SKOPOS Merges
with Applied Online Research Company MDS

And takes on ex-Psyma Senior Directors

13^th October 2003

SKOPOS announce today the merger with one of Europe’s few other experts in the application of online and new-media methods for market insight generation, namely MDS. The new bigger company will retain the name SKOPOS, and will ever more focus on generating stronger, faster insight for clients in several specialist market sectors.

Thomas Starsetzki and Marcus Dreyer * join the senior team at SKOPOS to leverage these abilities in European market sectors such as Pharmaceuticals and Financial Services – adding to SKOPOS specialist sectors, including Food & Drink, Media/Communications, and Mobile Telecoms.

Thomas and Marcus are renowned for their work in the application of online methods for insight generation, having worked in this area since the mid 90’s and having been specially invited to go to print with “Online Market Insight” in 2001. They founded MDS in the same year having worked previously as Senior Directors at Psyma, where they were responsible for clients such as Bayer Europe and Allianz Financial Services.

Thomas and Marcus immediately become partners in the SKOPOS Group, acting as joint Managing Directors with market-psychologists Olaf Hofmann and George Korff.

Darren Noyce remains MD of the UK division and will work with this new team to enhance and develop specialist market sector approaches, and panEuropean offers including the SKOPOS Euro-Panel™ of net users; the SOSBureau™ online field&tab service; and SKOPOS SnapShots™ online omnibus.

Commenting on the merger, Darren Noyce says: “It is all very exciting. Our recent growth and this merger really do put SKOPOS at the forefront of progressive market research in Europe. Just consider the strength of our offer. At SKOPOS you’ll find a breadth of experienced senior management; expertise in the human and business sciences; multi-country coverage; applied online and new media methods; strong market and sector knowledge; and a modern flexible attitude to business and communication. Our clients really are benefiting from this unique package.”

SKOPOS: sparking your business

SKOPOS is the UK’s foremost progressive market insight provider. We take highly likeable, forward-thinking marketing, psychology, research and statistical experts and let them loose on your data to provide market SnapShots & LandScapes™. Your data is amassed using applied online research and adapted classical techniques, and we like to call this ‘insight innovation for more productive decisions’.

Our own SOS Bureau™ has been set up to provide agencies and consultants with expert help and no-hassle services for online research. It also provides privileged access to the SKOPOS Euro-Panel™ and SKOPOS Network of opt-in online panels.

SKOPOS has offices in London, Paris, Cologne and Berlin - and partners throughout Europe and the rest of the globe.

Call on 0207 953 8359, email ask@skopos.info or visit www.skopos.info for more info about SKOPOS.