Partnership Gives GMO 'Biggest' China Panel

Japanese research and online panel provider GMO Research, Inc. has agreed a strategic capital and business alliance with Chinese ad network Ignite Vision Holdings, making its China Cloud Panel 'the number one panel in China in terms of reach'.

GMO says online surveys now account for 46% of all market research in Japan, but are still a rarity in China - nevertheless the firm's China branch GMO E-Lab Marketing Research grew sales by more than 200% last year.

Ignite connects more than 500 online media sites across China with access to more than 30 million registered members, and the new partners say they will develop a variety of new panels for clients seeking to do research in the country.

The deal gives GMO Research exclusive rights to market Ignite Vision's panel for survey purposes; and lays the groundwork for a mobile panel to be recruited from users from a new app being developed by Ignite and China Unicom, the country's second largest telecoms carrier.

Web sites are at www.ignite-vision.com/homepage and www.gmo-research.jp/en/acp .