News notes
Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc. has lost accreditation from the Media Ratings Council (MRC), New York, for its RADAR and Nationwide network radio ratings. The MRC has elected to withdraw accreditation because the services use data from an increasing number of unaccredited Portable People Meter (PPM) markets. According to Arbitron, it intends to continue to use commercially-reasonable efforts in good faith to pursue MRC accreditation of its PPM ratings service; to regain accreditation for RADAR and Nationwide; and to keep the accreditations it has. The PPM service is active in 43 markets and accredited in Houston; Riverside, Calif.; and Minneapolis.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Washington, D.C., has released an FTC staff report on protecting consumer privacy, addressing the need for greater consumer education; efforts to incorporate “privacy by design” into online services; and improving consumer notice and choice. Members of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), New York, are reviewing the report and plan to address the proposal of a government-run Do Not Track mechanism for the Internet, which would essentially require reengineering the Internet’s architecture. According to the IAB, consumers depend upon sharing of data within this architecture to customize news sites; optimize Web services such as social networks; receive relevant content and advertising across the Web; and more. For more information on the IAB’s response visit www.iab.net.
Cincinnati research company Burke, Inc.’s corporate headquarters has been awarded LEED gold as established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, both of Washington, D.C. LEED is a program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Vancouver, B.C., research company Vision Critical has entered into a charitable partnership with WorldBed, a nonprofit that provides cot-sized emergency field beds to disaster victims around the world.
SRA Research Group, Jupiter, Fla., celebrated its 25th anniversary in November 2010.
Acquisitions/transactions
Chicago research company Synovate has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Comcon, a Moscow research company. Synovate’s existing Russian business and Comcon will combine their management, operations and research capabilities into a single Synovate-branded business.
Schlesinger Associates, an Edison, N.J., research company, has acquired Paris fieldwork agency ConsuMed Research and Paris focus group facilities Passerelles. Eric Nalpas of ConsuMed has been appointed managing director of the firms, which will operate as Schlesinger Associates companies.
New York research company TNS has acquired Retail Insights, a Brussels, Belgium, research firm. The Retail Insights team will join TNS.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
New York researcher The Nielsen Company and Beijing China Cable Union Data Services Ltd. (CCData) have entered into a joint venture, Nielsen-CCData, to deliver insight on China’s digital TV market.
Research companies Enprecis, Seattle, and Sinotrust, Beijing, have collaborated to help car manufacturers in China measure customer response to product quality using the Enprecis Continuous Quality Insight online survey and reporting platform for the global automotive industry.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, research company Itracks has partnered with research companies AskingCanadians, Toronto; EMI - Online Research Solutions, Cincinnati; Focus Forward, Fort Washington, Pa.; and Schlesinger Associates, Edison, N.J., to create a network of panel providers to offer qualitative services to Itracks’ The Global Online Moderator Community.
Separately, Itracks has brought on Jeffery Hayzlett, author and marketing expert, to provide strategic feedback to Itracks and its leadership team.
Research companies Rentrak Corporation, Portland, Ore., and Ciné Chiffres, Paris, have partnered to form Rentrak Ciné Chiffres, a division intended to provide box-office measurement throughout France using Rentrak’s Box Office Essentials and International Box Office Essentials services.
Warwickshire, U.K., data specialist Market Location has entered into an agreement with Omaha, Neb., research company Infogroup Inc. to continue to serve U.K. customers under the infoUK brand. Market Location will fuel infoUK’s database and online portal.
New York research company Millward Brown and Annapolis, Md., semantic Web platform OpenAmplify have partnered to use semantic technology to bring a human level of understanding to verbatim consumer response analysis.
Awards/rankings
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA), St. Paul, Minn., has introduced the Qually Award - the QRCA Award for Excellence in Qualitative Research. Entries will be judged on creativity and innovation in the project’s design, scope and execution, along with its impact on the client’s business objectives. The winner will be announced at QRCA’s Symposium on Excellence in Qualitative Research on May 12 in Chicago.
Vancouver, B.C., research company Vision Critical has awarded Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Springfield, Mass., the 2010 Panel of the Year Award for excelling in engaging customers and generating business results.
New accounts/projects
Portland, Ore., research company Rentrak Corporation has signed a multi-year contract to provide its OnDemand Essentials TV ratings service to New York content distributor Asian Media Rights’ video-on-demand offering.
Separately, Free Speech TV, Denver, has selected Rentrak’s TV Essentials ratings service.
Finally, Rentrak has expanded its contract with The Inspiration Networks to provide its TV Essentials service for The Inspiration Networks’ domestic networks, including INSP and Halogen TV.
Australian firms Sweeney Research, The Social Research Centre and The Institute for Social Science Research at The University of Queensland have signed agreements to adopt Montreal research company Voxco’s multichannel data collection platform.
London research company Verve has been selected to conduct the annual online Which? Car Survey, a car reliability and satisfaction poll that surveys 60,000+ Which? U.K. consumer association members.
London research company Kantar Media has signed a five-year contract with Emirates Media Measurement Company to provide the first PeopleMeter audience measurement service to the United Arab Emirates media industry.
Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc. has signed a multi-year contract with Spanish-language radio group Univison Radio, Dallas, to provide its Portable People Meter radio ratings services in 12 markets. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
U.K. research company SPA Future Thinking has adopted Cologne, Germany, research company Globalpark’s feedback management platform for custom international media and youth research.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
Stockholm, Sweden, research company Cint has relocated its Berlin team to new offices in the city and has also opened a twin German office in Augsburg. Berlin will remain the headquarters for Central Europe.
Paris research company Ipsos has expanded its English-speaking global call center operation in Randburg, South Africa.
Pike Research, Boulder, Colo., has opened an office in Washington, D.C., at 1211 Connecticut Avenue NW. The company has also opened its European regional headquarters in London at 180-186 King’s Cross Road.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), New York, has launched the Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, an independently-funded and -staffed unit inside the IAB, charged with driving the growth of the mobile marketing, advertising and media marketplace. Anna Bager has been named vice president and general manager of the unit.
ForeSee Results, an Ann Arbor, Mich., research company, has opened a London office and appointed Mansoor Malik as managing director for the operation.
Synovate in South Africa, a Bryanston research company, has launched a dedicated mystery shopping business unit.
STW Group, a New South Wales, Australia, marketing communications company, has launched Touchpoint Research Australia, a separate data collection agency previously part of Australian research consultancy AMR Interactive.
Radius Global Market Research, New York, has opened Radius EMEA, a London office dedicated to serving clients in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Michael Fodor has been named managing director.
Insight Research Group, London, has relocated its North American operation Insight Health US from Rahway, N.J., to New York.
Research company earnings/financial news
Communispace, a Watertown, Mass., research company is reportedly looking for a buyer, according to a December 14 article in Ad Age. Venture-capital firms, technology companies and holding companies are among those to have shown interest.