Top market research agencies announce launch of Research Choices

Informational and education portal increases transparency and choice for online research

Amsterdam, January 28, 2016:  Top market research agencies comScore, GfK, Kantar, and Nielsen announced today the launch of a joint initiative to boost transparency and choice for online audience measurement research.

Both the US Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission have consistently called for all sectors to raise consumer awareness and understanding of online data collection practices and facilitate access to existing choice mechanisms.    

This joint initiative and the associated portal are being facilitated by ESOMAR, the World Association for Market, Social, and Opinion Research at the behest of the founding Research Choices participants. 

Matthias Hartmann, CEO of GfK, comments: “The trust of our clients and participants of research projects is a core value for GfK. Strictly adhering to all data privacy regulations and respecting consumers’ intent goes without saying for us. The new Research Choices initiative is a big step forward to bringing more transparency to our research methods and to providing an easy option for consumers to decide on their participation in online audience measurement research.”

"I welcome the launch of Research Choices, as the first world-wide and industry-wide initiative designed to reiterate our profession’s undertakings, and its self-regulatory strength. Initially focusing on the audience measurement sector, it is the sector’s hope and intention to progressively broaden the service to cover all digital research activities,” said Laurent Flores, ESOMAR President.  

When completed, the web-based portal, accessible online at http://researchchoices.org, will provide the general public educational content initially demonstrating how online audience measurement research and online market research generally is conducted as well as highlighting participating companies’ privacy policies and tools to exercise opt-out and choice.

Further development of the portal will be spearheaded by the Research Choices partnership. The partnership is open to all responsible research organisations that are members of a national or international research association subscribing to the ICC/ESOMAR Code or an equivalent national ethical code for market, opinion, or social research.

The Research Choices initiative will complement the full range of other initiatives by all research associations and federations globally to renew trust and confidence in market, opinion, and social research strengthening public awareness of responsible research and its continued commitment to inform decision-makers whilst preserving the anonymity of research participants.

ENDS

comScore

·          comScore is a global media measurement and analytics company that makes audiences and advertising more valuable.

·          Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Reston, Virginia, comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global media measurement and analytics company that makes audiences and advertising more valuable.

·          comScore helps media buyers and sellers understand and make decisions based on how consumers use different media, such as TV, video, mobile, desktop and more. Through its products and partnerships, comScore helps its more than 2,500 clients understand their audiences, know if their advertising is working, and access data where they want and need it.

For further information about comScore, please contact Richard Weaver, Deputy Privacy Officer, rweaver@comscore.com

GfK

·          GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. GfK has many years of experience in the collection and evaluation of data.

·          Approximately 13,000 experts combine their general knowledge with analyses of local markets in over 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers’ experiences and choices.

For further information about GfK, please contact David Stark, Vice President, Integrity, Compliance and Privacy Officer, david.stark@gfk.com

Nielsen

·          Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy.

·          Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance.

·          Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world’s population.

For further information about Nielsen, please contact Elise Berkower, Chief Privacy Counsel, elise.berkower@nielsen.com

Kantar

·          Kantar is home to some of the world's leading research, data and insight companies.

·          Our offer covers the breadth of techniques and technologies, from purchase and media data to predicting long term trends; from neuroscience to exit polls; from large scale quantitative studies to qualitative research, incorporating ethnography and semiotics.

·          Our 30,000 employees work across 100 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines

·          For further information about Kantar, please contact Benjamin Farrar, Director Privacy and Data Protection, benjamin.farrar@kantar.com

ESOMAR

·          ESOMAR is the essential organisation for encouraging, advancing and elevating market research worldwide.

·          Since 1948 ESOMAR has brought together the research sector to share knowledge, promote best practice and agree upon the future of the industry as a community. 

·          With more than 4,800 individual members and over 400 corporate members in more than 130 countries, ESOMAR represents a network of over 20,000 researchers, all of whom agree to uphold the ICC/ESOMAR International Code, which is endorsed or adopted by over 60 national research associations worldwide. 

·          ESOMAR is committed to advancing market research, facilitating ongoing industry dialogue through a comprehensive programme of industry-specific and thematic conferences, publications and communications as well as actively advocating self-regulation and the worldwide code of practice. 

For further information about ESOMAR, please contact Finn Raben, Director General, finn.raben@esomar.org