Ipsos MediaCT awarded TouchPoints 4 contract by the IPA

The fourth TouchPoints survey, which will reveal new levels of insight into how people spend their everyday lives and how their media usage fits into their day, will be launched in spring 2012, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has announced. Following a rigorous tender process, the IPA has commissioned Ipsos MediaCT to conduct the research, which will take place in the second half of this year. New areas of measurement added to the TouchPoints 4 survey will include tablet use, the ability to track purchase/shopping by half hour across the day and week, and experiential media. Areas covering social media and digital in general will also be updated to reflect current technologies and usage. The IPA will also be piloting the use of a specially developed app version of the TouchPoints e.diary which can be downloaded onto the respondents’ own mobile phone, which will allow real time data collection from the e.diary and will enable the passive usage data to be collected from the mobile phone (such as GPS, mobile internet usage, etc). If this methodology proves to be successful it will be introduced into the fifth survey planned for publication in 2013.

Says Hamish Pringle, Director General, IPA:

“TouchPoints has been phenomenally successful in identifying and answering the growing need for consumer-centric data. We look forward to taking this data set onto a new level of insight and application with TouchPoints4.”

Says Lynne Robinson, Research Director, IPA:

“TouchPoints is fast becoming a data must-have for all sections of the communications business. Without it, it is impossible to fully evaluate the increasingly complex multi-media plans which are now the norm. We are very excited at the prospect of moving to app based technology which will provide much greater access to real time data.”

Says Liz Landy, Managing Director, Ipsos MediaCT:

“Ipsos MediaCT are absolutely delighted to be partnering with the IPA to further build the TouchPoints brand, to extend its reach into new areas by incorporating elements such as passive measurement and to ensure it becomes a must have single source media currency.”

About TouchPoints

TouchPoints was the first consumer-centric, multi-media survey to provide in-depth knowledge and understanding of how people spend their everyday lives and how their media usage fits into their day. It was specifically commissioned and designed by the communications industry to provide insight and evaluation for the increasing number of multi-media campaigns. Since its launch in 2006, the survey has been emulated around the world and includes a pilot study for TouchPoints USA which was published in May of this year. Over 60 companies are currently subscribing to TouchPoints; these companies comprise media owners, advertisers and agencies — including the top 20 media agencies.

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