News notes
QSR International, a Doncaster, Australia, research software company, has selected Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa., and the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, as recipients of the first NVivo 8 teaching grants, worth $10,000 each. The grants are intended to help each institution offer students access to qualitative data analysis technology and research methods using NVivo 8 software.
IMS Health, a Norwalk, Conn., research company, intends to eliminate 850 jobs, citing the need to reduce costs and focus on markets with high growth.
Robert Groves has been confirmed as director of the U.S. Census Bureau. The Marketing Research Association, Glastonbury, Conn., endorsed his nomination on May 13, 2009, and lobbied for his appointment.
Second To None Inc., an Ann Arbor, Mich., research company, celebrated its 20th anniversary in June 2009.
EMI Surveys, a Cincinnati research company, hit a record high for monthly sales in May 2009.
Acquisitions/transactions
The U.K. division of French research company Cegedim Strategic Data (CSD) has acquired Hospital Marketing Services, a Hampshire, U.K., data analysis company. CSD plans to expand its patient data analysis to include hospital specialists.
After six months, Nuremberg, Germany, research company The GfK Group’s retail and technology division has completed its takeover of Ifop Music, a Paris surveying company. Ifop will continue trading under its existing name.
IBM, an Armonk, N.Y., technology firm, has agreed to acquire Chicago research company SPSS Inc. in an all-cash transaction for $50 per share, resulting in a total cash consideration of approximately $1.2 billion. The deal is expected to close later in the second half of 2009.
Paris research company Ipsos has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the share capital of Market Research Bureau of Ireland Limited, Blackrock, Ireland, pending approval from the European Competition Authority.
Allegiance Inc., a Salt Lake City research company, has acquired Inquisite, an Austin, Texas, research software company, in an effort to expand its enterprise feedback management offerings.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
Research companies Delve, St. Louis, and The Focus Room Inc., New York, have partnered to offer research companies a solution to facilitate qualitative research and streamline and manage data collection needs.
Starcom MediaVest Group, Chicago, has teamed up with Telemundo Communications, Hiahleah, Fla., to expand its Beyond Demographics research initiative to the Latino market. The companies are undertaking a study to examine consumer behavior for the U.S. Hispanic market.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft and Reston, Va., research company comScore have collaborated to design a digital media-planning service dubbed the Reach and Frequency Planner. The goal is to combine Microsoft’s ad data with demographics from comScore’s research to provide advertisers with the same tracking information they would have with an offline campaign.
The Kantar Group, the Fairfield, Conn., insight arm of London communications company WPP, has begun merging the online panel business of Lightspeed Research, Basking Ridge, N.J., with the 6th Dimension panel service from Horsham, Pa., research company TNS. The merged business will operate under the Lightspeed Research name.
Kantar-affiliated research companies Dynamic Logic, New York, and Compete, Boston, have partnered to combine digital advertising campaigns with online consumer behavior metrics to evaluate online marketing effectiveness.
Research firms Vovici, Dulles, Va., and Omega Management Group Corp., Billerica, Mass., have partnered to use customer experience management strategies and enterprise feedback management to help organizations improve ongoing customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty. Under the agreement, the companies will cooperate on Web-based marketing, visibility at industry events and other programs to develop new sales opportunities.
Association/organization news
The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), McLean, Va., has joined the Media Rating Council (MRC), New York, an industry-funded, self-regulatory body that audits and accredits audience rating services. The AHAA board of directors unanimously approved membership in the MRC to insure accurate representation of the Hispanic market in audience measurement.
Awards/rankings
Research companies The MSR Group, Omaha, Neb., and iModerate, Denver, have been named to Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies at numbers 3,608 and 718, respectively.
New accounts/projects
Carbonview Research, Jupiter, Fla., has selected Westport, Conn., research company RelevantView to enhance its real-time respondent quality technology and validation process using RelevantView’s RelevantID solution.
Scarborough Research, New York, has incorporated cell phone-only users into the sample frame for its syndicated local market studies. Scarborough Research will employ an address-based sample to identify cell phone-only populations, and the sample will be combined with the company’s traditional landline telephone sample frame. Scarborough will use the new treatment in 10 local market studies initially.
Cologne, Germany, research company Globalpark has committed to sponsoring the research industry’s sixth-annual international survey into market research technology. The survey, formerly sponsored by Norway-based software maker Confirmit, will be called The Globalpark Annual Market Research Software Survey and will continue to be designed and carried out by meaning ltd, a London research consulting company.
Dallas research company e-Rewards Inc. has entered into an agreement with Mexicana Airlines, Oxnard, Calif. Members of the airline’s loyalty rewards program MexicanaGO will have the opportunity to enroll in e-Rewards’ opinion panels and earn MexicanaGO points in exchange for time spent participating in online market research surveys.
Columbia, Md., research company Arbitron Inc. has commercialized its Portable People Meter (PPM) radio ratings service in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Fla., market. The PPM radio audience estimates for this market may be used as the basis for buy/sell transactions of radio commercial time among subscribing stations, agencies and advertisers.
Stockholm, Sweden, research company Cint has been selected by panelbase.net, a division of Northumberland, U.K., research company Dipsticks Research, to market its U.K. panel to Cint’s global network of market research buyers. The panel will be accessible in Cint Panel Exchange.
Additionally, Cint has been selected by United Minds, a Stockholm, Sweden, analytics company, to conduct a national poll to gauge public opinion toward each of the main political parties in Sweden. Results are published by Aftonbladet, a daily newspaper in Sweden.
The Surrey Chambers of Commerce has chosen EasyInsites, a Surrey, U.K., research company, to build, maintain and utilize its online Advisory Panel. EasyInsites has also been selected to provide research design and analysis, as well as all online qual and quant fieldwork services for the organization.
London research company Verve has been appointed to take over the management of the Which? Survey Panel, London. Verve has taken over the contract from incumbent provider, Lightspeed Research, Basking Ridge, N.J. The Which? Survey Panel will be rebranded Which? Connect.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
20/20 Research Inc., Nashville, Tenn., has expanded its project management services to include a West Coast desk. The location will be staffed Monday through Friday until 7 p.m. PT.
Survey Sampling International, Shelton, Conn., has opened local client services in Hong Kong and Singapore, led by Keaton Fong and Kien Hoo Yap, respectively.
Reston, Va., research company comScore has expanded its relationship with New York media company GroupM’s Interaction APAC to include the entire Asia-Pacific region.
New York researcher The Nielsen Company has launched a business consulting services group in India. Asitava Sen will lead the group.
Majestic Market Research Support Services, New Delhi, has commenced full-service operations in Jakarta, India, with 20 employees at the location.
Phoenix research company Cambiar has launched its research transformation consulting practice. Ian Lewis will serve as director of the practice.
Ipsos Reid, the Vancouver, B.C., division of Paris research company Ipsos, has remodeled and reopened its focus group facility.
Paul Kirch has launched ActusMR Inc., a sales management firm for the marketing research industry, located at 401 E. Corporate Dr., Lewisville, Texas. The firm is online at www.actusmr.com.
Dallas research company e-Rewards Inc. has opened an office is Paris. Katia Levy and Virginie Le Rat have joined the Paris office as sales managers.
Research company earnings/financial news
GfK Retail and Technology, a division of The GfK Group, Nuremberg, Germany, has increased its stake in its Indian joint venture with Nielsen from 40 percent to 50.1 percent. The joint venture company will be included in the consolidated accounts of The GfK Group. The joint venture will be renamed GfK-Nielsen India Private Limited.
Globalpark, Cologne, Germany, reported revenues for the second quarter of 2009 at EUR 2.5 million, a 35 percent increase over the same period in 2008. During the quarter, Globalpark added several new customers, in addition to growth from its existing customer base.
Research Now, London, released its interim statement for the six months ended April 30, 2009. Revenue rose 24 percent to £23.6 million (£19.1 million in 2008), and the company saw growth in all markets. Repeat business generated 92 percent of revenue. Operating profit rose 46 percent to £4.0 million (£2.7 million in 2008), and operating margin increased to 16.9 percent (14.3 percent in 2008). Basic earnings per share increased 33 percent to 12.5 pence (9.4 pence per share in 2008).
Nunwood, Leeds, U.K., announced a 14.9 percent rise in sales in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year. The agency’s turnover stands at almost £5 million. This has been driven by solid performance from its North American and European insight businesses, coupled with growth from its Fizz knowledge management division.
Arbitron Inc., Columbia, Md., announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009. Revenue was $185.3 million, an increase of 7.3 percent over revenue of $172.7 million for the same period in 2008. Net income for the quarter was $3.5 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared with $600,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2008. Revenues were $86.8 million, an increase of 10.4 percent over revenue of $78.7 million during the second quarter of 2008.
IMS Health, Norwalk, Conn., reported financial results for the second quarter of 2009. The company reported net income of $62.9 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.34, compared with net income of $77.7 million and EPS of $0.42 in the second quarter of 2008. Revenue was $522.8 million, down 13 percent or 7 percent constant dollar. Including the $25.4 million asset impairment and other charge, operating income in the 2009 second quarter was $69.3 million, compared with $131.4 million in the year-earlier period.
Revenues for the first half of 2009 were $1,049.8 million, down 11 percent, compared with revenue of $1,174.9 million for the first half of 2008. Including the $25.4 million asset impairment and other charge, first half 2009 operating income was $170.2 million, compared with $247.8 million in the year-earlier period.
Forrester Research Inc., Cambridge, Mass., reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009. Total revenues were $61.6 million, compared with $63.5 million for the second quarter of last year. On a GAAP-reported basis, Forrester reported net income of $6.2 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared with net income of $8.6 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, for the same period last year.
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2009, total revenues were $118 million, compared with $118.4 million for the same period last year. On a GAAP-reported basis, net income was $8.8 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared with net income of $13.7 million or $0.58 per diluted share for the same period last year.
Kadence International, London, reported a 40 percent increase in U.K. sales to £4m for the financial year 2008-2009.
ComScore Inc., Reston, Va., announced financial results for the second quarter of 2009. Revenue was $31.4 million. GAAP income before income taxes was $2.6 million, and non-GAAP net income was $5.2 million.
InfoGroup, Omaha, Neb., reported preliminary unaudited financial results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2009. During the second quarter, infoGroup delivered revenue of $122.2 million, compared to $148.5 million for the same period in 2008.
Operating income for the second quarter of 2009 was $1.5 million, which included $12.5 million of restructuring, non-recurring and non-cash charges, compared to $8.1 million in the second quarter of 2008, which included $8.3 million of similar charges. Net income for the second quarter of 2009 was $0.6 million, or EPS of $0.01, compared to net income of $4.3 million, or EPS of $0.08 in 2008.
SPSS Inc., Chicago, reported results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2009. Second-quarter revenues were $69.7 million, down 8 percent from $75.7 million in the 2008 second quarter. Excluding the unfavorable effects of currency exchange rates, total revenues were flat compared to 2008 second quarter revenues. Operating income for the 2009 second quarter was $11.3 million, or 16 percent of revenues, compared to $10.9 million, or 14 percent of revenues, in the 2008 second quarter. The 2009 second-quarter operating income and operating margin were the highest in company history. Net income for the 2009 second quarter was $6.2 million, down 12 percent from $7.0 million in the 2008 second quarter. Diluted EPS for the 2009 second quarter was $0.32, down 14 percent from EPS of $0.37 in the 2008 second quarter.
Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2009, totalled $141.8 million, down 8 percent from $153.9 million for the same period in 2008. Excluding the effects of unfavorable currency exchange rates, total revenues were flat compared to the first six months of 2008. Operating income was $28.5 million, or 20 percent of revenues, compared to $24.8 million, or 16 percent of revenues, in the 2008 six-month period. Net income was $15.5 million, down 3 percent from $16.1 million in the 2008 period. EPS was $0.80, a 5 percent decline from $0.84 EPS in 2008.
Datascension Inc., Las Vegas, announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009. Earnings were $875,325 over the prior-year period and total net revenues decreased to $3.8 million from $4.7 million, a decline of 18.7 percent year-over-year and 2.3 percent sequential increase over first-quarter results. Net income was $201,434 for the quarter, compared to a net loss of ($673,891) for the three months ended June 30, 2008. Basic and diluted income per share was $0.01, compared to basic and diluted loss per share of ($0.02) for the prior-year period.
The Nielsen Company, New York, announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009. Reported revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2009, were $1,227 million, a decrease of 6 percent over reported revenues for the prior-year period of $1,304 million. Reported operating income was $184 million, compared to $169 million for the prior-year period. These results were negatively impacted by $6 million and $9 million of charges relating to restructuring costs, respectively. Adjusting for these items, operating income, on a constant currency basis, increased 15 percent.
Reported revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2009, were $2,360 million, a decrease of 6 percent over reported revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2008. Excluding the impact of currency fluctuations, revenues for the six months increased 1 percent. Reported operating income was $293 million, compared to $284 million for the prior-year period.
Vision Critical, Vancouver, B.C., achieved a 75 percent increase in year-to-year gross revenue in the first half of 2009.
The GfK Group, Nuremberg, Germany, increased sales by 10.6 percent to EUR 292.8 million in the second quarter of 2009, compared to the first quarter. Overall, sales amounted to EUR 557.5 million (down 5.5 percent on the prior year). Organic sales were down by 8.5 percent. Acquisitions contributed a total of 2.2 percent to sales growth. Currency effects, mainly resulting from the devaluation of the U.S. dollar and revaluation of pound sterling against the euro, increased sales by 0.8 percent.
Adjusted operating income increased to EUR 36.8 million, compared to EUR 14.8 million in the first quarter of the year. In the first six months of 2009, income totaled EUR 51.6 million, compared to EUR 66.8 million in the same period of the prior year.
National Research Corporation, Lincoln, Neb., announced results for the second quarter 2009. Revenue for the quarter rose 14 percent to $13.6 million, compared to $11.9 million for the same period in 2008. Net income for the second quarter increased 6 percent to $1.6 million, or $0.24 basic and diluted EPS, compared to net income of $1.6 million, or $0.24 basic and $0.23 diluted EPS, in the prior-year period. Operating income increased 6 percent to $2.7 million, compared to $2.6 million for the same period in 2008.
Revenue for the first half of 2009 increased 20 percent to $30.3 million, compared to $25.4 million for the same period in 2008. Net income increased 19 percent to $4.3 million, resulting in $0.64 basic and $0.63 diluted EPS, up 21 percent and 22 percent respectively, over the prior-year period.
Harris Interactive, Rochester, N.Y., announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2009. Total revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 was $43.5 million, compared with $63.5 million for the same period in the prior year. Operating loss was ($0.1) million, compared with an operating loss of ($87.7) million for the same period in the prior year. The operating loss included $0.2 million in restructuring and other charges. Net loss was ($0.7) million, compared with a net loss of ($85.7) million, for the same period in 2008.
Total revenue for the full year was $184.3 million, compared with $238.7 million for the prior year. Operating loss was ($56.4) million, compared with an operating loss of ($84.6) million for 2008. Net loss was ($75.3) million, compared with a net loss of ($84.6) million, for the prior year.