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Starch to Merge into Mediamark
In the US, GfK-owned media and consumer firm Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) is to acquire sister agency Starch Communications - a firm that specializes in providing marketing intelligence on print ad effectiveness.
 Starch will become a division of MRI, delivering syndicated and custom ad impact studies and analyses to the marketplace.
MRI intends to use Starch's research resources to expand its Issue Specific Readership Study to include measurement of ad recall and action taken for ads within specific issues. Launched in June 2007, the study estimates audience levels for individual issues of magazine titles so marketers can measure the reach of a specific magazine ad campaign against specific targets.
'Our clients, and the industry in general, are calling for metrics and insights that will further enhance magazine advertising accountability,' explained MRI President Kathi Love. 'Starch's leadership in conducting ad readership studies and analyses is critical to realizing our strategic vision with regard to the Issue Specific study.'
Dr Mickey Galin, SVP of Research at MRI, will retain her current position and add leadership of Starch and development of syndicated issue-specific ad metrics. Galin joined the firm in 2001 after earning her Doctorate from Cornell University, since when, she has been instrumental in developing and launching the Issue Specific study.
Starch released its 2008 'Adnorms' publication, a compilation of magazine advertising intelligence, last month; and the eStarch Ad Readership service, which uses new metrics to measure a print ad's impact on motivating consumer purchase behavior, last October.
Founded in 1979, MRI interviews approximately 26,000 US adults in their homes each year, asking about their use of media, their consumption of products and their lifestyles and attitudes.
Web sites: www.mediamark.com and www.gfkamerica.com/starch .
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