Simmons Research Loses NCS MRC Accreditation

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'.

Experian-owned Simmons was first awarded accreditation for its flagship NCS in 2005. Problems with the survey - which includes Simmons' National Hispanic Consumer Study - were identified by an audit committee representing the various media constituencies in the MRC, as well as ad agencies and advertisers.

According to a statement, Simmons is already taking steps to address the concerns communicated by the MRC, whose CEO George Ivie commented: 'We are pleased that Simmons remains committed to the accreditation process and that they are undertaking actions to address the audit matters. We look forward to a time when the NCS can be reinstated.'

Web site: www.smrb.com .