Ipsos and the Silicon Valley American Marketing Association Announce Sponsorship Agreement

San Francisco, CA -- Ipsos, one of America's fastest growing research companies and among the most trusted research brands in the U.S., and the SVAMA, the Silicon Valley chapter of the internationally recognized American Marketing Association, today announced a sponsorship agreement for the SVAMA's Winter Monthly Program Season. The deal designates Ipsos as an official sponsor for programs hosted by the SVAMA from January through March.

"The Bay Area's Fortune 500 companies have supported Ipsos since we opened our office here in 1999," said Julie Busch, Vice President with Ipsos Insight, the flagship marketing research division of Ipsos in the U.S. "Ipsos is looking forward to giving back to the business community by supporting this important local marketing organization and facilitating the exchange of information between its members."

The SVAMA's Winter Monthly Program includes the following three events:

1. Customer Loyalty: Know Your Customers, Grow Your Business January 11, 2006, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm Speakers: Terry G. Vavra, Chairman Emeritus of Ipsos Loyalty and co-author of Loyalty Myths; and Kirby Drysen, Director of Customer Listening, Cisco Systems SVAMA members will gain informative insights in the area of customer loyalty; get a clear picture of how brand, experience, offer, relationship and price drive customer loyalty; learn how to strategically aim customer relationship strategies to their company's best advantage and optimize the resources they invest for maximize ROI; and learn how to get to know their customers better to grow their business. The event will be moderated by Julie Busch, Vice President, Ipsos Insight.
2. Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) February 8, 2006, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm Speakers: David Pearls, Director, Brand Strategy with Jack Morton Worldwide; and Gordon McMillan, President & COO of McMillan SVAMA members will learn what IMC means and its importance to business, and discover new IMC strategies and tactics to achieve maximum results. They will also find out how UPS and United Airlines use internal branding to their advantage as part of their IMC strategy. Cynthia Holladay, Principal and CEO of Upright Marketing will moderate the event.
3. Syndication with RSS March 8, 2006, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm Speakers: Joshua Grossnickle, Senior Director of Market Research with Yahoo!; Scott Gatz, Senior Director, Personalized Products with Yahoo!; and Charlene Li, Principal Analyst with Forrester Research Todd Board, lead trendspotter with Ipsos Insight's Technology & Communications practice, will moderate this lively discussion of RSS, its impact on our marketing community, and best practices for marketing via RSS.

The presentations will be held at the Network Meeting Center at Techmart, 5201 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara. For more information or to register, visit http://www.ipsosloyalty.com/knowledgecenter/event_060111.cfm or www.svama.org.

For more information, please contact: Julie Busch Vice President Ipsos Insight tel: 415.597.4005 email: [email protected] or Tami von Isakovics MSR Communications on behalf of SVAMA tel: 415.447.6115 x16 email: [email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2004, Ipsos generated global revenues of e605.6 million ($752.8 million U.S.). Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.

About the Silicon Valley American Marketing Association

Founded in 1980, Silicon Valley American Marketing Association (SVAMA) is a chapter of the world's largest and most inclusive professional society of marketers--the American Marketing Association. SVAMA is the source for Silicon Valley marketers, delivering career development, education and networking opportunities to advance marketing excellence in the local business community. In 2003, the Silicon Valley chapter received the `Chapter Excellence' and `Chapter of the Year' award, which is awarded to the top chapter in the U.S. SVAMA is headquartered in San Jose, CA. For more information call 1.866.206.9067 or visit www.svama.org.