Cross-Tab Marketing Services has completed an agreement with Simon Chadwick – one of the world authorities in the Market Research industry – whereby he has agreed to come on board as a strategy advisor to the company. Mr. Chadwick will be spending a substantial percentage of his ongoing time towards guiding the efforts of the management team of the company to build Cross-Tab into a world class organization in the dual spaces of market research outsourcing and online market research. Mr. Chadwick will also bring in the expertise of his associates from Cambiar LLC as and when needed.

Simon Chadwick commented – “I have found Cross-Tab’s team to be dynamic and energetic and think that the company’s business model has strong prospects. I am looking forward to working with the team to help Cross-Tab move rapidly towards its strategic goals”.

Ashwin Mittal, Director of Cross-Tab commented “Having access to Mr. Chadwick’s expertise and experience will enable us to accelerate the process of becoming a truly global organization. He will be guiding us in the areas of corporate strategy, organizational structure and international business development”.

Simon is one of the principals of Cambiar LLC, a strategy consulting firm. Simon was Global CEO of NOP World, a $400 million market research and consulting company. Before joining NOP, Simon ran a number of research, consulting and CRM companies within the WPP Group.

Simon is active in the leadership of the market research and marketing industries; -- he was the 2004 Chairman of CASRO (the Council of American Survey Research Organizations), and continues to serve on their Board and Executive Committee. Simon is a Fellow of the Market Research Society. He holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, England and has done post-graduate studies at both Columbia and Harvard business schools in Change Management and Strategic Management.

Cross-Tab sets up US Office

Cross-Tab has seen substantial growth in its US business. In order to support this growth and to closely service its US clients, Cross-Tab has now set up a sales office in the US. The office was started in June 2005 at One Exchange Place, Suite 1000, Jersey City, NJ 07302.

Cross-Tab moves to a new Operations Center at Bangalore

To support the aggressive growth plans of the company, Cross-Tab has established a new state-of-the-art Operations Center in Bangalore. The company has taken over an independent building in a prime commercial area of Bangalore with sufficient infrastructure to accommodate 120 associates.

Offshore outsourcing is picking up heat in the global market research industry. It has become an important subject that is addressed at important forums in the MR industry. There was a dedicated session on offshore outsourcing at CASRO’s 10th Annual Technology Conference in June 2005.

Two presentations were made at this session, one by Mr. James Fredrickson, SVP, Research Operations, Harris Interactive Inc. and other jointly by Mr. Tom Patterson, SVP, Technology and Operations and Mr. Pinney Colton, Technical Analyst of MarketTools Inc.

• India has come out as the most lucrative destination for outsourcing of market research processes
• In addition to cost savings, offshore outsourcing leads to a cycle time reduction and improved productivity
• Process standardization, documentation and quality measurement are key factors for successful implementation of the offshore engagement
• Involvement of middle management, on-site visit by the client and visit by the vendor staff at the client site are critical for clear understanding of the expectations
• Commitment from top management and a dedicated management team at the client’s end are vital to support the offshore engagement
• Offshore staff is an extension of onshore staff and can be managed with the same level of expectations and accountability

VNU and IMS Merge to account for 30% of Market Research Industry Revenues

The VNU-IMS merger creates a highly focused company with industry-leading capabilities and global scale to deliver critical insights into consumer packaged goods, healthcare and media markets.

The newly formed company will have new revenue opportunities through cross-selling of products and services, geographic expansion, and the development of new products, particularly those that build upon VNU’s global consumer research capabilities and the combined analytical resources of both businesses.

Aegis Group / Synovate Acquisitions

Synovate has acquired CORAL Pacific Inc., a Tokyo-based research business servicing CPG, primarily in the areas of brand and advertising tracking studies and product testing. The acquisition will boost Synovate's already-strong presence in Japan and provide additional operational capabilities. The companies are complementary in terms of clients and the sectors serviced. CORAL Pacific has significant business with important FMCG companies and an extensive face-to-face fieldwork capability in Japan.

In another development, Aegis Group has acquired a Paris-based ARTeam, the holding company for agencies QCG and Socioscan. As a result QCG and Socioscan, is to become part of Synovate. Stephane Courqueux, current MD of Synovate in France will lead the expanded business. Synovate France will now have significant additional expertise in qualitative research, as well as sector experience in automotive, beverages, FMCG, fast food restaurants and luxury goods.