News notes
On June 23, the United States Supreme Court ruled that states may not prohibit the use of information about physician health care practices in the marketing of medicines. The court’s decision in Sorrell v. IMS Health, a Norwalk, Conn., research company, holds that a Vermont statute violates the First Amendment by banning the voluntary exchange of information on a matter of public importance – improperly restricting the rights of others from using information about physicians’ prescribing practices. Existing laws in Maine and New Hampshire also will likely be declared unconstitutional or repealed in light of this decision.
CETRA Language Solutions, an Elkins Park, Pa., translation firm, has achieved ISO certification for meeting international quality standards for the provision of translation, interpretation and localization services. ISO 9001:2008 recognizes the overall quality management system and ISO 13485:2003 recognizes the standard for medical devices and related services.
Acquisitions/transactions
The board of Aegis Group PLC, London, confirmed in June that it is in discussions with Paris research company Ipsos regarding Aegis’ market research business Synovate. At press time no transaction had been announced. Additionally, Aegis has acquired ICUC Moderation Services, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, research company.
Google, Mountain View, Calif., has acquired PostRank, a Waterloo, Ontario, data analysis company.
Los Angeles entertainment news company Variety Group has acquired Los Angeles research firm TVtracker.
ABI Research, New York, has acquired Austin, Texas, research company Market Eye 1.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
New York researcher The Nielsen Company and MyWebGrocer, a Colchester, Vt., digital grocery company, have partnered to offer consumer packaged goods companies a view into consumers’ online supermarket purchases. Nielsen will use MyWebGrocer’s Online Basket View to provide insights on online supermarket shopping sales for its retail clients included in the MyWebGrocer network.
London research company YouGov has bought out U.K. marketing veteran Carole Stone’s 49 percent stake in a four-year-long joint venture.
Research companies MediaBank, Chicago, and TRA Inc., New York, have partnered to integrate TRA’s Purchaser Rating Points directly into MediaBank’s workflow platform. MediaBank clients will also use TRA’s Media TRAnalytics system to match measurement of TV tuning from set-top box data with actual purchase behavior.
San Francisco research company EmSense has partnered with Buckinghamshire, U.K., research company Fifth Dimension to integrate EmSense’s neuromeasurement headset, the EmBand, into Fifth Dimension’s virtual testing environment.
Roger Green and Associates Inc. (RG+A), a New Hope, Pa., research company, has entered into an agreement with Christine Corner, a U.K. consultant who will help manage the company’s European clients. Corner will also act as an independent consultant for RG+A OUS projects.
Research companies comScore Inc., Reston, Va., and GfK MRI, New York, have partnered to develop a product linking Americans’ online media habits with print readership and other media consumption data in a database dubbed comScore-MRI Fusion.
New York research company Envirosell has partnered with Bangkok, Thailand, research company Index Creative Village.
Association/organization news
The Marketing Research Association is relocating its headquarters from Glastonbury, Conn., to Washington, D.C.
Awards/rankings
Tod Johnson, chairman and CEO of The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y., research company, has been inducted into the Market Research Council Hall of Fame as the 2011 Current Practitioner honoree.
Chicago research company Synovate was ranked the No. 1 market research company in Hong Kong by Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year 2011 survey for the third consecutive year.
The National Student Advertising Competition team of the University of Virginia - Charlottesville won the Ad-ology Award for the Best Use of Marketing Research during the 2011 American Advertising Federation conference for planning and creating an integrated communications campaign for JCPenney.
The Marketing Research Association, Glastonbury, Conn., recognized several industry leaders for service to the association and its members at its annual conference in June: Joan Burns, JHB Consulting, Honorary Lifetime Membership Award; Hilary Fischer, Kantar Health, Distinguished Service Award; Kathy Pihuj, Scarborough Research, Award of Excellence; Greater New York Chapter, Chapter of the Year; Kara Kennedy Davis, FGI Research, Atlanta/Southeast Chapter Award; Charley Jordan, CPR, Chicago Chapter Award; Gary Altschul, WAC of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Chapter Award; Adam Jolley, EMI - Online Research, Great Lakes Chapter Award; Rhoda Brooks, IPC, Greater New York Chapter Award; Michael Bystry, The Long & Foster Companies, Mid-Atlantic Chapter Award; Julie Bartell, ADAPT Inc., Minnesota/Upper Midwest Chapter Award; Steve Kalter, Acumen Marketing Research, New England Chapter Award; Don Wasylyk, CfMC Research Software; NorthWest Chapter Award; Lori Young, Schlesinger Associates, Philadelphia Chapter Award; Myla Merriss, Adept Consumer Testing, Southern California Chapter Award; and Steve Larson, Information Alliance; Southwest Chapter Award.
Encino, Calif., research company uSamp has received the 2011 Red Herring Top 100 North America Award from San Mateo, Calif., media company Red Herring. The award honors the most promising private technology ventures from the North American business region.
Cincinnati research company Burke, Inc. has been named the No. 1 Top Workplace in the 2011 Enquirer Media Top Workplaces competition among mid-sized companies in the greater Cincinnati region (150-499 employees). The competition involved having employees complete a Web-based, confidential survey of employee engagement that measured items across six areas: direction, execution, career, conditions, managers and pay and benefits.
New accounts/projects
London research company Kantar has adopted San Francisco research company MarketTools’ TrueSample quality solution for all of its U.S. online consumer survey-based research.
Additionally, MarketTools has joined the Customer Experience Professionals Association, a Wakefield, Mass., industry trade group, as a founding corporate member.
Market Publishers Ltd., London, has signed agreements with Interfax Europe Ltd., Prosper Business Development and Taiyou Research authorizing MarketPublishers.com to distribute and sell the companies’ research reports.
Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc. has added the Hudson Valley to its radio ratings markets. Hudson Valley includes four New York counties: Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange.
Southwest Airlines, Dallas, has invited members of its Rapid Rewards program to enroll in the e-Rewards Opinion Panel, run by Research Now, Plano, Texas. Invitees who join the panel will be able to earn Rapid Rewards Points by completing online market research surveys.
New York communications company MediaCom has adopted Cologne, Germany, research company Globalpark’s feedback management panel platform.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
Waltham, Mass., research company Affinnova has announced plans to create 105 new jobs by 2012.
Lightspeed Research, Warren, N.J., has expanded its operation in Hong Kong and moved its offices to the city’s Quarry Bay region.
Manchester, U.K., advertising company MediaVest has opened a Human Experience practice in New York, aimed to explore the drivers of human behavior. The unit will be led by Richard Hartell.
Nuremberg, Germany, research company Icon Added Value has opened a second German office in Hamburg. Andreas Ebeling will head the office.
Menlo Park, Calif., research company Knowledge Networks has opened an office in Alexandria, Va., to provide online survey research services to support its work with federal agencies and the public affairs sector.
Waltham, Mass., research company Affinova has expanded its European operations with offices in France and Germany.
London research company Dub has opened its first U.S. office in Los Angeles. Kerry Hecht will lead the new office.
Oslo, Norway, research software company Confirmit has launched a corporate subsidiary in Frankfurt, Germany.
Nestlé, Vevey, Switzerland, has expanded its simulated shopping center in York, U.K. The expansion features an Imax cinema, replica living room and working kitchen, full-size convenience store and digital media area.
London research company Firefish has opened The Pineapple Lounge @ Firefish, a division focused on kids and families. Emma Worrollo will lead the operation.
Framingham, Mass., research company Kadence International has expanded its computer-assisted telephone interviewing facilities at its U.K. headquarters in London from 50 to 75 stations. Additionally, Kadence has expanded its presence in India with a full-service office in Mumbai.
Research company Illuminas has relocated its London headquarters to 183-203 Eversholt Street, London.
Chicago research company Synovate has opened an office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Rodolphe Jounot has been named managing director of the operation.
Noida, India research company Advaith has opened a U.K. office. Jonathan Sheldrake will serve as sales director for Europe and the U.S.
New York research company WorldOne has opened offices in Hamburg, Germany, and Bern, Switzerland.
IMS Research, Wellingborough, U.K., has established a research and sales operation in Tokyo, led by Masanori Wakabayashi.
Research company earnings/financial news
An affiliate of New Mountain Capital LLC, New York, has completed its majority investment in SymphonyIRI Group Inc., Chicago.
The Nielsen Company, New York, will continue to file separate financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its subsidiary, The Nielsen Company B.V.
BuzzLogic, San Francisco, closed a $7.8 million round of Series C funding led by Bridgescale Partners, Menlo Park, Calif. The funds will be used to enhance its technology platform; introduce online advertising products; and double its sales and account management team.
Rentrak Corporation, Portland, Ore., announced financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and full year ended March 31, 2011. Consolidated revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 were $24.7 million. Operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $(0.8) million. Net loss was $(789,000).
Consolidated revenues for fiscal 2011 rose to $97.1 million from $91.1 million for fiscal 2010. Operating loss for fiscal 2011 was $(2.6) million, compared with $(0.9) million for fiscal 2010. The fiscal 2011 net loss was $(767,000), compared with net income of $576,000 for fiscal 2010.