IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel Complete the Enhancement of its Consumer Panel in India

MUMBAI, May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

MarketPulse Rebrands as Kantar Worldpanel to Connect the Indian Panel to Kantar Worldpanel's Services in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa

Following the announcement of IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel's strategic tie-up in October 2013, both companies have confirmed today the successful enhancement of their consumer panel in India to provide clients with increased insight into Indian consumers.

IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel's consumer panel in India is now made up of 79,400 households - 10,000 new households have been added. This increase of sample size enables separate reporting of new states such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, as well as better representation of the 'Elite households' in towns with a population over one million. It is the first panel in India to use insight drawn from the 2011 Census and to use the socio-economic category consumer classification released by the Market Research Society of India. The new panel uses more granular category definitions, international best practices offering clients integration of India data into their regional and global servicing. All these improvements will help IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel deliver more accurate and more contemporary insight for clients.

Following this enhancement, the consumer panel traditionally known as MarketPulse will be rebranded as Kantar Worldpanel. Since its creation in 1981, MarketPulse has been the authoritative barometer of changing purchase patterns in the country. The new branding will connect the Indian consumer panel with the global network of panel services operated by Kantar Worldpanel in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.

"The new service will help our partners better realise the new world of insights now available to them through the alliance with the consumer panel leader Kantar Worldpanel. Many shoppers' trends currently happening in India have been tracked by Kantar Worldpanel elsewhere across the globe, which provides additional understanding to anticipate future shopper and consumer behaviour," said Hemant Mehta, Senior Vice President at IMRB International.

Andy Parkinson, Development Director, India at Kantar Worldpanel added, "India offers tremendous opportunities for global brands that want to play a role in the development of a huge market which is undergoing rapid socio-economic change. We want to help our clients to take advantage of these opportunities which is why we chose India as a priority market to invest in. Our alliance with market leader IMRB International helps us to provide improved insights into Indian consumers for global brands as well as global context for Indian brands wanting to grow at home or abroad."

About IMRB International

Established in 1971, IMRB International, a member of the Kantar Group, is a pioneer in market research services in Asia. IMRB's footprint extends across 53 offices in 18 countries spanning South Asia, Middle East, North Africa, South East Asia and Europe. With a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural workforce of over 1400 full time researchers and analysts servicing clients, IMRB is at the forefront of research and consulting services. IMRB partners its clients through the entire brand lifecycle by bringing together consumer research experts (IMRB One) with sector and domain expertise from its specialist units like Probe Qualitative Research (PQR), Customer Satisfaction Measurement & Management (CSMM), IMRB Kantar World Panel, Media, Retail, Digital, Social & Rural Research Institute (SRI) and B2B Research and Technology Consulting (BIRD). LIVELABS helps clients to innovate and develop new products and services. A seven time winner of the MR Agency of The Year, IMRB is also accredited with the ISO 20252: 2012 Quality Certification.

For further information, please visit us at: www.imrbint.com.

About Kantar Worldpanel

Kantar Worldpanel is the world leader in consumer knowledge and insights based on continuous consumer panels. Its High Definition Inspiration™ approach combines market monitoring, advanced analytics and tailored market research solutions to deliver both the big picture and the fine detail that inspire successful actions by its clients. Kantar Worldpanel's expertise about what people buy or use - and why - has become the market currency for brand owners, retailers, market analysts and government organisations globally.

With over 60 years' experience, a team of 3,000, and services covering more than 50 countries directly or through partners, Kantar Worldpanel delivers High Definition Inspiration™ in fields as diverse as FMCG, impulse products, fashion, baby, telecommunications and entertainment, among many others.

For further information, please visit us at www.kantarworldpanel.com.

About Kantar

Kantar is the data investment management division of WPP and one of the world's largest insight, information and consultancy groups. By connecting the diverse talents of its 13 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Its 28,500 employees work across 100 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at every point of the consumer cycle. The group's services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.

For further information, please visit us at www.kantar.com

Media Contact: Shweta Ratnaparkhi, [email protected], +91-22-2423-3629, Group Communications Director, IMRB International