October 2006 GMI Newsletter

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Welcome to the October 2006 edition of our newsletter.

PureSample momentum continues

The PureSample initiative is a collaboration between research buyers and suppliers intended to assure the integrity of online panels. Initially announced at the ESOMAR Congress in London back in September, the industry response to the PureSample initiative has been strong. This month, we are pleased to announce continued progress. Notable developments during October include:

• PureSample database growth: the PureSample database has grown to 3,169 known cases of respondent quality incidents, and now reflects the participation of many companies. The reported incidents include a growing number of industry reported cases of fraudulent identity, "speeding" through surveys, and implausible responses, among other primary infractions.
• PureSample Web Services: during October, a second phase of technology development has been completed. The newest release includes an expanded set of web services designed to enable real-time access to the PureSample database. Details about the PureSample web services can be found here.
• PureSample Advisory Board: an advisory board for online panel integrity has been formed. The committee is chaired by GMI's Chief Technology Officer Dr. Mitch Eggers, Ph.D. Confirmed board delegates include key figures from the market research industry. The committee will be working together to develop and execute industry standards for online panel.
  
  
• Download the fact sheet
• Contact us
• Learn more about PureSample

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GMI and Microsoft present new industry vision at CASRO

In the context of the seismic shifts occurring in today's market research industry, GMI and Microsoft made a joint presentation entitled Technology and Data Integration at CASRO's 31st Annual Conference held in Marina del Rey the week of October 16th. The feedback from conference participants on this session has been outstanding. Dr. Larry Schack, Ph.D., president of the Americas for GMI, presented the company's enabling Enterprise Research Management (ERM) vision. Kevin Taylor, Group Manager with Microsoft's CMR&I Group (Corporate Marketing Research & Insights) demonstrated how to bring process and technology innovation together with superior talent to deliver a more efficient and effective solution. Facing competitive pressures around the globe, corporations increasingly demand readily integrated intelligence and insights that draw upon multiple sources to deliver a complete 180-degree view of their business. They also demand access to this intelligence at any time and from any location - over the web and via their PCs, laptops and other devices.

By taking advantage of the trends in globalization, outsourcing, the Internet, and the enabling software solution provided by ERM, these integrated insights can now be delivered in real time.

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GMI acquires Appian Analytics

GMI strengthens service offering with data analytics and dashboarding tools to make Enterprise Research Management a reality.

GMI announced today that it has acquired Appian Analytics based in San Ramon, Calif. The company is a leading player in the development and implementation of business analytics solutions, which help businesses use their research data more effectively and efficiently. Appian Analytics will help support GMI's Enterprise Research Management (ERM) vision by rounding out GMI's service offering through its three core competencies: (1) business analytics services, (2) high-volume data processing, and (3) data visualization, including dynamic reporting and interactive executive dashboarding. Appian Analytics, which was founded by Anthony Milano in November 2003, draws on a wide range of decision support frameworks that leverage leading methods in decision theory, management science and computer technology. Milano will continue to serve as president of Appian Analytics, which already serves dozens of agencies and blue-chip corporations in industry sectors ranging from high-tech to healthcare.

Rob Monster, founder, chairman and CEO of GMI, explains the logic behind the deal: "The addition of the Appian Analytics team is a response to our clients' growing need for integrated intelligence solutions, including dashboards and management consoles that address decision support challenges that organizations are facing. Advanced dashboarding as well as other emerging solutions for data delivery are core to our goal of making Enterprise Research Management a reality."

"We are delighted to become part of GMI and bring increased GMI presence in the Bay area," adds Anthony Milano, president of Appian Analytics. "Our powerfully illustrated dashboards turn complex data sets into revealing metrics that enable customers to spend less time on information management and instead focus on what's important: driving meaningful insights that lead to winning decisions."

Contact us for an evaluation of your dashboard needs

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Customer case study

Leo Burnett UK selects GMI to power research offering

Originally founded in Chicago in 1935 with eight employees and three clients, Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc. today spans a global network of over 200 operating units, including a variety of specialty marketing services and 94 full-service advertising agencies in 83 countries.

London-based Leo Burnett UK handles many of the world's most valuable brands and successful marketing organizations, including Kellogg's, Samsung and Nintendo. The agency has a rich history of producing innovative campaigns, including the recent award-winning Teen Road Safety "Cameraphone" spot.

The Challenge

Historically, conducting surveys and research to support advertising was a slow process that could take as long as two to three months to complete. Quantitative research would have often been ruled out on cost grounds or on the basis of the time available. The Internet now enables more quantitative research to be conducted during the development of marketing communications because data collection is cheaper and faster than ever before.

In 2005, Leo Burnett UK set about reviewing its existing quantitative market research infrastructure to identify its key needs. While looking for solutions, the company experimented with bringing the whole research process in house, including programming and panel management amongst other tasks. However, it quickly became clear that the cost savings from this were outweighed by the additional management and administration involved. Leo Burnett UK's decision to outsource that stage of the process to outside experts was made on the basis of ease, convenience and price.

The company set out to find a field-and-tab supplier that could turn around high-quality fieldwork at a good price and within tight deadlines while still remaining in charge of the front-end (research design, questionnaire writing etc.) and the back-end (data analysis and reporting).

The Solution

Many agencies in the marketplace offer quantitative field-and-tab services. After working with several suppliers, amongst them GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), Leo Burnett was impressed with GMI on costs, timings, quality and general helpful, can-do attitude, and confident in GMI's ability to turn projects around on time and on budget.

"The trust we have built up on the basis of work conducted over the last couple of years was a key reason for using GMI," comments Mike Treharne, senior research manager at Leo Burnett UK. "We had considered reducing overheads by bringing the whole research process in-house, but decided against it as it was more efficient to hand over tasks such as programming the software to an expert such as GMI."

"We work with a variety of both qualitative and quantitative research suppliers, depending on their sector expertise and client preferences for a particular provider," continues Treharne. "GMI is our preferred supplier for online usage and attitude quantitative consumer research."

The Results

By working with GMI, Leo Burnett UK also has access to GMI's global panels which provide reach to over 5.5 million consumers across 200+ countries in 37 languages, as well as GMI's growing specialty and B2B panels. "We end up saving costs and time on all of our quantitative research projects," explains Treharne. "We rely on GMI to not only programme our surveys, but also manage them to ensure that the optimum number of panel members complete them."

As a result, Leo Burnett UK can devote more time to analyzing the research data for strategic insights that will improve the effectiveness of their clients' communications. "Since bringing in GMI, managing our external quantitative research process has become simpler and more efficient," concludes Treharne. "We know that we can fully rely on GMI to deliver on a research project quickly without compromising quality."

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NEW! Research Analyzer 2.0 takes innovation to the next level

We've already expanded the capabilities of our innovative desktop analysis tool and added valuable new features that make data analysis a breeze. Research Analyzer produces the most advanced cross-tab reports very easily, enabling fast and unique insights into underlying data with the SuperDig tool. Produce presentations by exporting data directly into MS PowerPoint, eliminating manual errors.

New Import Wizard:
Offers fast and powerful importing capabilities from many leading formats, including SPSS® and Quanvert formats, giving you new insights into legacy data.

• Modify data sets when importing to trim labels and questions quickly and efficiently.
• Store import and modification instructions to make subsequent imports of data fast.

New analysis capabilities:
Improve flexibility, speed, and ease-of-use.

• Sort questionnaires by number, text and type
• Save time with right-click menus
• Drag and drop your own table and column groups
• Publish to your own Microsoft PowerPoint templates

Improved usability:
Existing features have been improved to allow for advanced analysis with the click of the mouse.

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GMI ranks #105 on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500

With a revenue growth of 2,008% from 2001 to 2005, GMI placed #105 on Deloitte's 2006 Technology Fast 500 which ranks the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences companies in North America. GMI placed #4 on Deloitte's Fast 50 for Washington State.

• Read more
• View a list of GMI awards

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GMI strengthens executive team

Amid rapid organic growth and acquisitions on multiple continents, GMI adds a key executive to the team by appointing Michael Vernon as Chief Financial Officer. Michael comes from a rapid-growth environment and brings the operating experience required to deliver the predictable and consistent support to help customers, employees and investors win with GMI.

Michael brings more than 20 years of financial and business experience to GMI. As previous Chief Financial Officer for aQuantive Inc. (NASDAQ: AQNT) of Seattle, Vernon was responsible for all financial operations and reporting for the publicly traded Internet technology company. He helped grow the company's revenue base to approximately $425 million in 2006 and a market capitalization of more than $2 billion.

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Four new partners join InsightCafe.com

GMI is proud to announce five new partnerships with leading research companies specializing in key niche markets.

Their diverse syndicated research products and services will soon be available at InsightCafe.com, including:

• Netpop consumer market research series from Media-Screen
• Local market resource for media and ad agencies from Gelb Consulting
• Global tracking study of wine consumers from Wine Intelligence
• Global digital consumer study from Answers Research

Netpop consumer market research series from Media-Screen

Focusing on the online consumer, Media-Screen research and consumer insights influence product development and marketing of Fortune 1000 companies worldwide. The Netpop syndicated research series, created by Media-Screen and powered by GMI, provides a groundbreaking framework for understanding the highly influential broadband user population.

Local market resource for media and ad agencies from Gelb Consulting

From high-tech to healthcare, Gelb Consulting develops strategies for revenue growth and marketing effectiveness. Gelb Consulting and GMI are creating a local market-based resource to help media organizations and advertising agencies provide their clientele with strategic marketing intelligence and media investment counsel.

Global tracking study of wine consumers from Wine Intelligence

The leading international research agency specializing in the wine industry, Wine Intelligence, conducts research in 15 countries for some of the largest global wine and spirits companies. Wine Intelligence has partnered with GMI to create a high-profile, global tracking study of wine consumer usage and attitudes.

Global digital consumer study from Answers Research

Answers Research, a leading provider of strategic market research for clients in ultra-competitive industries worldwide, has teamed up with GMI to develop a global digital consumer study.  

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Invoke Solutions leverages GMI panels for live research sessions

In today's global marketplace, businesses need to make fast, confident decisions to reduce risk, drive innovation, and gain a competitive advantage. Helping corporations gain the instant customer insights they need to make those fast, confident decisions requires real-time research solutions.

Invoke's online research platform helps clients gain actionable insight throughout the marketing innovation lifecycle, from brand exploratory research to final communications testing and product concept tests to in-home use studies. To complement its offering, Invoke was looking to partner with panel providers that could deliver large, global pools of highly qualified respondents they could leverage as part of their live internet-based research sessions conducted for customers ranging across all industry sectors, from consumer packages goods and automotive, to media and healthcare. Invoke selected GMI for its extensive global panel providing reach to over 5.5 million consumers around the world.

GMI's panelists can now take part in Invoke's live online sessions from the privacy of their own home or offices, and answer anonymously, providing candid, unbiased responses. Clients and stakeholders can watch the sessions in real time, analyzing the live feedback using a dashboard with built-in analytical tools, and reacting to results with the rest of the decision-making team. The moderator controls the session, sends out questions and stimuli to participants, and asks additional questions on the fly. Through dynamic quantitative and qualitative questioning, businesses are able to probe deeper to clarify and refine findings in the moment.

Research has shown that respondents enjoy participating in live Invoke research sessions and voicing their opinions in their own words with an equal opportunity to be heard. This high level of engagement translates into richer open-ends and higher quality data for clients.

"Our larger live research sessions require the simultaneous participation of 100 panelists on average, hence the necessity for us to have instant access to a large number of highly qualified respondents at any time," explains Ben Cesare, Invoke's President and CEO. "GMI consistently delivers fresh, engaged panelists and enables us to provide our customers with superior sample for global qual-quant hybrid research."

For more information and an interactive demo, please visit www.invoke.com/demo.

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GMI tip of the month

Make the most of MyGMI

Have you tried MyGMI?
View a demo now!
Username: demo@my-gmi.com
Password: testdrive

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Sailing away at CASRO

GMI's evening cruise was a popular choice at CASRO's 31st Annual Conference for recreational diversion. Clients climbed aboard the FantaSea yacht for an evening of fine cuisine and ocean cruising off Marina Del Rey.

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CE&Co to present GMI-powered research at Milan conference

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Sign up for our Nation Branding Master Class

Featuring Simon Anholt, leading government advisor and nation branding expert

November 10th, Langham Hotel
London, UK

Presented by inter national ist in association with BBC World.

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Connect with GMI at upcoming conferences

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Who's new at GMI

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