New products from Snap Surveys
U.K.-based software firm Snap Surveys has released a new version of its Snap software. Snap 9 desktop incorporates improvements in functionality, ease of use and performance. The main user development goals for Snap 9 were focused on: flexible interviewing platforms (Web, paper, PDA or kiosk); new time-response variables; improved scanning performance; extra statistical analysis; and online services and software products for survey response management and analysis. To correspond with this new release, the firm has also released two new products, SnapOnline, an online survey response management and analysis tool, and Snap Mobile Interviewer for mobile data collection. For more information visit www.snapsurveys.com.
Zoomerang adds online focus groups
Los Angeles research firm MarketTools Inc. is now offering Zoomerang Online Focus, an online focus group solution which draws participants from MarketTools’ ZoomPanel online research panel. Zoomerang Online Focus covers all aspects of arranging and conducting a focus group, from recruiting participants and generating a discussion guide to managing the event and providing analysis along with a transcript - all in approximately one week. Certified Zoomerang Online Focus moderators create a discussion guide and use interactive tools to draw out participants’ opinions, ideas and concerns. For more information visit http://info.zoomerang.com.
Tool measures emotional content of text
Saskatoon-based Itracks and the Dcypher Group, Minneapolis, have partnered to release Qualmetrix, an analysis tool that measures the emotional tones of any text and presents a numeric and graphical picture of the emotional response of people to concepts, ideas and experiences. Researchers can see a graphical representation of the difference in emotional response between demographics or sub-populations of a study. Qualmetrix is based on a scoring system which provides emotional ratings for over 90 percent of the most commonly used words in the English language. For more information visit www.itracks.com/qualmetrix.
Keynote upgrades Web usability software
Keynote Systems, San Mateo, Calif., has released Keynote WebEffective 5.0, an upgraded version of its on-demand software application designed to help companies improve their Web site effectiveness and online business performance by conducting in-depth, online customer experience research studies.
Keynote WebEffective allows companies to segment usability results based on a number of different criteria including demographics such as geography, income and age as well as based on behavioral criteria. For instance, companies can segment groups of customers who succeeded or failed at a particular online task or were satisfied or dissatisfied with an online process.
Keynote WebEffective offers the ability to track consumer behavior across the Web regardless of the sites visited and allows for studies to trigger questions based on varying consumer actions, an approach which approximates the interactivity provided by a moderator in a usability lab. For more information visit www.keynotesystems.com.
Arbitron revises schedule for PPM rollout
New York-based Arbitron Inc. has updated the rollout schedule for the Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings service that it previously released in March 2006. The updated schedule calls for Arbitron to initiate electronic measurement in Philadelphia in January 2007. The fall 2006 diary-based ratings report would be the “currency” in the market until the release of the March 2007 PPM ratings report. The January 2007 and February 2007 PPM radio ratings reports would be released as demonstration data.
In New York, along with Nassau-Suffolk and Middlesex-Somerset-Union, the two year-round radio markets embedded in the New York radio metro, Arbitron would initiate electronic measurement in October 2007. The summer 2007 diary-based ratings reports would be the currency in the market until the release of the December 2007 PPM radio ratings report. The October 2007 and November 2007 PPM radio ratings report would be released as demonstration data.
In Los Angeles and Riverside-San Bernardino, Arbitron would initiate electronic measurement in January 2008. The fall 2007 diary-based ratings report would be the currency in the market until the release of the March 2008 PPM radio ratings report. The January 2008 and February 2008 PPM radio ratings reports would be released as demonstration data.
Houston, which has been Arbitron’s radio and television demonstration market for the Portable People Meter since mid-2005, would switch from diaries to PPM-based ratings after Arbitron obtains Media Rating Council accreditation for that market. For more information visit www.arbitron.com.
Generics market segmentation, oncology products from IMS
As part of its New Models, New Metrics program of market measurement services for the pharmaceutical and health care industries, IMS Health, Fairfield, Conn., has launched MIDAS Market Segmentation, a tool for measuring and analyzing the generics market segment and for understanding market opportunities and the performance of products beyond patent expiration.
With MIDAS Market Segmentation, IMS has categorized generics products into consistent types and reclassified the overall pharmaceutical market, assigning a specific intellectual property protection status to each product. By combining this offering with IMS’s analytical and consulting capabilities, IMS aims to help clients improve their forecasting, scenario modeling, competitive benchmarking and portfolio planning activities.
The offering was developed in collaboration with IMS clients, along with pharmaceutical and generics industry associations. It is now available in the U.S., Canada, 11 EU countries - Germany, Italy, Spain, France, the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries - and in South Africa. MIDAS Market Segmentation will be rolled out throughout 2007 to an additional 13 European countries and Japan.
Future offerings under New Models, New Metrics will address emerging markets, parallel trade, specialty channels, disease and treatment patterns, and other evolving market dynamics. For more information visit www.imshealth.com.
Separately, IMS Health announced expanded capabilities to support clients’ need for insights into the global oncology market. IMS’s strategic support to pharmaceutical and biotech clients in oncology includes market assessment, forecasting and competitive intelligence, pricing, reimbursement and health economics and outcomes research.
Following the acquisition of several companies including the Centre for Outcomes Research, Health Outcomes Research Europe and Strategic Analysis Inc. to expand the range of its oncology and health economics knowledge, IMS announced an alliance with IntrinsiQ Research, a provider of U.S. oncology information. The alliance provides an exclusive license to incorporate IntrinsiQ’s U.S.-based anonymized patient-level oncology information into IMS’s multi-country oncology offering, Oncology Analyzer. With the integration of U.S. information, clients have a full view of cancer care into seven major countries - covering 85 percent of the world oncology market - through one of the largest commercially available resources for insights on chemotherapy treatments. For more information visit www.imshealth.com/oncology.
Firm adds China research capabilities
Cambridge, Mass., consulting firm Market Platform Dynamics (MPD) has expanded its operation to include 20 China-based marketing research and strategic marketing executives. Based in Shanghai, this team is designed to help companies fine-tune their Chinese market, product and customer strategies. This expansion also gives MPD access to a network of 11,000 Chinese managers who will be surveyed to determine their interests in new products and services and to provide feedback on the efficacy of client-specific product promotions and marketing campaigns. For more information visit www.marketplatforms.com.
ComScore releases media planning tool
Reston, Va.-based comScore Networks has launched comScore Plan Metrix, a media planning tool, previously known as AiM (Audience insight Measures), which combines more than 4,100 lifestyle, product usage and demographic characteristics with comScore’s continuously and passively captured behavioral measurement across nearly 10,000 online entities. Plan Metrix offers insight into the consumer, including: technology ownership and usage, expanded demographic profiles, lifestyle, attitudinal, product purchase and offline media consumption data. Examples of available information include: food, beverage and restaurant preferences (including coffee shops and quick-serve restaurants); health histories and attitudes; movie, music and video preferences; retail/apparel preferences; and sports and leisure preferences. Plan Metrix is delivered as a component of the comScore MyMetrix service. For more information visit www.comscore.com.
2001-2005 demographic estimates available
Get five years of demographic estimates since the Census 2000 with the Annual Estimates 2001-2005 from the Demographic Data Center. This single database has estimates for the years following the last decennial census and prior to the current year estimates for 2006. For users requiring more variables for population and income estimates, as well as the consumer expenditures and profiles, the firm offers Annual Estimates Professional 2001-2005. This single database has the expanded variable list from the Estimates Professional CD for the years 2001 through 2005. For more information visit http://usa-demographics.com/estimates/annual_estimates.htm.
Mintel service monitors competitors’ e-mail offerings
The Mintel Comperemedia service from Chicago research firm Mintel, which analyzes direct mail and print media, now includes a new service that allows marketers to monitor e-mail. Mintel Comperemedia’s e-mail panel will give companies insight into their competitors’ acquisition and customer relationship management strategies.
The new e-mail panel allows companies to monitor their competitors within Mintel Comperemedia’s key coverage areas: credit card, banking, investment, telecom, insurance, technology, travel, mortgage and loan. Clients will be able to view, search and analyze the actual e-mails that consumers receive from companies. In addition to tracking e-mail strategy for competitors, companies can also use the panel to track campaign timing and frequency. For more information visit www.comperemedia.com.
Briefly
Creative Research Systems, Petaluma, Calif., has released a Spanish version of The Survey System, its survey software package for Web, paper, telephone and PDA surveys. This is in addition to the existing English and Danish versions. Users of the English Version 9.0 can switch to a Spanish version for a minimal fee or purchase an extra copy benefiting from the quantity discount schedule. For more information visit www.surveysystem.com.
The Analytical Group Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., has released a new version of its WinCross crosstabulation software. Some of the new features include: SPSS v15.0 compatibility; quadrupling of the maximum number of data columns as well as variables to 32,000 and 16,000, respectively; the options to output multiple Excel worksheets and export directly to Word; the ability to automatically create banners from multiple tables; and median and quartile tables statistics sorting. For more information visit www.analyticalgroup.com.
Evansville, Ind., research firm ARSgroup has launched ARS Impact Campaign, a pre-testing solution designed to help global advertisers measure the synergistic effects of their advertising campaigns. ARS Impact Campaign measures the breakthrough and persuasive power of each individual touchpoint in the context of the campaign, as well as the synergistic effects of the advertising campaign as a whole. The analysis utilizes more than 30 insights regarding consumer thoughts, feelings and intended actions. For more information visit www.ars-group.com.
Redlands, Calif.-based ESRI has released ArcGIS 9.2, which includes new productivity tools, data visualization and analysis capabilities, cartographic tools, coordinate storage and expanded support for standards. This release also introduces a new workflow for authoring, serving and using geographic data. For more information visit www.esri.com/whatsnew.
MarketResearch.com is now distributing the market research content of energy industry research publisher Enerdata. Enerdata reports on the oil, gas, coal and power markets.
Synovate Healthcare has expanded its Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Global Therapy Monitors, adding coverage of Poland, Greece and Turkey for the Hepatitis B Monitor and France, Germany, Italy and Spain for the Hepatitis C Global Therapy Monitor. For more information visit www.synovate.com/healthcare.
Effective with the Winter 2007 survey, radio survey participants in New York-based Arbitron Inc.’s diary-based markets will have the option to use an Internet-based electronic diary in place of the standard paper-and-pencil survey tool. For more information visit www.arbitron.com.
Survey Sampling International has launched a new OpinionWorld Web site at www.opinionworld.co.uk featuring a new look and feel and enhancements designed to improve the experience of panel members.
The Qualboard software for online discussion boards and research journaling from 20/20 Online, a division of Nashville-based 20/20 Research Inc., has been translated into Korean and Danish, bringing to 10 the total number of languages supported. For more information visit www.2020research.com.
Europe-based research firm Toluna has launched a new, research-only Australian panel community. It currently has 30,000 active members. For more information visit www.toluna-group.com.