Indianapolis-based Walker Information Inc. and German businessman Reinhold Gelszus have formed a jointventure to create Walker Information Deutschland. The firm will provide business customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with products to measure customer loyalty, employee commitment and corporate reputation. Walker Information Deutschland’s operations will be overseen by Hans Pokomy, managing director.
San Francisco-based Consumer Research Associates/Superooms has opened a new focus group facility in Dallas, containing four focus group suites and a mini-group room. The space also houses the firm’s on-site panel recruitment operations. Individual suites feature wrap-around two-way mirrors for enhanced viewing and adjacent client lounge areas.
Data collection and analysis firms Rockwell Automation/DataMyte, and StatSoft, Inc., have announced a worldwide strategic relationship that provides customers with data collection and analysis capabilities by offering a combination of hardware and software solutions. Under the agreement, DataMyte’s portable data collectors and Quantum software line will be integrated with StatSoft’s STATISTICA Industrial System software. DataMyte will offer to its customer base StatSoft’s STATISTICA Industrial system, a data analysis system featuring general and specialized industrial statistics and graphs in a single package. StatSoft will offer DataMyte’s Model 501 handheld data collector and the InterGage interface card as part of its integrated data collection and analysis solutions to allow its customers to interface with gage equipment.
Cardiff Software, Inc., a San Marcos, Calif., maker of data collection software, has formed a strategic marketing and development alliance with OTG Software, a supplier of storage and imaging products. OTG will integrate its ApplicafionExtender imaging software with Cardiff’s automated forms processing software, TELEform. Separately, Cardiff has partnered with Omtool, a fax server provider, to integate Omtool’s Fax Sr. fax server software and TELEform.
MEDEC Business Direct, a list and database provider, has relocated to Two Northfield Plaza, Suite 300, Northfield, Ill.
The WorldOpinion Web site has begun a series of on-line profiles of major market research companies in the U.S. and overseas. Each week during 1998, a five-part research company profile will be published on-line at http://www.worldopinion.com.
ACNielsen Corp., Stamford, Conn., more than doubled its operating income, net income and earnings per share in 1997. The company reported full-year net income of $35.9 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.62, both more than double prior year levels. Operating income more than doubled, to $60.8 million, while the company’s operating margin increased to 4.4 percent from 2.1 percent, both after a negative foreign currency translation impact of almost $11 million. Operating income and operating margin figures are prior to a special charge in the 1997 fourth quarter. In other news, the company has become a partner in a joint venture, IBOPE Media Information, that provides media measurement services in Latin America. The other partners in the joint venture are IBOPE, a privately held Brazilian firm engaged in media measurement and political polling, and WPP Group, a London-based communications services company.
NFO Worldwide, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., reported a fourth-quarter revenue increase of 14 percent to $51.8 million compared to $45.5 million for the same period in the previous year. Fourth-quarter net income jumped 40 percent to $4.2 million from $3.0 million a year ago. Revenues for the year ended December 31, 1997 increased by 23 percent to $190.2 million compared to $154.9 million a year earlier. Net income and earnings per diluted share increased by 18 percent for fiscal 1997 to $12.5 million and $0.60, respectively.
Information Resources, Inc., reported net earnings of $3.5 million, or $0.12 per share, compared to a net loss of ($5.6) million, or ($0.20) per share, in the fourth quarter of 1996. Fourth-quarter 1997 revenue grew 13 percent over the year-ago quarter to $121.6 million. For the year ended December 31, 1997, net earnings were $7.7 million or $0.27 per share, compared to a net loss of ($7.6) million of ($0.27) per share in 1996. Consolidated revenues were $456.3 million, up 13 percent over 1996. Revenues from the company’s U.S. businesses were $366.7 million, an increase of 6 percent compared to 1996.
The Advisory Group Inc., a Calgary, Alberta, research firm, has been acquired by Telus Marketing Services.
CDB Research & Consulting Inc., New York, has formed a strategic alliance with Numa, an independent British research agency. The partnershipwas formed to develop sales promotion marketing criteria from benchmark practices in the U.S. and Europe.
Moosbrugger Marketing Research, Salem, S.C., has opened a new office in Atlanta.
Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas, Inc. has joined Global Market Research, an international market research network, as the American affiliate. The consortium is coordinated by Associated Global Market Research Ltd., in London.
This fall the Master of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program at the University of Texas at Arlington will offer a record number of 20 scholarships to outstanding students. For out-of-state students, the grant of a scholarship waives out-of-state tuition. In the past three years, more than 30 students have graduated from the MSMR program. The 11-year-old program will offer the most scholarships ever, due in part to contributions from companies such as Decision Analyst, Electronic Data Systems, GTE Directories, Southwestern Bell, Burke Marketing Research, Clorox, Hallmark Cards, Coca-Cola, Roper- Starch, Kantar and M/A/R/C.
IntelliQuest Information Group, Inc., Austin, Texas, has created, Marketing Information Solutions, a new division focused on providing marketing information solutions to the technology market.