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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
In the UK, GfK NOP has appointed Martin Grimwood as Divisional Director for its pensions and asset management client business. He joins following an eighteen-year career at ORC, via a short stint at TNS-RI. 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
In London, GfK NOP has appointed former IMS Healthcare manager Richard Lawrance to lead its Consumer Healthcare business. More
In London, GfK NOP has appointed former YouGov director Neil Thorington as Deputy MD, GfK Financial, with a particular focus on implementing new digital research tools and techniques. More
In the UK, GfK has added the position of Chief Marketing Officer of GfK Media to Nick North's existing role as Joint Head of GfK NOP Media. He also becomes Secretary of the GfK Media Board. 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
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
At a conference recently the closing panel was asked 'What happens if PaddyPower get this one right and we don't?'. The consensus was that we couldn't be blamed for this one since it was 'too close to call'. As it was, pollsters did pretty well, as did two former researchers who are now MPs. 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
In the UK, GfK NOP Media is launching a new panel of eight-to-fifteen-year-olds, 'rate it!', to offer better understanding of 'the next generation of media consumers'. More
In the UK, Phyllis Macfarlane has taken on the new role of Chairman of GfK NOP, while Richard Jameson steps up to her previous position as Managing Director, and joins the global Board of GfK Custom Research. More
GfK NOP has appointed former GfK Executive Allan Dib as Head of its Marketing Effectiveness Centre of Excellence, tasked with leading the development of new research approaches for testing, benchmarking and improving marketing effectiveness. More
GfK has received a break fee of around €13m (£10.6m) from TNS as compensation for the abandoned 'merger of equals' deal planned earlier in the year. The German firm has also reported a bulging order book. 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
WPP has again extended its deadline for TNS shareholders to decide on its £1.2bn bid - to this Friday, October 3rd - but has now received acceptances from 33.8% of them - up from just 11% two weeks previously. More
TNS has today issued its shareholders with a new statement urging them to reject WPP's offer for the firm, underlining its strength as a standalone group. More
WPP has received a qualified approval from the European Commission for its offer to buy TNS. The deal will comply with EU merger rules, provided two divestments are made. More
Hajo Riesenbeck is to resign from the Supervisory Board Chairmanship and Presidency of GfK Nürnberg e.V. Riesenbeck was closely associated with the TNS bid, while CEO Klaus Wübbenhorst is said to have been more convinced of the firm's ability to grow on its own. More
The European Commission has extended by ten working days its investigation into the potential effect on competition of communication group WPP's takeover bid for global agency TNS. More
WPP has extended its offer to buy shares in TNS to 3pm London time on September 12th. The company's original deadline passed on Friday with only 8.61% of TNS shareholders accepting its offer. TNS continues to recommend rejection. More
In the UK, employee-owned investment firm Cedar Rock Capital – the largest shareholder in TNS - is understood to have rejected ad giant WPP's latest £1.1bn offer. More
GfK has cancelled plans to acquire UK rival TNS after failing to secure funding for the deal. TNS, whose shareholders must vote this week on the bid of its remaining suitor WPP, also announced 6-monthly results today with revenue and profit rises both in double figures. More
GfK will use the time available to it before making any offer for TNS, according to CEO Klaus Wuebbenhorst. This is likely to mean September, while WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell will see TNS shareholders vote on his proposals on 29th August. More
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell says GfK is misleading the market about being able to pull together the resources to buy British rival TNS, and about having access to an 'unidentified but substantial source of capital'. More
WPP has posted TNS shareholders a formal offer for the company, valuing it at $2.28bn. It includes news of an option to sell TNS' television monitoring arm TAM to Ipsos, if required to meet EU competition law. More
GfK's discussions regarding a possible offer for TNS are 'progressing positively' the company said today, as it announced a strong order book from the first half of 2008 and a two-week delay in financial reporting. However, TNS has reportedly been talking to Sir Martin Sorrell and scouting for other possible buyers. More
GfK is understood to have had talks with European private equity firm Cinven about finance for its bid for TNS. Such a partnership is likely to be treated with caution by major shareholder the GfK-Verein. More
GfK will not take 'unreasonable' financial risks in bidding for TNS, according to Klaus Wuebbenhorst. The CEO has played down the pressure on his firm, which is said to be in talks with 'other wealthy German families' in addition to the Herz family. More
GfK is said to be discussing financial backing for its counter offer for TNS with Mayfair, the Hamburg investment vehicle owned by billionaire siblings Günter and Daniela Herz, who inherited their wealth from their coffee magnate father. More
German market research agency GfK has stressed today that there is no certainty it will make an all-cash offer for UK rival TNS, after the pair scrapped their plans to merge yesterday. More
GfK, backed by an as-yet unnamed investor, is preparing to make a counter-offer for TNS in response to WPP's £1.08bn ($2.1bn) hostile bid announced this morning. More
Despite approval from the Board of the GfK Verein, the 'merger of equals' with TNS continues to face pressure from two sides: Sir Martin Sorrell, who has one more day to decide for or against a 'hostile' bid; and workers and a former Chairman at the German firm he describes as 'very traditional'. More
The Administrative Board of GfK-Nürnberg e.V. has approved the firm's merger with TNS, leaving the vote of Verein members on 21st July technically unnecessary, 'though 'important'. Meanwhile, the bosses of TNS and WPP have been exchanging increasingly hostile comments. More
TNS has fended off a third approach from communications giant WPP, stating that the bid still substantially undervalues the company. More
In the UK, the Panel Executive, an independent body which administers the City Code on takeovers and mergers, has ruled that marketing firm WPP must clarify whether it intends to make a firm offer for TNS by 9 July. More
The proposed 'merger of equals' of GfK and TNS faces political opposition in Germany, reports suggest, with some German local authorities represented in the company's majority shareholding 'Verein' saying they will oppose the deal at next Friday's key meeting. More
GfK NOP has launched a Media Insight division, to be headed by Julia Lamaison. The firm says the new division is a 'direct response to the market need for in-depth interpretation and insight from research data'. 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
TNS Chief David Lowden has today met with WPP's Sir Martin Sorrell to present him with the data his firm has already disclosed to GfK as part of the nil premium merger announced in April. More
In New York, the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) Board of Directors has elected nine new members, includuing comScore boss Gian Fulgoni and senior execs from TNS and GfK. More
Gfk Nürnberg eV – GfK's non-profit association – and employee Holger Dietrich have received the German market research innovation award for developing a tool which can be used to optimize the design of new products and services. More
WPP has refuted TNS's claim to have provided it with the same information given to GfK as part of the recent merger agreement. Sir Martin Sorrell's firm says it has only been given access to a subset of the information provided to GfK Verein, GfK's controlling shareholder. 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
Sir Martin Sorrell is said still to be considering this week's GfK-TNS merger announcement and whether or not to come back with a fresh offer for TNS. Quoted in the UK's Guardian newspaper, the acquisitive WPP boss described the GfK-TNS proposal as 'a defensive merger'. More
WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell has increased his offer for TNS from £948m to £996m (($1.9bn), but has been rejected for a second time by the market research group's Board. More
GfK CEO Klaus Wübbenhorst has told employees of the German-based global agency that the proposed merger with TNS would mean more jobs, not fewer. Prof. Wübbenhorst said comments suggesting the contrary from WPP's Martin Sorrell were 'morally reprehensible'. More
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell has said that he is surprised and disappointed by TNS' 'cavalier' rejection of his £1bn part-cash / part-share offer to purchase the firm. 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
In London, GfK NOP has recruited Ric Tizard as Divisional Director in its Consumer Products & Retail division. Perhaps seeking a change from a diet of mostly-telecoms research, he will now oversee the international Brand Equity Monitor for Scotch Whisky firm Chivas Brothers. More
At the second day of the ESOMAR Congress in Berlin, two UK research veterans talked about the changing skill sets and training needs of research professionals. David Smith predicted a boom in online learning; while Phyllis MacFarlane gave some ideas about new ways of training graduates. More
UK-based GfK NOP has appointed Gordon Blunt and Andy Thwaites to extend the scope of its Financial Research Survey (FRS), adding expertise in areas including forecasting, segmentation and data matching. More
GfK NOP has launched a new brand, 'beyond', in response to client calls for greater ROI from insight. 'beyond' aims to use the experience of people who have 'been there and done it as clients' to ensure research is turned into actionable solutions. More
GfK NOP has appointed former Channel 4 RM Gary Roddy as Research Director, to work across its portfolio of media clients, and develop new business from its London headquarters. More
GfK NOP have hired Sarah Spanbok, previously Client Services Director at BPRi, as Director managing their HBOS client account. She will also be charged with reviewing the firm's processes for account management and new business development. More
In the UK, GfK NOP's most recent Consumer Confidence headline index for October has risen 2 points from –7 to -5: three points higher than this time last year. Three of the five measures this month have seen increases in their index figures, bringing them back to the levels last seen in July. The annual moving average remains the same as last month at -6. More
Two companies providing services for research firms have scooped high profile awards in Asia Pacific: RPO specialist Pulse Group winning an APICTA 2006 Award, and software developer QSR International a top Australian Export award. Meanwhile in the UK, GfK NOP's Field Marketing team has also carried off a number of prizes. 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
GfK NOP has hired Richard Matthews for the new role of Director of Insight for its Technology division, tasked with developing a suite of services to integrate insight into client processes. Matthews worked client side in senior insight functions at Vodafone and Nokia for nearly ten years. More
UK consumers are happy enough with their personal financial situation and think it's a good time both to spend and to save, yet they evidently think someone's having a bad time because they continue to say the 'general economic situation' is poor, according to GfK NOP. 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
The summer is hot, and British audiences have sport and entertainment very much on their minds, it seems. Surveys and analyses out this week reveal the popularity of the Sport Relief web site; the growing numbers watching World Cup matches on the 'Net or on mobiles; the importance of the grey market to the success of music festivals; and the success of Wilson racquets at Wimbledon. More
One year after the acquisition of NOP World, GfK held its AGM today and reported healthy business growth in the first quarter of 2006. Dividend payments increased once again and revenue rose sharply as have orders for 2006 to date. More
Stephen Grundy, the former head of GfK Martin Hamblin Healthcare, has joined the Board of Winchester-based Marketing Sciences, and will launch a dedicated healthcare research unit. More
UK consumers are considerably more positive about the economy and their own personal finances since last month, but still a lot less so than a year ago, according to the GfK NOP UK Consumer Confidence Survey for April. The overall index rose three points to –4. More
Synovate Healthcare has appointed Peter Goldberg as Senior Research Director. He worked most recently as Global Director of Research and President at GFK Martin Hamblin, based in the US. More
In the UK, GfK NOP Media has been appointed as ITV's research partner to run its new online panel, ITV Vision, for an initial contract of 2 years from April 2006. The panel will enable ITV to measure audience reaction to its programmes within 36 hours of broadcast. More
Roper Public Affairs and Media, part of GfK NOP, has appointed Justin Greeves as VP and Senior Account Executive to lead its Washington DC office. He will provide custom research for businesses, non-profit groups and government, and help to expand Roper's presence in Washington. More
The winter of 2005-6 looks like being a leveller in terms of consumer confidence around the world. In Europe, the German index is rising from a long slump while the UK's falls to its lowest of 2005, both according to GfK; while in North America, Canadian confidence is rebounding even more strongly than that in the USA. 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
The latest Deloitte/MORI Delivery Index finds the UK public pessimistic about government policies on the economy and public services, in a sharp contrast to the post-election 'honeymoon period' earlier this year. GfK's Consumer Confidence Barometer for October also paints a gloomy picture as it falls for the third consecutive month. More
Martin Glogowski, previously Head of Research at NOP World Health, has been named President of GfK Strategic Marketing - formerly known as Strategic Marketing Corporations, and now part of GfK's US Healthcare Companies group. Four other new researchers have also joined the company. More
Consumers in Central and Eastern Europe are intent on increasing their consumption and more strongly focused on their careers than their counterparts in the West, according to GfK's Consumers in Europe 2005 survey. The research, based on 19,000 consumers in 16 countries, made use of the Euro-Socio-Styles lifestyle segmentation tool. More
Three surveys of US retail spending and trends this week show technology - both as a product and a means of purchase - boosting sales, while high gas prices drag them back, making consumers more cautious and more budget-conscious. More
With effect from today, GfK is merging NOP Research Group (the UK arm of NOP World) and GfK Martin Hamblin UK to form a new combined company - GfK NOP Ltd, based in London. This follows GfK's acquisition of NOP World in June, and the establishment of GfK Custom Research North America in July. More
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