Aegis Media UK Launches Ævolve

- New division provides total integrated insight and evaluation services -

Aegis Media UK announces the launch of Ævolve, a fully-integrated insight, evaluation and data service with digital at its core, that is unprecedented within the UK agency marketplace. Ævolve will offer all Aegis Media UK clients – equivalent to more than £1bn of billings – the opportunity to harness the power of a group-wide insight and evaluation division. In year one alone, Ævolve is projected to evaluate more than £350m of client communications spend.

By bringing all of Aegis Media’s UK data and insight specialists together, Ævolve is able to provide total online, below-the-line and above-the-line analysis. The market-leading holistic service allows clients to benefit from the broadest range of analysis: combining consumer insight, media insight, qualitative research and marketing evaluation, with, for the first time, data mining and feeds from search engines and ad-servers.* Ævolve will work across all Aegis agencies, including Carat, Vizeum, Feather Brooksbank and Diffiniti.

Nigel Sharrocks, chief executive officer, Aegis Media UK & Ireland, said: “In the new communications landscape, the ability for clients to see the complete picture of how their strategies are generating value has never been more important. By becoming the first agency group to unite insight, evaluation and data capabilities into one division, we are creating the analysts of the future – able to work across all disciplines.”

Embedded for seamless service provision throughout Aegis Media UK’s operating companies, Ævolve will provide access to shared knowledge from multi-disciplined experts in insight and evaluation.

The 40-strong Ævolve team comprises five multi-disciplinary teams of analysts, research consultants, digital specialists and data experts. Ævolve is headed-up by joint managing directors Mark Greenstreet and James Northway, reporting to Nigel Sharrocks, chief executive officer of Aegis Media UK & Ireland.

Mark Greenstreet was previously head of Carat Insight and James Northway was previously head of Carat Data planning. In 2007, Carat Insight’s research services were assessed as A+ by RECMA, the clear UK market-leader. In Data Planning, Aegis pioneered the area and has more resource and expertise here than any other media agency.

Mark Greenstreet, joint MD of Ævolve, said: “Ævolve will deliver clients an integrated approach to evaluation and insight, that is not currently available in one place. We have the best tools and people who are completely integrated into planning to ensure total actionability. Working directly with the teams who are using our output guarantees that this insight and evaluation is 100% practical for media and communication planners.”

James Northway, joint MD of Ævolve, said: “By processing 5GB of data every day and managing over 10,000 surveys and 1,000 qualitative interviews annually, Ævolve gives us the scale and capability to dramatically improve the effectiveness of marketing communications for clients.”

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For further information, please contact Richard Cook or Patsy Bateman at Braben on 020 7566 2990 or richardc {at} braben.co(.)uk or patsy {at} braben.co(.)uk.
About Ævolve:

Ævolve, part of Aegis Media UK, will provide services to all of its agencies, including consumer & communications insight and evaluation using a combination of survey, customer, transaction and qualitative data.

* Ævolve has developed Digibase, a database that automatically draws data-feeds from all the major online search engines and ad-servers to provide the raw data for advanced digital campaign analysis.

Ævolve will continue to deliver all the services previously delivered by Data Planning and Carat Insight. These include Market Evaluation, Quantitative Consumer Insight and Segmentation, Data Planning, Qualitative Research and Media Insight.

Ævolve currently operates 21 products and services, will process 5GB of data per day, evaluates in excess of £350m of communication spend in 2008 and has experience in over 20 communications channels.

Aegis Media UK includes: Carat, Vizeum, Feather Brooksbank, Diffiniti, de-construct, glueLondon, Marvellous and Posterscope.