SPSS Inc., Chicago, has announced that SPSS 10.0, its data analysis software, is expected to return to the Macintosh platform before the end of summer 2000. The company is finalizing a partnership with Software MacKiev, a company with experience in Macintosh conversions, to deliver the first new version of SPSS on the Macintosh platform since version 6.1 was released in 1995. SPSS discontinued development of its flagship statistics product on the Macintosh platform when it began building new technologies, not yet available for the Macintosh, into the product. SPSS' return to the Macintosh is prompted by the advent of new Apple technology and requests from users.
Weitzman & Philip, a Miami research firm, has announced plans to merge with WAC of South Florida, a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., research firm.
Audits & Surveys Worldwide (ASW) and Bruskin/Goldring Research (BIG), both owned by United
Information Group (UIG), have merged. The merged company, which will be known as Audits & Surveys
Worldwide, will be headed by Elaine Riddell. chief executive officer of UIG's U.S. operations. The Bruskin OmniTel telephone omnibus will continue to be offered by Audits & Surveys Worldwide. ASW's Central Telephone Interviewing System will merge with Bruskin/Goldring's telephone interviewing system to form a data gathering entity with 310 CATI stations at six locations throughout the U.S. B/G's Edison. N.J.. office will become ASW/Edison, offering full-service capabilities, and will remain the base of operations of Bruskin OmniTel. B/G's Florida office will become ASW/Miami. Bruskin/Goldring's Market Strategies Division wilJ become an extension of ASW's survey capabilities.
INRA (EUROPE) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have signed a partnership agreement under which INRA will perform an environmental survey in 10 European countries. INRA will survey 10,000 people on their awareness of and attitudes toward the environment and the work of the WWF. INRA is conducting the study at no cost to the WWF.
The Harris Interactive Data Collection Services Marketing Research Group, Rochester, N.Y., has achieved certification to the ISO 9002 Standard for Management Quality Systems.
Focuscope, Inc., Oak Park, Ill., has opened a new downtown Chicago facility, including two focus suites, at 515 N. State St.. Suite 1920.
Maritz Marketing Research, St. Louis, has announced a partnership with Kang's and Associates, Inc., a Seoul, Korea, full-service research firm.
RhinoPoint.com, Hoffman Estates. m., is offering free Internet access to consumers who agree to spend time each month taking research surveys. Consumers visit the company's Web site and fill out a member profile form and submit it for approval. If they are accepted they pay a one-time membership fee using a credit card. Each month after they complete a survey the credit card is credited for the amount of their monthly Internet service provider fee.
USADATA.com., a New York marketing information company, has reached an agreement with Publications Resource Group (PRG) to offer PRG's competitive intelligence reports on the communications, health care, industrial and consumer industries through USADATA.com's Web site and corporate portals. Separately, US ADATA.com has also reached an agreement with Arbitron New Media to provide Internet access to Arbitron New Media's Pathfinder survey data of consumers' attitudes toward technology and their consumption of traditional and new media. USADATA.com users will gain access to the Pathfinder data through a MarketTarget data delivery system.
Research Data Design, Portland, Ore., has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. magazine.
New York-based research firm Murray Hill Center will open a new facility in Atlanta (Buckhead) in January 2000. The new facility, Murray Hill Center Southeast, will be under the direction of Tracey Howard.
MarketSwitch Corporation, Dulles, Va., an enterprise marketing optimization software firm, and Sky
Alland, a Columbia, Md., customer loyalty management firm, have formed a partnership in which Sky Alland will integrate MarketSwitch's customer optimization software within its AnyMedia Communications Centers.
Greenwich, Conn.-based NFO Worldwide and its affiliate InsightExpress have signed a long-term alliance with Andover, Mass.-based Engage Technologies, Inc., a provider of profile-driven Internet marketing solutions, to apply Engage's visitor profiling, targeting and ad management technologies to market research. This agreement gives InsightExpress and NFO Interactive the exclusive right to access Engage's 3S million anonymous on-line profiles to recmit survey respondents. For Engage, the agreement provides the exclusive right to represent InsightExpress and NFO Interactive in the purchase of Internet media, including profile driven ad impressions. Through the alliance and for the conduct of market research, InsightExpress and NFO Interactive will have the exclusive ability to target market research surveys using Engage Knowledge, a database of 35 million anonymous consumer profiles, and Engage AudienceNet, a Web-wide profile driven advertising and marketing network.
Mature Marketing and Research (MMR), Boston, has introduced the MMR Boomer Poll, which will survey consumers born between 1946 and 1964 to provide marketers with information on the attitudes, motivations and product and services choices in categories such as financial services, travel and leisure, personal care and health care, food products, fast-food, and automotive.
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), Chicago, has reached agreement with 7Eleven, Inc. to provide IRI with certain scanner-based sales data from a sample of 7-Eleven stores.
The Arbitron Company, New York, has signed an agreement with Taylor Nelson Sofres, a marketing information and television audience measurement company, granting Taylor Nelson Sofres a license to use Arbitron's patented audio-encoding technology for television audience measurement services.
Los Angeles-based BizRate.com, an e-commerce merchant rating and marketing research firm, has signed an agreement with The NPD Group, Inc. New York, to jointly develop and market co-branded e-commerce research products. BizRate.com and NPD will conduct on-line panel research using BizRate.com's Online Research Team of on-line buyers who have volunteered to share their opinions and shopping experiences. This group will be surveyed on a regular basis on a variety of on-line and off-line topics.
Harris Interactive, Rochester, N.Y., has signed an agreement with Olympic Properties of the United States (OPUS). Under the agreement, Hanis Interactive was named the exclusive supplier of market research services, which includes the use of its Internet research capabilities, for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) through December 31, 2004. Harris Interactive will be recognized as the exclusive supplier of market research services to the USOc. and also will be linked to the USOC and SLOC Web sites, enabling Harris Interactive to grow its on-line database of respondents for research purposes. Hams Interactive also will structure a series of polls for the USOC and SLOC Web sites, as well as perform other proprietary market research for the two organizations.
Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing, New York, has formed Harte-Hanks Analytics, combining the analytical
and research capabilities of HarteHanks into one unit. Combined in this offering will be marketing analytics, targeting services, and market research. David Blackwell is rejoining Harte-Hanks to head the unit.
Taylor Nelson Sofres, a Horsham, Pa., research firm, has reached agreement to acquire INDETEC
International, Inc., a supplier of market information to the U.S. telecommunications industry. Completion is dependent upon certain conditions being satisfied, which include obtaining Hart Scott Rodino approval. At press time, the transaction was expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 1999. INDETEC's revenues in 1998 were $13.7 million and net assets at 31 December 1998 were $3.36 million.
MORPACE Pharma Group, Ltd. (MPG), a Concord, Mass., health care information and analysis company, has established a new office to provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with primary marketing research. including brand awareness, image studies, and promotional testing. Les Leathem, vice president of MPG. will head the Princeton. N.J., office.
NFO Worldwide, a Greenwich, Conn., research firm, has launched InsightExpress (www.insightexpress.com and www.insightexpress.net), a new Internet company formed to provide real-time consumer input to decisionmakers. Supported by the visitor profile-driven targeting services of Engage Technologies, Inc., and funded by NFO, General Atlantic Partners and Engage, InsightExpress will provide customers with real-time access to targeted consumer audiences and to existing customers via their own lists. InsightExpress will enable clients to test new ideas, screen new concepts, gauge customer satisfaction, survey employees, test advertising and gather insight into the needs, attitudes and behaviors of consumers.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Macro International subsidiary of
Princeton, N.J.-based Opinion Research Corporation a new five-year contract worth a potential $14.2 million. The contract commences immediately and is comprised of a three-year base period with an option
for an additional two years. The base period award is worth at least $7.9 million. Macro has been evaluating children's mental health service delivery programs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for five years and is now collecting treatment outcome data on 45,000 children at 45 separate locations. The purpose of Macro's contract is to evaluate the effectiveness of the various different "systems of care" that are being used to help children with serious emotional disorders and their families. The company has also won contracts to provide research for the Defense Logistics Agency ($6.5 million), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ($5.6 million), the U.S. Agency for International Development ($7.0 million), the National Science Foundation ($6.0 million) and Housing and Urban Development ($4.3 million).
Susquehanna Surveys, Harrisburg, Pa., has added a 10-station telephone interviewing room in its central service facility at 5321D Jaycee Ave. The film will now provide in-house, national focus group and one-on-one recruitment and telephone research. For more information call 800-465-3128. The firm has also formed an alliance with the Hemlock Girl Scout Council to create a mural entitled "Central Pennsylvania: Past. Present and Future." Susquehanna Surveys is dedicating a wall of its Harrisburg auditorium room for the project, which will be designed and painted by members of the Hemlock Girl Scout Council.
Kenneth A. Fox has started The Soundings Company, specializing in business strategy development, at One Wesley Dr., Charleston, S.C.
Matt Clark has formed Clark Marketing Research Group in Rocky Hill, Conn. Clark has been in marketing research for 15 years, most recently with Mintz & Hoke Advertising in Avon, Conn.