Scarborough Next to Get Thumbs Up from Busy MRC

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.

The status covers Scarborough's telephone, consumer booklet and television diary data collection, and its PRIME NexT proprietary data analysis software. The announcement follows the news of the MRC's accreditation of online ad agency DoubleClick a week ago.

Scarborough employs a two-phase survey methodology to collect data: a telephone interview, which measures extended demographic characteristics and media usage including newspaper readership and radio listening; followed by a mailed, self-administered consumer booklet and seven-day television diary. Recent major investments in data quality include enhanced interviewer training programs and refinements to research procedures and data production systems.

Gregg Lindner, the company's Executive VP, Research and Operations speaks of its 'tremendous pride' at the achievement: 'Quality data collection is paramount at Scarborough and we are pleased to have a prestigious and preeminent industry organization such as the MRC provide us with its double-checkmarks.' President Bob Cohen, Ph.D., says the company has 'raised the bar for local market syndicated media and marketing qualitative services in the U.S.'

Scarborough, a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and VNU's MMI division, surveys more than 210,000 adults annually and is online at www.scarborough.com . The MRC's home page is at www.mediaratingcouncil.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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