Harris Interactive, a Rochester. N. Y. research company, announced the launch of the Harris Sports Poll.The Harris Sports Poll provides information for the sports industry to make sound strategic decisions. The poll asks numerous questions on sponsorship, fan level, Internet, media, purchasing, participation, hot topics and more with a significant number of respondents to provide targeted information on consumers' sports related interests and behaviors and to predict future trends. The Harris Sports Poll will enable the media to see what the viewing public thinks about vital issues in the sporting world - providing data for feature stories and revealing what is hot in sports. teams. markets. and current events.
Florida-based research firm SIL Worldwide Marketing Services has moved its offices to 413 Northeast Third St.. Delray Beach, Fla. The firm has also opened a Latin America CATI Centre in Miami for central location business-to-business telephone research.
Nielsen Media Research has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which VNU USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of VNU NV. will acquire all of the common stock of Nielsen Media Research for $37.75 per share in cash. VNU is a publicly traded international publishing and information company headquartered in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The Nielsen Media Research - NetRatings, Inc., agreement will not be affected by the merger.
Full-service research firms Quick Test, Inc., Jupiter. Fla., and Heakin Research, Olympia Fields, III., have announced that they will merge. The senior management teams at both firms will remain in place. The new network of firms will have over 100 locations in 40 markets coveling 26 states.
Doane Marketing Research, St. Louis, is now offeling a shared-cost market research study entitled "Part Time, Pleasure Farmers and Their Fann Input Purchasing."
The Rowes Wharf focus group center of Focus On Boston is now a member of FocusVision Worldwide, providing videoconferencing services.
Barbara Burbridge, fonner director of operations and field manager for Frederick Schneiders Research, Washington, D.C., has founded her own company, Data Harvest, an independent field management firm located in Gaithersburg, Md.
Chicago-based C&R Research Services' proprietary computerized interviewing technology CRIMSON was used to identify the commercial designated as the Best of Show at the Golden Marble Awards in New York in September. Children ages nine to 13 viewed the 17 Golden Marb1e category winners and selected their favorite.
VNU Marketing InformationServices has joined two of its divisions, National Decision Systems and Claritas Inc. Both firms provide business infonnation products and services. With the change, NDS becomes an operating division of Claritas. Concurrent with the announcement, Robert Nascenzi has been named president and CEO of Claritas.
Total Research Corp., Princeton, N.J., has been selected as a Microsoft Marketing Vendor Program Member. Program members are firms from a wide range of industries that work with Microsoft to extend the Microsoft brand through marketing communications. The Foote, Cone & Belding ad agency is now using the on-line research services of Digital Marketing Services, Dallas, as part of its client strategy development.
Varga Research, Orlando, Fla., has opened a new focus group facility, featuring four focus group rooms. Each room contains private viewing areas, seating for up to 25, client discussion rooms, separate climate controls and audio/video recording.
Data collection firm Field Facts Worldwide has moved its operation to London's West End. The location features focus group facilities, a test kitchen, and a CATI facility. The new address is 11 Weymouth St., London, WIN 3FG.
Earlier this summer, CLT Interactive, a division of CLT Research Associates, New York, conducted four global focus groups on behalf of the New York American Marketing Association. Each group comprised respondents from four continents and the total project covered 20 countries. Respondents entered into a global discussion on-line in English moderated by Ira Goodman. The groups were also taken to a Web site in real time to evaluate a new product and service. The groups were conducted in the early morning and evening to blidge the world's time zones.
The M/A/R/C Group, Irving, Texas, has sold its minority ownership position in Digital Marketing Services, Inc. (DMS), an on-line incentive marketing and research company, to America Online Inc. for an undisclosed cash payment and a multiple year continuing access agreement. DMS was founded in 1995 as a joint venture between The M/ AfR/C Group and America Online.
National Computer Systems, Minneapolis, has secured two contracts with the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA). The VHA's Center for Health Quality, Outcomes and Economic Research has contracted with NCS to survey 1.5 million veterans about their health status. NCS was also awarded a three-year contract with the VHA's National Customer Feedback Center to help implement a customer satisfaction/customer feedback program.
IntelliQuest has signed an agreement to merge with Millward Brown, Fairfield, Conn. IntelliQuest will be the technology practice within Millward Brown, which is a division of Kantar, the U.K.-based global research and information group within WPP, a communications firm.
Horsham, Pa.-based Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch (TNS Intersearch), the U.S. headquarters of the Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) group, has acquired Market Development, Inc., a San Diego, Calif., research firm. MDI will operate as a TNS Intersearch Business under the direction of Bruce Shandler, president and CEO of Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch. The current owners, Loretta H. Adams, Henry Adams and Roger Sennott, will stay with the company. In other news, TNS Intersearch has also acquired QCR Associates, Inc., a Modesto. Calif., medical market research firm.
WMB & Associates, an Apopka, Fla. research firm, now supports advanced segmentation studies using SPSS's AnswerTree. AnswerTree incorporates several classification models to analyze relationships then display the results in decision tree formats.
ACNielsen Corporation, Stamford, Conn., has acquired full ownership of Market Decisions, a joint-venture business that provides controlled market and in-store testing for both new and established consumer products in the United States. ACNielsen purchased 55 percent of Market Decisions from Cincinnati-based Market Decisions, Inc. ACNielsen had owned a 45 percent share of the joint venture since 1994, when it was formed. Richard C. Seal, chief executive officer of Market Decisions, will continue to lead the business, which will now be known as ACNielsen Market Decisions. Separately, ACNielsen Corp. reported diluted earnings per share of $0.35, an increase of29.6 percent, on net income of $20.9 million, which was up 29.9 percent. Reported earnings were reduced by an after-tax expense of $2.1 million, or $0.04 per share. for Y2K computer software modifications, and a negative, after-tax impact of $1.3 million or $0.02 per share, as a result of foreign currency translation.
Chicago software maker SPSS Inc. announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 1999: net revenues of $33.3 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.35.
NFO Worldwide, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., has reported second-quarter and six-month results. Revenues for the second quarter increased 84 percent to $119.4 million from $65.0 million for the same period last year. Operating income increased 49 percent to $12.6 million from $8.4 million a year ago. As a result of increased interest expense and a higher effective tax rate, both associated with recent acquisitions, net income for the qUaI1erincreased 17 percent to $5.1 million from $4.4 million reported last year. Diluted earnings per share increased 15 percent to $0.23 per share from $0.20 per share a year ago. The second qUaI1er'S and six month's results include the results of Infratest Burke, which was acquired on November 20, 1998. For the six months ended June 30, 1999, revenues increased 96 percent to $225.8 million from $115.2 million in the same period last year. Operating income increased 55 percent to $20.7 million from $13.3 million. Net income increased 17percent to $8.0 million from $6.8 million a year ago, while diluted earnings per share increased by 13 percent, to $0.36 from $0.32.
Socratic Technologies has moved to new offices at 2505 Mariposa St., San Francisco, Calif.
Atkins Research Group has opened a new, four-suite Los Angeles focus group facility on the corner of Wilshire & Highland on Museum Row.
United Information Group (UIG) recently signed a three-year global agreement with SPSS MR. Under the terms of the contract, the group will use the full range of SPSS MR software products. This agreement standardizes the use of SPSS software across UIG member companies worldwide. UIG is the market research and information division of United News & Media, an international media and information group operating. The division includes Audits & Surveys, Mediamark Research, Market Measures and NOP. Separately, UlG has acquired Strategic Marketing Corporation (SMC), a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., market research company, for $18 million.
Chicago-based SPSS MR, the market research operating unit of SPSS Inc., recently signed a contract with Dallas- based M/A/R/C Research, Inc. The agreement expands the range of SPSS MR software used by M/A/R/C in its survey design, data collection and analysis.
The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, N.Y., and GfKAG, previously partners in INTELECT ASW, have acquired INTELECT ASW company shares formerly held by Audits & Surveys Worldwide, Inc. (ASW). With the transaction, NPD and GfK become sole partners in the venture, which has been renamed NPD INTELECT. NPD INTELECT is a leading market tracking service that provides sell-through information and analysis for the consume electronics, information technology and appliance industries.
Total Research Corporation, Princeton, N.J., has announced the introduction of Total e-Survey, a new product which combines the firm's market research technologies and international expertise with web survey capability. The on-line surveys will be offered as part of Total Research's complete, integrated data collecting and analysis programs. Total e-Survey, to be located at Total Research's web site, will include strategically designed surveys on topics of current interest as well as client-specific programs. Participating clients in a broad range of industries from life sciences to telecommunications will be able to privately access a variety of real-time reports on-line, including aggregated data and summary reports.
Spiller Research Group, St. Petersburg. Fla., has launched a new division, Spiller Advanced Research, which will specialize in the health care industry.
The board of directors of The M/A/R/C Group, Dallas, declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share.
On2.com Inc., a New York developer of a network of Web channels for broadband-enabled consumers has partnered with Burke ICE, the information, communications and enter1ainment division of Cincinnati-based Burke, Inc. to conduct high-bandwidth market research, enabling on-line advertisers and content providers to measure and capture consumer preferences, attitudes and perceptions in the broadband environment.
Opinion Research Corporation, Princeton, N.J., reported that revenues and operating income for the second quarter and for the first half of the year set new records and net income and earnings per share showed significant increases. Net income for the second quarter of 1999 was $595,000, an increase of 29 percent compared to $462,000 a year ago, excJuding extraordinary second quarter charges of $90,000 in 1999 and $150,000 in 1998 in connection with debt refinancings. Fully diluted 1999 second quarter earnings per share were $0.14, an increase of 40 percent compared to $0.10 in the second quarter of 1998, excluding the extraordinary charges. Net income for the first half of 1999 was $1,147,000, an increase of 29 percent compared to $887,000 a year ago, excluding extraordinary second quarter debt refinancing charges. Fully diluted eamings per share for the first half were $.27, an increase of 35 percent compared to $.20 in the first half of 1998, excluding the extraordinary charges.
Laurel, Md.-based iAtlas Corporation, developer of filtering technology for Internet searching, has partnered with New York-based USADATA. com to deliver Web-based business research analysis to organizations by incorporating iAtlas' patent-pending InfoLens Research technology on the USADATA.com Web site (www.usadata.com). The InfoLens will allow USADATA.com visitors to conduct focused Web-based business research via the Internet, based on business demographics, geographic location, and/or industryspecific categories. Under the terms of this agreement, USADATA.com is also licensed to resell iAtlas' Infolens market research tools.
Publications Resource Group, Inc. (PRG), North Adams, Mass., has added several research firms to its list of partners. Richard K. Miller & Associates, Inc., Education Market Research, Food Technology Intelligence, Inc., Leatherhead Food Research Association, Strategy Research Corporation and Takeda Pacific, Inc. have signed up to allow PRG, Inc. to sell their market research reports and newsletters through the Web site.
DoubleClick Inc., an Intemet advertising firm, has announced a partnership with Millward Brown Interactive, a San Francisco research firm, under which DoubleClick will use Millward Brown Interactive's Audience Audit surveying product on its Select Network sites.