. Senior European and US roles have also been finalised. More
IBM veteran Matthias Hartmann has officially taken up the post of Chief Executive Officer of GfK, replacing Professor Dr. Klaus L. Wübbenhorst who has stepped down. More
US-based Objective Logistics - whose software analyses all the data produced during a restaurant's daily trading - has raised $1.5m for further development and commercialisation of its MUSE product. More
In the Netherlands, a consortium of outdoor specialists made up of advertisers and media agencies has rolled out a system which calculates the number of people who actually look at outdoor adverts, as opposed to measuring all those who walk past them. More
In the UK, full service consultancy FreshMinds Research has expanded in London with ten new staff appointments. More
Synovate Retail Performance (SRP) has partnered with Norwegian shopper tracking specialist Track & Trace, to provide retailers and brand owners with a behavioural solution for monitoring customer experience and satisfaction. More
In New York, trade organization the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB) has partnered with BigInsight parent firm Prosper Business Development, to launch a new resource to provide advertisers and publishers with insights on African-American consumers. More
Retail research firm The NPD Group has moved Mark Turim, previously President and General Manager for its Asia Pacific business, to the same role in Latin America as part of a drive to expand its business in the latter region. More
In the US, out-of-home media buying giant Kinetic - a part of WPP - has announced it will no longer deal with suppliers who don't subscribe to the industry's 'Eyes On' measurement system. More
US social media research firm Feedback has launched in the UK, with the opening of an office in Islington, London, led by co-founders President and CEO Jeff Thompson and Executive Vice President Dean Browell. More
US-based Scout Analytics has opened a new division, Scout Research, dedicated to developing models through which publishers can predict revenues and profits based on actual or anticipated audience size and behavior. More
US media and entertainment company NBCUniversal has appointed former Nielsen exec Jonathan Gibs for the new position of Head of Digital Research, within its Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media division (E&DN/IM). More
In the UK, Visa Europe has taken a minority stake in customer insight group Beyond Analysis, with the aim of strengthening its data analytics capabilities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More
GfK has reported a good performance for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011. Q3 organic sales growth was 5.2% and the adjusted margin was up slightly on Q3 the previous year to 15.7%. Sales in the first 9 months of the year totalled EUR 999m - up 7.1% (7.0% organic). More
Sensory and consumer specialist product perceptions has announced a partnership with qual brand developer Deep Blue Research, promising clients richer concept insights and FMCG brand development. More
Eyetracking technology firm Tobii has launched a plug-in which combines eye-gaze data with the metrics measured by TechSmith's Morae usability testing platform, to provide psychological analysis of user behavior during usability testing. More
In the US, social media analytics specialist newBrandAnalytics (nBA) - whose clients are in the hotel, casino, restaurant and retail sectors - has raised $26m in Series B financing. More
In the US, Interpublic's media innovation arm IPG Mediabrands has opened an 'immersion and exploration center', where clients and IPG staff can collaborate on technology-enabled marketing programs and data systems. More
In the US, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is evaluating software giant Adobe's digital audience measurement tool AudienceResearch, which it says can help its newspaper and magazine publishers to report web site, mobile app and digital publication data. More
Mobile giant O2 is creating a Business Intelligence team as a focus for data from across the business, according to press reports. Andy Day, Head of CRM since 2008, will head up the new division. More
In the US, multi-screen measurement firm Rentrak has reported a 17% rise in revenue for its AMI (advanced media information) division to $9.3m for the three months to the end of September. Group revenue dropped 9% to $21.9m during the period. More
In the US, a team including Google Analytics co-founder Scott Crosby has launched a new analytics platform called Euclid Elements, with a $5.8m Series A round of financing. More
Following its recent acquisition of Synovate and in line with plans to withdraw the Synovate brand in January, Ipsos has restructured its team in China. Five 'Combined Country Managers' will ready the businesses for integration while ensuring they run separately until the end of the year. More
In the US, online metrics company BuzzLogic has changed its name to Twelvefold Media, to reflect a 'substantial increase' in its size and range of activities since launch. More
Brand and communications research specialist Hall & Partners has opened a mobile market research lab in the back of a London taxi cab. More
In the US, MTV Networks has partnered with social intelligence firm Trendrr to launch a ranking tool called MovieTracker, through which fans can rank the top 25 films according to the social buzz surrounding each title. More
In the US, retail analysis giant SymphonyIRI has partnered with online ad marketplace Legolas Media to enable marketers to buy online ads based on user-level in-store purchase behavior, and then use actual product sales data for ongoing ROI measurement. More
JD Power and Associates and Kantar Media have partnered to integrate auto buyer data with stats on television viewing behavior, promising clients the ability to identify the most-watched shows among buyers of particular vehicle types. More
Kantar Media has won a six-year contract, beginning in August 2012, for the provision of a new electronic radio measurement service in Sweden, using PPM technology licensed from Arbitron. More
Nielsen has announced good results for the quarter ended September 30th, including revenues up 10% (6% at constant currencies) to $1,413m, and adjusted EBITDA up 7% in real terms, at $408m. More
Technology specialist Forrester Research has announced third quarter results, with a substantial rise in revenues to $69.8m from $59.8m in Q3 2010. More
Ipsos - now the world's third largest market research company - has reported organic growth of 6.0% for the first nine months of the year, with revenue rising to EUR 845.8m. Growth slowed slightly in the third quarter and the firm is hunkering down for tough economic times ahead. More
UK supermarket Waitrose is to introduce a loyalty card, almost two decades after rival Tesco. The up-market grocer will send cards to members of its myWaitrose online club, which has been gathering insights for around two years; and will also offer them in stores. More
Boutique MR firm Axen Research has appointed Giovanni Riggioni - previously Executive Director of Global Research at Warner Home Entertainment - as Managing Director. More
Online ad targeting company Phorm has arranged a £30m equity placing with institutional and other investors including its existing NED Mark Schneider. The funds will enable it to repay earlier borrowing and to proceed with its fledgling businesses in a number of countries. More
Online specialist YouGov has today announced the launch of YouGov France, based in Paris, and appointed Julien Chevignon to lead it. More
In New York, Ipsos Loyalty Research has introduced the 'Wallet Allocation Rule' (WAR); a new research model to help businesses track their share of consumer spending. More
Synovate Retail Performance (SRP) has partnered with face recognition specialist Firs Technology in Greater China, to provide retailers and brand owners in the region with access to technology and data reporting for stores. More
In the UK, consumer insight specialist Engage Research has reported a 13% increase in sales for the year ended 31 March 2011, with turnover up to £2.7m. More
In the US, Ipsos' digital and media specialist arm, OTX MediaCT has appointed Robert Lightner as EVP in charge of its video game research business. He will be based in San Francisco, where he will also serve as local company lead. More
Aegis Media has launched its communications insight and evaluation company aevolve in Malaysia and appointed Mark Chaves to lead it as Chief Insight Officer. More
Maritz Research has moved into its new offices in High Wycombe, UK, making room as it continues rapid European growth. More
Online music insight and analytics service SoundOut has appointed former Nielsen exec Rob Sisco as President for North America, responsible for establishing partnerships with radio networks and labels in the US and Canada. More
Danish toy manufacturer LEGO has rolled out an online 'open innovation' and crowd sourcing platform, through which consumers can submit and vote for their favourite new product ideas. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product. More
Arthur C. Nielsen Jr. - the son of the research company's founder Arthur C. Nielsen, and former Chairman of the business - died in Winnetka, IL on Monday, at the age of 92. More
Japanese consulting services specialist Nomura Research Institute (NRI) has acquired a 25.1% stake in New Delhi-based Market Xcel Data Matrix, through which it plans to expand its research and consulting business activities to India. More
A New York federal judge has rejected TRA's attempt to block the roll-out of Kantar Media's RapidView media planning tool, which TRA claimed was a direct 'rip-off' of its own Media TRAnalytics tool. More
US-based customer intelligence firm Market Force Information has raised $15m, which it plans to use to grow both organically and through acquisitions. This follows last week's acquisition of UK-based mystery shopping specialist Retail Eyes. More
Nielsen has moved to reassure clients and investors that an error in the set-up of its NPower data processing system will have no impact on its commercial data, ratings and projections, after potential problems were apparently overplayed on Wednesday. More
Kathy Pilhuj, SVP of Data Collection at Scarborough Research, has died aged 61. She spent 23 years at the firm, recently managing its two telephone interviewing centers where she was responsible for a number of innovations. More
In the US, six shopper research specialists have formed an alliance to offer marketers an integrated resource for shopper insights. The new organization will be called Mindtap Insight Network. More
US-based neuromarketing firm Innerscope Research has closed the final tranche of a $9.4million round of Series A funding. More
In the US, display advertising firm Tribal Fusion has announced it will integrate data from BlueKai's Exchange platform with its user data and profiling platform 'E9', to help its clients tailor and target their campaigns. More
Gloucestershire-based medical data collection specialist Gillian Kenny Associates (GKA) has branched into consumer and b2b research with the launch of a new company, Angelfish. More
San Francisco, US-based employer branding and employee engagement specialist Evviva Brands is to sell 20 percent of its shares to The Liquid Agency, based in San Jose, CA. Liquid's CEO, Scott Gardener, will join Evviva's board and the two firms will work in close partnership. More
TNS Gallup, part of the Kantar Media network, has won a continuation of its contract to provide the currency for measurement of TV audiences in Denmark, taking it up to the end of 2015. More
Mike Moran, EVP of Audit Services at the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), is about to retire after more than 30 years with the organization. He will be replaced by colleague Scott Hanson, who currently serves as SVP, Electronic and Centralized Auditing. More
The market research industry has returned to growth following two 'very challenging years', according to ESOMAR's Global Market Research 2011 report. Global turnover rose to US $31.2 billion in 2010, representing a total year-on-year growth of 5.2%, or 2.8% allowing for inflation. More
The Research & Consulting division at UK insight and marketing group Cello has seen a 6.0% increase in gross profit to £19.6m and a 16% rise in headline operating profit to £3.7m for the first six months of the year, despite a 1.3% drop in revenue to £31m. More
In London, Ipsos MediaCT has established a test panel of just over 350 respondents for its mobile phone-based radio measurement system, MediaCell. The move follows successful initial trials of the device. More
Australian-based agency The Leading Edge has moved Andrew Povolny, formerly MD of its Sydney-based Digital Edge division, to New York in the role of Managing Partner. He will also serve as the firm's first 'Global Client Partner' for a key client, in this case KFC-owner Yum! Restaurants. More
Nielsen has formed a strategic alliance with India-based Informate Mobile Intelligence, which uses on-device metering technology installed on panellists' handsets. More
The son of movie director Oliver Stone has co-founded a new firm which provides TV and film producers with access to a database of 60 million moviegoers willing to participate in pre-launch film and TV test research. More
In the US, Nectar loyalty card owner Groupe Aeroplan has led a $33m investment in Cardlytics - a firm which offers technology to track consumers' actual purchases in order to reward them according to their individual purchasing behaviour. More
Ipsos is planning to issue around EUR 200m worth of new shares, to part-fund its acquisition of Synovate. More
WPP-owned ad agency network Grey Group has partnered with Eastern Advertising in Taiwan, to offer full service capabilities including market research, strategic planning, PR and a range of advertising and marketing options across the country. More
In the UK, b2b media group Emap International has appointed Duncan Painter as its new CEO, replacing David Gilbertson, who stepped down in May. Painter is currently MD of customer intelligence provider Sky IQ and previously led consulting group ClarityBlue. More
US-based merchandising and marketing services company SPAR Group, Inc. is to launch a Mexican subsidiary, SPAR Todopromo. More
YouGov has significantly strengthened its senior team with the hiring of Phil Rance and Andreas Sperling, formerly in leadership roles at Research Now and Millward Brown respectively; and the promotion of Tim Britton from CEO, UK to CEO, EMEA. More
In the UK, a request to the University of Stirling by tobacco firm Philip Morris International for raw survey data, under the Freedom of Information Act, has drawn angry responses from the University and other quarters. More
In the US, CPG, retail and healthcare specialist SymphonyIRI has promoted Rob Holston as Executive Vice President, leading its Analytics practice in North America. More
The UK's largest mutual retailer, the Co-operative Group, has appointed former MasterCard Advisors chief Neil Carden to the new role of Director of Insight and Planning. More
US-based packaging research and eye-tracking specialist Perception Research Services International (PRS) has announced a strategic partnership with Latin American firm Provokers, which has offices in Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City. More
Synovate has reported an 8.4% rise in revenue to £269.7m for the first half of the year, ahead of its forthcoming sale to Ipsos for an agreed £525m. Organic gross revenue growth was 6.6% and operating profit rose 14.9% to £5.4m despite a ten percent rise in headcount. More
Brand and communications research specialist Hall & Partners has entered the South African market through a partnership with Cape Town and Johannesburg-based marketing consultancy Yellowwood. More
Jan Hofmeyr, formerly Synovate's International Director of Innovation, has joined TNS in a 'global thought leadership role', responsible for building the firm's approach to behaviour change and embedding this across the group. More
Huntington, NY-based AMS Market Research has appointed Added Value veteran David Saul as President. More
Nielsen has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its Puerto Rico TV audience measurement service, which was launched in April 2010. More
In the US, a lawsuit has been filed against online measurement specialist comScore, claiming it collected personal and confidential data - such as credit card numbers, passwords and Social Security numbers - from consumers' computers without their knowledge. More
Jeff Hirsch, the President of behavioral targeting technology firm AudienceScience, is leaving at the end of September to 'pursue smaller entrepreneurial interests' by helping start-up companies get off the ground. More
In the UK, international specialist River Research has reported a £1m increase in sales to c.£2.5m for the last 12 months. The firm says it is also considering expanding overseas, with the US being the most likely location. More
US media measurement and analytics firm TRA has secured a patent for using anonymous consumer purchase behavior data to target television and other ads. The firm is currently involved in a legal row with WPP over alleged infringement of another patent. More
The world's 25 largest research firms had revenues of $18.8 billion in 2010, up 4.9% on the previous 'dismal' year - a 'very healthy turnaround' according to industry authority Jack Honomichl. However, 'real' revenues were not quite back to their 2008 levels, and some companies continued to shrink. More
In the UK, Robin Hilton and Jonathan Clough - who previously worked at youth research and marketing strategist Dubit - have formed a new online panel firm. ResearchBods offers specialist panels for consumer; online qual; and research among youth, kids and families. More
Specialist research firm eyetracker has announced a deal with Royal Mail's Mail Media Centre to create what it calls 'Europe's first omnibus eye tracking research service for the Direct Mail industry'. More
GfK has reported sales of EUR 660.1m in sales for the first half of 2011, reflecting 8.0% organic growth year-on-year. Adjusted operating income rose 16.8% (organic 18.0%) to EUR 83.9m. The Group has also announced the acquisition of a 25% stake in US firm MBI. More
WPP agency MediaCom Worldwide has launched a new division focused on global sports sponsorship, MediaCom Sport, and appointed former IMG Consulting exec Marcus John to lead it. More
In the US, in-store monitoring specialist BVI Networks has closed an $8m funding round, which it will use to support further development of its analytics technology. More
In the US, radio ratings giant Arbitron has expanded Sean Creamer's role to include that of Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company's day-to-day operations and growth strategy. More
In Australia, customer analytics and data strategy consultancy Quantium has hired former eBay MD Simon Smith to launch Quantium Online, focusing on online shopping and eCommerce consulting. More
A US judge has ordered media measurement firm TRA and WPP to settle their differences through mediation, following their row over alleged patent infringement. More
The co-founders of North of England-based Dipsticks Research, John and Fiona Raglan, have announced they are stepping back from the day-to-day management of the business, which will now be run by their former Operations Director Ivor Knox. More
In the US, following last year's imprisonment of Youth Research President Karen Forcade for falsifying data in connection with child safety tests on cigarette lighters, her colleague Joyce Serventi and two of the firm's former contractors have also been convicted. More
Consumer and retail tracking provider The NPD Group has promoted Tim Bush to the post of Group President for the Asia Pacific region, working out of its offices in Hong Kong. More
US neuroscience specialist Sands Research Inc (SRI) has partnered with Chinese neuromarketing firm Brain Intelligence Neuro-Consultancy (BI) to provide their services to businesses in China and on a global basis. More
Nielsen has reported a 10% rise in revenue to $1.4 billion for the second quarter, the result of a 14% increase in its Buy consumer purchase behavior segment and a 4% increase in its Watch media research arm. More
Fresh from announcing its deal to buy Synovate, Ipsos has achieved organic growth of 6.3% in the first half of the year, reporting a 5.6% increase in revenues to EUR 558.2m. More
Online behavioral predictive analytics specialist Visual Revenue has secured Series A Seed Funding of $512k, which will be used to fuel product development. More
US-based agency Zpryme Research & Consulting has opened a China Insights Practice, a market research division focused on the Chinese consumer and business market. More
Ipsos has agreed to acquire Synovate for £525m (EUR 595m), creating the world's third largest market research company. The deal is to be funded with cash, new debt financing, and a rights offering to Ipsos shareholders. More
Retail market intelligence provider SymphonyIRI Group is to work with Wal-Mart to introduce an online shopper insights and collaborative planning platform called 'Customer Advantage'. More
In the US, Nielsen has signed a multi-year agreement with Kantar Media to access set-top box (STB) data from the latter's DIRECTView audience measurement panel, for use in its local TV audience measures. More
US tech-based qual researcher Quester and mobile survey software provider iPinion have integrated their systems to enhance their mobile research offering. More
Arbitron has today announced second quarter results ahead of many analysts' expectations, with revenue up 8.4% year-on-year to $95.7m. With costs up just 1.1%, profits jumped: EBITDA was up 52.5% to $19.7m. More
Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to resume sharing consumer data from its Walmart and Sam's Club stores with Nielsen, after a ten-year break. More
In the United Arab Emirates, Tamara Deprez is to leave her post as Head of online agency Yahoo! Maktoob Research at the end of July. She has not yet decided what her next career move will be. More
In the UK, it has been revealed that Doughty Hanson - which owns the Vue cinema chain - is the mystery company interested in buying Aegis' market research arm Synovate. More
UK insight and marketing group Cello has reported that its research and consulting division has continued to 'show good like-for-like revenue growth' despite the loss of two significant retail research contracts, but has meanwhile made a number of staff redundancies. More
In the US, media measurement and analytics firm TRA has filed a counterclaim to WPP's recent lawsuit, started over claims that Kantar Media Audiences' RapidView product 'rips off' TRA's Media TRAnalytics solution. More
In London, Asif Mirza has set up his own firm, Mobile Fieldwork, to offer mobile research and data collection services to market research, marketing, media and PR agencies, as well as end clients. More
Oxfordshire-based consumer insight and sensory specialist MMR Research Worldwide is planning to open a new office in London in September. More
Behavioral advertising company Phorm yesterday reported an operating loss of $27.9m for the year ended December 2010. The company reported zero revenue for the period but says this will change in the current financial year. More
Panel exchange operator Cint has announced new partnerships with operators of student panels, the UK's National Union of Students (NUS) and Student Beans, and Irish student panel W5. More
GfK is to restructure its business following a major review, and from next January will operate through two new divisions, 'Consumer Choices' and 'Customer Experiences', under the new tagline: 'Own the Future'. More
In Melbourne, Australia, insight strategist BrandHook and full service online agency Melon Research have joined forces and will now trade under the BrandHook name. More
GfK has strengthened its worldwide presence, buying Thai MR firm MarketWise and completing the buying of GfK-MEMRB Marketing Services in Cyprus. It has also upped its stake in US company Etilize and launched a retail panel in Belarus. More
Yan Xuan has been appointed as President of Nielsen Greater China, reporting to CEO David Calhoun and with a seat on the Nielsen Executive Council (NEC). More
WPP has entered the ad targeting fray with the launch of Xaxis, a new firm which links the group's ad-buying technologies with a proprietary database containing what it describes as the 'world's largest pool of audience profiles'. More
In the UK, Ipsos MediaCT has partnered with Finnish mobile measurement firm Zokem to launch the M3 solution; a new app that combines the collection of smartphone and tablet usage data combined with event-based survey polls. More
In New York, a group of executives has formed The Co-Creation Forum, an industry initiative to promote best practice among co-creation practitioners and communities. More
RAJAR, the UK's radio audience research body, has extended its audience measurement contract with Ipsos MORI through to 2014. The agency has conducted the programme since RAJAR was founded in 1992. More
Chinese search engine Baidu has reportedly acquired a 29% stake in online ratings specialist Leftbrain Technologies for 3.1 million Yuan ($464k). More
In the US, Inuvo - which provides online ad services backed by data and analytics - has sold $2.7m of its stock and warrants, with the funds earmarked for further development of its platform and web properties. More
Software giant Adobe has reported 'record revenue' of $115.9m for its Omniture web analytics division for the second quarter of fiscal year 2011, ended June 3, compared with $91.9m for the prior year period. More
Nielsen has launched a new approach to helping companies with their product innovation strategies, which it claims will increase the likelihood of new products succeeding to 75%. More
Millward Brown has moved Patty Currie into the role of Global Brand Director for Tracking, based in the firm's Lisle, Illinois office. This is the last appointment in the series of five new senior branding roles announced in January. More
In the US, online behavioral targeting firm OwnerIQ has raised $7m in a new round of funding, which it will use to expand its proprietary data solutions and enhance its media-buying platform. More
Electronics market specialist IMS Research has opened an office in Tokyo, Japan, which President Ian Weightman describes as a 'key component' in the firm's growth strategy in Asia Pacific. The new office is headed by former comScore manager Masanori Wakabayashi. More
In the UK, three former leaders of The Futures Company (TFC) - Crawford Hollingworth, Sian Davies and Sarah Davies - have launched a global insight and research consultancy called The Behavioural Architects. The trio are also planning to open a second office in China later this year. More
Peter Greene has left consumer and retail specialist The NPD Group after nearly 20 years, to join Nielsen's Segmentation and Local Market Analytics division in a newly created role, SVP Durables Strategies. More
Marketing services network McCann Worldgroup has hired Marc Schwartz as Global Director of Performance Analytics and moved Laura Simpson from London to become Global IQ Director, heading up a new NYC-based Marketing Sciences practice. More
IBM has announced an expansion of its social media business services including 'Connections', which it claims is 'the industry's first social networking platform that provides organisations with the ability to track and monitor social data in real-time'. More
In the UK, media research agency Other Lines of Enquiry has announced the launch of otherlines.tv, a division dedicated to television research - and appointed sector specialist Penny Browell (nee Rudd) to head it up. More
In the US, Nielsen has formed an alliance with grocery media network and software firm MyWebGrocer, to develop what it says is the 'First Comprehensive View of US Online Supermarket Purchases.' More
Marcoms giant WPP has filed a lawsuit against media measurement and analytics firm TRA, reportedly over claims by the latter that its Media TRAnalytics tool has been 'ripped off' by WPP subsidiary Kantar Media Audiences. More
Data and analytics giant Experian Marketing Services has partnered with Kantar Media to provide clients with analysis of their audiences by household attributes such as income levels. More
Former Yahoo! Europe VP Stephen Taylor has become Chairman of Manchester, UK-based call tracking and web analytics firm AdInsight. More
ZenithOptimedia has opened an Australian office for its global marketing effectiveness agency Ninah Consulting, and recruited former Synovate Aztec director Bryan Hall to lead the business. More
Publicis-owned agency MediaVest has opened a 'Human Experience' practice in New York, through which it will aim to explore the drivers of human behavior to create 'greater consumer experiences' for clients' brands. More
In the US, eCommerce software company ShopIgniter and analytic solutions company Webtrends have announced a partnership to offer what they say is the industry's 'first enterprise-grade social commerce analytics solution.' More
US joint venture company Nielsen Catalina Solutions has appointed advertising analytics veteran Leslie Wood for the newly created position of Chief Research Officer, based near New York and reporting to CEO Mike Nazzaro. More
Neuromarketing firm EmSense has partnered with store-based shopper research specialist Fifth Dimension, to measure shoppers' emotional and cognitive engagement when making buying decisions. More
US media measurement specialist TRA and ad agency platform MediaBank have signed a deal to enable the latter's ad agency and media buying clients to match TV planning directly to actual purchase data. More
UK measurement body RAJAR has added an online self-completion diary and Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) to its range of data collection methods for radio audience rating. The new approaches will be rolled out from next month. More
Perfume and cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has opened an Innovation Center in Shanghai, China, from which it plans to develop products tailored to the specific needs of Chinese and Asian consumers. More
In the UK, foods giant Nestlé has opened a £1m extension to its Insight and Learning Centre in York, featuring an Imax cinema, replica living room and working kitchen, full size convenience store, and digital media area. More
London-based qual agency Firefish has launched a specialist children and families research consultancy, 'The Pineapple Lounge'. The service will be led by Emma Worrollo, who specialises in kids, teens and mother-and-baby research. More
Synovate has announced the global launch of mobile research capabilities including SMS / text and mobile online surveys, as well as app development. Thomas Edwards has been promoted to lead the initiative. More
In Germany, Heiko Leipold and Peter Mahn have set up a new agency called mafowerk, based in Nuremberg, which will offer on-demand market research services, trend studies and consumer behavioural analysis. Both men have worked for GfK and for Information Resources (IRI). More
UK retail stalwart Marks & Spencer is reportedly working on a radical redesign of stores based on analysis of its customer base in each locality, including affluence and demographics. More
GfK has partnered with its part-owned usability research specialist nurago to launch 'Connected Life.dx', a tool tying in browsing and consumer purchasing behaviour across fixed and mobile platforms. More
UK-based consumer understanding specialist Spring Research has hired John Griffiths as Creative Director and Catalina Cernica as Managing Director. More
In the north of England, MR agency DJS Research Ltd has reported annual turnover of around £1.5m, another rapid rise after exceptional results the previous year. The company has added eight new members of staff so far in 2011 and recently announced two promotions. More
The European branch of The Mystery Shopper Providers Association (MSPA Europe) has appointed Nigel Cover of Grass Roots as its President for the next two years. More
Gaming market researcher Newzoo and app store analyst Distimo have announced a partnership to provide unique monthly data on game sales and downloads across all Apple App Stores, covering the US and six European nations. More
Nielsen has promoted Emilie Darolles to the role of Managing Director of its operations in Taiwan. More
From November, Nielsen will produce all US local ratings for Hispanic TV programming using the same ratings panels used for English language stations. More
Eye tracking specialist Tobii Technology has launched a new testing solution, which it claims is the first to be specifically designed for usability studies on mobile devices and mobile applications. More
Art, antiques and collectibles data provider WorthPoint has partnered with eBay data specialist Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems (AERS), to create what the firms describe as 'the most extensive Internet resource' for antiques and collectibles. More
In Austria, semantic web technology firm uma has closed a EUR 800,000 ($1.1m) funding round, which it says will help it move 'more aggressively' into the digital signage and display market. More
GfK has reported a strong first quarter in its 2011 financial year, with consolidated sales up 10.4% to EUR 310.2 million and organic growth of 8.0%. More
In London, market research agency BrainJuicer has appointed Federico Trovato, former Head of Consumer and Market Intelligence at Philips - as Chief Client Satisfaction Officer. He will also join the Executive Management Team and will start in August. More
Brand and marketing insight consultancy Added Value has announced four senior promotions, consisting of two newly created Offer Development roles and two moves from Europe to the US. More
Consumer and retail tracking provider The NPD Group has opened a new facility in Athlone, Ireland, for development as a Global IT/Operations Centre. Over the next three years, the firm plans to add another 80 employees to the twenty already based there. More
Lisabeth Couturier has rejoined Las Vegas-based research services firm Precision Opinion as a Vice President, and will lead the re-opening of a major focus group facility in the city, complete with gaming laboratory. More
The Czech Association for Internet Advertising (SPIR) has awarded comScore a three-year contract to supply the official common currency for online and mobile media audience measurement in the country, replacing the current provider, the Gemius and Mediaresearch partnership. More
Nielsen has promoted former Microsoft exec Celia Fan to lead its 'Watch' media research division in Hong Kong. More
In the UK, full service agency FreshMinds has made nine new appointments on the back of what it describes as 'record results' with turnover growing by more than 20% in the past six months. More
Apple is the world's number 1 brand by a distance, adding 84% to last year's valuation to leapfrog mobile o/s rival Google, according to Millward Brown's Brandz index, just published. More
Electronics market specialist IMS Research has set up a Touch Market Research & Consulting practice in the US, and appointed touch technology specialist Geoff Walker to lead it as Principal Analyst. More
Mark Stevens, formerly Research Director at Australian agency SensoMetrics, has set up his own sensory research agency, Sensory Insights, based in New South Wales. More
In the UK, take-away brand Domino's Pizza is the first to use Arena Media's newly launched 'Architect' tool, which uses the principles of behavioural economics to identify the social, cognitive and emotional factors behind individual purchasing decisions. More
Dave Thomas, President Global Media Client Services at Nielsen, is to leave the firm after 22 years. His replacement will be Mitch Barns, currently President of Nielsen Greater China. More
In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has called off its three-year investigation into Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) device, and claims that it undercounted minority listeners. More
In the UK, customer experience measurement specialist Maritz Research has reported a revenue increase of £1.07m, from £8.4m in the fiscal year 2009 to £9.4m in 2010. In the last 12 months, the firm has also recruited 80 new researchers in Europe and Asia. More
In the US, Apple is recruiting for a new online community of product users called the 'Apple Customer Pulse', through which it will conduct regular product-related surveys to gather market research data. More
Nielsen has promoted Karthik Rao to the position of Managing Director of its Greater China region, based in its Shanghai office. More
US joint venture company Nielsen Catalina Solutions has partnered with mobile advertising network 4INFO, to help CPG brands measure the impact of ad campaigns aired on mobile devices. More
Nielsen has seen an 8.9% increase in revenue to $1.3bn for the first quarter of 2011. Net income rose from $16m to $64m but the firm reported a $181m loss in Q1 due to $206m costs relating to its recent initial public offering (IPO). More
Radio ratings giant Arbitron has seen first quarter 2011 net revenue rise 5.2% to $100.9m, from $95.9m in the prior year period, while net income rose 18.2% to $16.2m. More
In the US, Scarborough Research has partnered with multicultural consumer intelligence provider Geoscape to offer in-depth information about Hispanic consumers' buying power, brand loyalty and media preferences. More
In the US, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has granted accreditation to Arbitron's TAPSCAN Web, which provides radio ad buyers and sellers with an 'all-in-one' solution with audience data alongside electronic ordering, invoicing and scheduling. More
Swedish eye tracking solutions firm MRC international has appointed former Neurofocus SVP Jeff Bander as SVP of Client Services, to head the firm's newly opened New York City office. More
In New York, digital media platform provider Martini Media has partnered with web technology firm NetSeer to provide a service targeting ads to affluent individuals based on their intent. More
Australian market research and polling company Roy Morgan Research is to open an operation in India, following the roll out of its Single Source survey across the country. More
In the US, technology industry research giant Gartner has extended CEO Gene Hall's contract of employment by a further five years, to December 31, 2016. More
In the UK, consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has promoted SVP of Category Development Rakesh Kapoor to Chief Executive Officer, following the retirement of Bart Becht. The firm's Board of Directors described Kapoor as its 'unanimous choice'. More
In the US, data and analytics provider Experian Marketing Services has partnered with digital ad platform Turn to help advertisers plan, measure and manage their campaigns. More
In the US, former ARF leader Joel Rubinson has partnered with product development specialist InsightsNow to develop research tools to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) clients with product innovation. More
ORC International has launched a new practice within its Healthcare and Pharmaceutical division, focusing on FDA and Regulatory practice for the sector, and headed by Chief Research Officer Dr. Morris S. Whitcup. More
In the US, Triton Digital Media (formerly known as Ando Media) - which provides digital services to the traditional and online radio sector - has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its Webcast Metrics digital audience measurement platform. More
Behavioral targeting platform Rocket Fuel has secured $6.6m in Series C funding, which it will use for new product development. The firm has also made its behavioural profiling technology available in the UK through the opening of European headquarters in London. More
In the US, the KJT Group has launched a market research and consulting service for organizations that focus all or part of their business on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. More
In the UK, Leapfrog Research & Planning has hired former GlaxoSmithKline marketer Tim Brooks for the new role of Managing Director, with responsibility for helping drive the firm through a period of anticipated growth and expansion. More
In the US, online research community builder Communispace has partnered with media network Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) to launch a joint consumer insight community focusing on the Hispanic market. More
UK-based pollster and online MR firm YouGov plc has agreed to acquire Portland, Oregon-based Definitive Insights (DI), for an initial consideration of $1m and further performance-related payments adding to an anticipated $4.8m. YouGov also announced half-year revenue up 26.8% with an improved profit margin of 8.1%. More
Shopper marketing consultancy DCActiv has launched a new division in Dubai and named Hugo Mills, previously Diageo's GTME General Manager for the Gulf, as MD of its Global Travel Retail division (DCActiv GTR). More
For the financial year 2010, GfK has reported an 11.1% rise in income to a record EUR 1.29 billion. Adjusted operating income climbed from EUR 147.2m to EUR 185.0m with operating margin also at a historical high, 14.3%. More
In the UK, satellite broadcasting giant BSkyB is commencing a campaign to persuade its pay-TV customers of the 'benefits' of its AdSmart platform, which delivers targeted ads to households based on their subscription package and location. More
Synovate has promoted Jon Harper to the post of Global Head of Brand & Communications in London, and John Carroll to Global Head of Customer Experience in Chicago. More
In the UK, Holden Pearmain co-founder David Pearmain has returned to agency life after a year as a consultant, joining Impact Research, a company started by two of his former employees. More
In the US, Synovate has appointed former Nielsen exec Howard Ballon as Managing Director of its new Media and Entertainment practice, based in the Los Angeles office. More
TNS has appointed Ivan Browne as Head of its Retail & Shopper Sector, based in London. He leaves GfK NOP, where he served as Business Development Director for the consumer products and retail division. More
French financier Vincent Bolloré has indicated that he may be willing to sell his 26.5% stake in Synovate's parent firm Aegis, according to a report in the UK's Guardian newspaper. More
In the UK, consumer insight and sensory specialist MMR Research Worldwide has promoted Mark Sismey to the newly created role of Innovation Director, tasked with identifying, evaluating and delivering the latest technology and data collection tools. More
Online marketing software start-up Motista has received a $4.5m Series A investment from El Dorado Ventures. The firm is also relocating its corporate headquarters from Rockville, MD to San Mateo, CA. More
New York-based Insight Research Group has added two new directors, Steve Becker and James Streit, to its management team, and promoted four current team members: Sarah Chumsky, David Dyte, Sarah McLoughlin and Supriya Sanyal. More
David Lowden, who stepped down as CEO of TNS at the end of 2008, has been appointed as a non-executive director of William Hill Plc from the first of April this year. More
Panel and sample specialist Cint has announced two new partnerships centred around its newly acquired DIY mobile relationship marketing platform, Thumbspeak. More
Australian consumer insights specialist Edentify has opened a new office in Auckland, New Zealand to work with existing clients based in the country. More
In the US, Ipsos and biometric measurement specialist Innerscope Research have partnered to integrate measures of unconscious emotional engagement into Ipsos' products. More
In Germany, former K & A Brand Research execs Manfred Zerzer and Karen Döring have set up PsychoLogik, a full-service market research agency which applies the science of psychology to the analysis and logical understanding of consumer behaviour. More
In the US, event ticketing firm Ticketmaster has launched 'LiveAnalytics'; a new venture led by former Nielsen exec John Forese, which will analyse the group's global fan database to drive increased ticket sales. More
In the US, radio ratings giant Arbitron has unveiled plans to roll out a new 'experimental approach' that features a web and mobile-based system as the main means for collecting data, instead of its existing seven-day paper-based diary service. More
In Singapore, Yahoo! and Nielsen have partnered to launch Brand Impact, a study aimed at quantifying the branding effectiveness of online ad campaigns across Asia. More
US-based Omnicom has integrated its Whybin TBWA Tequila ad agency into its shopper marketing agency brand Integer, which it has launched in Australia with branches in both Sydney and Melbourne. More
Supermarket giant Tesco has refused to pass on its Clubcard data to the UK Government, which is requesting companies hand over their customer data as part of a plan to help compile the national census. More
In the US, Abrams Capital Management has sold 250,000 shares in radio ratings giant Arbitron, and raised $10.01m in the process. More
In the US, Nielsen has promoted Mary Liz Finn to the position of Chief Human Resources Officer, to lead the firm's human capital strategy, and oversee leadership development programs, compensation and benefits packages. More
In the US, consumer research specialist Experian Simmons has partnered with the Latinum Network to tap its understanding of Hispanic consumers. More
In the US, Gian Fulgoni, the co-founder and Executive Chairman of digital measurement specialist comScore, has sold 160,000 company shares for $4.48m. More
In Malaysia, Sun Media Corporation (SMC) is taking legal action against Nielsen for publishing what it describes as 'false and misleading readership estimates' for its newspaper theSun. More
In the US, market research consultancy Jerry Henry & Associates and theme park corporation Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) have partnered to launch a new agency called H2R Market Research, which will focus on the travel, tourism and leisure sectors. More
Nielsen has reported 2010 revenue of $5.13 billion, a 6.1% increase on a constant currency basis. Net income of $132m for the year compares well with a loss of $489m in 2009. More
In the US, media measurement and analytics firm TRA has hired former Arbitron sales leader Pierre Bouvard as SVP of Media Sales. The company has also appointed Kelly Mead and Susan Cuccinello as Vice Presidents. More
Manhattan-based quant market research specialist Eric Marder Associates (EMA) is to close after more than 50 years in business. Founder Eric Marder, who is now in his 80s, has decided it's time to 'pursue other interests'. More
In the UK, media research veteran Roger Gane is to retire from his post as Research Director at RSMB in March, after a 40-year career in the market and media research sectors. More
In the UK, market information specialist CACI is to hold a service on Thursday 10 March to remember the life of Gordon Cousland, a consultant with the firm who was killed in the Domodedovo Airport suicide bomb attack in Moscow in January. More
MR outsourcing firm Ugam Research Solutions has partnered with mobile survey technology provider Techneos, to deliver access to new audiences and behavioural data through mobile phones. More
UK agency HPI Research has launched a new division called Mobilocity, to conduct market research via mobile phones. More
German-based customer insight firm Emnos has opened a new office in Chicago, led by Adam Holyk who was previously Vice President Client Solutions at dunnhumbyUSA. More
US retail giant Wal-Mart Stores has promoted Cindy Davis to the position of Executive Vice President of Global Consumer Insights, leading a newly created team which will analyze broad consumer trends and provide insight into customer needs. More
Media ratings giant Arbitron has extended CEO William Kerr's employment agreement for a further year to January 2013, in recognition of the leadership role he has played during a year of 'extraordinary events'. More
Online panel firm Toluna and tech firm nurago have rolled out their BrandSpector digital measurement solution across the US, where it will be used to analyze the response of more than 290,000 Toluna panel members to digital campaigns. More
Customer satisfaction analyst ForeSee Results has announced a 'phenomenal close to 2010' - its ninth consecutive year of more than 25% revenue growth. More
Market Probe has announced a major push into key developing countries with the launch of strategic partnerships around the globe; a new office in Hong Kong; senior hires for brand equity and customer research; and development of a new customer advocacy model. More
GfK CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) has expanded its use of shopper specific technology by investing in Tobii Technology's entire range of eye tracking tools to perform projection, on-screen and real world studies in lab and shopping environments. More
In India, digital media network Komli Media has promoted current COO Prashant Mehta to the role of Chief Executive Officer, replacing company founder Amar Goel who retains the role of Chairman. The firm plans a major recruitment drive as it opens a new engineering centre in Bangalore. More
In the US, retail specialist SymphonyIRI has partnered with Synovate to create HispanicLink - a report that provides a view of Hispanic shoppers and their current $950 billion spending power. More
Online research specialist YouGov has hooked up with digital marketing agency Adform to offer a service which tests how one or more banner ads are received by a target group prior to a campaign being launched. More
Technology research firm Gartner has reported a 17% increase in fourth quarter revenue to $382.3m, and full year 2010 revenue up 13% to $1,288.5m. More
In the UK, game industry specialist Chris Wright has launched a company helping online game publishers with data mining and monetisation. Services include real-time behavioural analytics, predictive modelling and individual targeted in-game marketing. More
In Australia, non-profit body The Readership Works has appointed media specialist Mal Dale for the newly created position of General Manager, responsible for developing, launching, and managing the country's new print readership metric. More
In the US, Internet services giant Yahoo! has launched AdLabs - a group focused on accelerating innovation in digital advertising products, and tapping into the services offered by its existing Yahoo! Labs research unit. More
French co-creation agency eYeka is expanding to the States, where it has already appointed full teams covering both the West and East coasts, based in New York and San Francisco. More
Consumer insight and sensory specialist MMR Research Worldwide has appointed nine new recruits for its UK and US operations, since the start of the year. More
In France, WPP's brand development and marketing insight consultancy Added Value has appointed Thomas Fratacci Managing Director, as CEO Jonathan Hall leaves to become Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Cheskin Added Value (USA). More
In the US, fast food giant McDonald's has promoted Kevin Newell to the new position of Executive Vice President - Global Chief Brand Officer, responsible for marketing, consumer insights, menu innovation and restaurant design. More
Manufacturing giant Kraft Foods has partnered with chip maker Intel to develop a self-service kiosk housing digital signage, which scans shoppers' faces and then (wait for it...) recommends what they should cook for dinner. More
Nielsen has priced its forthcoming initial public offering (IPO) at around $1.64bn or $23.00 per share. The shares will trade from today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 'NLSN'. More
CACI Managing Consultant Gordon Cousland has been named as one of the victims of yesterday's suicide bombing which took place in Moscow's Domodedovo airport. He is one of two Britons and at least 35 people in total killed in the attack. More
Synovate has opened an office in Geneva, Switzerland to house a team of twelve. They include existing sales and account management staff based in the city, as well as staff who have relocated from the firm's offices in France and the Netherlands. More
Social monitoring and research company Attentio has finalised the acquisition of 365Research - both are based in Brussels. 365 founder Colin Sanders becomes Chief Product Officer at Attentio, which is planning a new version of its 'Brand Dashboard' in the spring. More
Retail behaviour research specialist Shoppercentric has appointed former Marks & Spencer Head of Customer Insight Susie Spencer as a Director. More
Database marketing solutions firm MBS, a subsidiary of GSI Commerce, is partnering with luxury market research and consulting group the Luxury Institute to help clients with enterprise-wide cultural CRM initiatives in the sector. More
In the US, radio ratings giant Arbitron has integrated its TAPSCAN Web analysis system with Marketron's Exchange platform, giving radio ad buyers and sellers an 'all-in-one' solution with audience data alongside electronic ordering, invoicing and scheduling. More
Ahead of the official release of its financial results for calendar year 2010, Nielsen has reported an expected revenue increase of between 6.3% and 6.7% to between $5,110m and $5,130m (2009 = $4,808m), equivalent to 5.8% to 6.2% on a constant currency basis. More
In the UK, branding specialists Simon Coker and Nick Burrows have launched Brand Spirit - a new agency which will connect internal and external brand building, while profiling customers' attitudes, motivations and behaviours. More
In the US, antitrust charges brought by Sunbeam Television against Nielsen have been dismissed by a Florida federal judge. More
US confectionery giant Hershey's is joining forces with the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to develop a sensory science and consumer research program including a consumer taste test laboratory. More
Ipsos MORI has appointed Lindsay Cowan, formerly TNS Research International's Global Director of Shopper Insight, as Head of UK Retail and Shopper. More
In the US comScore, dunnhumbyUSA and Accenture have partnered to study the link between consumers' usage of brand web sites and their in-store brand buying behavior. More
In the UK, former TNS Healthcare colleagues Steve Lowery and Philippa Hammerton have launched Red Leaf Research - a full service MR consultancy with specialist expertise in the healthcare and consumer sectors. More
Brand and communications research specialist Hall & Partners has appointed Mark Stapylton as Managing Partner in its New York office. More
UK consultancy Simpson Carpenter has launched a new healthcare and pharmaceutical research division, headed by Anna Sawka who joins from Aequus Research. Further appointments are planned for early 2011. More
London-based brand research specialist Drummond Madell has rebranded as Relish Research, and opened a new division called Relish North near Leeds. More
In Japan, online research firm Macromill has partnered with ad and marketing services agencies Hakuhodo and Tokyu to form a new subsidiary which will collect and sell data on consumer commodity buying in Tokyo. More
Consumer specialist Knowledge Networks (KN) is to more than double the number of young adults (ages 18 to 24) on its online KnowledgePanel, and increase its representation of Hispanics by more than 40% during the year. More
In the US, Synovate has partnered with Duke University to create the 'Duke/Synovate Shopper Insights Center for Leadership and Innovation', which will focus on advancing research into shopper insights and marketing. More
Nielsen's Chief Human Resources Officer Roberto (Bob) Llamas is to leave the firm at the end of the first quarter 2011. The firm plans to name a successor during the transition period. More
In the US, marketing veteran Pamela Landau has opened her own marketing and branding agency, CIRCE Consulting, to help clients tap consumer insights for brand development and marketing strategy on- and off-line. More
In the UK, former Ipsos directors Sam McGuire and Alison Bigsby have founded a full service market research agency, Samson Research. More
In the US, media strategy and measurement agency Geomentum has appointed former Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) leader Sean Finnegan as CEO, and Tony Bombacino as President/Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). More
In the UK, the National Magazine Company (NatMag) has recruited Asos exec Aida Muirhead for its newly created role of Research and Insight Director, responsible for creating, developing and managing its centralised insight team. More
In the US, publishing giant Forbes has partnered with MediaVest and comScore to launch what it describes as 'first of its kind' research to measure print advertising effectiveness using digital tracking methodology. More
Rentrak and Paris-based Cine Chiffres have announced the formation of a joint venture which will monitor cinema box office figures throughout France, from 1st January 2011. More
Nielsen has formed a joint venture with China Cable Union Data Services (CCData) to pioneer the delivery of new and more detailed insight on China's growing digital TV market. More
In New York, social engagement company SAY Media and Knowledge Networks' ad effectiveness subsidiary KN Dimestore have announced a new research approach designed to measure the impact of user engagement on brand metrics. More
In the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has again deferred its decision on whether or not to charge Phorm and BT over the trial of tracking technology in 2006-7. More
Nielsen has announced that it is shutting down its diary-based radio ratings service in the US, from the Fall 2010 period. The firm said in a statement that the decision will not impact its international radio measurement services. More
US-based auto industry customer feedback specialist Enprecis has partnered with Chinese auto market research company Sinotrust, to help car manufacturers in China measure customer response to product quality. More
In the US, the NPD Group has launched a suite of advanced analytics products which tap into its proprietary item-level tracking information. It has also hired former SymphonyIRI exec John Deputato for the newly created role of Senior Vice President for Advanced Analytics. More
Andy Dexter's agency Truth scooped the blue riband Best Agency award at last night's annual MRS bash in London. A noisy crowd at the capital's Lancaster London Hotel saw Verve take the Best Newcomer, while innovative agencies Firefish and BrainJuicer took three and two awards respectively. More
Arbitron's week has had its ups and downs but its leaders will enjoy their weekend in the knowledge that its biggest client Clear Channel Radio has signed up for PPM and diary ratings for another five years for a reported $538m. The ratings firm's share price has leapt accordingly. More
Following its admission last month of a flaw in the measurement of web traffic due to pages with 'very long URLs', Nielsen has now notified clients that it will 'restate' ratings for nine TV stations in four of its metered markets due to problems with 'software logic'. More
An independent study of Arbitron's PPM (Portable People Meter) panellists has uncovered how some try to 'beat the system' in order to earn more monthly payments. More
In the US, consumer specialist Knowledge Networks (KN) has partnered with mobile survey technology provider Techneos to roll out a solution that uses smartphones both for traditional information gathering and for 'on the go' and 'in the moment' research. More
In the US, Proximic - a provider of contextual and audience interest data services for use in ad targeting - has secured $4.4m in growth funding. More
In Australia, shopper activation agencies Evocatif and iCRE8 have joined forces to expand parent firm STW Group's retail capabilities. More
In the US, Coca-Cola has created an integrated business intelligence data warehouse, to provide its marketing, sales and supply chain execs with immediate access to point-of-sale (POS) and scanner data. More
In the US, Nielsen/Arbitron joint venture Scarborough Research has hired Nielsen veteran Tom Drouillard as President and CEO, succeeding Gregg Lindner who has moved to Arbitron as Chief Research Officer. More
In the US, multi-screen media measurement specialist Rentrak has partnered with retail information provider The NPD Group, to provide a 360 degree view of video-on-demand (VOD) users. More
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a group of industry bodies have given Kantar Media a five-year contract to develop and implement the country's first PeopleMeter television audience measurement service. More
US-based analytics firm MarketShare has teamed up with Japanese ad agency Hakuhodo to offer marketing effectiveness solutions to clients in Japan and other key Asian markets. More
IPO-bound research giant Nielsen has reportedly struck a new deal with CEO David Calhoun, adding three years to his contract in exchange for a salary rise and a $6 million signing bonus. More
In the UK, the BBC is introducing its own 'Live Plus 7' system, which supplements traditional 'overnight' audience figures with numbers viewing the same programmes on any of a number of platforms up to seven days later. More
Kantar has increased the size of its Worldpanel in the UK by 20%, to include data from 30,000 households by the end of 2011. The firm has also announced other enhancements to the overall Worldpanel service. More
Online customer behaviour analysis firm Site Intelligence has received an unknown amount of equity funding from Oxford Capital Partners, while appointing Peter Ryan as Chief Executive Officer. More
In Canada, Destiny Media-owned Clipstream Survey has moved with its parent company to new headquarters in downtown Vancouver. More
OzTAM - Australia's official source of television audience measurement - has appointed Doug Peiffer as its new CEO, succeeding Kate Inglis-Clark who leaves after seven years in post. At this point, the details of Inglis-Clark's next career move are unknown. More
In the US, Nielsen has launched a Media Analytics initiative, focused on developing tools to provide additional insights from its existing syndicated media research data. The new initiative will be led by Bill Moult, a founding partner of the Media Behavior Institute (MBI). More
In the US, Management Science Associates (MSA) and Paradigm Sample have launched the Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cci Panel), which gathers consumer information from convenience store (C-store) shoppers. More
Arbitron has announced that Spanish-language broadcasting group Univision Radio has signed multi-year contracts for its PPM (Portable People Meter) ratings services in twelve markets. More
UK media intelligence agency Durrants has acquired a stake in Brighton-based social media monitoring company Brandwatch, which now aims to expand its US offer and extend its service to cover Russia and China. More
US ad industry ratings watchdog the Media Rating Council (MRC) has withdrawn its accreditation for local television ratings in Nielsen's 154 diary-only markets, backdating the withdrawal to 2009. More
In the UK, TNS has moved James Fergusson to the post of Global Technology Head, responsible for leading the sector team and strengthening its presence across all markets. More
A new Netherlands-based research firm is targeting the 'hard to reach' consumers of the GCC region. VNDLGY (pronounced 'Vondology') uses a network of carefully recruited 'TrendSpotters' to provide qual feedback on trends and innovations in the region. More
GfK has announced third quarter organic sales growth of 9.2%, up from an already strong 8.0% in the second quarter and 5.3% in the first quarter; and adjusted operating income up 27% to EUR 48.5m. More
Customer engagement technology specialist Alterian has announced a multi-year partnership with Experian Marketing Services to provide clients with a solution integrating data from multiple channels into a centralized database. More
In Windsor, UK, Leapfrog Research & Planning has announced 11% revenue growth over the past year, and says it aims for another ten percent over the next 12 months by extending its research programmes in the UK, the US and across Europe and Asia Pacific. More
In the UK a subsidiary of courier company TNT has been accused of potentially providing burglars and identity thieves with a goldmine of personal information about survey respondents. The BBC's Watchdog programme says Doordrop Media's approach runs counter to data protection laws which demand such information is handled securely. More
Electronics industry specialist IMS Research has opened an office in Seoul, South Korea, to be led by Harry (Sung Dong) Cho and with newly appointed Dkins (Dae Kwon) Cho as Senior Analyst for LEDs and Displays. A Tokyo office will follow shortly. More
Ahead of its official financial report which will be published on 15th November, GfK has announced a 10.8% revenue increase to EUR 931m for the first nine months of 2010 (prior year: EUR 840.2m), of which 7.4% is attributable to organic sales growth. More
Online measurement specialist comScore has reported record quarterly revenue growth to $45.7m, an increase of 43% over the third quarter of 2009. However, two recent acquisitions wiped out net income of $0.9m and replaced it with a loss of $2.1m. More
US media measurement firm TRA has introduced a daily service which details the impact of TV campaigns on actual consumer purchase behavior. More
In the UK, dunnhumby founders Edwina Dunn and Clive Humby are to step down as Chairman and CEO and take on non-exec roles, as company veteran Simon Hay takes on leadership of the firm next March. More
In the UK, Peter Luff has been appointed as Managing Director of Synovate Retail Performance (formerly SPSL), whose founders Paul Tombs and Dominic McGuiness will be leaving at the end of the year to 'pursue their entrepreneurial careers'. More
In the UK, consumer insight and market research specialist Engage Research has doubled its sales for the year ending 31 March 2010, with turnover up from £1.2m in 2008 to £2.5m in 2009. More
Japanese electronics giant Panasonic is planning a massive expansion of its R&D centre in Gurgaon, India, as part of its ongoing heavy investment in growing its Indian operation. More
Clothing retailer Gap has initiated a crowdsourcing project following a backlash from customers posting on social media sites, about its newly re-designed logo. More
Shopping site network Autobytel has partnered with online audience measurement specialist Aperture, to offer auto brands and content publishers insight into the intent and profile of prospective car and truck buyers. More
Newly merged agencies SPA and Future Thinking have expanded in Europe with the appointment of Adeline Baret to head a new Paris office. More
In the UK, full service agency JRA Research has appointed Andy Grout and Matt Coggan as Joint Managing Partners, joining Terry Wagstaff and Paul Summers on the Board. More
Two of Nielsen's subsidiaries are planning to sell $750m of senior notes which are due in 2018, in order to pay off a proportion of the research giant's debt. More
Behavioural targeting firm Phorm has posted a loss before tax of $15.7m (£9.8m) in the six months to the end of June, and is still using up cash reserves at $1.8m a month; but reports better than expected opt-in rates in Brazil, where its offer is nearing commercial launch. More
In London, Opinion Leader Research (OLR) has appointed GfK NOP director Michael Thompson as Research Director, and DSGi customer experience specialist Shaendel Hallett as Client Services Director. Both will take up their roles within the next couple of months. More
In the US, digital video recorder (DVR) solutions provider TiVo has begun a recruitment drive to increase the size of its Power||Watch consumer panel from 25,000 to 100,000 households. More
Broadcasting association The Norwegian Radio Industry has awarded TNS Gallup a three-year contract extension to measure electronic radio listening in the country. The contract will now run until late 2013. More
Kantar has linked its Worldpanel scanned FMCG household purchase data with data from Kantar Media's TGI consumer insight survey. The resulting service, TGI Worldpanel, promises clients a detailed understanding of the link between media consumption, consumer attitudes and UK purchasing. More
UK-based supermarket Tesco is Thailand's biggest grocery chain and is now one of four companies bidding for the Thai assets of Carrefour, after the French giant took the tough decision to pull out of a number of Asian markets. In part, Tesco's success is a victory for market research. More
Nielsen has this week told clients it may widen the definition of its new Extended Screen ratings, dropping the absolute requirement that online TV programs must carry the same ads as their original broadcast. Separately, the research giant is said to be piloting a new 'GRP'-style online audience measure. More
Minneapolis, USA-based consumer research and consultancy firm Iconoculture has launched an Indian advisory service. More
Digital media trading specialist MediaMath has partnered with Knowledge Networks company KN Dimestore to augment its digital marketing platform, TerminalOne with rich media surveys and real-time reporting. More
London-based financial services MR firm Lafferty Group has launched an office in India, and appointed Arvind Agrawal to head it up. More
A US judge has sentenced a woman who falsified child safety tests on cigarette lighters to eight months in prison. More
Biometrics and emotion measurement specialist Innerscope Research has opened a West Coast office in Los Angeles in response to increasing demand, and announced three appointments in support of the opening. More
Dubai-based Real Opinions has signed a reseller agreement with The Nielsen Company. Real Opinions will offer a number of Nielsen Online solutions in the Middle East, including SiteCensus, Market Intelligence and Campaign Analysis. More
US-based customer relationship marketing agency Merkle has announced the opening of its first international office in Shanghai, China, and has promoted Raymond Wu to head it up. More
In the US, media measurement firm TRA has expanded its partnership with data giant Experian, to add auto sales data to its TV ad matching solution. More
Out-of-home (OoH) media agency Kinetic has formed a data consultancy division called Meta, to help clients 'unlock' and maximize the value of existing consumer information by linking data from a variety of locations and transaction types. More
In New York, global brand and communications research agency Hall & Partners has launched a Shopper Insights and Shopper Engager division, headed by industry specialist Vanessa Hartnoll. More
Harris Interactive has introduced the Body Mass Index (BMI) Speciality Panel, to provide clients with information about underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese US adults. More
In the US, Arbitron veteran Pierre Bouvard is to leave his role of EVP of Cross-Platform Services at the end of September, after 23 years with the firm. More
UK-based consultancy Nunwood has hired former Asda consumer specialist Craig Ryder as Global Head of Shopper Insight, Analytics and Activation. More
Two music industry specialists, distribution agency IODA and social media analytics firm Next Big Sound (NBS) have announced a partnership to link digital sales information from online retailers with key usage metrics from social media sites such as Twitter and Last.fm. More
Retail analytics solutions provider Manthan Systems has opened a new office in Melbourne, which will support demand for the firm's ARC Retail Business Intelligence products in Australia and New Zealand. More
US branding consultancy Siegel+Gale has partnered with neuroscience specialist NeuroCompass to pilot the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging technology (fMRI), to uncover consumer feelings about brands. More
In the UK, full service agency SPA has been acquired by private equity firm Next Wave Partners as part of a plan to merge it with Future Thinking, in which Next Wave holds a 60% stake. More
WPP-owned Kantar Media - which specializes in providing TV, Internet and radio audience measurement services - has hired veteran media analyst Jeffrey Boehme to drive the development of new products and applications for set-top box (STB) data. More
UK-based magazine New Scientist has reported a 12% increase in newsstand sales for its issue featuring a cover tested by neuromarketing agency NeuroFocus. More
Research veteran Barbara Cooke has come out of retirement to take up the post of interim Executive Director of Out of Home Media South Africa (OHMSA); tasked with overseeing research designed to drive a change in the perception of OOH across the country. More
Marketing scientist and consumer behaviour specialist Andrew Ehrenberg died last week at the age of 84. More
Ipsos Observer has restructured its US team into three geographical regions, and promoted Allison Gunn, John Ward and Dennis Barbelet to lead each of the teams. More
Aegis Group plc has announced a significant improvement in its 2010 interim results. Total revenue rose 4.2% to £663.3m, representing organic growth of 3.2%. The upturn in large part reflects a rebound at MR arm Synovate. More
LatAm and Iberia online panel specialist Netquest has launched panels in 17 Latin American countries, bringing its total number of panellists in the region to more than 300,000. More
Fast food giant McDonald's has promoted UK President and CEO Steve Easterbrook to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President and Global Chief Brand Officer, responsible for marketing, menu innovation, consumer insights and other global brand assets. More
WPP's insight division Kantar has appointed panel specialist Renee Smith as Chief Research Officer in the US, and has moved Tim Kelsall to the role of SVP, Client Strategy, Innovation and Delivery at its brand research division Millward Brown, in the UK. More
In New York, media giant Hearst Magazines is planning to open a mobile media development center called The App Lab, where staff will examine consumer usage of mobile devices and related platforms and applications. More
Market Insight Corporation - which captures real-time shopper preferences through its consumer web site MyProductAdvisor.com - has formed an Asian-based company, Market Insight (Asia) Limited, through which it plans to extend its services in the region. More
In the US, Sunbeam Television's lawsuit against Nielsen is back in the news, with mandatory mediation due to start on Monday in Boston. Sunbeam has submitted a long list of individuals it may cite or call upon for evidence, including network execs and current and past Nielsen competitors. More
Communispace - which creates online customer insight communities - has reported a 29% increase in revenue for the first half of 2010, with sales up to $22.5m from $17.4m in the prior year period. The company has also added several new tools to its product portfolio. More
In the US, web usability specialists Brian Krausz and Joe Gershenson have launched GazeHawk, a new technology firm which aims to make eye-tracking 'affordable for everyone'. More
UK-based Dunnhumby - the data firm behind the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme - has paid a £17.5m dividend to Edwina Dunn and Clive Humby, the husband and wife team who founded the business back in 1989. More
Nielsen has increased the amount it wants to raise by selling stock to $2.01bn, in its initial public offering (IPO) filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm has also added two new categories for measuring TV viewing. More
Pharma market research giant IMS Health has appointed Ari Bousbib as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing David Carlucci who will continue to serve in his other role as Chairman for a transition period. More
GfK has raised its 2010 sales and income expectations following a 12.3% rise in second quarter sales to EUR 328.7m, and a 9.4% rise in first half sales to EUR 609.6m. The firm now expects a 6% rise in sales for the year, which is double its original projection. More
GfK Custom Research North America has rebranded its GfK Technology division as GfK Business & Technology, and has opened a new office in San Francisco, California led by technology specialist Tilman Rotberg. More
New Scientist is a publication full of scientific scepticism and not particularly renowned for its love of marketing or market research. So if it says, 'I'm convinced this time there's something in it', we should perhaps listen. MrWeb's Nick Thomas interviews the magazine's Deputy Editor, Graham Lawton. More
In the US, Ipsos has moved former OTX COO David Shanker to lead its specialist data and delivery division Ipsos Observer as Global President. More
Strategic research firm Hotspex has appointed former Millward Brown Canada President James Conrad as Executive Vice President, to lead sales and drive growth. More
CIMM, the coalition of US firms formed last September to promote innovation in TV and cross-platform video audience measurement, is to fund the rollout of the IPA's UK TouchPoints study in the US. It will be fielded by the Media Behavior Institute (MBI) in partnership with GfK MRI. More
Caroline Osborne has been appointed Director of GfK NOP Consumer Products & Retail, with a particular remit to enhance the company's shopper insight, customer satisfaction, segmentation and U&A offers. More
Arbitron has revealed the cost of its various legal battles of the past two years, in a 10-Q filing for the SEC. In all, two securities law civil actions commencing in 2008, and various 'interactions' with government over the commercialization of the PPM, have cost it around $9.1m to date. More
In New York, MTV Networks has promoted Hispanic consumer expert Nancy Tellet to the position of Senior Vice President of Research and Consumer Insights for Latin America, Canada, and the US Hispanic market. More
Two former employees of UK agency Holden Pearmain have launched their own company, Impact Research. Darryl Swift and Michael Brainch will focus initially on clients in the utilities, retail and FMCG sectors. More
UK-based firm The Oxford Research Agency (TORA) has changed its name to Future Thinking and opened its first office in the US under the leadership of George Ciardi, who becomes US President and Global Head of Volumetric Forecasting. More
Nielsen has announced results for the quarter and six months ended June 30. Reported quarterly revenues rose to $1,270m, up 7% year-on-year and reported operating income rose 6% from $172m to $182m - a rise of 10% after adjusting for one-off costs and currency changes. More
The NPD Group and electronics retailer Best Buy Co. have extended their agreement to share point-of-sale data for a further two and a half years. More
Global research group Ipsos has reported a very strong performance for the first six months of 2010, with revenue up 18.1% to EUR 528.8m (organic growth 7.7%) and adjusted net profit up 33.7% to EUR 32.0m. More
Oregon, US-based CPG research firm InsightsNow, Inc. has promoted Jason McKerr to the role of Vice President of Information Services. Earlier this month, the firm announced revenue growth of 54% in 2009. More
Events and publishing group Informa, the parent of Datamonitor, has released results for the first half of 2010, including pre-tax profit more than doubled despite a slight drop in revenue. In the PCI division, which includes Datamonitor, revenues fell 3.8% to £178.5m but margins held up. More
CIMM, the coalition of major US firms formed last September to investigate new ways of researching audiences in the multimedia age, is discussing the use of iPhones to collect diary-style media consumption data from a panel of around 1,000 US consumers. More
YouGov has taken a minority stake in SMG Insight, a sports marketing consultancy, and announced an alliance aimed at delivering higher value added services for the global sports marketing industry. More
In the UK, Cello's Research and Consulting division has returned like-for-like income growth for the first half of the year, driven by 'continued robustness' in client activity levels, most notably in pharma and health-related sectors, as well as international work. More
In the US, ad media software and services specialist Telmar is the first firm to integrate Eyes-On Data from the Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) into its suite of media planning tools. More
GfK has promoted Julia Beaver to the position of Head of GfK NOP Research Panels, which specialises in continuous or longitudinal consumer panels. Most recently, Beaver was Deputy MD at GfK Financial. More
WPP's digital investment arm has acquired an interest in Chinese digital ad measurement company Moment Systems, founded in 2006 in Beijing and currently employing 90 people. Reports suggest the marcoms giant is also eyeing the possible sale of Photon companies in Australia. More
In India, a team of entrepreneurs have launched High Beam Global - a market research data collection and marketing consulting firm specialising in the healthcare, FMCG and technology sectors. More
In the US, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has given approval to all 25 of Nielsen's Local People Meter (LPM) markets - ten of which had their accreditation renewed, while the remaining fifteen markets were granted accreditation for the first time. More
In the US, Vovici's former Chairman and CEO Dean Wiltse has set up a mobile measurement agency called Thumbspeak, to enable businesses to reach mobile audiences and gain insights from hard-to-reach consumers. More
London-based marcoms agency Engine has launched a new insight and research unit to provide clients with an analysis of why and how consumers make choices. More
GfK Consumer has rolled out its first 'Future Buy' annual study of US shopping behaviors based on a mix of research methodologies, through which it has identified a new breed of consumer known as 'XTreme Shoppers'. More
In the UK, the radio audience measurement body RAJAR has appointed Jerry Hill as Chief Executive Officer, following the departure of Sally de la Bedoyere in May. More
Millward Brown has added five team members to its Neuroscience Research Practice, formed in March to extend the services offered by its existing advertising and brand research unit. More
In the UK, online custom panels specialist EasyInsites is to build and maintain a research panel consisting of members of retailer WHSmith's 'Privilege Club'. More
India's plans to set up independent nationwide audience research along the lines of the UK's BARB have taken another small step forward with the formal registration of the new Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). More
Harris Interactive has announced a new financing plan reducing its lenders from five to one and extending its revolving line of credit by three more years to 2013. Separately, marketing services firm SPAR Group has secured a $6.5m revolving credit facility for growth and possible acquisitions. More
Global non-profit trade body the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has commissioned Internet audience measurement group OWA to measure mobile web site traffic in Austria. More
GfK has become the first foreign market research company to be granted a license to open a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia. The firm has also opened a branch in Kenya, acquired the outstanding shares of GfK Mode in India and GfK Kynetec in the UK, and increased its stake in Shopping Brasil. More
Ipsos and mobile data collection technology firm Techneos have partnered to develop new mobile research techniques, technologies and applications. More
Behavioural ad targeting firm Phorm has placed 1,176,000 new common shares on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, in a bid to raise around $3m, which it plans to use to expand its service in Brazil and other future markets. More
In the US, Manish Bhatia, Nielsen's President of Advanced Digital Services, has left the company, resulting in a re-structure which will see the firm integrate set-top-box (STB) data into its current audience measurement services. More
US-based neuromarketing agency NeuroFocus has developed the Luxury Perceptual Framework (LPF), to detect consumers' perception of what constitutes 'luxury' in terms of clients' brands, products, packaging, in-store marketing, advertising and customer service. More
US multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has partnered with consumer data giant Experian Simmons to add behavioral data to its TV Essentials and StationView Essentials set-top-box (STB) research tools. More
In the US, the Marketing Research Association (MRA) has defended the need for confidentiality in marketing research, in response to the government's demand for marketing research information to be handed over by tobacco giant Phillip Morris. More
In the UK, full-service marketing and management consultancy Realia has opened a dedicated research business to provide marketers with evidence-based decision support. The unit is headed by former IFF Director Sue Burden. More
Nielsen has told clients it will bring back its 'live-only' television ratings, dropped in April in favour of a measurement combining live and time-shifted viewing. The company says it has not changed its view that live/same day is a better measure, but can now offer both due to increased data capacity. More
Behavioural ad targeting company Phorm has reported a 40% drop in operating loss to $29.7m from $49.8m last year, following positive foreign exchange caused by the appreciation of the US dollar against sterling. More
WPP-owned Kantar Media has released 'Connect', a new solution that integrates a publisher's own web site metrics with survey data, to create a single-source database that links online behaviour to the attitudes that drive it. More
UK audience measurement body BARB (The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) has announced it will test a new meter which promises measurement of television viewed via a PC or laptop. More
Mediabrands, part of marketing services giant Interpublic Group, is launching a specialist shopper marketing agency, ShelfLife, to be headed by John Ross, currently President of the IPG Emerging Media Lab. More
Just as you thought the World Cup was 'so last week' here we go again with (among other things) call centre productivity; social media match predictions; and the disturbing prospect of Diego Maradona running round Buenos Aires naked. More
Derbyshire, UK-based agency DJS Research has bucked the downturn with an exceptional year of growth in 2009-10. Turnover is close to the £1m mark and four new permanent staff in two months bring the total to sixteen. More
In New York, media measurement firm TRA has signed an agreement to license technology from marketing ROI specialist Media Trust, in order to enhance its Media TRAnalytics system, which matches household TV consumption and purchase data. More
US multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak is working towards Media Rating Council (MRC) approval for its TV Essentials audience measurement service. If it succeeds, the firm claims it will be the first to gain accreditation for a product based on set-top-box (STB) data. More
UK FMCG and customer experience researcher The Oxford Research Agency (TORA) has moved to larger premises in the city, while appointing former Ipsos MORI AD Emma Baret and promoting three of its team to the UK Board. More
Eyetracking pioneer Tobii Technology has announced the launch of Tobii Glassesâ„¢, which the firm says look and feel like modern eyewear, allowing subjects to walk around freely collect eyetracking data in 'mobile, natural settings'. More
US firms MSW Research and Loop Analytics have announced a strategic partnership with the formation of msw loop - mobile strategy & insights, which will offer research, strategy, applications and advertising solutions for smart phones and mobile devices. More
US-based InsightExpress has partnered with earned media measurement and monetization specialist Meteor Solutions, to offer insights into online advertising performance among influential brand advocates. More
Arbitron has announced the PPM 360, which extends the technology of its Portable People Meter onto a wireless platform, heralding 'a new generation of audience measurement'. More
In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has demanded that cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris hands over all the market research it has conducted or possesses on how consumers react to the firm's planned changes to Marlboro Lights packaging. More
In the UK, Cranfield University and communications research agency MESH are to collaborate on the development of a suite of analytics tools, assisted by a government 'Knowledge Transfer Partnership' (KTP) grant. More
Ipsos OTX MediaCT has teamed up with media firm Future US to create a microsite which offers marketers and consumers insight into the purchasing behaviour and gameplay habits of gamers across the US. More
In the UK, WPP-owned Kantar Media has developed a predictive tool to provide insights into how consumers will react to newspapers introducing paywalls on their web sites. More
In Germany, GfK has appointed Dr Gerhard Hausruckinger to lead its Retail & Technology sector, replacing Dr Gérard Hermet who is stepping down from the role to retire after 26 years with the firm. More
A modest 38% of England fans will throw World Cup 'sickies' this month, costing the UK c.£1bn in lost work - but not in vain, as it can be scientifically proven that England are going to win. Yes, predictably, we are inundated with stats, and our Features Editor Teresa Lynch will bottle only the finest for you. More
In the US, Louis Pappalardo - the founder and President of consumer market research agency Trendata - has died at the age of 78, following a battle with cancer. More
US flat panel technology specialist DisplaySearch has relocated its corporate headquarters from Austin, Texas to Santa Clara, California, where a number of its market research analysts and clients are located. The firm has also expanded its presence in Asia with two new hires. More
In Russia, FMCG research specialist Business Analytica is discontinuing its retail audit subscription-based service, which has provided consumer marketers and business analysts with data for more than 15 years. The firm is refocusing on more economical alternatives. More
US-based neuromarketing research specialist EmSense has opened a European headquarters in central London, where it has recruited Sue Nosworthy as SVP, European Research Director and Maria Domoslawska as VP, Digital and Media Research. More
TV ratings body TAM Ireland is to expand the size of its television audience measurement panel, while introducing the ability to track time shifted viewing (TSV) - a move which it says makes Ireland among the earliest countries to measure such trends in viewing behaviour. More
In a move sure to delight creative purists, entertainment research specialist Ipsos OTX MediaCT has opened a 'Script Evaluation Division' within its Worldwide Motion Picture Group, to assess the potential playability and marketability of films at the script stage. More
Harris Interactive has gone live with its 'Research Lifestreaming' platform, which aims to provide a 360-degree view of panellists by linking the information they post online with survey responses and behavioral data. More
Nielsen is to track South African consumers' lifestyle habits and engagement during the imminent World Cup, using BlackBerry devices. Participants will compile mobile diaries including photos and captions, giving a detailed picture of their movements and interaction with the tournament. More
Nielsen has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $1.75bn in an initial public offering (IPO), which it will use to pay down debt and for 'general corporate purposes'. More
Industry association IAB Europe has partnered with Google to launch a new tool which provides agencies and advertisers with consumer information across 27 countries and 36 product categories. More
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) has partnered with eye tracking technology firm Tobii Technology to collaborate on product innovations and conduct package and shelf testing on a global basis. More
Nielsen Online's UK Managing Director Stephen Brooks has left, as part of a company restructure. More
In the US, global management consulting firm Accenture has acquired assets from retail sector customer analytics specialist CadenceQuest, to expand its suite of analytics, retail marketing and merchandising solutions and platforms. More
Global information giant Experian has partnered with targeted ad tracking software developer INVIDI, to provide consumer segmentation across traditional and digital media for advertisers, TV networks and multichannel TV distributors. More
NYC-based mobile advertising and analytics platform Medialets Inc. has raised around $5.9m in a second round of funding by DFJ Gotham Ventures and Foundry Group, according to an SEC filing. More
Business media and information company Red 7 Media has launched a research and consulting practice for the global event, trade show and media industries, and appointed Michael Hughes, former VP of Research and Consulting at Tradeshow Week, to head it up. More
Ad and brand research specialist Hall & Partners has announced the opening of a new office in Singapore, to be headed by Managing Partner Hilary Lee. More
US-based media measurement firm TRA has received a $10m injection of funds from Intel Capital, the global investment wing of the giant chip maker. The series-C round also includes $8.2m from other companies including existing investors Arbitron and WPP. More
Online research firm InSites Consulting has announced rapid growth and the opening of new offices in the Netherlands, UK and Switzerland. Four senior hires will help to support and consolidate the expansion. More
The Board of document technology company Xerox Corporation has elected Chief Strategy Officer Uta Werner and Marketing and Communications leader Christa Carone as Vice Presidents of the Corporation. More
India has a new specialist mystery shopping company, Startex India, formed by partners Market Xcel Data Matrix Pvt. Ltd. and Emirates-based Startex Marketing Services. More
Millward Brown has announced plans to extend its collaboration with Scangroup Limited and open a West African hub office in Accra, Ghana, in June. More
Aegis' research arm Synovate has reported a 1.9% organic decline in first quarter revenue, compared with 10.1% and 5.5% declines respectively in the third and fourth quarters of 2009. Separately, Synovate has launched a 'Digital Centre of Excellence', based in London. More
As part of an internal restructure, Nielsen has transferred Ivar Michaelsen from its Denmark office, to lead its operation in Germany, while appointing Justin Sargent as Group Managing Director for UK and Ireland. More
In the US, GfK subsidiary Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) has re-branded as GfK MRI, in a move which it says reinforces its connection with its parent company. More
In the US, Sands Research claims to have made a 'neuromarketing breakthrough', which will enable it to use high-density EEG sensors to capture brainwave activity across the full brain at 10,000 times a second per sensor. More
UK researchers James Lovett and Mark Pugh have launched Immerse, an agency promising a 'refreshing & rejuvenated approach to the traditional client-agency relationship'. More
Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) has extended its two-year partnership with biometrics, neuroscience and eye tracking specialist Innerscope Research. More
Global information services giant Experian is divesting part of its UK database marketing activities to form a new consumer and media insight business with its client British Sky Broadcasting (Sky). Terms have not been disclosed. More
GfK claims to be back on track with an increase in both Q1 sales and income. During the first quarter of 2010, the global group reported a 6.1% sales increase to EUR 280.9m from Q1 2009, up 5.2% in organic terms. Income rose 71.2% to EUR 25.3m during the period. More
In the US, two former Harris Interactive executives have launched an online 'omnibus-only' consulting and research firm called VeraQuest. More
WPP-owned Kantar has introduced a suite of video measurement and tracking tools, rolling out three new initiatives. More
Ipsos says it is confident in its ability to return to 'significant and profitable growth' in 2010, after reporting a 14% rise in first quarter revenue to EUR 236.9m, compared with EUR 207.3m in the prior year period. More
In the US, brand research specialist Millward Brown has partnered with digital video recorder (DVR) firm TiVo to enable its clients to better understand the TV viewing behaviour of their target audiences. More
US consumer researcher Experian Simmons has announced a strategic alliance with syndicated print measurement specialist Affinity LLC, and the launch of a syndicated print planning tool. More
In the US, Burger King Corporation has appointed former Coca-Cola marketer Natalia Franco as Global Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for overseeing consumer insights, product innovation and the development and communication of the brand's global marketing and ad strategies. More
In the US, travel industry research specialist PhoCusWright Inc has initiated its largest expansion since the company was formed in 1994 - with the launch of an education and training division, and a new research subscription service, as well as the appointment of 12 new staff. More
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell says the figure reported in the press for Nielsen's possible valuation is 'out of the ballpark' and 'doesn't work in any way, shape or form'. Both companies reported encouraging results today, WPP forecasting growth for the year and Nielsen seeing 4% real revenue growth over Q1 2009. More
In the US, technology and entertainment products retailer Best Buy has appointed former CIA Intelligence Officer Bill Hoffman as Senior Vice President, Consumer Insights, helping to guide the rapid expansion of the firm's insight function. More
In the US, Clear Channel Radio has hired former Arbitron researcher Bob Michaels for the newly created position of Executive Vice President of Research, responsible for supervising projects and personnel across all terrestrial and digital platforms. More
Mobile measurement firm Ground Truth has secured $7m in Series B financing, which it plans to use to expand its operations in the US and internationally. More
Nielsen is said to be preparing to trade as a public company, inviting a number of investment banks to underwrite an initial public offering (IPO) which could be worth up to $21bn. More
In the US, media and entertainment research veteran Bruce Friend has been named President of the newly formed Ipsos OTX MediaCT business unit. More
Kantar Media has merged its media measurement and evaluation agency Millward Brown Precis Europe/UK into its Intelligence Sector. The merger will be effective 1 May 2010. More
Weather stations in Hell registered a rapid drop in temperatures today and cows dug out the return portions of their travel tickets as Arbitron reported it had settled its dispute with the PPM Coalition over claims of undercounting minority listeners. The firm also published solid financials. More
Individuals' exposure to media matching their unconscious 'visual desires' triggers something akin to love at first sight and stirs a 'buying instinct' within them, according to results published by specialist consultancy Visual Targeting. More
In New York, media marketing firm Simulmedia has secured an $8m investment, which it plans to use to continue development of its predictive technology and set-top-box (STB) driven marketing services. More
In the US, WPP-owned Kantar Media North America - which provides insights, analyses and audience measurement services - has hired former Starcom MediaVest research chief Richard Fielding for the newly created post of Chief Client Officer. More
US electronics market research firm IMS Research has expanded its operations to Seoul, Korea, where it has appointed two analysts focused on the display, LED and consumer electronics market. More
Online audience specialist comScore and the Print Measurement Bureau (PMB) are working together on a tool linking Canadians' online media habits with print readership and other media consumption, product and brand usage and demographic information. More
Online targeting specialist [x+1] has announced a partnership with ad effectiveness measurement firm KN Dimestore, to offer marketers the ability to adjust offers and media based in real-time according to consumer feedback. More
In the US, Nielsen has partnered with word of mouth (WOM) specialist Bazaarvoice to integrate the latter's consumer ratings and reviews into its BuzzMetrics dashboard. More
According to a filing lodged with the New York Supreme Court, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) and ratings giant Arbitron are working towards a truce regarding their PPM legal dispute. More
The founders of US-based market research agency Iconoculture have left to launch a new firm which will study consumer trends in those countries that make up the G-20. More
In the US, auto giant Ford has launched an interactive portal, which it claims 'goes beyond traditional consumer market research, studies and focus groups'. More
US-based consumer research agency Iconoculture has partnered with Swedish market research technology provider Dapresy to drive a study of values and lifestyle trends across 17 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. More
In the US, Nielsen has appointed media research veteran Ira Sussman as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of National Television Client Services; replacing Catherine Herkovic who has held the role since 2007. More
More work for the lawyers of recently acquired leading edge agency OTX: now co-founder Kristin Luck is suing the firm for money she claims she is owed relating to its sale to Ipsos earlier this year. More
In the US, Nielsen is to eliminate live-only TV ratings, and has confirmed it will be introducing major changes to the way it calculates national ratings, including adding duplicate viewing to program telecasts. More
In the US, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has again pulled the encoders for Aribtron's PPM (Portable People Meter) system, after The New York Supreme Court lifted the temporary restraining order that had required it to continue. More
GfK has announced a partnership between its subsidiary GfK Asia Pte Ltd and global mobile media industry trade association Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), which promises insight for the mobile content industry. More
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has recently launched a new measurement system, Customer Experience Measurement (CEM), which replaces a system in use since the early 1990s. More
In the US, OTX is suing former employee Kevin Goetz, who left the firm earlier in the year to set up his own consultancy. In an initial ruling* on an application to stop Goetz from using OTX norms data, Judge James Chalfant has accepted assurances it will not be used while the case proceeds. More
Embattled behavioural ad targeting company Phorm has launched its Open Internet Exchange (OIX) platform and its Web Discover tool in Brazil, where it claims to have already generated R$10m (US $5.6m) of pre-booked ad revenue. More
In the US, social media consultancy Converseon and word-of-mouth analytics firm ChatThreads have partnered to create CHORUS - a tool which fuses social media listening and analysis with offline word-of-mouth tracking. More
In Washington, DC, former leaders of Wirthlin Worldwide have today officially launched full-service research firm Heart+Mind Strategies. More
TNS and Research and Marketing Services (RMS) have formed an agreement to provide customized research in West Africa. More
Australian insights consultancy The Leading Edge has restructured its Sydney-based business with the return of overseas executives, internal promotions and the appointment of a new senior specialist. More
In New York, ad agency McCann Erickson has hired Anne Benvenuto as Director of Behavioral Planning, as part of a reorganization to expand its behavioral research offering. More
In the UK, mystery shopping and performance improvement firm Grass Roots has merged its Learning and Measurement units and made a series of appointments to support the new division. More
Information Resources, Inc. is changing its name to SymphonyIRI Group, Inc. The company says the move reflects its expansion into new types of solution including predictive, automated analytics; technology platforms; and strategic consulting services. More
Software developer Openwave Systems Inc. is to collaborate with Nielsen to develop an 'insight engine', combining demographics and analytics to help mobile operators analyze, profile and target audience segments. More
Media measurement and analytics firm TRA, Inc. has signed up MTV Networks for its Media TRAnalytics ad effectiveness solution; and has announced that it now has one year's worth of national singlesource data available for clients. More
Research Panel Asia's newly established Korean subsidiary is up and running, with the official launch of its 'Panel Now' service site. More
US radio ratings giant Arbitron and secure identity solutions firm Digimarc have settled their dispute, begun last year, over technology developed by the latter to monitor broadcasts. More
In the UK, Millward Brown (MB) has set up a neuroscience division, to extend the services offered by its existing advertising and brand research unit. More
Aegis, Synovate's parent company, is raising funds through the issue of a convertible bond for c.£190m, which it plans to use to make acquisitions in the US and China. More
London-based consumer research agency rdsi has moved its Leeds office to larger premises, and promoted Jenni Welling and John Horgan to SRE positions. More
In Germany, Thomas Andresen and Ulrich Hertfelder have launched Mark Metrics, a consultancy which will analyse how successful brands differ from unsuccessful brands. More
In the US, Nielsen has partnered with online targeting data firm eXelate to integrate granular online and anonymous household-level offline data into eXelate's Targeting eXchange. More
In the US, three data specialists have launched nPario, a new firm offering data management and data mining products and services to improve clients' understanding of consumer intent. More
Postal watchdog Postcomm is considering action against Royal Mail following an investigation into claims that it cheated in research to test its service quality, reports The UK Press Association. More
Kenya-based marketing firm Scangroup Limited and South Africa's Smollan Group have launched a joint venture to serve the East Africa region of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. More
Arab world researcher YouGovSiraj has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordanian custom MR firm Analyseize, to co-operate on conducting joint research projects, exchanging data and expertise, and developing new projects serving the Arab world, and specifically the Jordanian market. More
Global group Millward Brown has announced plans to open a new office in Vietnam during the second half of 2010, with a team led by Phil Worthington and Pham Chau Linh. More
In the US, television audience measurement firm TRA, Inc. has concluded a deal with WPP's GroupM, which will use its Media TRAnalytics® to plan, buy and evaluate advertising effectiveness. More
Sunbeam Television's lawsuit against Nielsen Media Research, filed last April, looks like it might be going to court after all, following a decision by a Florida judge. The claims centre around lower audience figures from Nielsen's new LPM system. More
River Research has expanded to new custom-designed premises in Soho, London, following its launch in Autumn 2008 and subsequent increase in headcount to 10 staff. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has proposed a change to its recruitment methodology in high-density African-American and Hispanic areas, in its top PPM (Portable People Meter) markets. More
In the US, marketer Penny Redlin has launched Insights Discovered, a consulting company focusing exclusively on the children's products market. More
In the US, CBS and Sony Electronics have hooked up to launch 'The Sony 3D Experience' research center, which will focus on consumer preferences and perceptions towards 3D programming, as well as how broadcasters and studios can best deliver 3D content. More
In the US, media and marketing publishing firm MediaPost has partnered with consumer specialist Knowledge Networks (KN) to deliver a consumer view of social media involvement and its effect on purchase decisions. More
In New York, marketing services firm Omnicom Group has launched a new agency to offer strategy, activation and metrics services to retail marketers at a local level. More
In the US, GfK-owned MRI and the Media Behavior Institute (MBI) plan to deliver a syndicated, consumer-centric multi-media database using the TouchPoints methodology developed by the IPA in the UK. More
Kevin Goetz has quit OTX, where he was President of the Worldwide Motion Picture Research Group, to start his own research, marketing and consulting firm, Screen Engine LLC. Vincent Bruzzese fills his place at OTX, which says it is planning expansion. More
The Nielsen Company has announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2009. Revenue was almost exactly level with the previous year ($4,806m) but up 4% if currency fluctuations are excluded. More
GfK has reported a 4.6% decline in 2009 sales to EUR 1,164m, taking into account acquisitions and currency effects. However, for the fourth quarter, the group recorded sales of EUR 324m, compared with EUR 282m in Q3. More
Nielsen's TV ad effectiveness arm 'Nielsen IAG' is planning a UK roll out for its ad and programme engagement measurement service, running in the US since 2000. More
iPOWOW! – which provides tools for gathering opinion through online video – has partnered with digital signage producer MediaTile to develop a new interactive audience measurement system for digital touch screen systems. More
In Australia, the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has officially launched its industry-wide audience measurement tool MOVE. More
YouGov co-founder and CEO Nadhim Zahawi is preparing to step down from his role, after being selected to stand as the parliamentary candidate for the safe Conservative Party seat of Stratford-on-Avon in the forthcoming general election. More
In the UK, marketing agency GyroHSR has launched a new data practice, to meet clients' needs for greater alignment between data and analytics expertise, and campaign and creative planning. More
TNS has formalised its partnership with qual and quant agency Aftab Associates, to offer services in Pakistan and Afghanistan under the brand name of TNS-Aftab. More
The New York Supreme Court has ordered Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) to continue to encode its signals for Arbitron's PPM (Portable People Meter) service, following a temporary restraining order (TRO) it imposed on SBS last week. More
Global eye tracking software firm iMotions has partnered with Chilean eye tracking services company EyeOnMedia to deliver its Attention Tool solution to clients in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Columbia. More
In the US, joint tests by The Nielsen Company and the Television Advertising Committee of the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) have paved the way for the provision of individual or 'brand-specific' commercial ratings, the partners claim. More
In the UK, children's newspaper First News has joined forces with research agency Opinion Matters to launch a new panel of 7-14 year olds, First News Research. More
Arbitron has secured a Temporary Restraining Order from a US court, immediately requiring Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) to resume encoding its broadcasting signals for the PPM in accordance with the contract between the two firms. More
Two former global agency execs have founded abn Research, a consultancy focused on market research among Asian consumers and based in Bangkok, Thailand. More
Financial specialist Charterhouse Research has launched the UK Business Banking Survey, billed as the most extensive continuous syndicated banking usage and attitude survey ever conducted among British businesses. More
In the UK, three former colleagues have opened a new consultancy, Brand Potential. Chris Molloy, Mary Say and Tom Lovett were previously Head of Insight, MD and Commercial Director respectively at brand agency 1HQ. More
US video game market intelligence firms DFC Intelligence and Nico Partners have joined forces to form DFC-Nico Emerging Markets, which will offer clients data about the video game industry across 10 emerging markets. More
Analytics firm Metrics Marketing has opened a 'one-of-a-kind' 2,100 square-foot research lab in Ohio, providing observers with a variety of hidden camera angles, real-time audiovisual monitoring and camera views on projected and flat-screen displays. More
US research giant IMS Health has reported a 3% increase in fourth quarter revenues to $599.2m. The firm has also received shareholder approval for its sale to TPG Capital and the CPP Investment Board. More
UKOM - the UK Online Measurement Company - and Nielsen have officially launched the UKOM Audience Planning System (APS), by publishing inaugural data from the online audience measurement system. More
In the US, Frank N Magid, the television 'news doctor' whose research helped to shape US broadcasting, has died of Lymphoma at the age of 78. More
In the US, multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak has established an agreement to integrate TV viewing data from satellite firm DISH Network's 14 million subscribers, with its own TV Essentials audience measurement service. More
US qual and quant agency Quick Test/Heakin has opened a new 'kiosk' data collection center in the Queens Center Shopping Mall in Elmhurst, New York; and has hired Salvatore Brucculeri to run it. More
In London, The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) has launched an Insight Council, comprising heads of research and digital commercial specialists from both EIAA member companies and agencies. More
In the UK, non-profit trade association the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has commissioned online panel specialist Lightspeed Research to conduct monthly research to provide members with reports on mobile usage and behaviour. More
In the UK, Harris Interactive has been awarded the Film Audience Measurement and Evaluation (FAME) and Film Monitor research contracts by the Cinema Advertising Association (CAA). The contracts were previous managed by TNS and BMRB. More
Global agency Illuminas has moved its China office across the Huangpu river to the new Lujiazui financial sector in Pudong, Shanghai's central business district. More
In its second rebrand of the week, Kantar has re-named the TNS Worldpanel network as Kantar Worldpanel. Earlier in the week the group rebranded its media assets. More
In the US, automotive research specialist R.L. Polk & Co has partnered with online targeting firm DataLogix to enable auto companies and dealers to address online audiences based on their real-world purchasing behavior. More
In London, Krish Kara, Bob Dance and Carol Ashby have joined forces to open KDA Insights; a new consumer research agency. More
Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble is to introduce a web site selling its products direct, and will use the site to observe and analyse how shoppers buy, and how they react to ads and other promotions. More
Retail market intelligence giant Information Resources Inc (IRI) is integrating its existing modeling services into the model and simulation tool capabilities provided by its Hendry (IRI) Market Structure division, to provide marketers with a single source for all modeling data. More
In London, a new innovation agency has been opened by Calum Watson, Marco-Pierre White's former Executive Head Chef and Director of Operations; and marcoms specialist Greg Wixted. The Food Nursery will provide NPD and new ideas research to the food industry. More
US-based Market Fusion Analytics (MFA) - which develops client growth strategies based on the analysis and modeling of behavioral data - has expanded its Latin American presence with the opening of offices in Mexico City, Buenos Aires and San Paulo. More
Intel has partnered with Microsoft to develop a platform for the digital signage industry, containing features that analyze users' physical attributes and then generate tailored ad displays. More
The UK's advertisers, via trade association the ISBA, have expressed concerns over the government's plans to allow product placement in television programmes. More
Digital ad solutions firm Eyeblaster and ad agency Dentsu America have formed a partnership using consumer engagement metrics to show clients where and when display ads and online marketing initiatives are working. More
Nielsen has modified its plan to change the metric on which advertising deals for local TV ads are made, and says it will continue to provide Live TV ratings until the end of March 2010. More
Multi-screen measurement specialist Rentrak Corporation has formed a data integration partnership with Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), a business intelligence and research firm offering insight into the video game industry. More
UK customer insight and database management firm CDMS is rebranding under the name of Transactis, the transactional data provider it bought just under a year ago; and restructuring as it merges with the acquired firm. More
Sustainability specialist Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) and GfK subsidiary Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) have announced the integration of the former's LOHAS consumer segmentation model with the latter's Survey of the American Consumer database. More
Samsung Electronics Australia has made three hires for its corporate marketing team, adding considerable research and insight expertise. More
Ipsos has launched a specialist gaming research practice, 3D. The unit integrates new tools and various existing skills from within the group to focus on the needs of game developers, marketers and console manufacturers. More
Research Now has announced a partnership with Environics Analytics (EA), Experian's partner for demographics and segmentation data in Canada, integrating the former's online panel of 400,000 Canadians with the latter's PRIZMC2 segmentation system. More
In Washington, a committee Chairman has hinted at the possibility of legislation to help resolve arguments over Arbitron's PPM device. Edolphus Towns concluded Wednesday's hearings by giving the firm 30 days to come up with a schedule to address the concerns of critics. More
Media targeting firm OwnerIQ has raised $5.8 million in growth financing, led by Kepha Partners. Funding will be used to grow the sales operation, to expand the firm's proprietary data solutions and enhance its advanced media-buying platform. More
Retail market intelligence giant IRI (Information Resources, Inc.) has enhanced its Consumer and Shopper Insights platforms with a series of new digital media solutions. Partners including [x+1] and Dynamic Logic have already announced new offers based on the technology. More
GfK NOP Media has rolled out a panel in the UK which combines online and offline media consumption with consumer sales data, to help advertisers and agencies measure the ROI of their media campaigns. More
Nielsen's group revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2009 were down 1% to $1.25bn from the same period last year. CFO Brian West described the quarter as having been 'steady'. More
Consumer research firm Iconoculture has appointed former GfK Roper Consulting executives Nick Chiarelli in London and Anders Brogren in Sweden, to lead its expansion into Western Europe. More
Kantar Media has expanded its Global Target Group Index (TGI) Network of syndicated single-source marketing and media studies, following parent WPP's acquisition of TNS. More
Ratings giant Arbitron says it will lose around $5m in 2009 as a result of losing contracts with radio broadcasters Cumulus Media and Clear Channel Radio to Nielsen. More
New York-based neuroscience firm Buyology has shifted its approach to help marketers tap into consumer's non-conscious decision making process. More
The recently formed Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) will be hosting a meeting with Nielsen, Rentrak, TiVo, TRA and TNS to discuss how the firms can work with the coalition to foster set-top box data research innovation. More
Newly founded LeGo Research, which specialises in customer management, brand and communications, and price and product projects, has partnered with Danish firm MyResearch and Norwegian agency Perceptor to offer clients a broader portfolio and deliver deeper insights. More
Technology research rivals Forrester Research and Gartner have both posted significant declines - of nine and ten per cent respectively - in their third quarter revenues. More
Ad research specialist Ipsos ASI has promoted Alex Gronberger to the post of Chief Executive Officer, based in its Chicago office. More
Nielsen and online targeting firm DataLogix have partnered to enable advertisers to target consumers based on their lifestyles, purchasing habits and media usage. More
Japanese Internet service company EC Navi has announced the opening of a new subsidiary, Research Panel Asia Inc. (RPA), offering online survey panels in Asia. The first RPA panel, 91wenwen.com, launches in China today. More
KantarHealth is expanding its CardioMonitor service into Japan and China, a major step towards its goal of providing a globally consistent cardiovascular and diabetes patient database. More
OVAB (the Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau) says eleven of its member companies have now completed third party audience research studies based on the Audience Metrics Guidelines the organisation published in 2008. More
In New York, media market research firm TRA Inc has appointed Bob Meyers as President and Chief Operating Officer, to focus on reinforcing and growing its relationships with broadcast and cable networks. More
US-based multi-screen tracking firm Rentrak has rolled out its Box Office Essentials ticket sales data tool in Russia. The firm has also opened a Moscow field office to support the expansion. More
Harris Interactive has partnered with innovation consultancy Ideas To Go (ITG) to enable clients to explore, create concepts for, and test new products. More
The newly formed Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) is about to invite agencies to submit proposals for two media research projects. It has also appointed MTV Networks' Colleen Fahey Rush as Head of its Executive Committee. More
Marcoms agency MDC Partners has formed a Consumer Insights Group, to develop data and analytics capabilities for use by MDC companies wishing to analyze clients' integrated digital and multi-channel media campaigns. More
In the UK, Review Centre, which provides independent product and service reviews, is to create a consumer research panel which will provide marketers and researchers with access to the opinions of its four million monthly users. More
French media research agency MTdiamTtrie is planning to invest between €25m and €30m over the next three years, to improve existing services and develop new offers for broadcasters. More
GfK has created a global database of point-of-sale data for electronic consumer goods. The 'Digital World' service has been designed by GfK Retail and Technology in conjunction with the US Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). More
Consumer Health Sciences (CHS) has added more than 13,300 Chinese consumers to the database for its 'National Health and Wellness Survey' (NHWS). Plans are also in place to roll out the service further across Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. More
Japanese online panel supplier Research Panel has partnered with Korean agency Trend Monitor to provide a multi-Asian country consumer research service. More
US consumer specialist MSW Research (previously McCollum Spielman Worldwide) has announced a partnership with biometric communications measurement firm LABoratory & Co. The two will develop a set of tools to gauge the full spectrum of consumer response to advertising. More
According to reports, pharma market research giant IMS Health is in talks with several private equity firms regarding selling the company. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has announced a drop in third quarter income to $13.7m, compared with $17.0m for the third quarter of 2008, which it say is largely due to client losses and costs associated with the commercialization of its Portable People Meter (PPM). More
Site traffic analysis firm Webtrends and enterprise analytics specialist Teradata are collaborating to help marketers measure the link between their customers' online and offline behaviour. More
London-based customer engagement specialist Fizzback has secured £1.6m in capital, earmarked for expansion into the US and continental Europe. More
The deadline set by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for Arbitron to gain MRC accreditation for its PPM radio ratings service in the market has passed, with no announcement of success and reports suggesting no accreditation has been gained. More
In the UK, research agency EasyInsites is to partner with online parenting club Bounty to build a young family panel with which to conduct bi-monthly research. More
In New York, media research company TRA has upgraded its Media TRAnalytics ad matching tool, to include a web-based solution which recommends TV campaigns based on the link between TV program audiences and the products and brands they actually buy. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has commercialized its Portable People Meter (PPM) radio ratings service in five new local markets, as the deadline approaches for the firm to obtain Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its service in New York. More
In the US, Arbitron has confirmed that EVP Taher Behbehani, one of three top men brought in as part of a major restructure announced earlier in the year, has left the company. More
YouGov has reported results for the year ended 31st July, with turnover up 10% to £44.3m, but down after allowing for currency effects. Normalised operating profit fell from £8.7m to £3.1m but markets reacted favourably to the figures. More
In The Netherlands, online market research agency MetrixLab has appointed former Research International VP Alexander Kleijngeld to spearhead the international expansion of its NPD & Innovation unit. More
In Australia, former Galaxy Research Director Chris Lonergan has launched his own full service market research agency, which he says will 'marry old school rigour' with new technology and a thorough understanding of business issues. More
The biggest new MrWeb section in nine years opens today with launch articles from five research luminaries. 'MRT' is an online home for custom panel builders, mobile researchers, data miners, neuromarketers and many others at the leading edge of what we broadly define as 'MR'. More
US online music analytics and insights firm Next Big Sound (NBS) has raised an undisclosed round of funding from venture capital firm Foundry Group, which it will use to recruit developers and system administrators tasked with expanding its technology. More
UK retail giant Asda plans to 'empower' consumers by enabling them to get involved in every aspect of the business - from product development to the look and feel of packaging. More
UK agency Leapfrog Research & Planning has restructured to create three distinct business areas and reorganised its senior management team to oversee the changes, which are designed to optimize growth and client service. More
Two divisions of marketing services agency Euro RSCG Worldwide have teamed up to launch a tool to help marketers target teen consumers and their families. The two are data analytics and behavioral marketing arm Euro RSCG Discovery and American Student List (ASL). More
US-based web analytics firm Omniture has measured what it says is the first retail transaction ever to take place in Facebook, on behalf of a florist and gift retailer advertising on the social networking site. More
UKOM, the UK online measurement body, has appointed Nielsen as its official partner to create the country's first currency for planning advertising campaigns on the Internet. More
Retail research and brand specialist dunnhumbyUSA has announced senior changes as it continues its rapid growth. Stuart Aitken joins as COO and will assume management of dunnhumbyUSA from CEO Simon Hay; and Gary Cofer has joined as Global EVP / Manufacturer Practice Leader. More
Synovate has expanded its Retail Performance shopper counting and analytics business across Europe, the Americas and Asia; and appointed a 'Business Development champion' for each of these three regions. More
In the UK, Shoppercentric has appointed former Ipsos MD of Retail and Shopper Research Sharon Hodgson as a Director. More
In the US, Edolphus Towns' investigation into Arbitron's PPM claims Media Ratings Council (MRC) documents flag up 'persistent problems' with the technology. Arbitron says his Committee has reached 'erroneous conclusions' which it looks forward to clarifying. More
Arbitron has signed an agreement with BroadSign International, a provider of SaaS solutions for managing digital out-of-home (OOH) video networks, to deliver a proof-of-play advertising audit service using the Portable People Meter (PPM) technology. More
United Sample and Clear Sky Media have launched a new survey platform for the latter's comparison shopping web site RedFlagDeals.com. More
Nielsen's decision to do away with live-only program ratings is 'a significant step backwards' according to GroupM North America's Chief Investment Officer, Rino Scanzoni. More
GfK subsidiary Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) has announced plans to expand the size of the AdMeasure database five-fold making it, the firm says, 'large enough to be a syndicated industry currency for print ad measurement'. More
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission has finalised a settlement with retailer Sears Holdings Management Corporation over its use of browser tracking software between April 2007 and January 2008. More
In the US, the newly formed Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) has attempted to clarify its goals in a conference call, stressing that rather than creating a competitor for Nielsen Media Research, it wants to fund new research into cross-platform and TV set-top box measurement. More
GfK has continued its expansion in Asian optical markets via an agreement with professional association the Singapore Opticianry Practitioners (SOP). More
Nielsen Media Research has developed a new meter which will measure online video viewing in the same way the firm's A/P Meter does for television. More
Digital TV solutions firm OpenTV Corp is to publish details of the data its platform is able to measure on set-top boxes (STBs), helping operators to gather detailed data on what programs and ads viewers watch and for how long. More
In the UK, online gambling firm Devilfish Gaming - named after its poker playing ambassador David 'Devilfish' Ulliott - has diversified by launching a consultancy which will provide market research and market and competitor analysis to the gaming industry. More
UK agency Ci Research has formed a new retail division, which it says will provide clients with access to team members' client-side and agency-side retail market research expertise. More
A New York business school has set up a research group to develop algorithms and techniques which will classify, predict and more accurately describe the purchasing behaviour of consumers. More
US health, wellness and sustainability researcher the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) is to expand its LOHAS consumer segmentation model to provide clients with eight years of trended data. More
New York-headquartered MSW - previously McCollum Spielman Worldwide - has partnered with UK-based Insight Engineers to introduce its brand and communications research approaches across Europe. More
Business intelligence (BI) provider QuantiSense has partnered with analytics specialist Netezza to deliver intelligence and analytics applications developed exclusively for the retail industry. More
In Canada, ratings giant Arbitron and TNS Media Research have launched what they describe as the 'world's largest combined panel for TV and radio audience measurement', designed to support industry organisation BBM Canada's own multi-media measurement initiative. More
In the US, Information Resources Inc (IRI) is acquiring consulting and software business The Hendry Corporation, from another company within its parent group, with the aim of expanding its Consumer & Shopper insights practice. More
Synovate parent Aegis has reported an 86% drop in first half pre-tax profits to £6.6m despite growing revenues by 4.8%. The research agency itself made an underlying operating loss of £3.2m in the first half, compared with a £7.9m profit a year earlier. More
In the US, Nielsen and retail analytics agency Information Resources Inc (IRI) have formed a new firm which will recruit, maintain and process data from a common set of households to support the Nielsen Homescan and IRI Consumer Network panels. More
Shopper behaviour consultancy TNS Magasin has combined EEG (electroencephalography) and eye tracking technologies to capture shoppers' emotional and cognitive responses at what it describes as 'an unprecedented level of detail'. More
Australian readership research is in flux as incumbent currency provider Roy Morgan declines to take part in a new-look tender. As of yesterday, magazine publishing giant ACP has quit its national association in support of the Roy Morgan survey. More
US radio ratings giant Arbitron is attempting to invalidate nine patents for technology which identity solutions firm Digimarc has developed to monitor broadcasts. Digimarc claims that technology used for Arbitron's PPM infringed the patents. More
The latest release of Google Insights for Search looks into the future and predicts what will be searched for, based on a combination of current searches and the way trends have developed in the past. More
Media giant Time Warner has signed a seven year agreement with Nielsen, which will bring together TV, online, mobile measurement services, research on advertising segmentation and targeting, and consumer engagement research, under one contract. More
A New York firm has launched a new online mystery shopper exchange, to provide a 'one-stop shop' for recruiters and job seekers. Inpulse Shopper aims to help researchers in the US and Canada find mystery shoppers, while also connecting job seekers with legitimate firms. More
In response to last week's news that a consortium has been formed to challenge Nielsen's TV audience measurement 'monopoly', the firm has been in touch with employees to confirm that 'three screen' measurement remains central to its strategy. More
In the US, a group of broadcast and cable networks have joined with media agencies and clients to form a consortium that will create a new TV Audience measurement system, designed to challenge Nielsen's control over the marketplace. More
Nielsen has reported a 6% dip in revenues to $2.36bn for the six months ended June 30 2009. Revenues for its market research business dropped 11.7% to $1.25bn from $1.42bn in the year earlier period. More
GfK has reported a decline in sales and operating income during the first half of the year despite an improvement in the second quarter. In organic terms, first half sales were down 8.5%. More
WPP's insight arm Kantar has appointed Marita Carballo as President for Latam (Latin America) and Fiona Keyte as Global Account Director for client, Procter & Gamble (P&G), in a move designed to strengthen the firm's client relationships and regional capability in Latin and South America. More
In New York, media management firm Mediabrands has launched Geomentum; a marketing and media insights agency which brings together marketplace intelligence, technology and local targeting capabilities. More
In the US, TNS Media Research has partnered with digital entertainment technology firm Rovi Corporation to develop advanced TV and set-top-box (STB) measurement solutions. More
Arbitron and Nielsen joint venture Scarborough Research will be incorporating cell-phone-only (CPO) users into the sample for its syndicated local market studies, beginning this summer and due for release next spring. More
In the UK, Nielsen has taken a stake in CGA Strategy - which offers market intelligence for retailers in pubs and bars, and for drinks brand owners - while CGA has taken over Nielsen's sales tracking activities in the sector. Terms were not disclosed. More
In the US, a group of representatives of minority broadcasters have written to President Barack Obama asking him to intervene in the ongoing dispute over Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM), which they say they believe undercounts the audiences of minority radio stations. More
In the US, custom research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) has joined with specialist marketing firm AgencySacks to provide insights to companies that target the affluent consumer. More
TNS Media Research has been awarded a ground-breaking three year audience measurement contract to gain new insights into the viewing and behaviour of audiences in subscription TV homes across Australia. More
Synovate has rolled out its Marketing Management Analytics (MMA) business across the Asia Pacific region. More
US media communications agency Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) is collaborating with Spanish language TV group Telemundo Communications to provide advertisers with a deeper understanding of Latino consumers in the US. More
Microsoft and comScore are collaborating to build a hybrid audience measurement tool, which will allow advertisers to determine and predict how consumers will respond to their digital ads. More
Online research agency YouGov has announced that its full-year trading is in line with current market expectations, but says it is expecting 'tough market conditions' to continue at least until the end of 2009. More
Online measurement firm comScore has announced financial results for the second quarter of 2009, with revenue, GAAP income before taxes and EBITDA all higher than forecast, at $31.4m, $2.6m and $7.0m respectively. More
Ad industry execs including Sir Martin Sorrell have welcomed yesterday's news of a deal between Microsoft and Yahoo! to work together on search and advertising. More
Media market intelligence firms Media Partners Asia (MPA) and Screen Digest are to collaborate to offer research and consulting services to clients in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. More
In the US, Arbitron has responded to the news that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is being asked to join the rush to investigate the impact of the PPM, by reiterating that it 'welcomes every opportunity to discuss the PPM technology, service and our sampling methodology.' More
Hi-tech entertainment research specialist OTX has formed a new research practice focusing on youth and families, and appointed Donna Sabino to lead it as Senior Vice President of Kids and Family Insights. More
Arbitron says Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Radio will not renew contracts for its Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings in San Diego, Miami and Phoenix, and will refuse to encode its signals for PPM in the three markets. More
Pharma market research giant IMS Health has reported a 19% drop in Q2 profit to $62.9m from $77.7m a year earlier. Accordingly, the firm is planning to shed a total of 850 staff, or 11% of its global workforce. More
Full service firm Majestic Market Research Support Services (MMRSS) has expanded with the opening of an office in Jakarta, Indonesia. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has reported revenue growth of 10.4% to $86.8m in the second quarter, from $78.6m in the prior-year period. The company has also maintained its earnings outlook for 2009, while trimming its year-on-year revenue growth forecast. More
In the US, consumer specialist Perception Research Services International (PRS) and neuroscience firm EmSense have partnered to offer bio-sensory measures within quant packaging research studies. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has compiled population estimates for cellphone-only (CPO) households down to the local market level, and says it is the first firm to do so. More
In Canada, Omnicom-owned digital marketing agency Critical Mass has opened a new research division called Curious, which will use online communities to uncover consumer insights. More
Florida Attorney General (AG) Bill McCollum has filed a lawsuit against Arbitron, claiming that its Portable People Meter (PPM) methodology undercounts minority listeners. His is the fourth such case to be brought against the firm. More
In Mumbai, Nielsen has launched a specialist Business Consulting Services group, which will combine qualitative consulting with fact-based analytic-driven recommendations. The group will be led by Asitava Sen, who joined Nielsen as Director, Retail Consulting last year. More
Nielsen is opening new regional headquarters in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, from which it will continue to serve clients in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. More
User experience consultancy Bunnyfoot and ad agency OgilvyOne have partnered in Hong Kong to provide a range of services to measure ad response and increase understanding and recall. More
GfK Retail and Technology has upped its stake in its Indian joint venture (JV) with Nielsen from 40.0% to 50.1%. Previously known as ORG-GfK Marketing Services, the JV will now be re-branded as GfKNielsen India and will be included in the consolidated accounts of the GfK Group. More
From next Monday, Millward Brown IMS and Lansdowne Market Research will combine into a single company named Millward Brown Lansdowne. The new firm will be part of Millward Brown Ireland, along with Millward Brown Ulster. More
WPP's insight division Kantar is to merge Lightspeed Research's online panel business with the TNS 6th Dimension network of online managed access panels. More
In the UK, The Oxford Research Agency (TORA) has launched a qual operation called Mimosa, which it says will address clients' needs for joined-up qual/quant thinking in the FMCG, retail and shopper insight, customer satisfaction and OTC sectors. More
Contrary to claims in the Turkish press, reported in DRNO on Friday, AGB Nielsen says its own panellists have alerted it proactively to corruption issues; that it continues to enjoy good relations with awarding body TIAK; and that it is very much in the running for a tender taking place later this year. More
Eye care specialist Bausch & Lomb has announced the launch of the Center for Patient Insights, a source for 'unbiased industry information, trends, market research, and insights for eye care professionals across the US'. More
Millward Brown Optimor - the consulting unit dedicated to brand strategy and marketing investment - has made its annual 'BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Brands' ranking available as a free application on the iPhone. More
US ratings giant Arbitron has launched a new suite of measurement services, designed to improve visibility into 'away-from-home' TV audiences. More
Nielsen has partnered with French media agency MTdiamTtrie to launch a study of French mobile phone consumer behaviour. More
In the UK, financial information services company Markit and online research firm YouGov have launched a new survey designed to provide an indication of the actual changes in household finances each month. More
Technology giant IBM has announced plans to invest $100m in a five-year program to conduct research into mobile communications. More
Publisher Time Inc and media agency Starcom USA are the first to sign up for Admeasure, described by Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) as the ad industry's first-ever ad ratings for major consumer magazines. More
In Sydney, research veterans Alex Sweeney and Alasdair Johnston have formed Clarity Strategic Research, a new agency offering qual and quant research services to the financial, B2B, telecoms, retail, FMCG and media sectors. More
In the US, father and son team Barry and Ross Young have set up Young Market Research (YMR), which will provide marketing intelligence and consulting in the solar, solid-state lighting and display industries. The two are the founders of DisplaySearch and the OLED Association. More
In Australia, the subscription television (STV) industry has created an independent company to provide research and audience measurement services to its members and the broader media and marketing community. More
GfK Retail and Technology has combined information on energy consumption and sales figures of electronic appliances to create a new energy efficiency tracking product. More
In the US, retail giant Sears Holdings has agreed to settle a complaint alleging that it installed tracking software on consumers' PCs without adequate disclosures. More
Nielsen has re-organised its consumer research group into a global practice, and appointed practice expert teams across its five geographic regions. More
US media measurement and research firm Rentrak Corporation has opened an East Coast sales and research office in the in the Chrysler Building in New York City. More
Online measurement giant comScore has announced the arrival of Media Metrix 360, a 'panel-centric hybrid' solution to digital audience measurement. More
US broadcast and cable tracking firm Media Monitors has opened an office in London, from which it will provide radio stations, advertisers and agencies with same-day online reports. More
In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened an inquiry into claims that Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) undercounts the audiences of minority radio stations. More
In the US, behavioral targeting firm NebuAd has ceased trading, following legal problems. The firm was sued last autumn and questions asked in Congress concerning its purchase of information about web users, without their permission. More
The Nielsen Company has agreed to acquire GfK's FMCG Retail Measurement and Consumer Panel business in Switzerland. Nielsen will take over assets related to two continuous FMCG panels: GfK's Retail Store Panel and GfK's Household Consumer Panel. More
For the first three months of the year, GfK's sales slipped 1.3% from €268.1m in Q1 2008 to €264.7m. In order to absorb further 'crisis-related losses' the firm has announced measures to reduce personnel costs including short-time work, hiring freezes, salary cuts and redundancies. More
Swedish eye tracking firm Tobii Technology has raised another $16m in investment funding, which it plans to use to roll out its existing technology into new markets as well as for developing new applications. More
US web analytics firm Omniture and WPP's insight and consultancy division Kantar have created a new platform, which enables clients to see how their online and offline activities impact on one another. More
Nielsen has reported revenues for the three months to the end of March down 7% to $1.1bn from $1.2bn for the same period last year. Excluding the impact of currency fluctuations however, revenues increased 1%. More
Users of Internet audience measurement are not satisfied with the metrics and information available to them, according to feedback from a new survey conducted among more than 800 executives from ad agencies, media publishers, ad networks and advertisers across the globe. More
In South Africa, research provider Ask Afrika has acquired the remaining 30% of TGI SA, the suppliers of media, brand and product information. More
Pert Survey Research has announced the acquisition of two companies, customer experience and public policy consultancy Pulsar Research and brand and strategy consulting firm Market Directions; and the changing of its corporate name to the Pert Group. More
In New York City, Joseph Craig from Nielsen Entertainment's NRGi and Gary Faber from The Weinstein Company have launched an entertainment research and marketing consulting firm. More
In the UK, FreshMinds Research has announced the most profitable quarter in its nine year history. For Q1 2009, revenues increased 24% to £1.08m from the same period last year, and were up 51% on those recorded in Q4 2008. EBIT increased ninefold compared with Q1 2008. More
Barbara Cooke, who helped introduce media research brand TGI (Target Group Index) to South Africa, is to retire at the end of the month, after a career spanning 51 years in the research, advertising and media industries. More
Groundbreaking media researcher TRA has raised $13.5m in funding, led by ratings giant Arbitron and with participation from current investors WPP and Kodiak Venture Partners. More
Nielsen has been unable to provide overnight TV ratings for four days this week, following a server issue which went undetected and caused a data collection stoppage over the weekend. More
Procter & Gamble veteran Kim Dedeker is joining WPP's insight and consultancy division Kantar in a new role as Chair, Americas, where she will focus on the group's global research quality initiatives. More
Marketing services firm Epsilon has launched a market intelligence division which offers access to data gathered from millions of US households and businesses, to help clients better understand and target their customers. More
In the US, Nielsen is facing a lawsuit brought by Sunbeam Television Corporation, over claims that the ratings firm is understating the broadcaster's TV audiences. More
Datamonitor-owner Informa plans to form a new parent company for the group, which will be UK listed, incorporated in Jersey, and tax resident in Switzerland. More
US firm TodobebT, which runs a portal and social networking site for Spanish-speaking parents, is to offer access to proprietary research conducted through its panel of Hispanic Moms. More
TNS Travel & Tourism is planning a May launch for 'the world's first activities-based research panel', which promises to help clients reach groups based on their participation in niche sports and leisure activities. More
Nielsen is about to begin a test to measure the Internet usage of some of the members of its national TV ratings sample. If the pilot is successful, it will consider expanding the sample to include online viewing in its TV currency. More
In the US, toy manufacturer Mattel and brainwave reading technology firm NeuroSky have partnered to develop a new category of games and toys that operate using the power of concentration. More
In the UK, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Communication (APPGC) has launched an investigation into developing areas of Internet practice including behavioural targeting and online privacy. The BBC and AT&T have also been in the news for behavioural targeting activity. More
Switzerland is the first country to go live with GfK's new fashion Total Store Report (TSR), which provides retailers and manufacturers with information on the fashion retail markets. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has announced a 24.1% drop in net income to $12.3m for the quarter, compared with $16.3m for the first quarter of 2008, despite a revenue rise of almost 5%. More
Hi-tech researcher OTX (Online Testing eXchange) has hired Howard Ballon as EVP Managing Director OTX West and Jim Nyce as EVP Managing Director OTX East. Both will report to Bruce Friend, President Client Development. More
Tech analyst IDC has announced the loss of 82 jobs in the US, equivalent to 5% of its worldwide workforce of c.1,650, and including twenty-six research analysts. More
Full service agency InterfaceASIA has announced the launch of new online panels in India, Taiwan and Hong Kong. More
Three former analysts from Deutsche Bank, Bill Lerner, Rich Moriarty and Grant Govertsen, have launched a new boutique research and advisory firm for the gaming sector, based in Las Vegas. More
UK-based agency 2CV is launching an experiential marketing evaluation division, 2CV: EXP, in a partnership with Phoenix Research. More
Britain's advertisers have called on the European Commission to cancel its legal challenge over the UK government's policy on behavioural targeting technology, via trade association the ISBA. More
Rumours that up to 50% of YouGov's UK staff are to be made redundant have been strongly denied by UK CEO Tim Britton. Britton says a review announced this week is intended to 'cut the firm's cloth' to match current conditions and will probably mean 'a small number' of job cuts. More
GfK has reported an increase in income of €58.4m to €1,220.4m for the year 2008, reflecting organic growth of 5.5%. More
UK-based marketing services group Cagney has announced full year results for 2008, replacing an operating loss with a small profit. The Group says it wil benefit in 2009 from significant cuts to its cost base already achieved, and that it will realign to increase its focus on insight. More
GfK Custom Research North America is partnering with The Hartman Group to launch a new study, Future Buy: The New Shopper Value Paradigm, which aims to find opportunities for companies looking to connect with shoppers in a changing retail marketplace. More
Nielsen has reported 2008 revenues up 4.5% on a constant currency basis to $5bn, despite a climate which CFO Brian West predicts 'won't get any better, any time soon'. More
Australia's print audit body the ABA is to launch a web traffic measurement service for its member publishers, on 1st May, with the first data a month later. Participating members will have their site traffic data compiled through Nielsen Online's Market Intelligence tool. More
In Canada, Ipsos Reid has announced a deal with Tell Us About Us Inc. (TUAU) to better serve clients in the retail, restaurant, service and hospitality sectors. The deal adds TUAU's data collection and reporting engine the OnlineKMC(TM) to Ipsos' consulting expertise. More
British marcoms group Aegis - which owns market research firm Synovate - has announced plans to cut around 780 jobs across its global operations as part of a cost-saving plan to beat the downturn. Meanwhile CEO John Napier denied reports he has held merger talks with competitor Havas. More
UK-based online research specialist BrainJuicer Group has reported a 2008 organic revenue increase of 42% to £9.3m for 2008, while pre-tax profits rose 56% to £1.37m. More
In the UAE (United Arab Emirates), broadcaster Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has announced it will fund and lead the introduction of People Meters to measure numbers of TV viewers in the region. More
Synovate has announced an agreement with Canadian software provider Vision Critical, to power its online community panels around the globe. More
Microsoft has announced that its advertising analytics program 'adCenter Analytics' will be shut down at the end of the year. The service was still in its beta-testing stage. More
In the US, The Spanish Radio Association (SRA) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) have expressed their 'disappointment and frustration' with Arbitron's recent promises to upgrade its PPM sampling methodology. More
Arbitron is moving its corporate headquarters from New York City to Columbia, Maryland, where its research and engineering operations are already based. The NYC location will continue as a sales office. President and CEO Michael Skarzynski says he wants 'to live and work where the operational core of the business resides'. More
UK-based agency 2CV, part of Cello Group, has announced the opening of an office in San Francisco. The office is its first in North America and the beginning of an international expansion plan. More
Information services giant Experian has announced a strategic alliance with Buxton, providers of site location and customer analytics. More
In the US, TACODA and Real Media founder Dave Morgan is launching Simulmedia, a firm promising to help television companies improve the effectiveness of their advertising spots, using sophisticated data analysis and predictive technology. More
Radio ratings giant Arbitron has confirmed that it will be extending methodological enhancements from New Jersey, New York and Maryland to all PPM markets. The firm has also announced a new multi-year deal for diary-based ratings, and discussed revenue changes in a 10-K filing. More
Traffic analysis firm WebTrends has announced a partnership with IBM, integrating its collection and analysis of visitor behavior data into the computing giant's WebSphere Portal software and creating a closed-loop content performance management solution. More
In Australia, the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) is testing a new audience measurement system called MOVE, which calculates people's 'likelihood-to-see' an outdoor ad campaign (LTS), rather than counting all potential viewers who pass by. More
According to preliminary figures, GfK has achieved organic revenue growth of 5.5% to €1,220m for the financial year 2008. The firm has also implemented a new efficiency programme which it says should save €30m between now and 2012. More
In the US, marketers Albert Gadbut and Tim Daly have set up a permission-based behavioral targeting solutions firm, ClearSight Interactive, to provide services which evaluate consumer online behavior and connect it with offline profile data. More
In California, Alliant International University has opened an on-campus laboratory to conduct product testing for new research service Sample U. Consumers are invited to sample products and groceries in exchange for their feedback, and leave the laboratory with a bag of free goods. More
Internet services giant Yahoo! has launched three targeting tools to help marketers deliver ads based on consumers' online behaviour or characteristics. More
The Kantar Group is streamlining its businesses after buying TNS. The TNS Custom business will merge with Research International and will be generally known as TNS. A new social research force for the UK is established in TNS-BMRB, while Kantar has four new vertical sector operating units: Media, Health, Retail and Worldpanel. More
Tesco's pre-launch market research for its US 'Fresh & Easy' stores missed vital clues about purchasing decisions Stateside, its boss has told UK paper The Sunday Times. More
In the US, movie community platform Flicketz and research agency OTX have partnered to launch a movie ranking system which combines the influence of critics' reviews with word-of-mouth audience feedback. More
Marketing research agency Data Development Worldwide (DDW) has increased the size of its online 'Know More' panel to provide access to 3.4 million households and 6 million consumers in the US and 1.5 million consumers in Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and Scandinavia. More
In the US, Ipsos Marketing has launched two new research tools to help marketers understand a brand's growth potential and how consumers will interact with it. More
US consumer and retail specialist The NPD Group has begun offering weekly ecommerce point-of-sale (POS) data for consumer technology. More
Radio ratings giant Arbitron has reported a 9% drop in net income from $3.7m in Q4 2007 to $3.4 in the fourth quarter of 2008, despite revenue increasing 16.8% to $93.6m. More
Mobile industry trade association the GSMA is planning to launch an audience measurement system which it says will enable media and ad agencies, brands and publishers to deliver better mobile ad campaigns. More
Dutch market research agency DervalResearch has claimed it has found a link between the perception of taste and an individual's job and hobbies, which it is calling the Hormonal Fingerprint. More
Ipsos has reported full-year organic growth of 7.8% with revenues up 5.6% to €979.3m from 2007. The group says that in 2009 it intends to deliver further growth, while maintaining margins - at the very least - at their 2008 level. More
In the US, recently launched customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention research agency Customer Lifecycle has designed a new consulting and research approach which it claims provides a deeper stage-by-stage understanding. More
In New York, media's 'most quoted man' Jon Mandel has left his role as President of NielsenConnect, which is closing after two years in operation. More
Brand innovation company Clear has opened an office in Hong Kong, to enable it to manage projects in Asia for its global clients. More
Nielsen Online - the research giant's online audience and consumer behaviour division - has launched its services in India, as well as in the UAE and across the Middle East. More
UK agency Select Research has begun work on the first large-scale project to measure the size of children across the country using 3D body imaging scanners. Known as Shape GB, the project is sponsored by major retailers Next, Monsoon and George at Asda. More
Shares in online market research agency YouGov fell 45% this morning, following its prediction that revenue for the six months to the end of January would fall short of expectations. More
Nielsen is about to roll out its store layout and category space management solution my.spaceman, across more than 100 markets. More
Nielsen has opened a BASES office in Delhi, its second Indian location, from which it will provide new product research and forecasting services to the consumer packaged goods sector. More
Online market research agency YouGov is bringing together all its solely-owned international operations under the YouGov brand. More
In the UK, Newcastle-based Explain Market Research is to open a specialist call centre in Jesmond to provide space for additional staff at its headquarters. More
Survey software firm Vovici has partnered with UK customer experience consultancy CGA to offer clients customer experience measurement. More
Google's platform for TV advertisers is to offer new time-shifted viewership data, showing how and when viewers see commercials in recorded programs, via an alliance with technology solutions distributor MediaBank. More
Web-based consumer researcher BuzzBack has reported a 35% increase in sales in 2008, with growth in profits following expansion of the business. More
In Japan, IT solutions giant NEC has developed a digital signage board containing face recognition technology, which can serve up targeted ad content according to the viewer's gender and age and measure how interested they were in a particular ad. More
US-based NeuroFocus has appointed cognitive neurophysiologist Dr John Polich as its Director of Global NeuroLab Operations. More
Radio ratings giant Arbitron has reached separate agreements with Ipsos and The Media Audit regarding infringement of three US patents relating to its Portable People Meter (PPM). The deals mean the two firms will not compete with the PPM for at least three years. More
Swedish eye tracking firm Tobii Technology has signed a global agreement with Ipsos Marketing for its Eye Tracking hardware and software to be integrated into Ipsos' Pack Evaluation packaged testing system and other Ipsos solutions. More
In the US, Nielsen has announced the indefinite suspension of its P.R.I.S.M. initiative, which it set up with the In-Store Marketing Institute in 2006. P.R.I.S.M. aimed to establish a common industry metric to measure audiences and gauge the effectiveness of in-store marketing. More
In London, full-service research agency SPA has restructured its business into three divisions, each with its own Managing Director. It has also promoted Jo Lockett from Marketing Director to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer to oversee non-research functions. More
In the US, automotive specialist JD Power and Associates has launched an index to provide auto manufacturers with information that quantifies how well a new vehicle model performs during its launch years. More
In the UK, confectionery giant Nestlé has opened an Insight and Learning Centre, to help its retail clients understand how the layout of shelves in their stores can be tailored to shoppers' needs. More
In the UK Ed Mayo, the CEO of government watchdog Consumer Focus, has co-authored a book which criticizes firms that use young children to conduct market research into their products. Mayo describes the system as 'insidious and downright creepy'. More
Andrew Mann is to join UK supermarket chain Sainbury's next month from rival Tesco, to take up the post of Director of Customer Insight and Loyalty. The move comes as Sainsbury's restructures its London head office as part of a cost-saving exercise. More
Harris Interactive has launched a specialist youth and kids practice that will operate within its Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) division in the UK. The new division is headed by Steve Mellor. More
In the UK, relationship marketing group Hicklin Slade & Partners (HS&P) has launched Legends; a multi-channel word-of-mouth (WOM) agency which aims to 'create on- and offline consumer conversations' for brands. More
In the US, GfK has consolidated its three healthcare market research operations – GfK Market Measures, GfK Strategic Marketing and GfK V2 – into one entity called GfK Healthcare, which will provide health care manufacturers with access to a global single resource. More
Computer giant IBM has unveiled a portfolio of solutions designed to help retailers analyze data and apply it to business processes. More
In the UAE (United Arab Emirates), the National Media Council (NMC) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) are working together to introduce the country's first metered measurement of TV audiences. More
In the US, Nielsen has partnered with broadcast measurement firm Repucom to analyze content and measure viewers' exposure to sponsored media during televised sporting events. The new service will replace Nielsen's current Scorecard offering. More
US firms Planalytics and Revionics have partnered to incorporate the former's weather intelligence into the latter's price optimization solution, to help clients adjust pricing decisions to match localized consumer buying behavior. More
Arbitron has appointed Michael P. Skarzynski as President and CEO, taking over immediately from Steve Morris who will continue as Chairman of the Board and serve as an advisor during the transition. More
Health and sustainability specialist Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) has announced the expansion of its services to Canada, and the appointment of Jorge Santos as Vice President of Strategic Consulting, based in Ontario. More
US media ratings giant Arbitron has signed a settlement with New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram to resolve her concerns that its PPM undercounts the listening habits of minorities. The result has prompted a call for terms of the settlement to be rolled out across all PPM markets. More
UK direct response ad agency Tri-Direct has re-positioned itself as a customer insight specialist by creating an Insight and Analytics team with the core proposition 'Know Your Customer'; and has been re-named Acquity. More
In the US, competitive and market intelligence firm Strategy Analytics has launched a user experience research capability, which will explore purchase motivations, product satisfaction and barriers to the use and consumption of digital media. More
In the UK, stakeholder engagement consultancy Engage Group has launched a Research and Analytics unit, and appointed former YouGov Directors Andy Brown and Sarah Jordan to head the new offering. More
Retail behemoth Wal-mart has pulled out of the P.R.I.S.M. initiative, which was set up by Nielsen and the In-Store Marketing Institute in 2006 to establish a global metric for evaluating the in-store environment. More
Ratings giant Arbitron is to formally open its fully owned subsidiary, Arbitron India, in Kochi, Kerala on January 5. Investment in the scheme has so far totalled more than $10m. More
Online analytics firm WebTrends has partnered with music, videos and games chain HMV to track user interaction with the retail giant's in-store transactional and information-point kiosks. More
Nielsen has written to clients announcing a delay to the rollout of its Local People Meter (LPM) service in local television markets. The company will pause when the LPM is in use in 25 markets, instead of continuing rapidly to reach all 56 originally scheduled. More
GfK has acquired a 74% majority stake in Egyptian consumer research company Market Insight; and has formed a joint venture with the Median Group under the name of GfK Custom Research Middle East Holding, in which GfK holds a 51% share. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has accelerated plans to introduce cellphone-only sampling to all diary markets by 2009. More
Dean Blythe, President and CEO of US-based direct marketing giant Harte-Hanks, is to leave the firm to 'pursue other professional opportunities'. He will be replaced by company veteran and current Chairman of the Board, Larry Franklin. More
Ad targeting software company Phorm has announced the conclusion of its trial with ISP partner BT, and says that subject to a successful evaluation, the UK telecoms giant 'expects to move towards deployment'. More
In the US, members of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) have formed a committee to lead an initiative designed to deliver more precise online Hispanic market research data. More
In the US, survey and user feedback systems provider Opinionmeter has partnered with Elo TouchSystems to offer a platform to capture real-time in-store customer feedback. More
In the US, behavioral targeting and analytic services firm I-Behavior has partnered with database development specialist CMS Direct to integrate the latter's 'Prefer Network' co-operative database into its consumer purchase data products. More
Web site usability researcher JuxtConsult has created an online panel of more than 115,000 consumers in India, which the firm says are representative of 86% of the country's total urban population of 337 million people. More
In the UK, commercial radio trade body RadioCentre is cutting seven of its thirty-five staff, in response to the economic climate. Departures include members of the organsiation's recently formed Insight Team. More
Advertising ROI pioneer TRA, Inc. has announced additions to its executive team and advisory board. Among them, media industry veteran Steve Walsh joins as Senior VP of Sales, and former IRI exec Frank Lizza joins as Vice President of Services. More
Two US-based retail chains are in dispute over a subpoena which would require one to hand over to its much larger competitor business information including two years' worth of weekly store sales figures. More
Former Synovate Hungary Researcher Brúnó Bitter has set up a market research and brand consultancy called Next Wave Research, which uses a technique he dubs 'visual ethnography' to view consumers' actual in-store behaviour. More
UK-based Munro Global has expanded teams at two of its subsidiaries, FDS International and acefieldwork, with five appointments in the last few weeks. More
Groupe Aeroplan, owner of the Nectar loyalty scheme, is to launch its UK-based customer-driven insight and communication business in North America, with offices based in Toronto and Chicago. More
Marketing services group Creston has announced good interim results for the six months to September 2008, with revenue up 5% to £41.3m. The Insight Division saw revenues fall from £9.0m a year ago to £8.5m with smaller MR firms suffering, although its margins remain good. More
AHAA Chairman Jose Lopez-Varela has questioned Arbitron's 'indifference' to the concerns of the Hispanic advertising community with its PPM technology and methods, in a follow-up letter to the radio ratings giant. More
CPG, retail and healthcare information provider Information Resources Inc (IRI) has announced a three-year-plus contract, starting on 1st January 2009, as the sole supplier of retail data to Nestlé in the UK. More
Ipsos MORI has launched a new shopper research solution, Checkout, which promises to increase the chances of success at launch by optimising manufacturers' in-store strategy in the competitive environment. More
Just a few months after its co-founder Paul Flatters left Opinion Leader, new London-based forecasting firm Trajectory Partnership has been awarded a contract by UNWTO to forecast international tourism growth through to 2030. More
In the UK, market research exhibition The Insight Show is to be integrated into a cross-discipline event called 'Marketing Week Live', which will be held at Olympia in London next summer. More
In Hong Kong, Nielsen has appointed Umang Pabaru as Managing Director, Nielsen Consumer Research, for the Greater China region, leading the teams in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan. More
Nielsen is moving into direct competition with Arbitron over US radio ratings: two major radio broadcasters today announced a switch to Nielsen Media's ratings service in a number of markets from Q3 of 2009. Arbitron has described the once-a-year Nielsen service as 'a step backward'. More
TNS has launched Digital Suite, described as a 'new generation' of online ad monitoring tools. The suite combines cookie tracking technology with the company's 6th Dimension Panel to give in-depth analysis of online ad consumption. More
In the US, the Television Bureau of Advertising has announced its support for Live + 3 program ratings as the standard for local buying and planning in LPM and metered markets – and has praised Nielsen for its early commitment to introduce relevant ratings. More
Nielsen CEO David Calhoun says the firm plans to push for dominance in the 'three screen audience measurement' market, and can continue to grow despite world economic problems. The firm reported revenue of $1,260m in the third quarter, up 3% after excluding currency fluctuations. More
London-based agency SPA is diversifying into the B2B, public and transport/travel sectors with the appointment of Janet Wright as Research Director, responsible for developing new revenue streams and building up a specialist team. More
Nielsen's alliance with US ad and brand measurement firm NeuroFocus has been extended into Japan, where the pair will use respondents' brain waves, eye movements and other physical features to study the impact of commercial messages or products on potential customers. More
Nielsen and WPP have signed an asset swapping agreement. Nielsen will acquire WPP's half of AGBNielsen Media Research (AGBNMR), and in return, WPP will take over three of Nielsen's media services assets. More
Thwarted in its TNS marriage plans, GfK appears to be enjoying the single life. Revenue for the first nine months of the year rose to €883.8m, representing organic growth of 7.2% (up from 5.5% the previous year); and adjusted operating income up 1.7% to €104.3m. The firm described the results as 'satisfactory' in the current economic climate. More
In the US, web analytics unit TNS Compete, now part of Kantar, has launched a Retail and Consumer Products practice to provide retailers with insights into shoppers' online activities across rival sites, portals, search engines and aggregators. More
The Nielsen Company and partner IMMI have mothballed their recently launched out-of-home (OOH) television viewing measurement service with immediate effect. The companies blamed difficult economic times, which had led to 'limited economic support' for the service. More
Ground-breaking US-based media ROI measurement firm TRA has announced a database of 370,000 US homes, and the signing up of Discovery Communications as a client. More
Mall media specialist EYE has signed an agreement with Arbitron Custom Research to measure the effectiveness of mall-based advertisements and the psychographics of its shoppers. More
Business improvement company Grass Roots Group, whose services include mystery shopping, has reported strong financial results for its year ending June 08. Turnover is up 20% to £284.3m and pre-tax profit up 24% to £10.3m. More
Sony BMG is launching a broad-ranging communications and artist agency, SBX, as a pan-European joint venture with communications company Exposure. Marcel Engh will lead the agency as MD. More
The Media Rating Council (MRC) has completed the first phase of its audit of Nielsen's NetSight meter technology, which is used in the firm's international panels and US MegaPanel and will now be integrated into its audience measurement products in the US. More
Consumer insight firm DunnhumbyUSA has outgrown its existing Cincinnati headquarters and is moving to a 150,000 square-foot space that can accommodate more than 500 employees. More
UK-based Nunwood has developed Bioshopping, a new way of combining traditional shopper research with biometric technology to probe the emotions behind what engages/disengages consumers and what prompts them to buy. More
Mintel and Information Resources Inc (IRI) have enhanced their joint product development support solution, GNPD IRIS, with additional trend analysis. More
Ratings giant Arbitron has lowered its expectations for the full year as a result of costs incurred by recent litigation, and the impact that Hurricane Ike had on its Houston reporting. More
In the UK, Spring Research's youth division Tuned In is to launch a monthly cultural report to cover new developments within music, fashion, digital and sports, as well as key movements driving attitudinal and behavioural changes amongst the 16-34 market. More
In the UK, the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) is rolling out the second phase of an online solution which helps users analyse the diary data contained in its TouchPoints multi-media survey of consumers habits. More
Online customer satisfaction metrics agency ForeSee Results and web analytics firm OX2/LBi have partnered to offer their behavioural and satisfaction-based metrics to clients in Europe. More
In the UK, quant specialist Buckingham Research has appointed Tim Sheard as Research Director and Justin Porter and Craig Strudley as Associate Directors. All three have previously worked at GfK NOP. More
Frances Grubb, President of marketing and sensory research firm J. Reckner Associates (JRA), will be stepping down from her role next January after sixteen years in the role. She will be replaced by SVP Steve Aukers who joined the firm last October from TNS. More
YouGov has announced results for the year ended 31 July 2008. Turnover has almost tripled to £40.4m and normalised operating profit rose 55% to £8.7m, although reported profit is down 29% to £4.0m. More
In the US, Nielsen has launched a new panel which it says is the first to simultaneously measure use of both television and the Internet in the same home. More
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has called Arbitron's early PPM launch on Monday 'an affront to racial and ethnic minorities in New York and around the country'. However, a number of radio broadcasters have come out in support of the ratings firm, saying the FCC has no jurisdiction in the area. More
In the US, media and market intelligence solutions firm Biz360 has launched a tool to monitor consumer opinion as expressed on thousands of shopping, consumer product and expert review web sites. More
Following WPP's announcement on Friday that around 61% of TNS shareholders had accepted its bid, the TNS Board has recommended that shareholders accept, to avoid the risk of being left with a minority interest in an unlisted company. More
Arbitron is turning to the courts to prevent the current enquiry into its representation of ethnic audiences from stopping publication of its PPM listening estimates, which today went commercial in eight new markets. The firm cites 'unfair conduct' by the New York Attorney General. More
In the UK, Buckingham Research Associates founder Maggie Drye has launched a new company, Insitas. Former Buckingham execs Sandra Halstead and Duncan Fergusson join the start-up team, along with Acritas CEO Lisa Hart who becomes a Non-Executive Director. More
WPP has announced that its bid for TNS had been accepted by around 43% of the latter's shareholders as of 2.30pm Monday – up from just 34% on Friday. The acquisitive ad group also says it will move its 'domicile' to Ireland due to the current 'complexity' of the UK tax system. More
Walgreens, the largest drugstore chain in the US, has appointed Kim L. Feil in the new role of VP and Chief Marketing Officer, at the head of a new-look marketing setup designed to help the company respond to the evolving needs of its customers and pharmacy patients. More
Senator Barack Obama has joined calls for a delay in the launch of Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) system in new markets. More
Experian is to combine its FootFall system – which counts the numbers of people visiting retailers and shopping centres – with Path Intelligence's shopper behaviour technology, to understand the movement of shoppers as they flow through retail centres. More
204 weeks separate the Beijing Olympics and the start of the next games in London – precisely one week for each country that took part in the events in China. MrWeb will be following a trail across the world for the next four years, each week profiling one country and its research industry, linking also to news, jobs and suppliers. More
GfK is adding to its optical products tracking services in Asia. The firm will soon begin tracking spectacle lens and other optical products in Taiwan, in addition to the existing contact lens retail measurement, and says it will develop new markets in the region. More
Following last week's news that New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating the accuracy of Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) methodology, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram has followed suit and issued Arbitron with a subpoena seeking info about its PPM. More
In the US, Proclivity Systems – which develops consumer shopping and purchasing behavior analytics – has raised $5.5m in Series B financing, led by Fung Capital USA Fund, with co-investment from WPP Digital and Pilot Group, as well as investors from the firm's Series A funding. More
Today sees the launch of BlueKai, which claims to offer the first 'polite marketing' data exchange - giving consumers access to and editing of the data stored on them, and promising the online equivalent of high quality prospect lists. More
MMR Research Worldwide has announced a new suite of research methods for clients in the food, drink and CPG sectors; and has rebranded, and relaunched its web site. More
US Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has begun an investigation into the accuracy of Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) methodology. The move follows pressure from the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) and a group of minority radio broadcasters. More
In China, mobile ad network operator Madhouse has partnered with research firm iResearch Consulting Group to help inform advertisers and investors about the latest trends in the country's mobile marketing sector. More
UK supermarket giant ASDA has launched a new quarterly consumer confidence survey, with a panel of 10,000 of its shoppers who will provide feedback on topics such as personal finance, job security, the economy, and safety from crime. More
Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) has rolled out its weekly online omnibus CARAVAN – which provides consumer opinion on brand awareness, product image, and market trends – across Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. More
European market research company Stratégir has opened a new office in Covent Garden, London and appointed Dorte Torpe Hansen as UK MD. More
In the UK, The University of Reading and MMR Research Worldwide have opened a Sensory Science Centre, which will provide sensory evaluation data for MMR's food, drink and healthcare clients, as well as for the University's research and teaching programmes. More
In the US, Kelly Music Research's President Tom Kelly is to sell the patent for his moderator-free methodology for conducting music surveys at home. More
In the US, women's fiction publisher Harlequin has launched a panel through which readers can influence the direction of future novels by voicing their opinions and sharing their book experiences directly with the publisher. More
Consumer specialist Information Resources Inc (IRI) has appointed Hans Jessen as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of European Services and Global Analytics Delivery. More
Magazine trade association the PPA (Periodical Publishers Association) is to consolidate its various research departments into a single research unit, following a review by incoming CEO Jonathan Shephard. More
In the UK, marketing services firm Indicia has launched an econometric modelling company, MarketingReality, to provide a 'fusion of customer behaviour analysis' across all marketing channels. More
In the US, Nielsen and Integrated Media Measurement Inc (IMMI) have begun delivering the first daily all-electronic national TV ratings for viewing outside the home. More
Greenfield Online has revealed the identity of its new potential buyer - Microsoft. Having offered $486m to clinch the deal, the software giant intends to sell Greenfield's online survey arm and just keep the Ciao comparison shopping web sites. More
Following yesterday's news that it had shelved plans to acquire UK rival TNS, GfK has bounced back by announcing its highest rate of sales growth since the firm's IPO in 1999. Organic sales were up 11.4% for the quarter, and 8.4% for the first six months of the year. More
UK marcoms group Aegis has posted overall organic revenue growth of 8.2% for the first half of 2008. Research arm Synovate reports healthy revenue and profit rises but has reduced expectations for 2008 organic market growth to 4.1% from 5.1%, in the light of tough trading conditions. More
Media and marketing group Omnicom has combined its data and analytics agency Targetbase with its creative agency Claydon Heeley, and based the newly formed Targetbase Claydon Heeley at offices in London. The combined operation will offer 'creative consumer science' services across Europe. More
Consumer and retail research providers The NPD Group and GfK Chart-Track, and publisher Enterbrain have partnered to produce a single source of data on video game software sales in their respective countries: the US, UK and Japan. More
In the US, broadcaster Radio One Houston has launched a new scheduling and ratings verification system, which will merge Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) data with ad schedules to provide ratings data based on schedule delivery. More
In the US, population segmentation specialist Nielsen Claritas has partnered with retail buying consortium Nationwide Marketing Group, to analyze customer data from select Nationwide member retailers. More
In the USA, former Sigma Director Joe Kiefer has launched a consumer agency, Culture Current. The firm aims to use innovative image association techniques to provide strategic thinking about customer behaviour and attitudes to products and services. More
Global marketing and advertising database TGI (Target Group Index) has been relaunched in South Africa, via a new company, TGI SA [Pty] Ltd, whose majority shareholder is Ask Afrika. More
Nielsen has reported increased second quarter revenues of $1,304m, up 12% from the same period in the previous year; and a year-on-year rise of 12% in first half revenues to $2,518m. More
UK-based global recruitment group Prime People plc has launched a research, insight and analysis division, Prime Insight, and has appointed Alice Glover, co-founder of recruiters NicholsonGlover Consulting, to head it up. More
In Europe, predictive targeting technology firm Nugg.ad is to combine Nielsen Homescan panel data with survey data it gathers from visitors to its partner web sites, to help advertisers target consumers through online marketing campaigns. More
New York-based consumer research firm The NPD Group has enhanced its offer with point-of-sale (POS) store level information, to provide clients with detailed analysis relating to stores in their sales areas. More
In the UK, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed former PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Executive Nicki Lynas as Head of Research. She joins on 9 September. More
In the US, Nielsen has partnered with Mindset Media – a firm that creates consumer profiles of web users – to add personality profile mapping to its Homescan consumer purchase panel of 125,000 US households. More
TNS has promoted Andrew Czarnowski to the post of MD of its UK and Ireland Custom business; tasked with driving growth in one the firm's largest units and exploiting capabilities in shopper, brand and communications research. More
UK retailer Boots is the latest big name to restructure in the interests of becoming more customer-focused. The changes, announced last week, include the appointment of Directors of Loyalty, CRM, Customer Communications and In-store Marketing, all reporting to Marketing Director Elizabeth Fagan. More
In the US, Spanish-language media firm Televisa Publishing + Digital and consumer intelligence firm BIGresearch have partnered to open the Televisa Hispanic Insights (THI) unit, which will study the culture, behavior and future purchasing plans of Hispanic consumers. More
US-based phama business intelligence firm Wolters Kluwer Health (WKH) and Nielsen have formed an alliance to analyse consumer purchasing behaviour for prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) and other health-related products. More
Maritz Research has appointed Graham Devereux as Division Vice President of its newly created Retail Research Europe unit, responsible for strategy and business development and based in Marlow, Bucks, UK. More
Just over a year since joining TNS as Global Head of Access Panels, Robert Tomei has left to become President, Consumer & Shopper Insights at consumer analytics firm Information Resources Inc (IRI). More
UK research and marketing insight consultancy McCallum Layton has expanded its services to include sensory testing, through a bespoke Sensory Testing Unit and panel in Leeds. More
Nielsen Media Research has been awarded a five-year contract to conduct the South African Advertising Research Foundation's (SAARF) All Media and Products Survey (AMPS) and the Radio Audience Measurement Survey (RAMS). The contract commences on 1st January 2009. More
In the UK, sensory panel company MSTS is being integrated with product development specialists Marketing Sciences. Both are part of the Insight Division of UK marketing services group Creston. More
Rob Stevens, co-founder of UK-based behavioural research consultancy Bunnyfoot, has moved the firm's established eye-tracking expertise into a new, separate consultancy, which will test consumers' behavioural response to offline media including TV, print and outdoor, as well as packaging. More
In the US, Arbitron is adding web-based alert features to engage its key younger panelists, while a committee that advises the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on diversity investigates the device's alleged under-representation of minority groups. More
Consumer intelligence specialist DunnhumbyUSA has opened a third office, adding Chicago to sites in Cincinatti and Atlanta. More
NBC Universal (NBCU) is to use the forthcoming Beijing Olympics as a unique testing environment for a more rounded measurement of media consumption, covering a wide variety of media. More
Advertising, marketing and comms agency Omnicom has formed a consultancy, led by a dozen female execs, to help clients make connections with women – whether as consumers, customers, employees or other stakeholders. More
Supermarket chain Safeway has appointed Diane Dietz as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing the marketing, merchandising, manufacturing and distribution functions. More
Nationwide Insurance has partnered with the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University (OSU) to create The Nationwide Center for Advanced Customer Insights, dedicated to researching and evaluating consumer behavior in the United States. More
In the US, ad and media research specialist Sequent and the Center of Media Design at Ball State University (BSU) have partnered to launch a new media research company that will use 'state-of-the-art' methodologies to track consumer media behaviour. More
Both TNS and WPP have reported healthy revenue growth in the first five months of 2008 - the former doing particularly well in the UK, balancing a slight decline in the US. Meanwhile Martin Sorrell has again asked TNS for more financial information. More
Google has unveiled a free web analytics, research and media planning tool to enable media buyers to determine the web sites where their online ads will have most impact, based on demographics and traffic info. More
US cable operator Charter Communications has postponed controversial plans to capture detailed information about the activities of its Internet subscribers and share it with third-party ad-targeting firm NebuAd. More
Digital video recorder (DVR) pioneer TiVo has partnered with media marketing research firm TRA to develop an ad research system that gauges how consumers makes household purchasing decisions based on ad exposure. More
Ratings giant Nielsen Media has told clients it will drop its landline-based random digit dialling (RDD) telephone sampling method for recruiting paper diarists, from November, in favour of one using the addresses of prospective panel households. More
In the US, Information Resources Inc. (IRI) will be integrating TNS' Shades of Green methodology into its Consumer Network Household panel, to delve deeper into consumer attitudes and behavior towards environmental issues and motivation to purchase green products. More
Online market research agency Lightspeed Research has launched Beauty and Personal Grooming Panels in the UK, Germany, France, Canada and the US, to offer data to manufacturers of personal care products, toiletries, cosmetics and related consumer goods. More
Online research agency BrainJuicer has opened an office in Switzerland, while also announcing plans to acquire Melbourne-based market research firm The Slater Marketing Group. More
TNS is expanding its operation in Russia by rolling out its FasTrack 360° financial services tracking tool, which the firm says is the first of its kind in the country. More
In the US, online measurement agency comScore has partnered with marketing analytics firm Acxiom to launch a tool which allows ad agencies and marketers to segment online and offline audiences through a system that groups consumers into 70 different 'lifestage' segments. More
Consumer analytics firm Information Resources Inc (IRI) has added a number of new solutions to its Consumer Network household panel to enable clients to gather reactions from hard-to-reach respondents. More
TNS has agreed to open its books and give WPP the same information it gave to GfK as part of their recent merger agreement. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the GfK-TNS merger may face an EU competition probe; and may be 'sweetened' by a cash bonus for TNS shareholders. More
Air Miles operator Alliance Data Loyalty Services has formally launched a consumer analytics supplier, Precima, developed from what was previously its in-house analytics function. More
Google is integrating its Google Analytics traffic analysis tool with its Google TV Ads program. Some observers are interpreting the move as further evidence that the search giant is headed for direct competition with Nielsen. More
Customer satisfaction specialist CFI Group has this week launched what it describes as the first UK National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI-UK) for banks, supermarkets and mortgage lenders. More
GfK and TNS have agreed the terms for their 'merger of equals' to create GfK-TNS plc. Aside from 'significant opportunities' for revenue growth, the firms say the move will bring annual pre-tax benefits through cost reduction of at least Euros 97m (£76m) by the end of the third full year following completion. More
Nielsen and rival consumer analytics firm Information Resources Inc (IRI) have both announced major contracts with consumer giants. IRI says it has ousted Nielsen from a UK contract they formerly shared, with P&G; Nielsen says it has signed a global contract with the Coca-Cola Company. More
Mobile survey specialist OnePoint has launched OnePoint Reward, an incentive system delivering cash to mobile phones, in the form of points which respondents can redeem immediately on completion of a survey, at 19,000 retail outlets across the UK. More
The Nielsen Company and NBC Universal, one of its major clients, are to collaborate to offer advertisers sales metrics based on the 'fusion' product developed by NielsenConnect. More
The Nielsen Company and its subsidiary Interactive Market Systems (IMS) have announced the launch of IMS Clear Decisions(TM), a new software platform claiming to simplify access to media and marketing data and speed up the generation of insights from it. More
Experian and digital specialist MultiMedia Intelligence have announced a partnership, combining the former's in-depth data on psychographics, consumer behavior, lifestyles and attitudes with the latter's market sizing and forecasting models and databases. More
In the UK, another first for Portsmouth. Foot traffic monitoring firm Path Intelligence, based in the city, is testing patent-pending surveillance technology that continuously tracks mobile phone signals to understand the movement of shoppers as they flow through retail centres or public amenities. More
In Australia, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed Paul Fisher as its first CEO. He takes up the new post at the beginning of July. More
Ipsos first quarter revenues rose 6.2% to €217.3m from Q1 2007. Despite slow going in North America, global organic growth reached 9.6%, which the firm said exceeded its full-year targets. More
GfK has described its Q1 results as 'sound', with organic growth in sales up 5.1% to €268.1m and consolidated total income rising almost 21% to €12.5m. More
Nielsen's film and home entertainment specialist NRG (National Research Group) has become part of the firm's BASES division, which provides new product optimization, marketing plan simulation capabilities and sales forecasting. More
Nielsen has reported $1,214m revenues for Q1, an increase of 13% from Q1 2007. Excluding the impact of currency fluctuations, the increase was a healthy 8%. However, the firm still made a net loss from continuing operations of $82m. More
Bodies representing most Indian broadcasters and advertisers have given a thumbs down to the idea of government intervention in television ratings, known as TRPs. More
UK research agency Conquest has launched an online tool to measure unconscious emotional reactions to brands by tapping into the metaphors consumers use to describe and express their feelings. More
In the US, word of mouth (WoM) measurement and analytics firm ChatThreads has launched Conversation Value, a new tool that quantifies the revenue impact of every conversation about a client's product or service. More
Groundbreaking New York-based media research firm TRA (True ROI Accountability for Media) has appointed James O'Hara as EVP of Sales. More
Nielsen Media Research has sent clients a 9-page letter explaining its plans for the transition to digital-only TV broadcasting, which comes into effect in February 2009. To accommodate the transition and avoid potential disruptions, the firm will be moving its February 2009 TV viewing 'sweeps' to March. More
Global research and consulting firm Kline has expanded with a fourth European office, in Prague in the Czech Republic. More
In the US, Nielsen Online has formed a Digital Strategic Services group, to help advertisers manage their online reputations on social media platforms. The new group is headed by Pete Blackshaw, EVP of Nielsen Online and former CMO of Nielsen BuzzMetrics. More
In the US, media communications agency Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has partnered with online research agencies GMI and InsightExpress to conduct a tracking study which aims to uncover how ad messages influence consumer intentions to buy. More
UK consumer and media specialist Mintel has appointed Robert Santiago as Director of Thought Leadership. He was previously Head of the Financial Times Research Centre. More
For the first quarter of 2008, Synovate has seen organic revenue growth of 5% and total revenue growth at constant currency of 9.1%. More
In the UK, online market research agency YouGov has launched a new syndicated tracking service to connect with the 32% of the population who were born between 1946 and 1964. More
UK full-service agency Market Research Partners (MRP) has launched a monthly qualitative omnibus. The new Qualbus format allows clients to buy 30-minute sections on any of the firm's four different monthly focus groups. More
Top five global MR firms TNS and GfK are in discussions about a possible 'merger of equals', which would create the world's second-largest market and information group. More
UK radio audience body RAJAR will cut short its investment in its experimental electronic measurement panel, run by TNS using Arbitron's PPM, and will launch an industry-wide review of audience research options. It will also field test a new online diary system, to be designed by Nunwood, in July. More
BBM Canada, supplier of radio and television audience ratings services to the Canadian broadcast advertising industry, has selected a joint bid by TNS Media Research and Arbitron Inc to deploy Portable People Meter (PPM) technology to measure TV and radio in Canada. More
MediaVest has become the first media agency to sign up for MR firm TRA's recently launched service, which matches viewing data from digital set-top-boxes with offline shopping behaviour data provided by loyalty cards scanned at grocery checkout counters. More
In the US, the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research (CMOR) has responded to the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) proposals to regulate online behavioral advertising, by requesting that any definition of the practice excludes survey opinion and marketing research. More
UK-based retail giant Tesco is working with partner firm dunnhumby to extend its consumer insight and analysis system to match its international footprint, minus the US. The Asian and East European roll-out includes tailored versions of its pioneering Clubcard loyalty programme. More
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has appointed Nigel Howlett as President of IRI International. Previously Executive Vice President (global) and a Board Director at OgilvyOne Worldwide, he replaces and reports to Mark Parise who becomes President of IRI's global Market Information Group. More
Nielsen Online has been selected by the Italian Joint Industry Committee 'Audiweb' as the provider for its system to monitor digital media in the country. More
Fast-growing UK provider The Oxford Research Agency (TORA) has been bought by two of its directors, Andrew Tharme and Chris Sinclair, with the aid of venture capital. Former TRBi CEO Laurence Curtis also joins, as Chairman, with immediate effect. More
In the US, Spanish-language media giant Univision Communications Inc. has announced further collaboration with Nielsen, aimed at providing improved measurement and insight covering the Hispanic consumer segment. More
In the US, customer data integration firm Acxiom has partnered with travel research agency DK Shifflet & Associates (DKSA) to provide travel companies with insights about the buying and travel behaviors of customers and prospects. More
Consumer packaged goods specialist Information Resources Inc (IRI) has partnered with the GfK/TNS-owned Europanel Association to offer what the firms describe as 'the widest-reaching, single-panel research service in the world'. More
The Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) has commissioned data from two additional research agencies to add to its forthcoming outdoor audience measurement initiative. The new research will track the likelihood that passersby will see a billboard, and then integrate this probability into the overall measurement. More
In the US, Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) has launched Market-by-Market, a service providing local market versions of its studies on the media usage, lifestyle and product purchasing behavior of US consumers. More
German fragrances and flavours manufacturer Symrise has appointed Michael Kocher to the newly created position of SVP Innovation Scent & Care, and Massimo Cealti as Vice President Consumer & Market Intelligence. More
Synovate has launched a new service called Market Barriers, which measures the obstacles that brands face – such as distribution, pricing and product configuration – and reports back on the impact that these have on customer choice and market share. More
US web analytics firm Omniture has introduced two new products: the first resulting from the combined technology of recently acquired firms Offermatica and TouchClarity, and the second from its purchase of real-time analytics company Visual Sciences. More
In Canada, just five months since his promotion to the post of CEO of consumer intelligence firm Generation5, Joe Nicholson is stepping down to be replaced by former McKinsey consultant David Freese. More
New York-headquartered Millward Brown Optimor – the consulting unit dedicated to brand strategy and marketing investment – has formed a strategic partnership with Brazilian brand consultancy BrandAnalytics. More
Mobile media measurement firm M:Metrics and multimedia research agency Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) are to combine their US offline and mobile media audience metrics to help agencies and mobile operators better integrate mobile into their cross-media campaigns. More
In the US, marketing intelligence firm GOLIATH Solutions has closed a $27m investment deal. The funds will be used to roll out the firm's real-time proprietary tool which analyzes consumer reaction to store displays, signs and merchandising. More
YouGov has announced interim results for the six months ended 31 January 2008, with acquisitions helping to treble its turnover and more than quadruple its headcount year-on-year. Organic revenue growth was 43% while profit before tax increased 30% to £3.0m. More
The Nielsen Company has announced results for the year ended December 31, 2007. The research giant narrowed its loss from $368m in 2006 (pro forma) to $282m, and grew reported revenue to $4,707m, a rise of 13% from its pro forma figure for 2006, or 7% adjusting for currencies and deferred revenue. More
GfK has confirmed a record year of trading in 2007 with organic sales up 5.8% to EUR1,162m. Adjusted operating income rose 4.7% to EUR157.6m and margin crept up to 13.6%. The firm has also announced plans to change its legal form to an SE, or Societas Europaea. More
From next January, Nielsen Media Research will switch to 'time-shifted' commercial minute ratings data as the standard currency for local TV ratings. The system will use 'live plus three' data, meaning that video played back within three days of initial broadcast will be included. More
In Germany, Colibri Research will be launching a new qualitative omnibus study in June, enabling clients to ask questions in a focus group setting. More
Data collection firm Interviewing Service of America (ISA) has partnered with research and consulting agency SMS in Hawaii, to offer customer and employee satisfaction measurement to the islands' business community. More
In the US, Arbitron and Nielsen joint venture Scarborough Research says it is considering the possibilities of expanding into additional 'mid-tier' local markets. More
In the UK, The Royal Opera House's CEO Tony Hall has been charged with dumbing down the Covent Garden programme, by using research firm dunnhumby to help bring in younger audiences. More
US lawmakers are turning the spotlight on the behavioural targeting of Internet ads. While the FTC receives comments on its proposed guidelines, New York assemblyman Richard Brodsky has sponsored a bill placing limits on companies' targeting activity. More
In the US, through a new deal with kid-friendly network Radio Disney, Arbitron will be measuring the radio listening behaviour of 6 to 12 year olds for the very first time. More
In the US, media buying agency Starcom USA has announced that it will only negotiate upfront TV ad deals with networks that apply quant 'precision metrics' to their sales offerings. More
TNS has grouped several of its North American operating units into a new division, TNS media, with Dean DeBiase as CEO. TNS media intelligence and TNS media research join newly-acquired companies Compete and Cymfony to form the new entity. More
The Nielsen Company continues to break new ground following its rebranding from VNU last year. Today it announced its first global brand awareness campaign, built around a marketing collaboration with The New York Times Company and including sole sponsorship of an Olympics Special issue of the latter's 'PLAY' sports magazine. More
US web analytics firm Omniture has partnered with Chinese language Internet search firm Baidu to provide online marketers around the world with access to Chinese consumers. More
The Presidents of three US radio stations have given their different reactions to recent news of the Media Rating Council's refusal of accreditation for Arbitron's PPM in New York and Philadelphia. Cox Radio's Bob Neil says Arbitron's 'hollow promises' are on 'full display' while others say the problems are 'not unusual'. More
US-based consumer info specialist Information Resources Inc (IRI) has appointed Thomas Peterson as President of Global Retail. More
Information Resources Inc (IRI) and The NPD Group have joined forces to launch the Beauty Cross Channel Monitor, claimed as the US beauty industry's first and only cross-channel retail tracking product. More
In the US, Publicis-owned communications agency Optimedia International has released a new quarterly TV ratings/value system to examine both a TV show's traditional audience, and its viewers across all digital platforms. More
TNS has announced an agreement to acquire online behaviour measurement company Compete, Inc. for US$75m in cash, doubling if targets are met over two years. The company also reported full year results for 2007, with revenue of UK£1,067.7m, representing underlying growth of 5.4%. More
In the final quarter of 2007 GfK achieved organic growth of 6.5% and a margin of 16.8% – a figure the firm says is the most successful in its history. Based on preliminary data, the group also reported an organic sales increase of 5.8% to Euros 1,162m for the full year. More
Nielsen has set up a national Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council (HLAC) to guide the company's recruitment, measurement and reporting of Hispanic TV households in the US. More
In the US, health, wellness and sustainability researcher Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) has teamed up with Nielsen to provide consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers with a better understanding of its consumer segmentation model LOHAS (Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability). More
Arbitron has lowered its 2008 earnings outlook as a result of terminating its Project Apollo joint venture yesterday. More
Nielsen Media Research is funding a $3.5m year-long study to observe how people actually consume media on both traditional and emerging video platforms inside and outside their homes. More
Arbitron and Nielsen have ditched development of 'Project Apollo', their much-vaunted scheme to give a better understanding of the link between consumer exposure to advertising through multiple media and shopping / purchasing behaviour. More
Ipsos MORI has identified a class of 'super consumers', who the firm says have the power to influence their friends on corporate issues, politics and the environment. More
Following a unanimous vote, Dr Gérard Hermet who heads GfK's Retail and Technology Sector, will remain as a member of the AG Supervisory Board for a further five years. More
Ipsos has posted full year revenue of Euros 927.2m, up 8.2% on the back of organic growth of 9.1%. Strong performances in Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe more than offset a slight decline in the group's North American revenue. More
UK MR psychology specialist CRAMQIQ has partnered with Chinese research agency DiagAid to undertake in-depth consumer and B2B research in the Chinese market. More
In the UK Postar, the audience research body for the out-of-home ad sector, has commenced a project to measure all out-of-home media, using GPS technology to record consumers' travel patterns and ad exposure. More
US firm TRA, Inc. has today unveiled a system for measuring and reporting 'True ROI Accountability' for advertising spend. The firm plans to match ads actually received with products actually bought for a massive 1,000,000 plus US households. More
YouGov has appointed Tim Britton as Managing Director of its UK operation. He assumes responsibility for all aspects of YouGov UK's core business from Group CEO Nadhim Zahawi, who has doubled up in the role since Panos Manolopoulos moved to head international operations. More
Nielsen has formed an alliance with neuromarketing research firm NeuroFocus to develop new measurement techniques based on the latest advances in neuroscience. Nielsen CEO David Calhoun becomes a member of the NeuroFocus Board. Details of the investment were not disclosed. More
Pharma research leader IMS Health has announced full year 2007 revenues up 12% (a very respectable 8% at constant currency) to $2,192.6m. Operating income for the year was down from $444.2m to $393.3m after a fourth quarter restructuring charge of $88.7m. More
In London, TNS is ready to launch what it claims is the UK's first one-day turnaround Omnibus, aiming to provide clients with an 'instant snapshot of consumer opinion and behaviour'. More
US-based global research firm OTX (Online Testing eXchange) has partnered with Mexican research and public opinion agency RVOX to work together on large scale custom pan-American and global projects. More
UK telecoms giant BT has selected WPP-owned Kantar Group to manage its consumer brand and customer tracking projects. More
In the US, Prince Market Research (PMR) has launched a healthcare unit, Catalyst Healthcare Research. The new unit will specialise in brand strategy and communications research, as well as customer satisfaction, and new product and service studies. More
WPP-owned global ad agency Ogilvy and Mather has introduced its consumer behaviour analytics tool 'The Last Mile' in the United Arab Emirates, through the launch of its OgilvyAction subsidiary in Dubai. More
Nielsen has expanded its telecom and mobile research division Nielsen Mobile, with the establishment of operations in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Russia. The firm plans additional expansion throughout Europe later this year. More
TNS has merged its own continuous research service in China with that of its joint venture CTR Market Research, under the Worldpanel brand. Jason Yu is appointed to lead the newly merged unit as General Manager, TNS Worldpanel China. More
UK customer insights agency directexcellence has announced the launch of a mystery shopping service for the insurance sector. The service is pitched as a solution to the detection of mystery shoppers by 'increasingly sophisticated' providers. More
Former Ipsos France Joint MD Stéphane Truchi is to become Chairman of the Executive Board of French market research and polling firm Ifop (Institut Français d'Opinion Publique). More
Nielsen Media Research has informed clients that it is close to making a decision on whether to make its local TV ratings more consistent with national TV ratings currency. More
Coffee giant Starbucks is hoping to steer out of troubled waters with the help of newly promoted Senior VP Marketing Terry Davenport and Senior VP, Global Strategy Michelle Gass. Former Marketing Exec Harry Roberts also returns to the firm as Senior VP/Chief Creative Officer. More
In the US, media research firm Coleman Insights is launching a series of studies to examine how Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) reports the responses of radio audiences to different programmes. More
Following a series of problems with its TV coding system, Nielsen Media Research has written to US TV stations asking them to help ensure there are no future glitches. Nielsen has also sent them a 'Guide to Encoder Best Practices', which outlines the correct coding procedures. More
UK commercial radio association RadioCentre is creating a new team of five, to bring together its research and insight capabilities. More
Another day, another legal challenge. Now it's Arbitron's turn: Kansas-based Manhattan Broadcasting has filed a complaint with the FCC claiming anti-competitive practice by the radio audience researcher and its client, African-American focused media firm Morris Communications. More
Nielsen has announced plans for the September launch of an enhanced weighting procedure for its TV ratings estimates. It will also be consolidating all its national ratings systems into a single 'calculation platform' during the next two years. More
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has awarded NielsenConnect a contract to develop audience metrics to quantify the combined impact of its television and Internet platforms, to help its advertisers better understand the make-up and behaviour of audiences. More
Media research tool provider Balihoo has raised $4m, intended for increased sales and marketing efforts with the media buying and planning community. More
Israeli MR company The Market Watch Institute has been commissioned to conduct Internet rating surveys on behalf of a consortium led by the Association of Advertisers in Israel, 12 interactive agencies and a number of the country's leading portals. More
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released a 'final' version of its Rich Media Measurement Guidelines, following a 30-day public comment period. More
Audience measurement continues to bring its share of legal problems for Nielsen worldwide. Today, the court in the Philippines 'bribery' case ordered a halt in TV audience fieldwork; while in Spain, a newspaper has filed a claim against the ratings giant for losing it '$1.4m' in ad revenue. More
BARB has awarded the contract to provide UK TV audience measurement currency to TNS. Beginning in 2010 after a year's trial running in parallel with the current service, TNS will operate a 5,100 home meter panel. More
From January, GfK will replace its existing five business divisions with three sectors in order to exploit synergies in the cross-divisional use of technology, data collection and the application of methods. The firm has also appointed Debra Pruent to its Management Board. More
Research and management consultancy Kline & Company has opened a new European headquarters in Oxford UK, and announced that SVP Fred du Plessis, who joined the firm earlier in the year, will direct the company's management consulting activities in the region. More
YouGov has announced trading 'in line with the Board's expectations' in the 2007 financial year to date, including in its three newly acquired businesses. Meanwhile Dr Michel Floyd joins as Global CTO. More
Facing pressure from clients, Arbitron yesterday said it would guarantee delivery of 80% of the target size for its panels, down from 90% previously. Meanwhile, minority broadcasters' association NABOB has reawakened memories of the Nielsen Media controversy of two years ago with talk of a Congressional Investigation. More
In the US, GfK-owned Mediamark (MRI) has reported on tests using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as a means of measuring magazine readership in public waiting rooms. More
One time world-leading PC-maker Dell has announced a new agency agreement with WPP valued at $4.5 billion in billings over three years. The deal envisages a very close partnership within the framework of a new global integrated marketing and communications agency. More
In the US, GfK Mystery Shopping has issued another warning to consumers following a 'countrywide wave of scams' targeting would-be shoppers. The past twelve months have already seen warnings from both GfK and the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). More
The NPD Group has launched a consumer tracking service for the sports market in Japan. The service covers consumer purchasing, attitudes, and behavior for sports apparel, athletic footwear, and sports equipment. More
Following last week's demands by US broadcasters that Arbitron takes 'immediate action' to resolve sampling issues with its Portable People Meter (PPM), the firm's President & CEO Steve Morris has acknowledged the need to 'revisit previous assumptions' and has suggested talks. More
In the US, J. Reckner Associates, Inc. (JRA) has added two Senior Vice Presidents, Cindy Ward and Steven M. Aukers, to lead the development of its global sensory and market research practices. Former Kraft researcher Beth Logan also joins, as an Account Director. More
Ipsos has reported revenues of Euros 664.2m for the first nine months of 2007, and says it is expecting full-year growth of at least 9%. More
Some of the USA's largest broadcasters have petitioned Arbitron to demand that the firm takes 'immediate action' to resolve sampling issues experienced with its Portable People Meter ratings. More
Reports in the UK suggest that the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) could be about to award its next £10m TV audience measurement contract to TNS/Arbitron. The current contract runs out in 2010. More
GfK has announced organic sales growth of 6.7%., and a sales increase of 5.5% to €833.9m for the first nine months of the year. Meanwhile Dr Derek Allen is joining the group in the US as EVP of the GfK Research Center for Excellence. More
M:Metrics and BMRB have partnered to deliver a new set of metrics which will enable companies to evaluate mobile media consumption. The UK launch will take place in the first quarter of 2008 and a roll out in Europe is planned for later in the year. More
In the UK, Swift Research has recruited a select team of Yorkshire women to help manufacturers assess the most attractive fragrances for their products. More
Nielsen Online has added an additional 12 portals to the list of 40 it currently monitors for its Market Intelligence service in Hong Kong. More
TNS has announced a strategic alliance with Intellidyn, a US-based database marketing and analytic services company focused on the financial sector. The research giant says the merging of the firms' expertise will help it create a new global practice, TNS Customer Intelligence Consulting. More
Radio ratings leader Arbitron has responded to a strong attack on its PPM device and methodology by the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB). NABOB points to 'significant flaws' and 'tremendous fee increases'; Arbitron says the PPM is tried, tested, audited and better than diaries. More
In the UK, The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) has unveiled plans to launch a fortnightly survey called RadioGauge to measure how radio ads drive brand awareness. More
London-based marcoms group Cagney plans to launch an offshoot of its consumer behaviour consultancy Tree, in the new year, focusing on analysis of user-generated web content. More
MR veteran Alexander (Lex) Olivier has retired after 20 years with Kantar-owned firms Millward Brown (MB), Research International (RI) and Lightspeed. However, he remains Director General of EFAMRO – the European federation of research associations which he helped found. More
Ipsos has launched a proprietary online panel of veterinarians in North America, in response to client demand. Around 900 vets from the US and Canada have joined, with plans underway to increase this to 2,000 within the next year. More
Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) rating service has come in for fierce criticism from Bob Neil, President and CEO of Cox Radio, during his firm's third quarter conference call. More
Networked Insights, a company aiming to connect businesses with real-time customer-to-customer interactions, has launched after securing $4 million in venture capital funding. More
Canadian firm In-Touch Survey Systems has posted a 48% increase in revenue to $1.4m in Q3, citing new US-based customers and a change of business direction as major reasons for sales growth. More
Flat panel research specialist DisplaySearch has added eleven new people to its analysis and support teams worldwide. They include Rich Alires as VP of North America Business Development, and Michael Boo, Calvin Hsieh and Hidetoshi Himuro as Directors in Korea, Taiwan and Japan, respectively. More
Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) has been selected as one of TIME Magazine's 'Best Inventions of 2007' alongside such icons as the Apple iPhone and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. More
In the US, a coalition of nine privacy and consumer groups has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to implement a 'Do-Not-Track' list for Internet users who do not want their online activities tracked, stored and used by advertisers and marketers. More
Nielsen Media Research is commencing the Singapore launch of the Nielsen Personal Outdoor Device (Npod), and plans to launch the measurement system in Hong Kong in the near future. More
Research agencies NPD, IRI and IMS have linked up to launch a twice-yearly study of the French beauty products market. More
America's National Football League (NFL) has underlined its commitment to understanding consumers, hiring former ESPN insight leader Alicia Rankin to head up its Research Department and help grow its 170 million-strong fan base. More
Nielsen has announced a massive, ten-year outsourcing deal with India's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The research giant's IT, operations and HR functions worldwide are among those covered by the $US 1.2 billion agreement. More
Synovate China has launched a bi-monthly online omnibus to offer clients access to Chinese consumers' tastes, habits and attitudes. More
UK consultancy dunnhumby is to use the ultimate consumer panel – data from the Loyalty Clubcards of 13 million households visiting its key client, Tesco – to offer evaluation of the impact of marketing activity on shopper behaviour. More
Online competitive intelligence provider Hitwise has launched an updated version of its Hitwise Lifestyle online tool, containing a new approach which provides marketers with attitudinal and behavioural customer segmentation data on more than 30,000 web sites. More
Nielsen has combined its Nielsen//NetRatings division with BuzzMetrics to form Nielsen Online, and re-branded its recently acquired Telephia unit as Nielsen Mobile. More
Cleaning product manufacturing giant Reckitt Benckiser has appointed Lorna Walters as Senior VP Global Director Market Research, starting in November. More
MR software and panels firm GMI (Global Market Insite) has launched an online panel to provide insight into the consumer opinions of around 100,000 African-Americans. More
Online fieldwork and panel specialist Research Now has launched a US panel comprising 400,000 individuals who can choose to take surveys in either English or Spanish. More
Arbitron and Nielsen are to extend the pilot period for their joint venture Project Apollo into the first quarter of 2008, to allow more time to demonstrate its benefits and to develop data delivery procedures. It was previously scheduled to complete this year. More
GfK Starch® Communications, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, has launched the eStarch Ad Readership service, which uses new metrics to measure a print ad's impact on motivating consumer purchase behavior. More
UK ratings body RAJAR Limited (Radio Joint Audience Research) has appointed David Mansfield as its new Chairman, succeeding Lord Gordon of Strathblane, CBE, who retired earlier this year after four years in the post. More
Arbitron / Nielsen joint venture Project Apollo has reached agreement with four major US radio industry firms, to add audience data for commercials broadcast on their network and syndicated programs to its offer. More
Top ten global research agencies IMS Health and Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) have announced a global, multi-year alliance to provide intelligence, analytics and consulting for the consumer health marketplace. More
YouGov has announced results for the financial year ended 31 July, with group turnover up 51% to £14.3m, profit before tax and goodwill up 39% to £5.7m and both global acquisitions and launches in new sectors promising another buoyant year to come. More
Synovate Censydiam co-founder and former CEO Jan Callebaut has left his part-time consultancy post with Synovate after just four months. More
i-to-i Research, which became part of the Publicis Group in July 2006, has been acquired by its Chief Executive Claire Spencer in a management buy-out. More
The Nielsen Company has laid off 1,250 of its staff, but says the losses are probably 'the last for some time' and the total of c.4,000 redundancies originally planned for 2007 will not be reached, according to Reuters. More
Joseph Plummer has resigned his post as Chief Research Officer at US professional body, the ARF. In a separate recent announcement, the association named nine new members for its Board of Directors. More
US network NBC Universal has taken the first steps towards establishing a new council of ad agency research, strategy and media buying executives commissioning primary research of mutual benefit. More
Retail info giant IRI has appointed John Freeland, an Accenture veteran most recently President-Worldwide Operations for salesforce.com, as its new President and CEO. He succeeds Scott W. Klein, in the roles since January 2004, who moves up to IRI's parent, Symphony Technology Group. More
Nielsen and its partners have announced 'substantial progress' in their P.R.I.S.M. project, which aims to establish a global metric for evaluating the in-store environment. Initial results shed light on the relationship between traffic and purchases, and the level of in-store communuications with shoppers. More
TNS will be merging its Media Intelligence and Media Research (iTRAM) units into one, in an effort to further develop its TV and online audience measurement services. More
Nielsen has said that it intends to treble the size of its National People Meter (NPM) TV ratings panel by 2011, to include 37,000 US households and 100,000 people. More
Nielsen Media Research has informed its TV network and syndication clients that its Monitor-Plus tracking system is struggling to identify some new forms of 'live' TV advertising; and asked them to work with it to solve the problem. More
Swedish company Simstore International AB has received $2m in venture capital to develop SIMSTORE360®, an Internet based tool for the analysis of consumer decision-making at the point of purchase, using virtual store environments. More
Software and panels firm GMI has taken the opportunity of the ESOMAR Annual Congress in Germany to launch a new online Gamer Panel, developed in partnership with leading video game web site GameSpot®. More
Papers at today's ESOMAR Congress looked at 60 years of the development of research within electronics manfacturer Philips; and at the successful repositioning of the sagging SlimFast brand. More
From 1 October, Nielsen will be reshuffling its television ratings unit to give three of its most senior executives new responsibilities – they are Catherine Herkovic, Kevin Svenningsen and Tom Ziangas. More
Nielsen's FMCG analytics unit Decisions Made Easy (DME) has partnered with France's first online supermarket Telemarket. The retailer's consumer profile data will be used to help suppliers gain an insight into the online supermarket sector. More
Following complaints from clients about the audience measurement firm's failure to meet in-tab sample sizes in Houston and Philadelphia in July, Arbitron has issued a client letter committing to issue 'sample guarantees' from 1 October 2007. More
Bra brand Playtex is to launch a multimillion-dollar ad campaign and relaunch a microsite encouraging online consumer discussion, on the back of a two year research programme. More
TNS has today released unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2007. The firm says underlying revenue growth of 5.9% and operating profit up 8.9% to £45.4m show the successful implementation of a strategy commenced last year. More
TNS Research Surveys is to design, recruit and manage a new viewing panel of 3,500 South African households equipped with digital satellite TV. More
Nielsen has signed an agreement with business intelligence (BI) and performance management firm Cognos, to use its Cognos 8 Business Intelligence software to deliver integrated information services to its clients and accelerate the growth of its Nielsen Answers(TM) solution. More
In the US, BIGresearch has partnered with retail marketing consultancy The Gluskin Townley Group (GTG) to develop a series of reports on purchasing trends, consumer intentions and actions for the sporting goods, specialty outdoor and specialty bicycle sectors. More
In the US, the Web Analytics Association (WAA) has published an expanded set of metrics definitions covering visits, content, and conversion, which it says promote a better overall understanding of web analytics. More
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is to get its 'first' annual syndicated research study, courtesy of Starfish Research (Asia-Pacific). More
MrWeb has announced a partnership with the US-based association MRA (Marketing Research Association). The deal aims to give MRA members access to daily updates of global news and job vacancies while promoting MRA's services and programs to readers of Daily Research News. More
Danish firm iMotions, whose software measures emotional response, has raised $2.7 million towards expanding its sales in the US and supporting the organisation worldwide. More
Flat panel technology specialist DisplaySearch is to begin tracking the DVD sector, and has hired Paul Erickson to lead this unit. Takao Tsukahara also joins, with a remit to expand the firm's research into small and medium display markets. More
Ipsos and Nielsen have reported results for the first half of the year. Ipsos increased revenue by 8.7% over the year earlier period to €443.1m, while Nielsen's grew from $2,019m to $2,241m. More
German fragrance and flavourings manufacturer Symrise has opened a Sensory and Consumer Science Centre in Singapore, which includes rooms for focus groups, panel-training rooms and individual sensory-test booths. More
Greenfield Online has announced good second quarter results for its survey solutions and comparison shopping businesses, with the latter particularly strong. Both divisions saw double-digit growth in revenue, as did overall operating income and adjusted EBITDA. More
GfK has reported first half results which are 'moderate compared with the highly successful prior year'. Business in two divisions, Custom Research and HealthCare, fell short of expectations, although others forged ahead giving respectable overall organic growth of 4.9%. More
Lightspeed Research has begun the roll-out of a global service offering consumer surveys via mobile devices, with initial launches in Great Britain and Australia. The firm says it plans to expand into the US and other countries in Europe and Asia Pacific over the next few months. More
Retail analysis specialist Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has announced an extension to its relationship with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., creating a range of consumer panel services based on the consumer giant's customer segments. More
UK convenience store chain Co-op Group is to conduct customer satisfaction surveys at the point of sale using its EPOS system. More
Simmons Research has announced two enhancements to its National Consumer Study (NCS): the extension of its data collection operation from nine months to a continuous 12-month period, and an increased frequency of publication from twice yearly to quarterly. More
BIGresearch has opened an office in New York and appointed Holly Williams as Vice President of Sales to manage it. More
YouGov has announced a major expansion of its international presence, completing its buy of US-based Polimetrix and also acquiring Nordic agency Zapera, while raising around £27m by means of an institutional share placing. More
Online measurement firm comScore has announced results for the quarter ended June 30, with revenue up 23% on the year to $20.8m. It also reports a growth in the proportion of its income from subscriptions, and strong investment for the future. More
Texas-based direct marketing giant Harte-Hanks, which targets promotions based on information gathered at the point of sale, has promoted Dean Blythe to President, replacing CEO Richard Hochhauser who is retiring after 32 years with the company. More
OTX (Online Testing eXchange) has announced the expansion of its International Film Tracking service to cover Russia and China, giving clients weekly reports on consumer awareness of and interest in feature film releases. More
In the US, Nielsen//NetRatings and Mediamark Research (MRI) have joined forces to launch a single-source database of print and online media usage called Net//MRI. More
In South Africa, Nielsen Media Research has uncovered anomalies in its print adspend data going back to January, which have resulted in advertising spend being overstated for both newspapers and magazines. More
Dallas-based Spectrum Solutions has announced the launch of a new company, ZeeProbe, providing market intelligence for franchise, food and retail establishments. More
Retail information provider The NPD Group has opened a Beijing office and launched a service tracking sales of prestige beauty products in China, covering the fragrance, make-up, and skincare businesses. More
US-based online market intelligence firm BIGresearch has teamed up with Hispanic magazine company Televisa Publishing to provide marketers with in-depth information about the Hispanic market. More
Online MR supplier Livra Panels has added eight new Latin American panels to its existing six, and says it can now reach more than a million active Spanish and Portuguese-speakers. More
Second quarter profit at media research and ratings firm Arbitron has dropped by 49%, amid increased spend on its Portable People Meter system (PPM). More
GfK Consumer has launched a new regular survey of 'unacculturated' Hispanic Americans, whom it defines as 'not yet assimilated completely to their adopted country'. Around two fifths of the 42 million Hispanics living in the US are said to meet the definition. More
UK-based consultancy Nunwood has reported more explosive growth, with first half revenues at £4.6m, up 58% versus the same period last year. More
Gurgaon, India-based consulting firm Tecnova has its eye on a 'mullti-million dollar' MR acquisition in eastern Europe, according to reports in The Times of India. The firm also plans partnerships elsewhere in Asia. More
Research Now has announced two new specialist UK panels, covering business and leisure travel habits; and sports and leisure, respectively. More
TNS has issued a trading update, ahead of reporting interim results on 3 September. The group says its previously troubled US custom business has returned to growth and expects underlying organic revenue growth of over 5% for the first six months of 2007. More
Nielsen Media Research has released the first electronic TV ratings for New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, but ad agencies and advertisers will have to wait another two weeks before they can see them. More
North of England-based Dipsticks Research will move to new offices in the Autumn to accommodate rapid growth; and has launched Radar, a new travel and tourism consultancy to track travellers' perceptions both before and during their holidays. More
The Nielsen Company and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) are to develop a new measurement system for game network advertising, with Nielsen given access to the games giant's user data. More
In the USA, MarketTools, Inc. has announced the availability of a research solution for marketers targeting mothers, the 'Moms Insight Network'. The system combines input from the online conversations of millions of 'moms', an online community and a quarterly survey of 500 respondents. More
Rich media and digital video technology provider, EyeWonder is to lead a research consortium to analyse consumer perception of video-based advertising; research for the project will be managed by online MR firm InsightExpress. More
Financial information provider Xinhua Finance Limited (XFL) has launched a new barometer of Chinese consumer outlook, compiled by financial and consumer tracker eziData. More
Following a two-year research programme which has seen Tesco's US CEO Tim Mason and his team invest thousands of hours investigating the needs of the American consumer, the supermarket giant will be launching its Fresh & Easy stores in the US by the autumn. More
Following open criticism of the cost and viability of Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) technology, Clear Channel Radio has finally signed a multi-year deal to use the PPM ratings to track its listener habits. More
Denmark-based Anis Panduro Zouzou has been appointed Nielsen's European In-Store Manager, charged with leading the roll-out of its In-Store initiative across Europe. More
UK-based agency Nunwood has added in-store video observation to its shopper insight offer, with the aim of more effectively evaluating subconscious behaviour traits. More
TNS has announced that the Arbitron Portable People Meter system (PPM), for which it is the licensee, has been adopted as the electronic audience measurement currency system by the radio industry in Denmark. More
IDC has appointed Scott Langdoc to head up its forthcoming retail industry research and advisory services practice, as VP of Research. The Retail division will be the sixth Insights company IDC has launched in five years. More
Box office measurement division Nielsen EDI has expanded its coverage to include Japan and South Korea, the two largest box office markets in Asia. More
GfK has launched a new monthly panel to track sales of sunglasses across Britain; a market which was worth £19.1 million between Jan - April 2007, with April accounting for 44% of these sales. More
Kenya-based Infotrak Research and Consulting has become the fifteenth member of the Harris Interactive Global Network of independent MR companies. As part of the deal, Infotrak will run its own Infotrak Harris Poll in August, covering social, political and topical issues in East Africa. More
US retailer Target has pulled an e-mail survey which made some respondents feel 'uncomfortable'. The questionnaire, which was designed by New York firm Mindset Media and distributed to Target customers on Friday by Nielsen, was canceled by Saturday morning. More
India's first syndicated audience measurement system for outdoor media has been launched by The Media Research Users Council (MRUC) and Hansa Research in the shape of the Indian Outdoor Survey (IOS). More
Polling firm YouGovSiraj has launched a new consumer confidence index for the Middle East, in partnership with Dubai-based job site, Bayt.com. More
Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) has rolled out its Out-of-Box-Experience (OoBE) research service in the States to allow clients to view firsthand how their customers react to a new or existing product from the moment that they receive and open the box. More
Josh Chasin, an executive with more than 25 years of media and market research experience, is the new Chief Research Officer at Internet ratings firm comScore. More
Consumer and retail information provider, The NPD Group, has launched the Accessories Market Tracking Service to understand consumer purchasing habits across a broad range of accessories. More
Nielsen will launch the first product under its new Nielsen Wireless brand, Mobile Vector, in the US next month. The launch marks a major move by the measurement giant into coverage of mobile media consumption. More
TNS has launched a new survey tool, Revenue Growth Manager (RGM), to help clients evaluate which marketing investments are likely to reap brand revenue growth. More
Following the recent departure of Robert Tomei, Mitch Barns has been named Global President of Nielsen's consumer segmentation tools, Homescan, Spectra and Loyalty. The move continues the firm's reorganisation of its Consumer Product Leadership team. More
Indian media researcher TAM has moved into radio measurement, citing rapid growth in advertising in the sector, and is also considering an out-of-home service. More
Synovate UK has launched a media research offering based on the consumer motivation model developed by the global group's Censydiam practice. The company plans to roll out the offer across Europe and Asia. More
Synovate has introduced a suite of market potential models and simulators known as MVP – Market Value Potential; and has renamed its specialist Product Design & Development division 'MarketQuest'. More
The Nielsen Company has reported revenues for the first quarter of 2007 up 5% over the same period last year, helped by a strong performance (up 7%) from its Media Research division. More
Maktoob Research, an online specialist with offices in Dubai and Amman, will run a monthly online omnibus survey of 500 adult consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco. More
Online agency Research Now has launched a proprietary research panel to gather consumer opinion in New Zealand. More
Greenfield Online has formally split its European subsidiary Ciao into two separate entities: the booming comparison shopping business will retain the short name Ciao, while the Internet survey solution wing, also growing fast, will be known as Ciao Surveys. More
US group Cox Radio has signed a five-year renewal contract with radio audience measurement firm Arbitron, to gather ratings and related services across the company's eighteen markets. More
US-based online analytics firm Omniture, Inc. aims to raise $121.8m from a new share offer. The money will be used for acquisitions, to part-fund its previously announced purchase of Touch Clarity, and for expansion of its sales and marketing operations. More
London-based FMCG specialist, MASMI, has opened a full service MR firm in Warsaw, Poland, and appointed Tomasz Jakubowski, formerly of Synovate, to lead the team. More
Wal-Mart has partially lifted its six-year ban on providing sales data to MR firms, to support Nielsen's effort to create an industry standard for in-store marketing measurement. More
Scott D. Upham, formerly a Senior VP at Harris Interactive, has started his own market research and management consultancy, Valient Solutions, based in Rochester, NY. He has worked in the automotive sector for much of his two decades in MR. More
Fort Worth-based customer analytics specialist Buxton is following a doubling of its headcount in 2006 by moving to new offices which have room to double it again, with a further 100+ new research and technical staff. More
The Nielsen Group has launched Brand3 – 'Brand Cubed' – linking retail market measurement data, household panel information and customised survey results to provide clients with a holistic perspective of a firm or product's brand equity. More
Internet specialist Greenfield Online has posted strong revenue growth to $27.5m for Q1 2007, up from $21.5m in same period last year. The group's comparison shopping business led the charge, but online survey revenue grew an impressive 14.3%. More
Ipsos has announced a strong first quarter with revenues up 8.9% to Euros 204.7m. Organic growth was 10.3%, the highest for a first quarter since Ipsos' IPO in 1999. More
The GfK Group has announced healthy first quarter results with sales up 5.2% to Euros 261.3m, with organic growth of 6.8%. Margin was up from 8.5% a year previously to 9.5%, and adjusted operating income rose by 17.3% to Euros 24.8m. More
Nielsen has launched the first suite of products under its much-heralded NielsenConnect banner, integrating information from dozens of its collection, analysis and reporting services. More
Nielsen and Experian Marketing Services have announced a new CRM solution to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies understand consumer purchasing behaviour and measure response to campaigns. More
Brian Cornell, Exec VP and Chief Marketing Officer of Safeway is leaving to look for a top role elsewhere. During his three year tenure, Cornell revamped market research and insight functions at the $40.5bn grocery chain. More
TV ad assessment firm IAG Research has hired R. Daniel Dahlen as Executive Vice President of its newest division, the Restaurant Business Group. More
In the US, the Nielsen Company and the In-Store Marketing Institute have begun the expansion of their in-store measurement service, known as P.R.I.S.M. (Pioneering Research for an In-Store Metric), to encompass all forms of merchandising activity. More
Consultancy firm Strategic Vision has added a Canadian unit to its existing teams in the USA and Russia. StrategicVision Canada will be led by new hire Margo Jay, whose association with the firm began more than 15 years ago as a client. More
Online measurement firms comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings have agreed to a meeting on May 16th to discuss their plans with the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and other groups, following the exchange of open letters last week with IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg. More
US-based online tips and advice publisher Modern Mom has formed an Insights & Action division to delve into the key drivers of the 'mom market'. Its products have been developed with the help of MR consultancy, Noesis. More
Californian high-tech business publisher Red Herring has launched a research division. The new unit will provide analysis of five sectors: CleanTech (green technology), life sciences, comms, IT and consumer technologies. More
Media ratings firm Arbitron has decided to suspend its recently launched e-Diary, which was trialling in markets where introduction of its PPM system is not imminent. More
Consumer, shopper and retail market intelligence agency IRI has opened its new BehaviorScan media testing studio in Colorado, USA, where retailers and manufacturers will be able to test the impact of their TV ad strategies. More
comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings have issued positive responses to the call by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) for them to submit to a third-party audit; but the Bureau has challenged them to back up their promises by setting and sticking to a scheduled timetable. More
A week of headlines for Google. On Friday the search giant announced first quarter revenue up 63% to $3.66bn, and rocketed to the top of Millward Brown's BRANDZ(TM) index with a worth dwarfing current figures - $66.4bn. Google also made headline deals and gained search share against rivals Yahoo! and Microsoft. More
South African firm WDB Investment Holdings, the finance arm of the WDB Charitable Trust, has acquired a 25.1% stake in MR intelligence firm Kaufman Levin Associates (KLA). More
Consumer products giant Unilever plans to increase the use of the Internet as an MR tool in the UK, following the success of its web-based research programmes in the States. More
Last week DRNO covered a report looking at Google and the 'threat' it poses to the publishing and information industry. This week the concern is even closer to home, as the world's biggest research firm ponders the intentions of the search giant. More
The Nielsen Company has announced results for the full year 2006, with pro forma unaudited revenues of $4,174m, up just 2.8% on the previous year, but up 5% at constant currencies, the firm said. Four acquisition-related items totalling c.$316m affected operating income which was down to $212m (2005: $373m). More
Iceland has adopted the Arbitron PPM system, under licence from TNS, as its audience measurement currency for both radio and television – the first instance worldwide of a meter system being used for electronic collection of data on both audiences. More
Business intelligence provider SNL Financial has acquired media research and analysis firm, Kagan Research, for an undisclosed sum. The move means the dissolution of year-old partnership JupiterKagan, Inc. - JupiterResearch returns to independence. More
Hi-tech researcher OTX (Online Testing eXchange) has added five senior executives, apparently the prelude to a major offensive. The hires include Bruce Grey Tedesco as Chief Research Officer and four others at VP level or above. More
Leeds-based agency Quaestor is to launch a branded qualitative panel of 50 to 65 year olds, 'Think 50', combining a focus group format with an omnibus approach to client buy-in. Two sessions of two hours each will be held on the first Tuesday of each month, beginning on 1st May. More
Internet ratings firm comScore is going public, with an IPO aimed at raising up to $86.25 million. The company filed yesterday in the US with the Securities and Exchange Commission to list on the Nasdaq National Market. More
Kimberly-Clark Corporation has today unveiled a new global marketing structure, with three new senior roles filled from outside the firm, all reporting to CMO Tony Palmer. They include former Mars exec Roger Chacko in the position of Vice President, Global Marketing Knowledge and Intelligence. More
Swedish eye tracking firm, Tobii Technology, has received a $14m injection from venture capital firm, Investor Growth Capital. The investment will be used to aid the company's growth, enhance product development and expand global sales and marketing. More
US-based telecoms and mobile media researcher Telephia has announced a technology agreement with software firm Penthera Technologies, to track and measure consumption of content on mobile phones and other wireless devices. More
TNS has announced an alliance with marketing effectiveness measurement firm, Integration, to sell its core product MCA(TM), a tool which audits the effectiveness and cost efficiency of brand marketing communications activities. More
NetRatings has released financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2006. Full year figures show a profit for the first time, with a net income of $2.8m in 2006 vs a loss of $8.4m in 2005. Revenue rose 20% from $68m in 2005 to $81.8m in 2006. More
Management and market research consultancy Kline & Company has created a new role overseeing global client satisfaction across the group, and promoted Ian Butcher, a twenty-five year veteran of the firm, to fill it. More
The Nielsen Company has announced a new category management solution for suppliers of Wal-Mart, for whom it is the sole provider of consumer panel services. The new package combines Nielsen's Spectra consumer segmentation and targeting with its Decisions Made Easy sales tracking software. More
In the US, the TV Advertising Committee of the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) has released a positioning paper, calling for the television industry to offer brand-specific commercial ratings. More
Vodafone marketing leader David Wheldon has used a conference speech to question the relevance of current copy-testing techniques in the 'multi-platform age', singling out Millward Brown. Bob Meyers, the agency's Group CEO, told DRNO he thinks the remarks have 'to some extent' been taken out of context. More
Major shareholder ValueAct Capital is on course to take consumer behavior and direct marketing firm Catalina Marketing Corporation private, in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.7 billion. More
Arbitron has today begun its March survey period for radio ratings in Philadelphia – the first to rely on the firm's PPM technology - with recalcitrant media giant Clear Channel on board. Clear Channel had earlier refused to join the new system but signed a multi-year deal just in time for the change. More
Internet audience measurement and analysis firm, Nielsen/NetRatings, will expand its online advertising measurement service AdRelevance in Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand in the third quarter of 2007. More
TNS has released full year results for 2006, showing revenue almost flat at £1,004.2m (up 0.5% from £999m in 2005). However the firm, whose US custom business has been restructuring since reporting problems a year ago, said results in other divisions were good. More
GfK Custom Research North America has announced a new structure based on five industry-specific sectors and six practice areas. The move completes the integration of its companies in the US and Canada. More
Healthy preliminary figures indicate that GfK Group's 2006 organic growth of 5.4% was again ahead of the estimated industry average of 4-5%. Declining sales in Japan meant overall Asia Pacific growth was nil, but the firm's operations in Central and Eastern Europe continue to boom. More
Retail analysis giant Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has partnered with comScore Networks to create an Internet tracking panel, along with support solutions to provide Internet media buying and planning tools for CPG clients. More
SKY Television has partnered with TNS and pay TV solutions provider NDS to launch a new audience measurement service, based initially on a panel of 6,500 viewing households. More
In the US, the TAB (Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement) is developing a new integrated audience measurement system for outdoor advertising, with the help of agencies GfK Custom, MRI, Telmar and Transearch. The system promises groundbreaking data on numbers likely to see a given ad. More
Nielsen challenger erinMedia LLC has laid off a majority of its employees as a hoped-for $25m investment failed to materialise. Boston-based Spark Capital said late last week that it was dropping attempts to build a consortium of investors. erinMedia will begin its antitrust suit against Nielsen in early 2008. More
TNS has acquired US shopping behaviour specialist Sorensen Associates for an undisclosed sum, and created a global practice, TNS Retail and Shopper Insights. More
Ipsos has acquired most of Peruvian agency, Apoyo Opinión y Mercado S.A., which commands a 30% market share of the country's MR and public opinion polling business. The global group has also announced preliminary results for 2006 with organic growth of 6.5% and revenues of 857.1m Euros. More
US-based technology consultant Yankee Group has announced an exclusive alliance with nonprofit organization the China Mobile Communications Association (CMCA). The deal includes provision of research information to CMCA's broad member base in China, giving Yankee an increased footprint in the booming economy. More
Nielsen has announced the consolidation of its digital television set top box measurement activities into a new service, Nielsen DigitalPlus. The system will take data from both cable system operators (MSOs) and satellite providers and integrate it with other Nielsen information. More
UK research publisher Mintel is to spice up its reports with video from MR specialist Vox Pops International. The new partners say the clips will 'illustrate selected trends identified in the report' and allow subscribers 'to see the consumer perspective for themselves'. More
Michael Connors, until recently Chairman and CEO of VNU's MMI Group, has resurfaced at the head of an acquisition company with almost $260m in funds. Information Services Group, Inc. (ISG) completed its IPO oversubscribed this week and boasts a strong line-up including several former Nielsen and VNU Execs. More
Partners Arbitron and The Nielsen Company have formed a company to oversee the completion of 'Project Apollo', the single-source, national research service based on the former's Portable People Meter system and the latter's Homescan technology. More
MR software firm Pulse Train is the latest to announce a mobile survey solution. A partnership with Embrace Mobile will bring the Bellview® data collection suite to mobile phones. More
GfK and entertainment sales data firm Media-Control, have announced the formation of a joint venture, GfK M², to track mobile content sales. The company will get its data direct from content and network providers, and hardware and component manufacturers. More
Arbitron has won Media Rating Council® (MRC) accreditation for its Portable People Meter(TM) radio ratings data in Houston, after a tough two-year process which has seen deadlines pushed back and plans changed for the audience measurement firm. More
Just as Gap's MR champion leaves the helm, even-bigger retailer Wal-Mart has promoted a senior research advocate. CMO John Fleming, a leading light in the firm's strategy of tailoring stores to different customer segments, becomes Chief Merchant in charge of apparel, entertainment, grocery and home. More
UK retailer Waitrose has created a new position of Customer Development Director, putting customer requirements at the heart of its ambitious development plans. Board member Tony Solomons, currently Supply Chain Director, steps into the role from next week. More
Gap CEO and champion of consumer insights Paul Pressler is leaving the role by mutual agreement with the clothing retailer's board, after sliding sales and falling profits in the last year culminated in a miserable holiday season and an 8% drop in sales during December. More
VNU today continued its radical overhaul following its return to the private sector, by changing its name to 'The Nielsen Company'. The firm says the move 'emphasizes its best-known brand name and underscores its commitment to create an integrated, streamlined global organization'. More
Online audience specialist comScore Networks has agreed a multi-year licensing agreement with behaviorally-targeted online advertising network TACODA®. TACODA CEO, Curt Viebranz says the deal 'integrates two of the largest repositories of knowledge about online consumer behavior'. More
ACNielsen has announced the establishment of an Industry Practice Group (IPG) for Leisure and Travel research in China, led by Dr. Grace Pan. The firm says it will 'aggressively expand' its services for the country's travel and leisure sectors, with tracking and in-depth analysis. More
YouGov has hired Dr. Andy Brown as Director leading a new Organisational Consulting offer. Meanwhile its Middle Eastern subsidiary YouGovSiraj has announced an online Omnibus Service covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco and Egypt. More
Consumer and retail information firm, The NPD Group, has employed three senior executives to spearhead the sale and support of its new market-level point-of-sale data. Frank Racioppi joins as VP, Emil Martinez as VP of Business and Product Development, and Sheri McKee in the role of Product Director. More
Changes at the top for UK qual agency Sadek Wynberg Millward Brown. Nadim Sadek leaves for a senior global role at Research International; co-founder Rebecca Wynberg stays but assumes the role of Chairman while Andy Truslove becomes MD with a new senior team. More
Texas-based researcher DisplaySearch has strengthened its team with seven senior hires. Three new staff join in the US, two in Korea and one each in China and Japan. More
With eight days to go until Arbitron launches its first PPM service in Philadelphia, two groups representing more than a quarter of the market's radio ad spend are still not on board. Media agency comments suggest the problems may jeopardise all radio ad buying in the market. More
ACNielsen has signed a new five-year agreement expanding its partnership with Dollar General, which operates more than 8,000 dollar stores. ACN will provide Account Level Services for the US retailer, including a Census level trade area which will be available to the vendor community. More
In the US, the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) announced this week it will report future quarterly radio revenue in dollars, to make its coverage more transparent and bring it in line with the majority of media revenue reporting practices. More
A dozen research suppliers have submitted a total of 24 proposals to UK audience measurement body BARB in response to its invitation on next generation measurement. More
VNU has begun what it calls a 'major corporate transformation' including the phasing out of its existing group structure and the cutting of up to 4,000 jobs in 2007. NMR CEO Susan Whiting is promoted to a new group-wide EVP role while Frank Martell and Steve Schmidt will leave the company. More
Yankee Group and Chinese technology advisor Analysys International have announced a partnership agreement. The exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed today, commits the firms to working together on research reports, consulting projects and the hosting of industry events. More
Mobile media researcher Telephia has announced it will partner with software firm Roundbox, Inc., to develop on-device audience measurement for mobile broadcast applications, including television, using technology on the subscriber's handset. More
In the US, BIGresearch has announced a partnership with The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA). The association will use BIGresearch's proprietary SIMM (Simultaneous Media Usage Study), which connects media use and purchasing, to help members monitor ROI for word-of-mouth campaigns. More
Nielsen Media Research has agreed to develop its TV ratings along two lines, following a meeting last week with more than 100 clients. Parallel with the development of more flexible minute-by-minute data, the firm will offer a simpler 'average commercial minute ratings' service. More
VNU and partner the In-Store Marketing Institute are to launch a global service measuring customers' in-store influences and purchasing decisions. The service will be offered by Nielsen In-Store, a new unit within the recently announced NielsenConnect, which aims to 'follow the consumer'. More
TNS has appointed two Executive Vice Presidents for its North America Custom Research leadership under Kimberly Till. Michael O'Keeffe joins to lead Operations and MCP, and Larry Levin to head up U.S. Consumer Goods & Services. More
VNU has announced its quarterly and 9-month financial results for the period to September 30. Pro forma operating revenue for the third quarter was Euros 904m, up 6% on the previous year at constant currency, while operating income fell 29% to Euros 72m. More
Jon Mandel, one of the highest profile media buyers in the US, has joined VNU as CEO of newly formed business unit, NielsenConnect. More
In the US, ACNielsen has announced a long-term alliance with NACS (the National Association of Convenience Stores), designed to provide comprehensive analysis of sales data for the convenience and petroleum market. More
Synovate has announced with considerable fanfare the forthcoming launch of a new modelling system which it claims will be 'the first to accurately predict what people will buy.' The Brand Value Creator is the brainchild of Jan Hofmeyr, co-creator of The Conversion Model, who joined the agency in the spring. More
Arbitron has updated its rollout schedule for the PPM ratings service, pending settlement of two outstanding issues with the Media Rating Council's audit committee. Meanwhile Interep, the US's largest independent national radio representative, has signed up to use the PPM service when launched. More
TNS Media Research has signed up a first agency client for its new digital audience measurement service based on anonymous set top box data. Media and communications agency Starcom USA will receive information from 300,000 digital subscribers in LA. More
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) will launch a service to measure nationally distributed Video On Demand (VOD) content, on December 11th. The service will use the National People Meter sample used for television ratings, and 'watermark' content for detection by its new Active/Passive meter. More
GfK Group has this week announced a successful third quarter of 2006 with revenue up 27.5% to Euros 800.4m and adjusted operating income up 34.2% to Euros 100.2m. Organic revenue growth was 5.7%. Central and Eastern Europe saw especially strong organic growth. More
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) has today announced findings from its first ever Product Placement Valuation Study, part of its A2/M2 initiative. The research demonstrates and quantifies the value that product placement contributes to traditional TV advertising. More
Audience measurement partners Ipsos and The Media Audit have this week confirmed that they will start installing encoders for their phone-based measurement system in Houston radio stations in December, and will conduct an 'Expert Witness' test the same month, to help validate the methodology. More
Nielsen Media Research has created a further body to advise it on ethnic audience measurement issues, an African American Advisory Council (AAAC) consisting of 12 industry, community, and business leaders. More
VNU has announced the appointment to its Supervisory Board of James M. Kilts, until a month ago Vice Chairman of The Procter & Gamble Company and since co-founder of advisory and equity firm Centerview Partners. Centerview will also make an investment in VNU alongside its six existing private-equity owners. More
The USA's largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores yesterday signed a subscription agreement for the pilot panel of 'Project Apollo,' the single-source, national research service based on Arbitron's Portable People Meter system and ACNielsen's Homescan technology. More
In the UK, the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA) has launched a research service to encourage bespoke research by members into the effectiveness of customer magazines. In addition to its own information, the APA INSIGHT service offers access to discounted research via a roster of five agencies. More
In the US, an investigation into VNU's proposed buyout of the remaining shares in majority-owned subsidiary NetRatings has been launched by Kahn Gauthier Swick, LLC (KGS), specialists in stock market fraud and shareholder suits. More
Arbitron has announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006. Revenue of $90.7 million is up 6% on Q3 2005, but planned spending on the PPM and Project Apollo initiatives have contributed to increased costs and expenses, with earnings before tax still trailing 2005 figures. More
Audience measurement specialist Nielsen Media Research has a new division, Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services, headed by VP Jeff Herrmann; and has announced the launch of GamePlay Metrics, a new rating service for video games. More
Nielsen Media Research has announced that its Local People Meter (LPM) technology will be launched in the five key centres of Phoenix, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Miami and Denver, in 2008. More
Audience measurement giant Nielsen Media Research has established five new Client Advisory Committees, consisting of almost 90 senior clients, to guide the company's Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiatives, aimed at moving measurement into the integrated media age. More
News of another advisory body established by Nielsen Media Research: the Council for Research Excellence, the firm's independent forum established last year, is commissioning a pilot study on consumption of traditional and emerging video platforms inside and outside the home. More
GfK has announced that, with the integration of NOP World running well and reduced net debt, it has arranged syndicated credit facilities of EUR 430 million and US$ 170 million. The Group has also launched a home shopping tracker, covering orders made through the Internet, digital TV, mail order and the post. More
New product development consultant ACNielsen BASES has this week launched introSCAPE(TM), described by President Mitch Barns as 'the most significant improvement we've made to our core services in years.' The analytical framework is based on a proprietary model that describes the process by which consumers adopt new products. More
YouGov plc, the polling and MR provider with bases in the UK and Middle East, has announced rapid growth in its preliminary results for the year to 31 July. Sales have more than tripled to £9.5m from £2.9m, while operating profit grew 302% to £3.9m. More
Project Apollo, Arbitron and VNU's proposed marketing information service linking advertising exposure and consumer purchase behaviour, has received the official endorsement of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). More
Lightspeed Research has acquired the 'Ultimate Consumer Panel' business of US-based technology researcher Forrester. The business uses tools developed in-house to analyze consumers' financial services behaviors using credit card, banking statement and transaction data. More
VNU has announced results for the three months ended June 30, dominated by an adjustment of Euros 71m for costs relating to the sale of the company in May. Excluding this, pro forma operating revenue was up 6% year on year in constant currency to Euros 943m, and operating income up 11% to Euros 114m. More
In the US, MarketTools has announced the launch of a fully-integrated mobile phone-based market intelligence solution, MarketTools Mobile, allowing live data collection and rapid access to up-to-date results via a web portal. More
Arbitron has further postponed its reporting of individual satellite radio channels and HD radio, pending more work to develop standards. It has also announced the inclusion of public and non-commercial radio stations in its local market ratings reports, beginning with the Fall 2006 release. More
Kimberly-Clark Corporation has announced the appointment of former Kellogg's MD Anthony J. Palmer, in the new role of Chief Marketing Officer, with responsibility for leading the development of a new insight-driven focus for the firm. More
GfK Mystery Shopping and disability consulting firm Butler New Media this week announced a joint venture giving GfK clients access to Butler's ABILITY Mystery Shopping Panel. The result is claimed to be 'America's first national panel for individuals with disabilities'. More
ACNielsen and consumer goods company Henkel have announced the completion of Minerva, 'one of Europe's most comprehensive and powerful data warehouses'. More
Two global agencies have this week released latest results from elite surveys. Ipsos Media reveals that European business leaders are compensating for increased time away from home with gadgets, cars and holidays; while hybrid methodology is helping Synovate's Media Atlas get past the security gates to chart the rise of AsiaPac's urban affluent. More
Digital video recorder (DVR) pioneer TiVo Inc. has continued its recent spate of research-related announcements with news of a partnership with US retail info giant IRI. The IRI TiVo Consumer Insights Suite will link DVR consumer viewing patterns with subsequent product sales. More
Italian online research specialist Nextplora is the latest in the booming sub-sector to announce international expansion. The Milan-based company has launched sites in English, French, German and Spanish and will offer analysis and advice covering Europe's five largest economies. More
Online specialist Research Now has added a Hungarian panel to its range, brining its total international coverage to 20 countries. More
TNS Media Research has entered an agreement with US digital television service provider DIRECTV, Inc. to launch audience measurement services that will focus on the latter's interactive subscriber households. More
Arbitron is field testing the addition of an audio matching capability to its Portable People Meter (PPM) which would allow it to track the audience of radio stations that choose not to encode their signals. Existing PPMs can be upgraded over a phone line. More
US shopping, media and lifestyle analyst Scarborough Research has announced the full accreditation of its core syndicated services by the MRC (Media Rating Council). These include its 75 Top-Tier Local Market Studies and its Multi-Market Study, beginning with the 2006 product year. More
TNS has announced its unaudited interim results for the six months to 30 June. Unspectacular overall revenue growth of 4.5% (underlying growth 3.0%) reflects a decline in US custom business, while the rest of the group achieved organic revenue growth of almost 6%. More
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) has announced it will include data for Azteca America, the newest Spanish-Language TV network in the US, in its National People Meter ratings service, the NTI. Nielsen has also released stats showing the growth in ethnic TV household numbers at the national and local DMA levels. More
GfK's first half sales rose 54.6% to Euros 534.4m and adjusted operating income was up 76.3% to Euros 63.8m. Organic sales growth was a healthy 6.2%, ahead of the industry as a whole. The company has also extended the contract of its CEO Professor Dr. Klaus L. Wübbenhorst to 2012, ahead of schedule. More
BMRB has launched TGI Europa Elite, a survey identifying upmarket European consumers, using a sample of 40,000 adults across France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain. Separately, the firm has also announced a new version of its Compose channel planning tool. More
Procter & Gamble has named BASES, a new product forecasting and consulting company within VNU, as its preferred supplier for global new product sales volume forecasting needs. More
Audience measurement partners Ipsos and The Media Audit have announced the market rollout plan for their Smart Cell Phone system. If the method is selected by the radio industry, a full market test in Houston would be followed by launches in New York, LA and Chicago, with plans to roll out 12 markets in 2007. More
Michigan-based custom MR firm Gongos Research has moved into a custom-built office in Auburn Hills, reflecting rapid growth this year. At the same time, it has changed its name from Gongos and Associates, Inc. More
Brand development and consulting firm Icon Added Value (IAV), part of WPP's Kantar division, has relaunched its offering in South India and appointed Praveen Ramachandra, Business Services Director, as head of the region based in Bangalore. More
Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, has signed an agreement designating ACNielsen as its sole provider of consumer panel services, with the aim of tailoring its offer at an individual store level. ACNielsen already provides Wal-Mart with Spectra segmentation and targeting applications and insight. More
Knowledge Networks (KN) has announced results for the second quarter of 2006, showing revenue of $9.2m, up 27% year-on-year, and continued positive net income. More
UK audience research body BARB has issued a Request for Proposals for measurement contracts for 2010 and beyond. The request highlights the need to measure 'all audiences to televisual services within the UK' – underlining BARB's interest in coverage of out-of-home viewing and new media. More
At an EGM on Friday, VNU changed its legal name, formally converted to a private company and welcomed new board members including Lord Hollick, following shareholder approval. Today the firm has named R. Ford Dallmeyer as the new legal chief for its MI Group. More
Digital TV and DVR pioneer TiVo Inc. has announced the creation of a research division, TiVo Audience Research and Measurement (ARM). TiVo ARM will offer advertisers and advertising agencies second-by-second data and analysis on DVR viewing of advertising content. More
ACNielsen announced yesterday that it has formed a new global unit, ACNielsen Loyalty. The unit will be headed by Tom Markert, currently Senior VP and CMO of VNU MI and ACNielsen; and Laurence Michael, currently Senior VP, Global Retailer Services Marketing. More
TNS has announced agreements with the two leading broadcasters in the Philippines, ABS-CBN and GMA, to set up a new PeopleMeter service in the country. A representative panel of 1200 households reporting their viewing daily from the beginning of next year. More
US provider OTX (Online Testing eXchange) has appointed David Shanker, previously of IRI, as its new COO and promoted Bruce Friend to President of Media and Entertainment Insights. The company is growing rapidly, rising to 22nd in the Honomichl Top 50 in just 6 years of operation. More
US-based firms Interpret LLC and IGA Worldwide, Inc. have announced what they claim is the first independent ratings system for in-game advertising. IGA Worldwide's in-game ad network will be measured by Interpret's proprietary third-party measurement currency, Gameasure. More
Audience specialist Arbitron has announced results for the second quarter of the year, ended June 30, with revenue of $74.2m, up 6.2% versus the same period in 2005. However, costs and expenses for the second quarter increased sharply - by 21.4% from $55.4m in Q2 2005 to $67.3m. More
VNU continues to build the Communications team for its research businesses. Last week, it appointed Karen Watson in a Senior VP Communications role covering Nielsen Media Research and the MMI Group – this week Gary Holmes has joined her team as VP, Global Communications and Chief Press Officer. More
Nielsen Outdoor has this week announced the support of Publicis Groupe Media for its GPS based ratings service measuring outdoor advertising in Los Angeles. Publicis includes brand communications group Starcom MediaVest and advertising giant ZenithOptimedia. More
US-based consultancy and research provider Kline & Company, Inc. has opened an office in New Delhi, its first in southern Asia, and has selected 10-year company veteran Ali Khan to serve as Director of Kline India. Khan is tasked with building a roster of 15-20 consultants within a year. More
Hours before its shares ceased trading on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange, VNU yesterday announced plans to change its financing structure, including the raising of new funds, and the proposed addition of five members to its supervisory board. The five include former NOP boss Lord Hollick. More
Synovate has announced an expansion of its media research services and the promotion of Asia Pacific boss Steve Garton to lead a new global group, based in London. In addition, Craig Harvey joins from Publicis as Director, Media Research - Asia Pacific. More
TNS has formally recognised the success of its Conversion Model(TM) business tool by giving it its own Global Centre of Excellence, with an operational hub in Cape Town. The Model played a part in projects bringing TNS over US$120 million in revenue in 2005. More
KPMG has this week joined forces with research group SPSL to launch the 'Retail Think Tank' (RTT) aimed at establishing 'the true health and status' of the UK's retail sector. More
Millward Brown has opened a first Swiss office, in Geneva, to be headed by Sana Carlton and Martine Rebours. Carlton was previously Global Account Co-ordinator based in the group's Madrid Office. Rebours will add the role to her existing duties as TGI Director for France. More
TNS has announced a major expansion of its FMCG consumer tracking Worldpanel service in the Republic of Ireland, from 1,350 households to 3,000 by August 2008, along with the launch of a new data delivery platform. More
VNU's sales for the three months ended March 31st rose to Euros 890 million compared to Euros 791 million in the first quarter of 2005. Operating income fell from Euros 58 million to Euros 25 million. More
ACNielsen US has announced an expanded relationship with natural products sales data firm SPINS Inc. The two will share expertise, collaborate and optimize existing SPINS solutions, and jointly develop new products and services for clients in the health & wellness and natural & organic products industries. More
Outdoor advertising group JCDecaux has launched what it describes as the first ever coverage and frequency system for retail media, developed in conjunction with TNS Worldpanel. More
Edinburgh-based user experience consultancy User Vision has introduced new 'eye tracking' technology to help with its evaluation of web site and product usability and accessibility. More
US provider Simmons Research has announced the launch of an online group, which will link custom online research with its National Consumer Study (NCS) and other data from parent company Experian. More
Mobile measurement firm M:Metrics has responded to the filing of a lawsuit against it by Telephia, Inc, last week, calling its case 'totally without merit'. Telephia alleges patent infringement in connection with the development and distribution of smartphone metering software. More
Nielsen Media Research has announced that it will provide integrated, all-electronic ratings for television regardless of the platform on which it is viewed, under the 'Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement' initiative (A2/M2). More
Audience measurement firm Arbitron has announced the signing of multi-year agreements with four of the USA's largest radio groups for its Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings service. However, the PPM's launch in its first market, Houston, will reportedly be delayed after it failed to get accreditation from industry body the MRC. More
VNU has held its 2006 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Amsterdam, and announced the appointment of new Supervisory Board members and an interim CEO, Rob Ruijter. Ruijter, who also continues with his current responsibilities as the group's CFO, takes the CEO role from Rob van den Bergh, who stepped down from the Board. More
Valcon has set a date for the delisting of MR and media giant VNU, of which it now owns around 99% of shares. 10 July will be the last day that shares can be traded on the Exchange. More
ABI Research has announced a new service focused on worldwide home networking technology markets, to be led by eminent analyst Michael Wolf. More
In the UK, the Ofcom Consumer Panel has published its second annual report, reiterating its support for consumer-focused regulation and its commitment to research. Meanwhile, Ofcom reports rapid progress for digital, with Freeview for the first time outnumbering traditional analogue TV on primary sets in British homes. More
MR is at the heart of the transformation of Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, according to a speech by President and CEO Lee Scott at a shareholders' meeting last Friday. The 'Wal-Mart Out Front' initiative rests on five 'pillars' of which the first is an MR-based broadening of its customer appeal. More
US TV ad effectiveness ratings company IAG Research this week announced that it had closed a $47.5 million financing round from two leading sources of private equity, Insight Venture Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners. More
Global ratings supplier AGB Nielsen is adding rural viewers to its Chinese TV audience service, reports the Financial Times. The move should help it to compete with rival firm CSM Media Research, and reflects growing purchasing power outside the cities. More
Millward Brown has opened a new office in central Chicago for itself and its division, Dynamic Logic. Senior VP Brian James, who previously worked out of Millward Brown's Naperville, IL, head office, will head the MB team in the new location, while MD Chris Borchert will lead the Dynamic Logic group. More
RAJAR has awarded contracts to Ipsos MORI, RSMB and TNS covering radio audience measurement for two years starting January 2007. Ipsos MORI will continue to operate the core survey with a redesigned diary, while TNS will trial a PPM-based electronic measurement panel in London, providing both radio data for RAJAR and TV for co-sponsor BARB. More
VNU's acquisition by the Valcon consortium looks likely to go ahead after Knight Vinke Asset Management (KVAM), hitherto the loudest opponent of the deal, said it would tender its shares at the new bid price, before the deadline for acceptance passed this afternoon. More
CBS Radio has agreed a seven year deal with Arbitron for Portable People Meter (PPM) radio ratings. The deal will take effect once the new technology is deployed in the 35 CBS Radio markets in Arbitron's PPM rollout plan. More
Synovate is planning further acquisitions, with Internet panel companies and analytics & modelling specialists among the possible targets. Global CEO Adrian Chedore talks exclusively to DRNO about buying companies, keeping people, and how a fast-growing top ten agency can stay 'small'. More
Synovate has announced the rapid expansion of its global opinion panels across Europe and in the Asia Pacific region; and has appointed Emiel van Wegen and Shaun Griffin to help guide the process. More
Consumer research agency Scarborough Research has become the second company in two weeks to announce the integration of data from Claritas segmentation products into its services. Data from ConneXions and P$YCLE® NE will provide more consumer detail in the financial and telecoms sectors. More
Global group GfK has confirmed its upbeat preliminary announcement from 28th February regarding results for 2005, announcing 'the most successful year in the company's history' with sales up by over 40% to Euros 937.3m, 6.5% organic growth and margin improving to 13.3%. More
Activist VNU shareholder KVAM has indicated that it is prepared to buy a further Euros 233m of shares to back its alternative plan for a partial sell-off of the media and research giant. The commitment is subject to approval of its own 'Plan B' and rejection of the 28.75 per share Valcon bid. More
Another partnership announcement on two well-worn recent DRNO themes, word of mouth (WOM) marketing, and web analytics. WOM marketing specialist Bazaarvoice has announced partnerships with all four of the leading web analytics firms: Coremetrics, Omniture, WebSideStory, and WebTrends. More
Three former execs of Nielsen Entertainment have formed an MR and advertising consultancy, Interpret LLC. The firm will help clients plan, test and measure content on new media platforms such as the Internet and the booming in-game advertising space, further boosted by developments today. More
TNS has released market size figures for British consumption of sandwiches, based on innovative methodology. Panellists text the bar codes of their purchases to the company, allowing it to track their snacking in real-time. More
In the USA, The Council for Research Excellence has announced that it will soon begin its first detailed study into one of the fundamentals of television audience measurement – the quality of the research samples from which the ratings are drawn. More
Arbitron has announced first quarter results for the three months ended March 31st, showing that revenues increased by 7.4% to US$85.1 million. Net income for the quarter fell by 8.3% to US$18.2 million. More
VNU, which is holding an EGM in Amsterdam today to persuade shareholders of the merits of the current private equity offer, says it will make 'a compelling and thorough case' for this being the best option, and has posted on its web site the presentation it will use to structure its argument. More
VNU has changed its April 18 AGM to an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting), the sole focus of which will be a discussion of the public offer for the company made by Valcon Acquisition B.V. The AGM has been rescheduled for June 13. More
Millward Brown Optimor, the research group's specialist financial and ROI arm, has announced a new ranking, the BRANDZ(tm) Top 100 Most Powerful Brands study. Combining consumer research with publicly available financial data, the study gives Microsoft the no.1 spot, followed by GE and Coca-Cola. More
Information services giant Experian, which owns MR businesses including Simmons Research and Vente in the US and FootFall Ltd and The Future Foundation in Europe, is likely to be demerged from parent GUS plc under plans unveiled today. More
The former head of Arbitron's radio group services unit, Les Tolchin, is to work with its competitor The Media Audit. Tolchin's Doneraile International consultancy will assist the firm, which says it is talking to 'lots' of other potential senior hires, as it gears up its electronic media ratings offer. More
TNS has agreed a five year contract with the Kazakhstan television Joint Industry Committee (JIC) to provide trading currency TV audience measurement using Arbitron's PPM system. More
Arbitron has announced new signings for its radio measurement device the PPM, as rumours suggest two more major corporations may join Project Apollo, its joint venture with ACNielsen. Meanwhile the ARF's Annual Conference has been told that the media industry 'needs to work cooperatively to provide advertisers with effective research' in the face of the media explosion. More
ACNielsen has added responsibility for Europe to the Asia Pacific role of its Executive Director, Corporate & Marketing Communications, Lisa Lee. The move promises closer alignment for the firm's global branding and marketing strategy. More
Arbitron has announced that it will begin the rollout of the Portable People Meter (PPM) system as its radio ratings service in the top 50 markets, beginning with Houston in July 2006. More
Experian has this week announced the launch of Mosaic Japan, the company's latest consumer classification solution. The system classifies every Japanese household according to 11 main groups and 50 different socio-economic types. More
VNU, parent of ACNielsen and Nielsen Media Research, has announced that it has agreed to a public offer from a private-equity consortium including AlpInvest Partners, valuing the company's equity at approximately EUR 7.5 bn in cash, or EUR 28.75 per common share. The option of breaking the company up has been rejected. More
VNU has announced 'better-than-expected results' for 2005. The Media Measurement & Information division (MMI) showed 11% organic growth, led by a strong Nielsen Media Research (NMR). Group-wide, organic growth was only 5%. VNU says favourable settlement of tax audits 'more than offset' the $55m cost of the recent IRI settlement. More
TNS has announced results for the year ended 31 December 2005. Revenue is up 5.7% (adjusted 4.1%) to £999.0m and adjusted operating profit up 9.5% to £112.6m. Strong growth across syndicated services and in custom business in continental Europe and emerging markets contrasted with 'challenging conditions' in the US and UK. More
Nielsen Media Research has declined its option to work with Arbitron in developing the latter's PPM technology as the primary measurement tool for US media ratings currency. Nielsen has spent millions of dollars on assessing the technology since signing an agreement in 2000, but will now pursue a multi-stranded 'portfolio strategy'. More
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and comScore Networks have announced they will work together to offer clients improved product and advertising testing. The offer will combine IRI's BehaviorScan(R) in-market testing solution and comScore's advanced MR and targeting capabilities. More
GfK's preliminary results, published today, confirm the company's upbeat forecast from a week ago and reveal what the group calls 'a year of extraordinary success'. Total sales of 935.4m euros, up 39%, include 198.0m euros for NOP World companies and 737.4m euros for the rest of the group. Organic growth was 6.5%. More
UK-based analyst Datamonitor plc has announced preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2005, showing group sales up 34% to £58.1m, and Profit Before Tax up 64% to £8.4m. More
The GfK Group has a majority share in a new joint venture in Israel, and has announced several other recent moves to expand its global presence. They include an increased stake in Swiss agency Research Matters, the establishment of a branch for its HealthCare division in Thailand and the integration of New York's Audits and Surveys. More
Information giant Reuters has announced an agreement with MasterCard Advisors LLC, part of MasterCard International, to provide clients with snapshots of US economic retail sales performance and trends. The service, known as SpendingPulse(TM) will provide both national and regional estimates. More
Massachusetts-based data analysis and MR firm DataMind Research, LLC has announced a strategic partnership with Bloomfield, CT-based PERT Survey Research. PERT has taken an equity stake in DataMind, which will use PERT's field services to conduct its EVA studies. More
US agency Simmons Research, part of Experian, has announced the accreditation of its flagship survey, the National Consumer Study (NCS), by the Media Rating Council (MRC). More
The membership of the British Market Research Association (BMRA) has voted in favour of proposals to integrate its services into the Market Research Society (MRS), with effect from April 2006. The BMRA will cease to exist as of April Fools' Day. More
Technology consultancy Yankee Group has announced management changes which unify its global research offerings under a single Chief Research Officer (CRO). Brad Hecht, leader of the Group's research organization from 2002 to 2004, assumes the role with immediate effect. More
VNU and IRI have settled their ten-year antitrust case, with VNU agreeing to pay IRI US$55m. The case was recently valued at around $650m but was on appeal following judgement in favor of VNU and its co-defendants. Both sides appear to have preferred the settlement to the possibility of the case rumbling on for a number of years more. More
US online behaviour analyst comScore Networks is partnering with marketing company Catalina Health Resource to offer a new research solution for pharmaceutical companies. The new tool, Behavior Activated Research (BAR Rx), is designed to help marketers access consumers who take particular drugs. More
Nielsen's Local People Meter (LPM) audience measurement system, closely scrutinised since claims last year that it under-represented people of color, actually counts a higher proportion of African-American viewers than traditional diary systems, according to the company's latest stats from trials in Dallas and Detroit. More
The UK's Product of the Year awards ceremony took place last night. The 26 winners - who include Häagen-Dazs Cream Crisp, Gillette M3Power Razor, Flash Car Wash and Elastoplast's silver healing plasters - were chosen following a TNS survey of 12,500 consumers throughout the UK. More
NetRatings Japan is to use its web analytics service, SiteCensus, to measure and analyse the 10m monthly users of Yahoo!'s Japanese shopping site. Yahoo! will also make use of NetRatings' customised analytics services to understand what visitors are doing on its shopping and auction sites. More
GfK has expanded its presence in South America by acquiring a majority stake in MR companies Merc in Mexico and KleimanSygnos in Argentina. The group plans to extend its services in the area further to include healthcare, retail and technology research in addition to the current custom research offerings. More
Experian has introduced a Japanese version of Mosaic, classifying every Japanese household into one of 50 different socio-economic types. The system reveals stark demographic differences between different parts of the country - with young, single and wealthy people concentrated in the inner cities. More
TNS is renaming its various continuous consumer panels in Asia Pacific and the Middle East 'Worldpanel', in line with the panels used in 50 countries worldwide. The rebranding is designed to provide clearer and more co-ordinated services to international clients. More
A new study from US agency Information Resources, Inc (IRI) recommends that retailers should look at the state of the economy as a whole to help them forecast trends and plan new product developments in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and healthcare markets. More
Arbitron and VNU have added the key name of Unilever United States to the list of subscribers to their 'Project Apollo' pilot panel, which was considered in the balance by some commentators but should now be back on track. The panel is a single-source, national research service based on the Arbitron PPM and ACNielsen's HomeScan. More
The International Mystery Shopping Alliance (IMSA), has expanded its coverage with the addition of a Mexican partner, Big K Mystery Shopping. This brings the total number of IMSA members worldwide to 17. More
VNU today announced that the European Commission has ended its investigation into the contracting and pricing practices of the company's subsidiary ACNielsen, and has found no evidence of wrongdoing. More
Arbitron's media measurement device, the Portable People Meter (PPM), is being honoured as a technological innovation, alongside TiVo, the Blackberry and the USB flash drive. Ron Kolessar, who led the development of the PPM, joins a list of innovators being recognised by the Great Minds, Great Ideas project. More
ACNielsen U.S. has this week announced the completion of the major program to expand its Homescan(R) consumer panel. In two years, the panel's size has more than doubled to 125,000 households providing insights and information for the CPG industry. More
VNU has announced a major program to co-ordinate the business units of its Marketing Information (MI) group and centralise marketing, IT and NPD functions. Steven M. Schmidt becomes President and CEO of the group, which includes ACNielsen, BASES, Spectra, Claritas and ACNielsen HCI. More
Arbitron and VNU have announced good progress with Project Apollo, which aims to co-ordinate their collection of multimedia exposure and purchase information. Over the past few weeks more advertisers have signed up, and the steering committee will meet for the second time in January to set the direction for next year's project pilot. More
VNU's CEO Rob van den Bergh is stepping down, following the announcement that the company's planned takeover of IMS Health has been terminated due to strong resistance from VNU shareholders. Under the termination agreement, VNU will reimburse IMS $15 million for out-of-pocket costs. More
The GfK Group has announced results for the third quarter of 2005. The integration of NOP World is said to be proceeding according to plan, and the group has already achieved 95.6% of its order volume forecast for 2005. Sales for the first 9 months are up 28.8% vs Q1-3 2004 to EUR 627.5m. More
European online research agency MetrixLab added another 1 million Euros to its turnover in the third quarter of this year, representing a 71% increase compared with the same period last year. The company's net profits grew by 44% over the same period. More
US agency the NPD Group has entered an initial agreement with TNS Infratest, to acquire Infratest's Italian perfumery business. Separately, TNS Secodip, TNS' subsidiary in France, is to exit the French selective beauty tracking business - a core area for NPD. More
UK pharmacy chain Boots has appointed Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) to provide the store's suppliers with access to sales data from 1.4m Boots Advantage card users. IRI will provide web-based reports, offering instant analysis of customers' shopping behaviour. More
UK online survey specialist YouGov has announced 48% turnover growth, and 47% growth in profit before tax, for the year ending 31 July 2005. The company, which floated on the UK's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in April, saw turnover increase from £1.9m to 2.9m between 2004 and 2005. More
UK business information and research company Datamonitor announced that its pre-tax profits rose to £4.3m in the first half of the year, compared with £1.6m in 2004. Meanwhile its revenues grew 40% to £25.7m. More
African market information agency the Steadman Group has been appointed to provide audience measurement for radio, TV and print in Kenya. The TV and radio research will be conducted using the Arbitron Portable People Meter (PPM) system licensed by TNS. More
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has announced that it will use IBM software to support the development and delivery of the next generation IRI Business Performance Management (BPM) solutions and real-time market information processing platform, MarketKnowledge(TM). More
Ipsos is working with media database specialist New Age Media Systems to provide EzTAB software for Ipsos UK's media clients, which include BARB, NRS and RAJAR. The web-based software provides easy access to viewing figures and reader numbers, and allows clients to incorporate their own data into the system. More
Ad-ID, a universal ad coding standard that paves the way for digital ad measurement and tracking has now been adopted by more than 300 US marketers, plus major TV networks. The system has the support of and media associations including the advertising industry's ANA and AAAA. More
Ian Rowlands and Damien Flannagan, former employees of the UK's Quaestor Research, have launched a new consumer agency, Gusto Research, based in Leeds. Gusto will provide qual and online quant surveys, and aims to help clients drive their action plans by offering free post-debrief workshops. More
Media ratings company Arbitron has promoted Robert Patchen, formerly VP of Research Standards and Practices, to the new position of Chief Research Officer. He will oversee all Arbitron's research, including radio diaries and Portable People Meters (PPMs), and will help to identify new techniques. More
GfK's German consumer climate survey, conducted each month on behalf of the EU Commission, will in future publish economic outlook, income expectations and propensity to buy indicators for five different social groups: three income-based groupings plus separate sectors for students and retired people. More
US behavioural marketing specialist Claria has shuffled its senior management in line with plans to focus on web personalisation research. Scott VanDeVelde becomes President and CEO, replacing co-founder Jeff McFadden who has served as CEO since 1999. Scott Eagle, formerly Chief Marketing Officer, is now Executive VP. More
Nielsen Media Research and software producer Anystream are working together to automatically encode Video On Demand (VOD) content, so that it can be easily incorporated into audience measurement systems. Nielsen is due to include VOD in its TV ratings service from next year. More
100,000 New Zealanders – representing almost 8% of the country's households – have signed up as members of SmileCity's online panel, run by TNS. The company says that even traditionally hard-to-reach consumers, such as young Asian males, are willingly participating in research. More
Data from more than 1,000 monthly visits conducted by NOP Field Marketing will now be collected via personal digital assistants (PDAs), offering clients more flexibility and faster reporting. More
US-based mystery shopping specialist Bare Associates International is opening a new corporate office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ronaldo Carlos de Oliveira, Director of Business Development, will head it up. More
This week has seen a rush of activity in the controversy over Nielsen Media's LPM introduction and Senator Conrad Burns' FAIR Ratings Act. Leading associations of US advertisers declared their members' opposition to the bill on Tuesday, while Nielsen's critics spoke out before a Senate Committee on Wednesday. More
US-based brand development firm M/A/R/C Research has appointed Joan Treistman as Executive VP to start up a New York office and establish a qualitative division for the company. More
The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) are working to develop an industry-wide measurement of how well consumers engage with adverts. More
Russian company Nextep Promotion is the latest addition to the International Mystery Shopping Alliance (IMSA). Nextep's field force includes more than 1,000 mystery shoppers covering the whole of Russia, as well as the Ukraine and Kazakhstan. More
The cost of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology remains a stumbling block in the consumer goods market, according to AMR Research. Only 8% of companies surveyed are currently using the new technology but another 23% are piloting it and 12% have plans to implement it this year. More
Millward Brown has appointed MR company Customer Insights (CI) as its licensee in Vietnam, having worked with its fieldwork team for the last 18 months. The new agreement will allow CI to benefit from Millward Brown's tools and knowledge, and will give Millward Brown access to an increased market in Asia Pacific. More
The MR landscape is to undergo a seismic shift as VNU, the world's biggest research provider, buys IMS Health, the next biggest in the US, in a transaction valued at 5.8 billion Euros ($7.0 billion). VNU's CEO is confident that the deal will quickly lead to major cost savings and new revenues. More
TNS today announced 'weaker than anticipated' growth in UK and US custom research. It expects overall revenue growth for this year to be line with the market at about 4% - a more cautious prediction than earlier in the year, when the company said it hoped to outpace rivals. More
CSM Media Research, a joint venture between TNS and Chinese agency CTR Market Research, has won the Hong Kong TV audience measurement (TAM) contract. The contract comes at an important time, with Hong Kong gearing up to transfer to terrestrial digital TV transmissions in 2007. More
In the latest episode of the Local People Meter (LPM) controversy, US TV ratings company Nielsen Media Research claims that its new measurement system is actually giving higher ratings to shows with an African-American theme or cast, countering critics' claims that they 'under-represent people of color'. More
US media group Clear Channel Radio this week issued a request for proposals for an upgraded radio ratings system. Current ratings-system provider Arbitron will be invited to participate in the RFP and says it is 'not worried' by the development, although Clear Channel says it is frustrated with the speed of current improvements. More
The UK's Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) has launched a consultation process aimed at steering future developments in measurement of the increasingly advanced UK television market. For the time being, the complexity of TV measurement means that BARB will not be prioritising calls for cross-media measurement. More
Ipsos UK has appointed Sarah Owen, formerly of Granada and BusinessWeek magazine, as AD in its Media division. More
Norway has become the first country to use Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) for commercial radio ratings. A Steering Committee of the Norwegian National Radio has signed a five-year contract with TNS Gallup, a member of the worldwide TNS group, to install a panel of 400 people from Q1 2006. More
Ipsos UK has appointed Chris Sinclair as Senior Director in its Novaction division, with a specific brief to widen awareness of its cutting edge forecasting and modelling techniques for NPD. More
Daily Research News has appointed a full-time News Editor, who will start in June. Tessa Russell joins from Which? magazine where she has worked for the last eight years, most recently as an Assistant Editor leading the food and health team. More
An influx of news in the UK retail sector. NOPWorld has today announced the winning of a contract for mystery shopping for Kwik Save supermarkets, and ESA has this week retained its mystery shopping contract for Tesco Ireland. Meanwhile MINTEL reports Britain's tea-drinking on the wane and IGD says convenience store takings are set to grow. More
Arbitron Inc. has announced an increased sample size for its RADAR network radio ratings service from 80,000 to 100,000 diarykeepers. Among other benefits the growth will allow the expansion of the Market by Market Reporting tool from the current top 10 DMAs to the top 25 DMAs by June 2005. More
Millward Brown has promoted Eileen Campbell to the newly created position of President, Global Development, effective June 1st – she also becomes Chairman of MB North America. Mary Ann Packo steps into her shoes in North America while Fabian Hernandez also take on additional responsibilities. More
Nielsen Media Research has publicised disclosures made by its opponents in the LPM debate, confirming the heavy involvement of News Corp in the Don't Count Us Out campaign. The lobbying firm involved also admitted directing a campaign of calls to Nielsen execs which shut down their corporate switchboard. More
The BMRA has published its league table of UK research agencies for 2004. Whilst we remain cautious given problems in previous years with interpretation, there are some notable highlights. Total turnover for the sector was just under £1.3bn (up 5.4%), with international business in particular recovering strongly. More
VNU has confirmed that its ACNielsen offices were raided last month by the European Commission , investigating claims that the research company's contract and price policies broke antitrust law. VNU says the raids were prompted by a complaint by recent antitrust case opponents Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). More
UK retail and trade research specialist ESA has announced turnover growth of 8% in its 25th anniversary year, 2004. Although well below the 35% achieved in 2003, when it was the fastest growing large research agency in the UK, the 2004 figure is still well above the industry average. More
UK radio audience research body RAJAR has agreed a further £500,000 to fund the next stage of its extensive testing and analysis of two audiometers, the Arbitron Portable People Meter (PPM) and the Eurisko Media Monitor. TV research body BARB will piggyback its own test of the PPM on the RAJAR study. More
Audience measurement specialist Arbitron Inc. has announced results for the first quarter of 2005, 'on track despite a challenging economic environment' for its customers. Revenue of $79.2m is up 3.4% on the same period last year. More
Harris Interactive® has added another member to its Global Network. Market Team is an independent MR and retail audit firm based in Bogota, Colombia. The company was established in 1994 and conducts research in Ecuador, Central America and the Caribbean region as well as in its home country. More
GfK has announced 'a year of extraordinary success' with sales up 12.8% to EUR 671.7m and a margin of 13.6%, putting the Group 'top of the market research sector in terms of profitability'. EBIT including income from participations increased by 31.2% to EUR 91.1m and the dividend by around 43% to EUR 0.30. More
America's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has told Congress that it will not be formally monitoring the accuracy of media ratings, and that it believes Nielsen did not misrepresent its Local People Meters or fail to disclose 'material facts' about the system. The Commission says self-regulation via the Media Rating Council appears to be working. More
Greenfield Online has announced the completed acquisition of fellow online survey specialist Ciao AG for cash plus shares to a total value of c.$150 million. The move creates a major new global force in Internet panel research. More
Three UK-based Directors of Research International are leaving to found a new agency, Engage Research. Deborah Sleep, Marie Sutton and Lyndsay Peck all held senior roles in what was the Consumer Division until the restructuring of Dec 2004. All three have a focus on consumer & market strategy and innovation research. More
ACNielsen has joined the University of Arkansas' new RFID Research Center to study the impact of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology on the global CPG industry. The company is already involved in a number of activities surrounding development of the technology, which promises a wealth of new product data. More
Nielsen Media Research yesterday made public, and welcomed, the content of the report of The Independent Task Force on Television Measurement. The Task Force was established last year as an independent body, amid the controversy over Local People Meters and their measurement of the viewing behaviour of people of colour. More
ACNielsen has globalised David McCallum's role as MD, Customised Research Services – his previous remit was Asia Pacific. McCallum will be based in Sydney, Aus and will report to COO Frank Martell, who is also Senior VP of VNU's Marketing Information Group. More
Behavior-based marketing specialist Catalina Marketing Corporation has announced a partnership with comScore Networks to offer clients its Behavior Activated Research® (BAR®) solution. More
Millward Brown has opened a new office in Beijing to provide brand, media and communications research solutions to companies in Northern China. The company already has offices in Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai. More
TNS has today announced extensive development plans for its global consumer panel service Worldpanel, including the expansion of its UK FMCG consumer tracker, Superpanel, from 15,000 to 25,000 households. More
ACNielsen will expand its European panel coverage from approximately 45,000 to just under 70,000 households by the end of 2006, the company announced this week. The expansion includes the key markets of the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal. More
Aegis Group plc has announced strong preliminary results for 2004, acknowledging a good contribution from its market research arm, Synovate, which almost doubled revenues in the EMEA region and added 24.4% to turnover worldwide. Organic growth at 8.3% is well above the estimated industry average of 4.25%. More
Nielsen parent VNU has released its full year financial statements for 2004, showing 'solid' growth in 2004. Strong results from the Media Measurement & Information (MMI) group and most of the Marketing Information (MI) group were offset by ACNielsen Europe's protracted move to a new data factory. More
TNS has announced its results for the year ended 31 December 2004, the first full year since the acquisition of NFO WorldGroup, Inc. (NFO) in July 2003. Revenue increased 17.4% to £945.3m and underlying revenue up 4.1%. Operating profit is up 28% to £102.0m while operating margin increased 0.9% to 10.8%. More
The GfK Group has announced a donation of EUR 300,000 in memory of missing Board Member Heinrich A. Litzenroth to a post-tsunami rebuilding project, and have reluctantly agreed a restructuring of the board to reflect his loss. The Group's five business divisions will give way to a new structure with three key leaders, all longstanding GfK employees. More
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has announced an 'outstanding year' and given details of its 'ongoing transformation and aggressive plans'. The company says it signed over $110m worth of global new CPG and retailer research business over the past five quarters, along with more than $650m in renewals over the last two years. More
The GfK Group has announced record growth in its preliminary results for the financial year 2004. Sales increased by 12.7% from EUR 595.3 to EUR 671.0m, well ahead of its own forecast. Highlights include 10% plus organic growth for the Retail and Technology division and the Asia & Pacific and Central & Eastern Europe regions. More
Millward Brown has appointed Daedalus Consulting as its licensee in Romania, further expanding its presence in Eastern Europe. More
Following RAJAR's announcement this week that the GfK Telecontrol MediaWatch had been dropped from its next wave of audiometer trials, the Group has issued a statement saying it is 'highly astonished' and questioning the scientific basis of the tests. More
UK radio audience measurement body RAJAR has announced the result of its Audiometer Validation Test which took place in November 2004. The Arbitron PPM and the Eurisko Media Monitor have been selected for further fieldwork tests, while the GfK/Telecontrol MediaWatch has, for the time being at least, dropped out of the running. More
Nielsen Media Research will launch a branding advertising campaign in the US in February, promoting its accurate reporting of TV viewing by all different kinds of people, led by the slogan 'Every View Counts'. The move follows a year of controversy over the launch of its Local People Meters. More
Trevor Richards' new UK role for TNS will be as Joint Global Leader of Brand and Advertising Research. Richards, who has over twenty years of MR experience, returns from Sydney where he was Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand. More
Arbitron has announced good results, amid industry speculation about a possible sale. The US-based audience measurement specialist increased its revenue by 8.4% in 2004, from $273.6m to $296.6m. More
The UK business of Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) has announced a strategic partnership with William Morrisons, whose EpoS data will be incorporated into IRI's leading-edge continuous UK retail scanning service, InfoScan®. Morrisons have now completed the review of MR strategy which followed the acquisition of Safeway. More
The UK's High Court has thrown out Kelvin MacKenzie's legal challenge to RAJAR over radio audience measurement methods. The judge ruled that claims RAJAR had abused its market power under competition laws 'simply did not correspond with the facts'. More
Nielsen Media Research and NBC Universal have announced the signing of a seven-year contract for audience measurement services covering all of NBC Universal's national and local television businesses, the largest ever of its kind. More
IMS Health has announced an exclusive data and knowledge sharing agreement with the European Generic medicines Association (EGA). IMS will provide sales info from its MIDAS database, which tracks 90% of prescription drug sales in more than 80 countries, plus expert opinion, in return for access to EGA information and expertise. More
VNU has announced that CFO-designate Rob Ruijter and all Executive Board members will be located at its New York headquarters in the course of 2005, with some resulting job losses in Haarlem, Netherlands. More
ACNielsen has completed the first phase of its US Homescan MegaPanel initiative, expanding the panel by thirty thousand households to a total of 91,500 and launching the 'Shopper Trends' segmentation service and other new features. Nearly fifty companies have signed up as MegaPanel clients and the first results are due next month. More
Online competitive intelligence provider Hitwise has expanded its demographic sample to include more than 2 million UK households, allowing better profiling of online audiences using basic demographics and/or lifestyle data. More
Ipsos has announced the promotion of Mike Weisberger to head up the company's Behavioral Tracking Division as Senior VP, succeeding Lynne Armstrong who leaves to become a partner in specialist MR executive search firm The Somerset Group. More
UK-based agency The MMR Group has announced the formation of a new company specialising in Internet research. Qubiq-Online aims to combine the research expertise of the Group, including proprietary techniques such as its Liking Segmentation® tool, with online expertise to provide 'Real research online'. More
A very enjoyable Awards dinner at the Café Royal last night saw some familiar and some new faces carrying off the major gongs. Two were carried off to a noisy Nunwood table, including the 'Best Agency' Award for which they were pipped last year by Flamingo – and two went to the team of Robert Heath at the Value Creation Company and Pam Hyder from Standard Life. More
GroupM, a division of WPP Group USA, has announced an expansion of its multi-year agreement with Simmons Research, recently purchased by Experian. The agreement now includes two of the world's largest media agencies: MindShare and Mediaedge:cia, who will access the Simmons National and Hispanic Consumer Survey as well as its Teens and Kids studies. More
Synovate has reported rapid expansion of its newly created research panel of Hispanic consumers. The panel now includes more than 9,500 households. More
Eurisko, the Italian arm of NOP World, has been formally invited to take part in RAJAR's Audiometer Validation Trial in November 2004. Eurisko's passive portable radio and TV metering system is said to rival those currently on offer by Arbitron and GFK. Further details of the trial format have also been released. More
GfK Martin Hamblin has restructured of its research divisions and made a number of senior appointments. Sue Wheeler and Reza Chady join the Board, and become General Managers respectively of the B2B and Technology Departments, within the newly formed Custom Research Division. More
IMS Health yesterday announced a multi-year agreement with Boots The Chemist to deliver more comprehensive, over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare intelligence on the UK marketplace. Boots, the UK's leading OTC and healthcare products retailer, will provide IMS with access to all OTC and healthcare EPOS data from its 1,300+ stores. More
Synovate is combining its four UK research companies into one organisation, led by a team drawn from the existing senior management and with Michelle Norman as MD. The four include the current London and Kent divisions, TRBI and the UK operations of interactive voice response specialist ViewsCast. More
Internet-based data collection and researcher Ciao AG has appointed Georgette Thaler, formerly of NFO Worldgroup, as Sales Director North America. Three further appointments, at the London office, reflect the continued boom in online research demand. More
Shell has chosen NOP World as its global agency for retail and communications research, with a major contract to manage a multi-country retail customer study covering 45 countries. More
ACNielsen has formed an alliance with Internet-based b2b hub The WorldWide Retail Exchange (WWRE), aimed at improving the quality of data available to manufacturers and retailers. More
TNS enjoyed a record-breaking night at last week's Marketing Research Effectiveness Awards, winning six awards and four commendations in the UK-based competition. The agency also issued a confident trading update last week. More
A number of companies within the WPP Group are combining their expertise to launch a new research and planning consultancy, ForeSite, dedicated to identifying trends and opportunities for the outdoor industry. WPP has also announced two other research-related launches this month. More
Research firm MRCGroup Research Institute has announced an expansion in one of MR's more glamorous locations. The company's national research test facility, located in the Grand Canal Shoppes of The Venetian Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, has added a 36-station screening room test theater, confounding some early sceptics. More
Nielsen Media Research's tribulations with the launch of its Local People Meter are continuing. In the same week that NMR announced a high profile task force to ensure fairness, a leading Spanish-language media company has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop its 'false and misleading' advertising and the use of data based on 'flawed sampling'. More
Abacus, a division of DoubleClick Inc., a data and research provider to the direct marketing industry, has announced the formation of Abacus Australia, to be based in Sydney with an office in Melbourne. More
The International Mystery Shopping Alliance (IMSA) has expanded its coverage to include North America, the Baltics and Pakistan, creating a combined panel of almost 500,000 mystery shoppers. More
Saatchi & Saatchi has announced an exclusive supplier agreement with market research firm QiQ International for a transformative brand research methodology based around its 'Lovemarks' concept. More
TNS Australia has announced the formation of an exclusive partnership with consultant Chi Chiem - one of the foremost exponents of strategic choice modelling techniques in the Asia Pacific region. More
Trouble - of rather different sorts - for audience measurement providers on both sides of the Atlantic. The UK's radio audience research body RAJAR is being sued for £66m, while in the US Nielsen Media Research has been criticised by News Corporation over its imminent launch of People Meter technology in New York. More
VNU's results for 2003 show a 9% increase in its underlying cash earnings per share (CEPS) at constant currencies – a steep decline in actual earnings reflects the weak US dollar. Both the Marketing Information and Media Measurement & Information groups are strong performers. More
After 18 months of restructuring and talent search in Australia, Millward Brown's Asia Pacific CEO Andreas Sperling has announced the completion of its new line-up, highlighting four recent senior appointments. According to Sperling, the restructure answers clients' requests for a 'mould-breaking' agency. More
Following the recent extension of its agreement with Nielsen Media Research to include Australia and New Zealand, KMR has announced that its TGI Network now covers over 50 countries worldwide, through wholly owned companies and partnerships. More
ACNielsen US has announced plans to greatly extend the coverage of its Convenience Track retail measurement service, boosting the sample used for sales projections to over 2,500 convenience stores across the US and in 30 local markets. More
Millward Brown has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with French market modelling agency Interstat to use its SAPIENS® market mix model, which offers sales volume forecasting across both packaged goods and BtoB product categories. More
Seven European providers have this week announced the formation of The International Mystery Shopping Alliance (IMSA). The IMSA offers mystery shopping and related services in 15 European countries, including the UK, and aims to expand quickly to offer worldwide coverage. More
Taylor Nelson Sofres plc (TNS) have announced positive interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2003, with steady growth in the market for syndicated and continuous tracking services, but continued pressure in media intelligence and ad hoc customised research. More
Millward Brown has appointed research agency MRB Hellas as its licensee in Greece. Established in 1969, MRB Hellas works across a broad range of clients including packaged goods, leisure, IT, telecoms, media, and government bodies, both Greek and European. More
MrWeb has today launched the first four of its new 'Sector Focus' pages. Each page brings together the site's news, desk research links (UK-based) and listings of suppliers for researchers working in a particular vertical sector. More
VNU has reported its interim financial statement for the first six months of 2003, showing 'solid underlying results despite weak global economic conditions'. First-half organic growth was led by strong performances from ACNielsen and from the Media Measurement & Information business. More
UK market research salaries have remained fairly flat in the past 12 months, according to the first statistics from MrWeb vacancies for Jan to June '03. Full details will be in this month's MRWho. The number of jobs posted (and specifying salaries) has risen by 27% in the last 6 months. More
The MrWeb site, combining news, jobs, directories, diary and link libraries for market researchers, enjoyed a busiest-ever month in May with record numbers of jobs posted, pages viewed, recruiters advertising and subscribers signed up. On three occasions in the past four weeks, more than 10,000 site pages have been viewed in one day. More
The Board of MORI, the UK's largest independent MR agency, is entering discussions with a number of potential buyers. The company was the subject of an MBO 3-4 years ago and the decision to invite bids is reportedly in line with the original plan under the venture capital model. A price tag of £100m has been mentioned by the FT, but has not, according to MORI, come from anyone within the company. More
Last week, a U.S. District Court judge set a trial date of September 20, 2004 in Information Resources, Inc.'s antitrust lawsuit against ACNielsen (now owned by VNU), The Dun & Bradstreet Corp., and IMS International, in which IRI is seeking damages in excess of $1 billion after trebling. The jury trial in this case is scheduled to last between ten and sixteen weeks. More
Last week the US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued two key rulings for Information Resources, Inc. in its $350 million-plus antitrust lawsuit against Dun & Bradstreet, ACNielsen and IMS International. More
US agency Information Resources Inc has reported results for the first quarter of 2003, ending March 31, showing net income of US$260,000 compared to a net loss of US$9.4 million in the year earlier period. More
Information Resources, Inc. in the US has announced a new strategic agreement with Management Ventures, Inc. (MVI), the largest retail research organisation in the world. Under the agreement, IRI will become the exclusive supplier of syndicated retail tracking and consumer household panel-based information for MVI and its U.S. customers. More
FORTUNE has announced that Wal-Mart, the retail giant, is ranked as number one on the magazine's annual survey of Most Admired Companies, marking the first time in the survey's 21-year history that the nation's largest company is also its most admired. More
MrWeb, the publisher of Daily Research News and MRWho, has appointed Michael Kenyon to the new post of Director, US Operations. The move follows a successful year in which the company has consolidated its no.1 position in the UK research job ads market and broadened out into new areas. More
US agency Information Resources Inc has reported its financial results for the year ending December 31 2002 showing a net loss of $13 million and revenues decreasing for the year. More
PMB, Print Measurement Bureau, and KMR, owners of the Global Target Group Index (TGI), have announced an agreement establishing PMB as Global TGI's Canadian partner. Under the terms of the agreement, PMB is granted Canadian sales rights to Global TGI's research data internationally, and Global TGI member companies are granted corresponding rights to PMB research data. More
Web research giant Netratings has just increased its cyber-clout by purchasing AdRelevance, the online advertising spend monitoring business of competitor Jupiter Media Metrix. It is believed that the acquisition is worth USD8.5 million. More
Despite a difficult trading environment, preliminary figures from GfK indicate that the agency has achieved good results for the 2001 year. Total revenue rose by 11% to EUR 534.0 million, whilst earnings before interest and tax including income from participations (aEBIT), increased by 14.5% to EUR 45.1 million. More
Information Resources Inc (IRI) has just posted full year trading results for 2001. The group has reported a net income, before restructuring and other items, of $5.8 million or $0.20 per share, an improvement of $5.4 million or $0.18 per share year-on-year. More
Taylor Nelson Sofres/Gallup Media has stated that it is looking to expand outside of its media ratings stronghold in its Russian operations. The company now intends to build a general market research operation and capability in the region within the next two years. More
The Aegis Group has just acquired Market&More, a European research group with operations in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France. More
Global agency Taylor Nelson Sofres has issued a trading update ahead of its preliminary results announcement on March 18 this year. The group expects its underlying improvement in 2001 to be slightly ahead of market growth, which is generally estimated to be 5%. More
Millward Brown has been awarded an extension to its current contract to chart sales for the UK audio and video market with the new contract running until the end of June 2006. More
Leading leisure and tourism research consultancy MEW Research has joined BDRC, complementing their established research strengths in hotel, financial and other service industry research markets. The 'new' MEW Research will remain focussed on its existing activities, while benefiting from the additional resources available through BDRC. More
Citing a recent Forrester report that 63% of Global 3500 firms surveyed are not satisfied with the effectiveness of their website assessment, Netusability has launched its Customer Experience Platform, a solution of website monitoring, usability testing and online analytics software and services for businesses with an online channel. More
German agency GfK has taken its first steps into the massive South American market with the acquisition of a 19.9% stake in Indicator Brazil. GfK has the option to progressively acquire the entire Indicator operation and marks the initial stage towards the company launching its own activities in South America. More
Customer experience management agency Netusability has closed on a US$2 million venture investment, bringing its total funding raised to date to US$4.7 million. The latest funding has been received from eVerger, a US$100 million joint venture established by media agency Aegis Group and Warburg Pincus, the global private equity partnership. More
NOP World has announced strategic online alliances with Tiscali and iPoints as it launches its new e-Omnibus service in Britain. The largest GB Internet Omnibus, e-Omnibus is representative of the weekly online user population, estimated to be some 15 million adults. More
German agency GfK has won contracts for two major projects with a total volume of approximately Euro 10 million for 2002 and 2003. The projects will be carried out by GfK companies in the Consumer Tracking division in the Netherlands and Switzerland, giving the division a head start in the coming financial year. More
UK research agency Hauck Research Services has been acquired this week by Incepta Group plc, the international marketing and communications group. More
ACNielsen U.S. and ACNielsen Canada have decided to combine their separate retail tracking services. SCANTRACK North America will now represent the combined system of ACNielsen's SCANTRACK in the United States and MarketTrack in Canada. More
ACNielsen U.S has delivered the first sales information and insights from its new Wal-Mart Channel Service. More
The Annual Research Industry Angling Competition will take place at the Willinghurst Estate Fishery near Cranleigh, Surrey on Friday 2nd November. Once again, the day will be generously sponsored by the New Fieldwork Company with tackle prizes and trophies being presented to the winners. More
French agency Ipsos has reported strong first half results with revenues up 64% and net income up a considerable 106% as well as an improvement in operational profitability. More
Nielsen//NetRatings has received government approval to conduct Internet research in China. In doing so, the Nielsen//NetRatings service is the first and only service to be officially approved by the Chinese Government to measure consumers' Internet behaviour. More
Habbo Hotel (www.habbohotel.com), the growing teenage community website, was recently commissioned by the online youth market research company, the Fat Group to supply a large sample of UK teenagers for a new product development task for a major food and drink client. More
Information Resources has launched a new e-commerce website to provide smaller consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies with the same market analysis and insights as their more established and larger competitors. With this online service, customers can select and purchase market intelligence available from IRI's InfoScan retail tracking service to meet their specific business needs. More
Harris Interactive has announced the acquisition of Market Research Solutions Ltd (MSRL), the Oxford-based research agency. In a part cash and part stock deal, Harris Interactive has agreed to employ 75 MRSL employees, as well as running the existing offices in Oxford and Newport. MRSL is expected to add up to £6 million to revenues in the first year. More
Claritas, a provider of marketing information and target marketing services, has launched MyBestProfiles, the fourth website in its continuing series of sites designed to provide access to marketing information. The other three sites are MyBestProspects, MyBestCustomers and MyBestLists. MyBestProfiles provides access to consumer lifestyles and purchasing habits. More
Researchers at Mercintel, one of the UK's leading Middle East market research specialists, have spent the past 3 months evaluating commercial websites from the Gulf region. The result is a UK exporter-orientated website with links to hundreds of relevant Gulf-based sites. More
Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) has launched a range of new and extended research services focusing on the UK baby market. The aim of the new package is to comprehensively measure attitudes, behaviour and consumption within the marketplace. More
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