News notes
In a press release, GfK Verein, Nuremberg, Germany, denied late-August media reports regarding the possibility of the company selling its shares. In the release, the company said it has not considered doing so and indicated that selling part or all of its GfK shares was not planned.
Nashville, Tenn., firm 20|20 Research is celebrating 30 years in the research industry.
The CASRO Institute for Research Quality has awarded certification to Detroit-based research and consulting firm Morpace Inc. for compliance to the ISO 20252 Standard for Market, Opinion and Social Research, which establishes globally recognized terms, definitions and service requirements for project management in research organizations.
Acquisitions/transactions
Crestview Hills, Ky., innovation firm Seed Strategy, a Burke Inc. company, has acquired The Cherri Prince Company, an Odessa, Fla., female insights and innovation consultancy.
Port Washington, N.Y., researcher The NPD Group has signed an agreement to acquire EEDAR, a Carlsbad, Calif., research and data analysis firm for the video games industry. EEDAR will operate as EEDAR, an NPD Group Company.
Little Rock, Ark., data, analytics and software-as-a-service company Acxiom has completed the sale of its Impact e-mail business (Acxiom Impact) to Zeta Interactive, a New York-based marketing technology company.
LRW (Lieberman Research Worldwide), Los Angeles, has completed the purchase of MotiveQuest, an Evanston, Ill., social media insights company. The company will continue to be led by founder David Rabjohns and leadership will continue with Brook Miller as CTO and Kirsten Recknagel and Zack Nippert as general managers. The company will now be named LRWMotiveQuest. This is the third in LRW’s planned series of strategic acquisitions supported with growth capital from Tailwind Capital.
Research firm Toluna, Wilton, Conn., has acquired Israel-based company Crossense from Nielsen’s innovation incubator Nielsen Innovate. The Crossense team will join Toluna’s R&D center in Haifa, Israel. Crossense provides a permission-based digital tracking solution that delivers insight into cross-platform digital behavior.
Berlin-based native advertising firm plista has acquired Oslo, Norway, content analytics company Linkpulse.
Alternative investments firm XIO Group, London, has completed its acquisition of Costa Mesa, Calif., researcher J.D. Power and Associates from S&P Global for $1.1 billion. J.D. Power will remain headquartered in Costa Mesa and continue to be led by its existing senior management team.
Time Inc., New York, has acquired Bizrate Insights, a voice of the consumer data company formerly owned by Los Angeles-based marketing solutions firm Connexity Inc. Bizrate Insights will be integrated into Time’s Synapse Group Inc., an affinity marketing subsidiary based in Stamford, Conn.
The National Research Center for College & University Admissions, an educational data platform and research organization based in Lee’s Summit, Mo., has acquired Boston-based research and advisory firm Eduventures. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
London-based business intelligence firm Informa has agreed to purchase New York-based information services company Penton for $1.56 billion.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
Researcher Schlesinger Associates, Iselin, N.J., and Merrill Dubrow, president and CEO of Irving, Texas, research firm M/A/R/C, have become partners of the QRCA’s Young Professionals Grant program.
Nielsen, New York, and Canada-based customer intelligence platform provider Vision Critical have formed a strategic alliance that will help clients better understand their customers and build more authentic customer relationships. The first of several planned future offerings is the connection of Nielsen’s currency-grade measurement data of what people watch and buy to insight communities powered by the Vision Critical platform, which will help uncover and provide consumer insights to support business decisions.
Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Women in Research has partnered with the ESOMAR Foundation and the Marketing and Social Research Association (MSRA) in Kenya to launch the MSRA Kenyan Scholarship Fund, which will provide a scholarship to a female student in Kenya to study market research. For every one dollar that individuals and companies donate to the scholarship fund, Unilever will match up to $5,000, bringing the total scholarship amount to $10,000.
The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., is partnering with information services and marketing analytics firm Neustar MarketShare. The companies will combine NPD’s sales data with Neustar MarketShare’s marketing data to build proprietary category marketing mix models delivered on the Neustar MarketShare platform, allowing clients to create and assess what-if scenarios to test assumptions, constraints and competitive actions to decide on the most optimal marketing investment strategies.
Association/organization news
In a joint letter to members, Vaughn Mordecai, chairman of the board for MRA, and David Rothstein, chairman of the board for CASRO, say the boards of directors for the two associations have voted in favor of merging to create the Insights Association, a moniker chosen to move “from a research process-focused name to one reflecting the outcome of research.” The letter encouraged members to vote in favor of the merger plan, where CASRO will merge with and into the MRA. The MRA board called a meeting to submit to the vote of member approval of the merger plan on September 26 in San Francisco. Members were also able to vote online, with an online voting deadline of September 23. The letter stated that if the merger was approved by members, the new association with launch with 15 voting members of its board of directors, which will be chaired by Simon Chadwick, managing partner of Cambiar. Rob Stone, CEO of Market Strategies International, will be vice chair.
The Marketing Research Association (MRA) filed an amicus brief on September 22 regarding a Texas push poll dispute. The case is an appeal of sanctions levied against law firm Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, which was defending a company in a personal injury suit. A judge ruled that a survey that sought to test public opinions on themes and views of the case before trial was a “push poll” and sanctioned the law firm for breaching legal ethics. The MRA says its amicus brief specifically focuses on the merits of the research itself and not on the merits of the research companies responsible for the study, the law firm or the case. In the brief, the MRA said: “Based on an objective review of the survey, it was not a push poll. However, MRA is concerned that a ruling mischaracterizing the survey as a push poll would have a chilling effect on future legitimate research activities.”
Awards/rankings
Jonathan Price, CEO of incentive solutions firm Virtual Incentives, Fishkill, N.Y., earned Gold status in the Golden Bridge Awards Most Innovative Executive of the Year category. Price received the award in the innovation category for his use of technology in the rewards and incentives space.
Insight consultancy Firefish, London, won the ESOMAR Research Effectiveness Award at the ESOMAR Congress in New Orleans in September for its work with PayPal on generating insight for developing its new global positioning. The Research Effectiveness award recognizes projects that contribute to a brand’s direction and performance and recognizes the importance of research in brand decision-making.
Shelton, Conn., researcher SSI has named KnowMedia and Duff & Phelps as winners of the Best Overall SSI QUEST Awards for survey excellence at the ESOMAR Congress in New Orleans in September. SSI has separated its QUEST Awards into two categories: QUEST-X Awards, based on panelist experience with surveys, and QUEST-T Awards, based on survey structure, formatting and multi-device usability. KnowMedia won the Best Overall Award in the QUEST-X category and Duff & Phelps won the Best Overall Award in the QUEST-T category.
RTi Research, Stamford, Conn., was named as a 2016 Top Workplace by Hearst Media Services. The Top Workplaces lists are based on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by research firm WorkplaceDynamics that measures aspects of workplace health and culture.
Alexander Wheatley, Warren, N.J., firm Lightspeed’s research innovator, won the inaugural ESOMAR Corporate Young Professional Award for his presentation, Head or Heart: The Conflicts of Political Polling. The award, initiated by the Corporate Young Professionals program, encourages young professionals to participate in ESOMAR Congress. Wheatley was one of five finalists who presented research during this year’s conference in New Orleans. The winner was determined by audience voting and jury scores.
New accounts/projects
Reston, Va., firm comScore has been selected as the Online Audience Measurement Partner in Indonesia for two years (from 2016 to 2018). The appointment, supported by the Indonesian Creative Economy Agency, is by five associations that collaborated to standardize online audience measurement in Indonesia and accelerate digital advertising growth in the country.
Nuremberg, Germany, researcher GfK has selected the Jackson Research family of companies as its preferred vendor in Atlanta and Los Angeles to host GfK’s user experience research, which helps companies create and improve customer experiences for existing or new products and services.
U.K. research agency Join the Dots has been appointed to the new BBC Digital Design Research roster and will be working with the BBC to better understand its audience. Join the Dots has been appointed with the remit for quantitative research and joins seven other market research companies on the roster. The agencies will work with the BBC for the next two years.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
Elizabeth Granahan and Meghan Surdenas, former executives for research firm Focus Forward, have opened SyncScript, a new translation and transcription firm located in metro Philadelphia.
Blue Bell, Pa., research and consulting agency Attitude Measurement Corporation has formally changed its corporate name to AMC Global.
Media, insights and marketing solutions company Jumpstart Automotive Group, San Francisco, has unveiled a new logo and is changing its name back to Jumpstart Automotive Media. The company has also developed an application icon that will be used primarily for its social media pages.
The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y., research firm, is reorganizing its softlines sector to include luxury tracking services, which were previously operated independently. The firm’s luxury services, including sales tracking for watches, designer jewelry and diamonds, will move into NPD’s softlines business group, led by Diane Nicholson. The reorganization follows the departure of former NPD Luxury President Fred Levin, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities. With the reorganization, Chris Casey, vice president, diamonds, will continue to head that business, while Lori Monaco, vice president for NPD’s fashion footwear and accessories businesses, will also oversee watches and designer jewelry.
Kantar, London, has launched a new corporate identity for its parent brand and its family of 12 operating brands to be rolled out in the coming months across all external and internal communications channels. Operating brands not previously Kantar-branded will take a Kantar prefix (for example: TNS and Millward Brown will become Kantar TNS and Kantar Millward Brown) and a new, common typeface. The only exception is Lightspeed GMI, which now rebrands as Lightspeed. The company has also launched two new operating brands, Kantar Public and Kantar Consulting.
In Waltham, Mass., health care solutions firm Verisk Health is rebranding to Verscend Technologies Inc. As part of the transition, Emad Rizk has joined the company as CEO.
Plano, Texas, firm Research Now has opened a new office in Gurgaon, India. The new facility will provide space for more than 50 staff servicing the India market, Asia-Pacific clients and Research Now’s global teams.
Stockholm-based research firm Cint has opened an office in San Francisco, the fifth U.S. location for the firm. Deputy CEO Richard Thornton will relocate to head up the new office and build the team.
Oslo, Norway, integrated data services firm Norstat has opened an office in Paris and has appointed Marc-Antoine Jacoud as managing director of Norstat France.
Research consultancy Kelton Global has relocated its headquarters from Culver City, Calif., to Playa Vista, Calif., to accommodate its expansion, diversification of services and its expanding list of clients.
Alpharetta, Ga., sample provider P2Sample is relocating its headquarters to accommodate its growth. Additionally, the firm has added a dozen new team members since January 2016 and plans to grow its team by 38 percent by the end of 2017.
India-based research firm MarketsandMarkets has launched its North American headquarters in Seattle. The company has also hired a new team to lead its North American operations: Dan Holmes will serve as senior vice president and head of the North American operations; Frank Capovilla will serve as group vice president; Lisa Whalen will serve as vice president of consulting for the automotive practice; and Jagdish Rebello will serve as global vice president for the firm’s semiconductors and electronics practice.
Sparks Research, Clemson, S.C., has opened a second office in Greenville, S.C. The firm plans to continue to expand its presence in Greenville by adding personnel and specialized research capabilities and facilities, including an expansion of their qualitative services, with an emphasis on focus group facilitation and moderation.
Kantar, London, has launched Kantar Public, a new global brand that will work with clients in government, the public sector, global institutions, NGOs and commercial businesses to advise in the delivery of public policy, public services and public communications. Michelle Harrison has been named global CEO and the chair of Kantar Public UK.
Research company earnings/financial news
Seattle-based research firm Discuss.io has raised $880,000 from Unilever Ventures, the venture capital and private equity arm of London-based consumer goods company Unilever, and other existing investors.
Market research language and translation service firm GlobaLexicon, London, reported that it achieved its third consecutive year of over 50 percent revenue growth.
Chicago-based data science and media technology company 4C Insights Inc. has raised $26 million in Series C financing led by Kayne Partners. All previous investors also participated in the round. The company plans to use the funds for geographic and product expansion as well as adding technical talent and sales resources. Leon Chen, vice president of Kayne Partners, will join the 4C board of directors.