Procter & Gamble Signs Three-Year Licence with SPSS MR

Procter & Gamble, one of the world's largest users of market research, has this week signed a three-year global licence to use SPSS MR's new Dimensions market research software, including the SPSS MR Data Model for handling survey data.

The agreement follows a comprehensive technology review by Procter & Gamble's Consumer and Market Knowledge (CMK) division, in which potential solutions from both established and emerging players were considered.

'We conducted a complete evaluation to develop a deep understanding of the various technologies in the marketplace, and this culminated in a firm belief that Dimensions was our platform,' said Steve Wright, manager, Consumer Research Systems, at P&G's Cincinnati Headquarters. 'What is appealing to us is that SPSS MR has shifted from a proprietary architecture to a very open architecture and that really is an enabler to innovation and creativity.'

Dimensions, SPSS MR's flagship market research software platform, was selected for its capacity to provide localized capabilities across geographic boundaries, while delivering comparable research data on a global basis. 'The platform's truly global capabilities fulfill a critical need for our business,' said Barb Lindsey, director, Global CMK Consumer Research Services and New Technology. 'We need to have a broad array of capabilities and, at the same time, be consistent and able to analyze the results globally.'

Bernard Eloy, manager, Consumer Research Systems, at CMK's European HQ in Brussels, commented, 'We see the Data Model as the enterprise application integration layer for market research. In today's world, with technology moving so fast, you have an advantage if you can integrate with the smaller, innovative supplier too, who may be going further with a specialized piece of technology. But we also have a 20-year investment in research to protect, and another advantage SPSS MR brings is the transition from old to new. The integration layer in Dimensions lets us bring in the new, but at the same time, bring the past with us.'

The agreement builds on a ten-year relationship between Procter & Gamble and SPSS MR software. Ian Durrell, President, SPSS MR Division, SPSS Inc. commented, 'Procter & Gamble is a sophisticated research customer and this is a major endorsement of our Dimensions philosophy. We knew that being the existing supplier conferred no advantage. We believe our relationship with Procter & Gamble will usher in a new paradigm in research responding to the needs of the global researcher today and well into the future.'

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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