Brandtone and TNS Team for Mobile Insights

Mobile marketing firm Brandtone has signed a one-year partnership with TNS, which will give the research company exclusive access to its database of engaged consumers in developing and emerging markets. The initial partnership will cover South Africa, Turkey, Russia and Brazil.

Brandtone uses free airtime and other incentives to encourage consumers to interact with brands via their mobile phones. The firm will now provide TNS clients with instant access to targeted groups of consumers via their mobiles. In South Africa alone, TNS will be able to access more than seven million people, and there are plans to add a further two million in the coming year. Brandtone in turn says it will gain a new revenue stream across Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Matthew Froggatt (pictured), Chief Development Officer at TNS, comments: 'Mobile is an essential way to generate accurate insights from survey research, and this partnership will enable us to further develop our growing portfolio of methods to access consumer panels, particularly supporting our work with hard-to-reach consumers.'

Web sites: www.tnsglobal.com and www.brandtone.ie .