Hill and Knowlton Canada and Millward Brown Canada have formed a strategic alliance to enhance their marketing research services in this country.
The agreement takes effect Sept. 1.
h&k’s wholly owned Decima Research, a public affairs pollster, and Millward Brown, the advertising evaluator and brand tracker, will develop a new data collection centre in London, Ont.
The centre will use computer-aided telephone interviewing featuring Quantime software.
Meanwhile, the federal government’s policy of doing business only with agencies that are 100% Canadian-owned has resulted in h&k’s Ottawa office being dropped from the Health Canada Healthy Environment program.
Health Canada tapped h&k to work on its social marketing programs in late January.
On Feb. 2, the federal government’s Advertising and Public Opinion Research sector announced the 100% ownership rule would be reinstated.
h&k is wholly owned by British-based WPP Group.
The environment project has been reassigned to Communications Jean Lafleur, of Montreal, which also handles the ministry’s anti-smoking program. PS