• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 17, 2008

The Advertising and Marketing International Network, a consortium of 65 agencies around the world, has signed a deal making Mediamark Research and Intelligence the sole provider of multimedia audience, demographic, psychographic and product usage consumer data for its members. At the national level, MIN members will have access to MRI's Survey of the American Consumer; on the local level, its new Market-by-Market Study.

While the renewal of this partnership is good news for MRI, it's something of a rebuff for Simmons--which also had a contract with AMIN, sharing some of these responsibilities with MRI. There was no word from AMIN as to why it chose MRI as the exclusive provider of data.

However, one of the key selling points for AMIN, whose 26 U.S. members represent over $2.1 billion in billings, may be the new local data provided by MRI's Market-by-Market Study.

In recent years, advertisers and marketers have demanded more detailed data covering smaller and mid-sized markets, often neglected by big media research firms. MRI launched its Market-by-Market service in April. The service, essentially a local market counterpart to its national studies on the media, lifestyle and product purchasing, covers all 205 U.S. DMAs.

Of course, MRI is not the only research firm rolling out more local studies focusing on smaller markets. Also this year, Scarborough announced its own plans to expand beyond the 81 "top" and "mid-tier" markets it currently measures. Using its existing research efforts in mid-tier markets as a model, the expansion would study local media in smaller markets--including TV, radio, online and out-of-home opportunities, as well as consumer behavior such as driving patterns for work, recreation and shopping.