Expansion by Alliance for GfK eSolutions

GfK eSolutions, the online segment of GfK's Ad Hoc Research division, is expanding via three new strategic alliances with IBEXnet AG, CIAO.COM AG and Global Market Insite Inc in order to step up the group's online market research activity.

IBEXnet AG and CIAO.COM AG are making their 800,000 European subscribers available to GfK, thereby ensuring access to specific target groups. In addition, GfK and Global Market Insite Inc. have concluded a licence agreement giving GfK access to 400,000 Internet users worldwide.

IBEXnet AG, the hardware and Internet services provider, currently has over 100,000 German-speaking clients who are the target group to be recruited for specific online surveys. Analyses carried out by GfK have revealed that IBEXnet's client base is particularly suitable for surveys in the finance, telecommunications, customer satisfaction and website applications research areas.

With over 700,000 members registered in Europe, German company CIAO.COM represents a prominent consumer portal. According to GfK, it is particularly suited to national and international research on the launch of new products, as well as trends and advertising research. On the basis of information about the users, CIAO.COM target groups can also be pre-selected and recruited.

GfK and CIAO.COM are currently working on the development of joint instruments for the various research segments. These include the new advertising pre-test process, Ad*Creator Online, developed by GfK. Ad*Creator Online makes full use of the technical opportunities afforded by the Internet to test initial advertising ideas and concepts for effectiveness.

Finally, the GfK agreement with Global Market Insite Inc should deliver respondents both offline and online, though not by means of banners. In addition to its own national and international online survey panels, GfK has gained an additional means of selecting respondents for studies. The licence, which is valid worldwide, enables international online surveys in particular to be carried out cheaply and at short notice in many research areas, for example, product and concept research, advertising research and multi-topic surveys.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.