Simmons Loses MRC Accreditation, 'Declines' Cited

In a potential blow to its credibility, Simmons has lost Media Rating Council accreditation for its National Consumer Study, including the National Hispanic Consumer Study.

The study, which had been accredited by the MRC since 2005, is used by a number of media companies, agencies and advertisers to estimate audiences of various media outlets, including their demographics and product purchasing behavior.

It’s among the so-called “single-source” studies, like GfK’s Mediamark Research & Intelligence reports, that are valued by advertisers and agencies, because they utilize a single consumer respondent base to report both media and product usage.

The MRC said it decided to pull Simmons’ accreditation following an independent audit of the survey’s methods and a review by a “large” and representative audit committee.

The MRC cited “declined in service performance and metrics,” but noted that Simmons is already “taking steps to address the concerns.”

Simmons is owned by consumer data giant Experian.

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2 comments about "Simmons Loses MRC Accreditation, 'Declines' Cited".
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  1. Patrick Stasolla from Universal Media Inc., September 19, 2014 at 8:24 a.m.

    I have not used SMRB in many years, and this article does not instill confidence in me that I should use their data in future. Bummer, it was nice to have choices.

  2. Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, September 19, 2014 at 10:27 a.m.

    Newspapers used Simmons almost exclusively.

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