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Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category« Previous Entries Next Entries »UK Research Industry Holds UpTuesday, September 22nd, 2009
Hot on the heels of the ESOMAR Global Market Research report, the Market Research Society’s most recent survey of the profession reveals that the UK industry fared comparatively well in 2008. However, 2009 has brought its own challenges that may compromise industry growth this year. In the face of a grim global economic outlook, total UK market research agency revenue grew by 6.2% in 2008 according to the MRS, as compared with global growth of just 4.5% (reported here). This was driven, in large part, by international growth with international revenues jumping by 12.5% compared to 2007. In Marketing Magazine’s latest market research league table, B2B International’s performance has outstripped this industry average, with a 24% rise in year-on-year turnover seen in 2008. In their analysis of the results, Marketing magazine point to 2009 being the year when the recession truly begins to bite for the market research industry. Curtailed client budgets, increased consolidation within the sector, rising research demands and downward cost pressure are all cited as key challenges that agencies must address if they are to truly weather the ongoing storm. Client-side, anecdotal evidence appears to suggest that the most pressing need from research partners is data that can truly influence, rather than merely support, business decisions. At B2B International, we’d like to think that this overarching aim is central to our ethos – To deliver “market research with intelligence”. To learn more about B2B International’s range of market research and consultancy services, please click here. Marketer survey offers New Year cheer for MRMonday, January 12th, 2009  Market research remains on the agenda There’s no doubting that times are tough for many companies right now. So it’s pleasing for us to note that marketers are continuing to recognize the value of market research in helping their organizations to not only survive, but thrive. A further 4 out of every 10 is not expecting to see a change, but even this can be taken as a real positive at a time when marketing budgets are being squeezed and marketers are coming under pressure to justify any expenditure. B2B International has recently published a white paper on measuring and maximizing the return on investment of market research. To read this paper, please click here. The Challenge of REACHFriday, April 25th, 2008
In his first Thursday Night Insight post, research executive Russell Clarke assesses the challenges brought about by the new REACH legislation. In business-to-business market research, we need to have a thorough understanding of the challenges that are faced by our clients and their respective industries. Being profitable, building customer relationships and raising awareness of the brand are regular challenges for all companies. Every so often, however, an industry faces a new challenge that has a major impact on every aspect of its business. The new REACH EU legislation is a perfect example of this. REACH (or Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) is a new system for controlling chemicals within Europe. The legislation aims to provide detailed information on potentially harmful chemicals throughout the supply chain. It potentially affects any company which is importing a substance into the EU on its own, in a mixture, or in a finished manufactured product on or above 1 tonne per year. This simple fact means that a huge proportion of the industrial market is affected. Under this legislation, companies must provide a revised Safety Data Sheet for each "substance" and register this with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). An outline of these costs that was released in December 2007 indicates that registration will cost up to €31,000 for each individual substance. Registration will be phased in over a period of 11 years. Whilst there are discounts available for companies wishing to submit joint applications and for SMEs, it is clear that this will be an expensive exercise for all concerned. When you take into consideration the range of products manufactured or supplied by the large organisations within the chemicals industry, you start to see the kind of resources that will be required to comply with REACH. Aside from the technical and administrative implications, a great many businesses will also be considering the ramifications this legislation will have on their supply-chain and on their customers. For further information on the REACH legislation the following websites may be useful: The Definition of MarketingMonday, February 18th, 2008
Anybody that has studied any aspect of marketing in even the slightest depth will know that there are numerous definitions of what the discipline precisely is, all of them subtly different. Did you know that the American Marketing Association, one of the best-known marketing bodies in the world, revisits the definition of marketing every five years in a disciplined effort to reflect on the state of the marketing field? The American Marketing Association’s definition is used in books, by marketing professionals, and taught in university lecture halls across the US and indeed around the world. Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. The previous definition stated: Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. Do you agree with this updated definition? If it was up to you, what would your definition of marketing be? Are you interested in finding out more about marketing theory and practice by attending one of our marketing training courses? To find out more click here. Future Developments in the Market Research IndustryFriday, November 9th, 2007
Anticipating future trends and industry developments is knowledge that is key to the growth of any business, and market research companies are no exception. Therefore it’s always interesting to hear the thoughts of those at the forefront of research for some of the world’s biggest brands. When asked how they saw market research developing in the near future, Arleen Macaraeg-Denque and Esteban Socorro, research directors at Motorola and Coca-Cola respectively, had the following to say:
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