News notes
Research Now SSI announced that 37 of its employees died in December as a result of a fire at the NCCC mall in Davao, Philippines, the location of one of its call center operations. The company hosted a memorial service in Davao and has raised over $90,000 for the families of the victims.
2018 marks the 20th anniversary for U.K. research company Join the Dots.
Colorado State University-Global Campus, Greenwood Village, Colo., is launching a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics degree program in 2018.
Acquisitions/transactions
Chicago-based media software and services firm Cision has agreed to acquire New York-based media measurement and analysis company PRIME Research. Cision will expand its offerings that help communications professionals identify influencers, craft campaigns and attribute business value to those efforts.
China-based big data and AI solutions firm Baifendian Group has acquired online survey company InsightWorks. Following the acquisition, InsightWorks will continue to provide services for enterprises and consumers with independent brand operation and Baifendian will integrate big data and AI into InsightWorks.
American Family Insurance, Madison, Wis., has acquired Chicago-based data and analytics software company Networked Insights. Networked Insights will operate as a stand-alone subsidiary of the American Family Insurance enterprise and will collaborate with American Family data scientists on projects using advanced analytic capabilities to improve customer interactions and business value.
London-based B2B information company Ascential has acquired Dublin-based e-commerce insight firm Clavis Insight. Clavis Insight will form a part of Ascential’s information services division alongside One Click Retail, a U.S.-based e-commerce data measurement company that was acquired by Ascential in 2016.
U.K.-based marketing solutions firm BlueVenn has acquired LEAP Media Solutions, a customer analytics and marketing campaign services firm based in Raleigh, N.C. The acquisition will allow LEAP customers to better integrate with BlueVenn software tools and will allow BlueVenn to continue to expand into the U.S. market.
Rhinebeck, N.Y., marketing services firm Phoenix Marketing International has acquired assets of TV Brand Effect from Nielsen. TV Brand Effect provides resonance tracking capabilities to measure memorability and quality of advertising campaigns in order to improve ROI. The acquisition will expand Phoenix’s presence in the media and consumer packaged good sectors. Nielsen will retain its other Brand Effect assets.
Ithaca, N.Y., researcher Claritas has acquired Miami-based multicultural business intelligence firm Geoscape International Inc.
Kantar Consulting, Kantar’s newly-launched growth consultancy, has acquired London-based brand strategy and growth consultancy Mash. Mash will join Kantar Consulting’s newly-formed brand and marketing practice.
San Jose, Calif., user experience research firm UserZoom has acquired research technology company WhatUsersDo.
AOTMP, an Indianapolis-based information, research and advisory firm for telecom management, has acquired Boston-based firm Blue Hill Research. The research, analyst, client services and sales teams will join AOTMP and Ralph A. Rodriguez, founder and research fellow, will take on the role of strategic advisor at AOTMP. The combined company looks to integrate Blue Hill Research into the AOTMP research practice.
In Shanghai, ITWP Acquisitions Limited, the parent company of consumer insights firm Toluna, has acquired online and mobile panel company Shanghai KuRun Information Technology Co. KuRunData’s company Founders Pan Hao and Wang Changwei will remain chairman and CEO of KuRunData. The acquisition will expand Toluna’s operations into mainland China.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
In New York, researcher Kantar has formed a joint venture with Second City Works, the B2B arm of comedy theater company The Second City. Second City Works uses improvisational methods and audience-centered collaboration with consumer audiences. The collaboration, marketed as Brandstage, will work with marketing companies to drive new product innovation, originate marketing and communications ideas and explore customer experience opportunities.
Association/organization news
The board of the Market Research Institute International, Ann Arbor, Mich., has elected Jeffrey Henning, founder and president of Researchscape International, as board president for 2018. He succeeds Jon Last, founder and president at Sports and Leisure Research Group, who now becomes immediate past president. The board also elected the following: Dan Coates, president and co-founder of Ypulse Inc., as president-elect; Michael Mermelstein, executive vice president of Nichols Research, as treasurer; Guido Lara, founder and president of LEXIA Global; Karen Scherbaum, group vice president, consumer insights, Macy’s Inc.; and David Scowcroft, senior vice president, Ipsos Healthcare.
The Insights Association, Washington, D.C., has appointed the following as board officers for 2018: Rob Stone, CEO, Grail Research as chair; David Rothstein, CEO, RTi Research as vice chair (will serve as chair in 2019); Simon Chadwick, managing partner, Cambiar LLC as immediate past chair; Jeff Miller, president and CEO, Burke, Inc., will serve the second of his two-year term as treasurer; and Lisa Courtade, executive director, global customer and brand insights, Merck, begins a two-year term as secretary. The following will serve as directors in 2018: Scott Baker, vice president, U.S. qualitative, Schlesinger Associates; Ivy Boehm, VP market intelligence - small business, commerce solutions, JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Lynnette Cooke, global CEO, Kantar Health; Ted Donnelly, managing director, Baltimore Research; Tim Hoskins, president, Quester; Ginny Kevorkian, senior market research manager, Emory Healthcare; Pierre LeManh, CEO North America and global deputy CEO, Ipsos; Neil Marcus, assistant vice president, U.S. marketing science team, MetLife; and Jude Olinger, CEO, The Olinger Group. Dan Womack, head of insights for Aflac and an MRA and Insights Association board member since 2011, has retired from the board.
Awards/rankings
New Orleans-based audience platform Lucid has announced its latest sample supplier quality scores and GDPR compliance statuses. The Lucid Supplier Quality Program measures sample quality from participating respondent suppliers. The full list is updated quarterly. The top 10 quality suppliers ranked by Q Score include: 1. Prodege; 2. PeanutLabs; 3. Active Measure; 4. P2Sample; 4. Dayos (P2Sample and Dayos have the same score); 6. Research for Good; 7. Tap Research; 8. Qmee; 9. Market Cube; and 10. TheoremReach.
Esther Tot of Cambodia is the latest recipient of a scholarship funded through a partnership between the ESOMAR Foundation, nonprofit Women in Research and Unilever. Tot will be pursuing an English-based bachelor’s degree program in international business at the National University of Management, Cambodia.
Analytics and insights firm Blueocean Market Intelligence has been ranked as one of the 10 leading providers of analytics and data sciences in India in 2017 by Analytics India Magazine. The magazine surveys and nominates analytics providers in India that have shown visible growth and achievements in the last year.
New accounts/projects
In New York, Cumulus Media has signed a multi-year extension with Nielsen for radio ratings services for all Portable People Meter and radio diary-measured markets. Westwood One, the national-facing arm of Cumulus Media, is also included in the agreement. The agreement provides Nielsen’s radio and network radio ratings services for Cumulus and Westwood One’s 446 radio stations across 90 local markets.
India-based research firm MRSS India’s social research practice has been awarded a research project, The Longitudinal Aging Study in India, which will cover a sample size of over 60,000 people aged 45 and older.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
London-based researcher Kantar has merged four of its brands – Kantar Added Value, Kantar Futures, Kantar Vermeer and Kantar Retail – to form Kantar Consulting, a sales and marketing consultancy for brand owners and retailers. Phil Smiley will be CEO of Kantar Consulting.
Netherlands-based research firm MetrixLab has opened a new office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has appointed Diego del Pozo Mitschele as managing director for the country. The company has also appointed Eric Lammerts van Bueren as managing director for the Netherlands, replacing Jolique Weelink, who is moving to a client-facing position in the company.
Data and analytics company Ugam has opened an office in Santa Clara, Calif. The office will support new and expanding relationships with clients in the region’s business sector, including retailers, brands, B2B manufacturers and distributors and market research firms.
London-based health care research firm Research Partnership has opened a new office in Lyon, France, led by Claire Fradet-Aubignat as associate director.
Research company earnings/financial news
Israel-based analytics company Anodot has announced a Series B round, bringing its B funding total to $23 million. The company will use the investment to open offices in London and APAC, grow its U.S. team and invest in sales, marketing and customer success.
Audience data firm Eyeota, based in Singapore, has secured $12.5 million in Series B funding. The funding round was led by private equity firm Jolt Capital SAS. The company will use the funding to support product development and expand its team.