News notes
The Market Research Standards Board of the Market Research Society, London, has revised the MRS Code of Conduct, which details the legal and ethical responsibilities for researchers. The revisions are based on a set of 10 principles which have been extended to cover researchers conducting non-research activities. The MRS Code includes several new rules, most notably with regard to the use of incentives in research interviewing wherein clients’ goods or services, or vouchers to purchase these, are prevented from being used as incentives in a research project.
The Code also recognizes some of the fundamental changes in data collection, specifically in the online environment by incorporating new definitions for what constitutes an interview and a data collection process. A full explanation of all changes is online at www.mrs.org.uk/standards/codeconduct.htm.
New York research company Authentic Response Inc. has created an opportunity for its panelists to donate survey-based incentives to support the relief effort in Haiti. Panelist donations will go to Doctors Without Borders. Panelists still have the opportunity to fulfill their incentives in other ways.
Omaha, Neb., research company infoGroup has unveiled an updated logo as part of its 2010 rebranding initiative. The new logo includes the international symbol for information.
New York research company Data Development Worldwide has rebranded as Radius Global Market Research. The firm is online at www.radius-global.com.
Johnson City, Tenn., research company Smarty Pants has redesigned its company logo and updated its visual identity system. The new family logo includes a sister, mother and father for the original Smarty Pants boy icon. The identity system also includes individual logos for each of the four family members.
Encino, Calif., research company United Sample has changed its name to uSamp and launched a Web site under the new name at www.usamp.com.
In January 2010, San Francisco research company Peanut Labs launched Sample for Haiti, an initiative to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. Throughout the month of February, 10 percent of all profits generated from new and existing client sales were donated to the American Red Cross Haiti earthquake relief effort.
The Media Rating Council, New York, has accredited Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc.’s monthly average quarter-hour radio ratings data in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.
Acquisitions/transactions
Thomson Reuters, a New York information company, has acquired Discovery Logic Inc., a Rockville, Md., research company. Discovery Logic will operate as part of the health care and science business of Thomson Reuters. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Chime Communications, London, has acquired London research company Tree for £2 million.
Stamford, Conn., research company Gartner Inc. has acquired Midvale, Utah, research company Burton Group Inc. for approximately $56 million in cash.
London research company dunnhumby has acquired Florham Park, N.J., research company KSS Retail. KSS Retail will operate as an independent business unit of dunnhumby and maintain its existing management structure.
Decision Resources Inc., a Waltham, Mass., research company, has acquired BioTrends Research Group, Exton, Pa. BioTrends will continue operations in Exton.
Dallas research company e-Rewards Inc. has completed its acquisition of Research Now, London, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of e-Rewards. In the U.S. the combined business will operate using the e-Rewards brand, while outside the U.S. the company will operate under the Research Now brand.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
Bark Group Inc., a Copenhagen, Denmark, advertising company, has partnered with Mindmetic, a London research company. Bark plans to use Mindmetic’s neuromarketing research technology in its marketing campaigns and advertisements.
Westport, Conn., research company RelevantView has merged with Westport, Conn., technology firm Imperium. The partnership will allow Imperium to offer RelevantID, RelevantView’s digital fingerprinting solution for data quality, to its clients. The merger will not change the management or ownership of either company.
Association/organization news
Judi Hess has been elected secretary of the global board of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, Dallas.
Awards/rankings
Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc. received an Emmy Award for Broadcast Audience Measurement Technology for its Portable People Meter technology by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, North Hollywood, Calif., at the Annual Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards.
New accounts/projects
Virtual Surveys, a Hampshire, U.K., research company has been reelected by Wilmington, Del., banking institution ING Direct to conduct its customer satisfaction research for 2010.
Milford, Conn., restaurant chain Subway has chosen Milford Keynes, U.K., research company Retail Eyes to manage its Customer Experience Improvement Program, which includes mystery shopping visits to Subway stores in the U.K. and developing a reporting system for the organization. Retail Eyes has carried out the project for the past five years.
Robert Moran of StrategyOne, a Washington, D.C., research company, has launched www.futureofinsight.com, a Web site dedicated to exploring possible, probable and preferred futures for market research.
Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc. has committed to continue estimating radio audiences in the New Orleans local market using its diary methodology. Arbitron previously had planned to use its Portable People Meter radio ratings service to produce audience estimates in New Orleans beginning in late 2010.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
London research company TNS-BMRB has launched a U.K. Social and Political Attitudes unit. The division will focus on tracking social and political trends and exploring U.K. social issues and their relationship to voting intentions. Each month respondents will be interviewed by telephone, in person or online using TNS’ omnibus capabilities.
Motif Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif., research outsourcing company, opened a service center in Costa Rica.
Burrell Communications, Chicago, has formed Threshold Nation, an agency designed to explore the lifestyle of the multiethnic urban male consumer age 18-34.
Market Fusion Analytics, a New York research consultancy, has opened offices in Mexico City; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Guarav Oberoi and Charles Groom have launched Precision Polling, a Seattle research company intended to allow customers to design a survey on the Web and automatically field it to a list of telephone numbers.
Insight Marketing Communications Inc., a Navarre, Fla., research and marketing company, has opened a location to serve the Bay County, Fla., area.
Millennium Research has moved its offices from Apple Valley, Minn., to Minneapolis. The firm is located at 3648 Cedar Ave. S., #2, Minneapolis, 55407, and can be reached at 612-724-8687.
Research company earnings/financial news
San Francisco research company Quantcast raised $27.5 million in a Series C funding round led by investment firms Cisco Systems, Middlesex, U.K.; Polaris Venture Partners, Waltham, Mass; The Founders Fund, San Francisco; and Revolution Ventures, San Mateo, Calif. The Series C round brings the total of capital injected into the analytics company to $53.2 million. Quantcast will use the extra funding to support its Quantcast Media Program.
Framingham, Mass., research company Kadence International’s insight division grew its revenue by 20 percent during the 2008-2009 financial year. The company also reported overall growth of 9 percent to $11.3 million. Kadence Asian market services in Indonesia and Malaysia achieved 89 percent and 45 percent revenue growth, respectively. U.K. sales also rose 40 percent.