The European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) has issued a report on a new standard system for assessing the social and economic standing of the populations of European countries. While the system of demographic classifications is designed for pan-European studies, it can be applied in other parts of the world. The new ESOMAR standard form of demographics can be applied to international surveys despite differences in language, culture and economic development and can help ensure that the results are directly comparable from one country to another. The building blocks for the new ESOMAR Social Grade system are:
- occupation groups, defined according to the occupation of the main income earner (MIE), the person who contributes most to the household income;
- terminal education age (education level of the MIE), which sidesteps the problem of comparing the wide variety of diplomas and takes into account those who resume general education later in life;
- economic status of the household defined according to ownership of 10 consumer durables rather than by income (this is for non-active MIEs).
The ESOMAR system has been tested by the European Commission in several Eurobarometer surveys. The report includes a summary of the results obtained from using the system in several waves of the pan-European Union survey, analyzed at both EU level and country level. The report also includes a practical guide on how to apply the ESOMAR Social grade system in everyday research, together with the recommended questionnaire.
SPSS Inc., Chicago, has an agreement in principle to acquire In2itive Technologies Corp. The transaction was expected to be completed as a pooling of interests in which SPSS will issue approximately 145,000 shares of its common stock. Denmark-based In2itive develops Windows-based software for the research industry.
Audits & Surveys Worldwide, Inc., New York, has joined two other research firms, The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, N.Y., and GfK AG, Nurnberg, Germany, providers of the INTELECT retail sales tracking service, to form a joint venture to track the information technologies, consumer electronics, imaNng and home appliances markets. The new venture, INTELECT ASW Marketing Services, L.L.C., will provide retail point-of-sale tracking through a comprehensive panel of retailers and dealers in the U.S. and around the world.
Wolf/Altschul/Callahan, Inc., New York, has opened a new, 8,000- square-foot facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., featuring four focus group suites, accommodations for 25 clientviewers, on-site recruiting, kitchen facilities and FocusVision videoconferencing.
Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) and the Global Textile Network (GTN) have announced that D&B’s business and purchasing information is now available through GTN’s Web site (http://www.g-t-n.com). Both companies expect the new information services to help GTN members in the textile industry evaluate the benefits and risks of doing business together. GTN was formed in 1996 to bring together buyers, sellers and traders from every segment of the worldwide textile market over the Web.
Quantum Consulting has opened a new, two-room, 2,000-square-foot focus group facility in Berkeley, Calif., at 2030 Addison St.
Discovery Research Group has remodeled its Irvine, Calif., facility, adding fully-equipped client offices; expanded viewing areas and office space; client conference rooms with private office; new furnishings; and an enlarged administrative suite.
Directions In Research, San Diego, has moved to larger offices. The company now occupies its own building at 8593 Aero Drive. The office features a 100-station CATI room and two focus group suites.
Chicago-based Market Facts, Inc., has opened a new office at 1201 Peachtree St. N.E., in Atlanta. The office will be headed by Sara Ohmer.
Millennium Research Inc., St. Paul, is now offering international market research services in Brazil and Argentina.
Inc. magazine has named MarketVision/Gateway, Inc., a Cincinnati, Ohio, research firm, one of the fastest-growing companies in the country.
The University of Texas at Arlington College of Business Administration’s marketing department has awarded $8,000 in academic scholarships to eight students enrolled in the Masters of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program. Scholarship recipients are Paige Bower and Jacqueline Cutting, both of Dallas; Li Lu of Honolulu; Athanasion Maimarides, Jinsun Park, Qing Xue and Chao-Ying Yu, all of Arlington; and Jason Petrie of Spring, Texas. The scholarships were donated by EDS, The M/AJR/C Group, The Kantar Group, Dr Pepper, UTA marketing Chairman and Professor Dr. Carl McDaniel, The Burke Institute, SBC Foundation, and Decision Analyst.
ACNielsen Corp., Stamford, Conn., posted sharply higher net income and earnings per share in the third quarter. Net income reached $13.7 million, up 65.1 percent over last year’s $8.3 million. Earnings per share were $0.23, compared with $0.15 per share in 1996.
Employees of Cincinnati, Ohiobased Burke, Inc., have sold 50 percent of the company to Infratest Burke AG of Munich, Germany. The remaining 50 percent of shares will continue to be held by employees of Burke, Inc. Ron Tatham remains chairman of Burke, Inc., and the current management structure will be unaffected. A board of management, chaired by Hartmut Kiock, operates Infratest Burke. Tatham and Burke, Inc., President Michael Baumgardner, along with Kiock and Infratest Burke CFO Werner Hampf will make up the board of directors for the partnership.
V & L Research and Consulting, Inc., has moved to a new location at 655 Village Square Dr., Ste. 101, Stone Mountain, Ga. The new facility features two focus group rooms and a test kitchen.
Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, and Media Marketing Assessment will team up to conduct AD WORKS II, a study of the sales impact of television advertising in the consumer packaged goods industry. The joint study will analyze more than 2,000 brands in geographically dispersed U.S. markets. The effectiveness of advertising, pricing, merchandising and coupons will be evaluated against several known factors to determine contribution to brand performance.
The Athletic Footwear Association, North Palm Beach, Fla., a committee of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, has teamed up with The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., to introduce a biannual athletic footwear report that measures the size and trends in the consumer market. The synopsis will measure the total retail market size and performance, as well as the shoe type for men, women and children by channel of distribution, price point, primary usage, and key demographics such as age groups, household income and geographical region.
CB&A Market Research, Winston-Salem, N.C., has been selected to provide a study of local travel habits in Denver. The results will be used to plan for future transportation needs.
InterActive Research, Atlanta, has acquired Project Research, Inc. (PRI), Minneapolis. PRI will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of InterActive. Kevin Menk, founder of PRI, will continue as president of the company and will assume additional responsibilities as executive vice president of InterActive Research.
Ecker and Associates, Inc., has remodeled its facility in south San Francisco, adding four private client offices, a viewable living room setup and a large conference room/viewing room suite.
NFO Worldwide, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., has filed a shelf registration for the sale of approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock pursuant to contractual arrangements with selling shareholders of two companies, Prognostics and The MBL Group Plc, which were acquired during April and July, respectively. Currently, these holders are registering only a small portion of the more than 4.6 million shares they own. "We hope that this transaction will result in increased liquidity and a broadened shareholder base of actively traded NFO shares, as well as increased visibility for NFO within the investment community," says NFO President Patrick Healy. In other news, the company reported a third-quarter revenue increase of 29 percent, to $49.3 million compared to $38.2 million for the same period a year ago. Thirdquarter net income rose by 41 percent to $4.0 million and primary earnings per share increased by 36 percent to $0.19, excluding a transaction charge of $840,000, or $0.04 per share, relating to the acquisition of The MBL Group. Including the charge, primary earnings per share were $0.15,7 percent higher than the $0.14 per share earned in the 1996 third quarter.
IntelliQuest Information Group, Inc., Austin, Texas, has formed an alliance with RelevantKnowledge, Inc., to create a new service, called the Computer Industry Media Study for the Internet, to measure and report the Web usage of technology buyers.