56 Degree / Kantar Deal Supports Scottish Omnibuses

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.

Kantar closed its office in Edinburgh at the end of March, as part of its review of 'strategic priorities'. Former Kantar directors Duncan Stewart and Jim Eccleston have since launched a new agency called 56 Degree Insight, to work across a range of sectors - tourism and leisure, transport, the natural environment, energy, culture, food and drink - and to address the Scottish market generally.

The new firm will now deliver question design and any requirement for insight-based reporting for the Scottish Opinion Survey, Scotland's only face-to-face omnibus, which has been running continuously for more than 40 years; while Kantar will continue to handle all the fieldwork. Additionally, Eccleston and Stewart will support Kantar's quick turnaround omnibus OnlineBus Scotland.

Explaining the reasoning behind the deal, Eccleston told DRNO: 'With Kantar closing the Scottish office this created a difficulty for the Kantar omnibus team in terms of how they could practically get the two Scottish omnibuses in front of clients. We offered to take on the role of promoting these two surveys for them, as the Scottish market is readily accessible to us. We know and understand the Scottish consumer and are 'on the ground' and therefore able to give clients a bespoke, tailored service. This will ensure that the high quality standards which Kantar provides in terms of fieldwork and data processing is maintained'.

The new company's web site can be found at www.56degreeinsight.com .