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Ipsos Press Office
Ipsos is an innovative, entrepreneurial, client-focused organisation, providing research services to clients on a global basis.
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South Africa's unemployment nightmare: The burden on its people
According to the recent Ipsos What Worries the World survey, a total of 69% of South Africans cite unemployment as their top worry, as opposed to 41% of the rest of world who chose inflation as their top worry.
9 May 2023
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Global survey shows shrinking trust in internet
An international survey reveals that internet users' trust in the internet has dropped significantly since 2019. This is one of the key findings of a 20-country Ipsos survey released by
The New Institute
in Hamburg, Germany.
29 Nov 2022
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Almost a quarter of the world's women are not comfortable talking about menopause
Menopause is a natural life stage that half of the planet will potentially experience, and yet is still something of a taboo to many...
11 Nov 2022
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Ipsos in South Africa 'corners' the brand market with newly appointed brand health service line lead
Global market research company, Ipsos, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kim Larsen as service line lead: brand health tracking for Ipsos in South Africa. Kim replaces Julitha Tseka, who is transferring to client officer, remaining in the Ipsos South Africa business. Julitha served as service line lead: brand health tracking for Ipsos South Africa since (September 2018).
15 Aug 2022
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Consistency in voting in the three most contested metros
With feelings of unsatisfactory choices for political parties in 2016, did South Africans vote the same again?
2 Nov 2021
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Ipsos wins Radio Audience Measurement Survey contract in South Africa
The Broadcast Research Council (BRC) of South Africa has awarded Ipsos the contract to perform the official radio research in South Africa for the next five years.
3 May 2021
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Ipsos launches its new creative assessment solution - Creative|Spark on Ipsos.Digital Platform in South Africa
Ipsos announces the launch of Creative|Spark, its new online solution to evaluate video creative in South Africa, which enables faster, better creative decisions to deliver business impact.
15 Sep 2020
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Advertising in a time of crisis. What we've learnt so far...
As we emerge from lockdown, it's unlikely that we will resume pre-2020 behaviours, and the full impact that this has on advertising and brands continues to evolve.
19 Jun 2020
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Ipsos poll: Online South Africans have more confidence in government than in business
A majority of online South Africans are confident that the national government is effectively addressing the threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus, even as lockdowns and closures force millions to isolate themselves. They also expressed their confidence in international institutions in handling the crisis.
7 Apr 2020
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Close to 3 in 10 men say sexual jokes or stories at work are acceptable
Nearly three in ten men (28%) around the world think it's acceptable to tell jokes or stories of a sexual nature at work, according to a new global survey to mark International Women's Day on 8 March 2020.
6 Mar 2020
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A hard day's work: Global attitudes to gender equality in the workplace
A new global study carried out in 27 countries by Ipsos MORI in the UK, in collaboration with the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London for International Women's Day shows men and women remain divided about gender equality in the workplace. The online survey of carried out with 20,204 adults aged 16-74 year olds finds:
6 Mar 2020
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Cyril Ramaphosa popular amongst South Africans, but political parties questionable
A majority of six in every 10 (62%) South Africans think President Cyril Ramaphosa is doing his job well. This is despite the almost four in 10 (39%) saying that there is no political party in the country representing their views. These are some of the most important findings from a Pulse of the People survey conducted by Ipsos towards the end of 2019.
12 Feb 2020
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South Africans unsure of what to expect in 2020
To many South Africans, it would seem as if 2020 is likely to bring "more of the same" - drought, economic woes and a low growth rate, political uncertainty and squabbling within and between political parties, loadshedding and concerns about unemployment. So, it is no surprise that South Africans view the year ahead with trepidation. However, not everyone feels the same and although working and non-working people are almost unanimous in their views, younger South Africans are more optimistic than older people, and political party allegiance does make a difference to views on the future.
20 Jan 2020
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South Africans weigh in on attitudes towards women
With the focus on women during August, the demonstrations in Cape Town at the same time as the WEF conference on Africa and the attention in the media the last few weeks on incidents of gender-based violence, Ipsos examines the diverse opinions that South Africans have towards issues of women's place in marital relations as well as violence towards women.
9 Sep 2019
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Survey: Most Influential Brands in South Africa
Ipsos South Africa has released the results of its inaugural survey measuring the influence that brands have on South Africans at an event held at Melrose Arch on Friday, 16 November.
20 Nov 2018
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Canada, the US and South Africa have the most inclusive view of nationality: Ipsos poll
Ipsos's Inclusiveness Index compares countries' acceptance of social and cultural diversity
26 Jun 2018
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Ipsos poll: Who will be watching the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
Although South Africa is not one of the countries to contest the 2018 FIFA World Cup, almost eight in every 10 (78%) South Africans with internet access
have indicated that they are aware of its starting later this week in Russia. Looking at this group who are aware of the World Cup, South African opinions about the soccer spectacle are divided in four comparable groups:
13 Jun 2018
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Brand building in Africa: Demystifying the African marketplace
Why have some companies succeeded and others failed in Africa? International brands have extended their business models into Africa, and set up shop: investing in infrastructure by means of supply chains and distribution networks, creating employment, and relentlessly driving their brands on the market, only to close-up shop when great expectations floundered.
25 Apr 2018
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The decline of the Zuma years
"I resign as president of the Republic with immediate effect. Even though I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organisation." These words of ex-president Jacob Zuma brought to end nine difficult years in the short history of the South African democracy.
16 Feb 2018
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Toyota comes out top in SA vehicle quality survey with 10 Gold awards
With its extensive model range Toyota has come out on top in terms of the number of Gold awards won in the latest vehicle quality survey conducted in South Africa by Ipsos, the international market research company. The recently-announced results are derived from a detailed survey conducted in 2016 and involving more than 7,000 owners of vehicles from 17 brands.
1 Nov 2017
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Seven ways to embed your EFM programme to drive sales
Today's C-suite executives are familiar with customer feedback in ways that colleagues in previous eras could only dream of. They have measurement and management programs at their fingertips that allow them to actively manage the experience and, if done properly, to drive sales in an organisation.
26 Oct 2017
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Ipsos launches DUEL: A System 1/System 2 rapid testing approach
Ipsos Marketing expands innovation offer with next-generation approach to screening simple stimulii
12 Oct 2017
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Ipsos' award-winning paper emphasises message that radio is still king on the continent
Nanzala Mwaura, head of Ipsos Connect, was awarded Best Paper at the PAMRO Conference (Pan-African Media Research Organisation) for her talk on "The African Middle Class". The paper looked at how marketers can define a middle class, across 54 diverse countries on the continent. The African Lions project, conducted by UCT Unilever and Ipsos, in 10 cities across Africa over 18 months. The research encompassed both qualitative and quantitative research waves and has yielded massive amounts of information into this market.
20 Sep 2017
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Sub-Saharan middle class: R1.3tn per month and growing
Groundbreaking study on the world's fastest-growing middle class
22 May 2017
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Global perceptions of gender equality - Poll
In the interest of International Women's Day, new data from Ipsos Global @dvisor shows that although the clear majority in 24 countries around the world say they believe men and women should be treated equally (88% on average), most still think the current situation is one of inequality in terms of social, political and/or economic rights (72% on average).
8 Mar 2017
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Ipsos poll: Economic difficulties and a small ray of hope
Three in every 10 believe that their families will be better off in a year's time
22 Feb 2017
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Ipsos launches LIFE Path to understand consumer dynamics along the path to purchase
Recognising that the consumer's path to purchase is more convoluted and more complex than ever before, Ipsos Marketing has launched LIFE Path to help clients understand and impact consumer choices along their journey. LIFE Path offers a holistic, modular approach to path to purchase understanding that involves social media intelligence, passive metering, and qualitative and quantitative research - so marketers can assess which touchpoints are most influential in generating sales.
25 Oct 2016
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Brands don't buy brands, people do
Businesses want to know how they can grow their brands. This is a simple question with complex answers, answers that start with people in real life - how they choose brands and, most importantly, how you can influence them to choose your brand more. Brands exist in a constantly changing world and, at the same time, human behaviour is undergoing a revolution - which makes it challenging to manage a brand. In the end, in order for brands to grow they need to attract more people, more easily and more often. Yet, how can you ensure that more people will buy your brand more often and more easily?
13 Oct 2016
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Ipsos launches Sense*Suite to guide early-stage product development
Ipsos ProductQuest expands offer with holistic R&D solutions
27 Sep 2016
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Ipsos pre-election forecasting on the mark nationally
Ipsos in South Africa again delivered a very close forecast on the final local election results. At its latest release of its poll findings (released Monday, 1 August), Ipsos suggested that the ANC would garner 54% of the votes, the DA 26% and the EFF 8%.
23 Aug 2016
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Ipsos South Africa announces new Country Manager
Ipsos in South Africa is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Country Manager - Nick Coates, following the departure of previous County Manager, Ryan Gould.
20 Jul 2016
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Volkswagen Group tops in customer satisfaction in SA
The Volkswagen Group may be having problems with its image in many global markets in the backwash of the so-called Dieselgate emissions scandal, but here in South Africa Audi and Volkswagen are leaders in the field of customer care. This situation is very evident in the results of the latest Ipsos survey of customer purchasing and servicing experiences in 2015.
31 May 2016
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Ipsos South Africa receives Digital Genius Award
Ipsos was recently recognised at the Unilever Agency Day
25 Apr 2016
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Ipsos and UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing partner to uncover the potential of the sub-Saharan Africa middle class
The continent of Africa is largely viewed as the next big opportunity for business growth yet details remain sketchy, from articles denying its very existence to dramatic generalisation of what this market is all about.
31 Mar 2016
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Why the customer journey is important
Using typical interaction points to delight your customers
26 Feb 2016
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Shrinking confidence amongst South Africans that the government is doing its job well
Only about half of adult South Africans (48%) are of the opinion that the National Government is doing its job well. This is
down 8 percentage points from May 2009
, when President Zuma took office.
11 Feb 2016
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Denting President Jacob Zuma's popularity and reputation
Three Ministers of Finance in five days is totally unheard of - however, this was exactly the news dominating the headlines the past few days. With the South African rand basically in a free fall since President Zuma's sudden announcement on 9 December 2015 that the Minister of Finance, Nhlanhla Nene, will immediately be replaced by the largely unknown David van Rooyen, the country was in uproar.
15 Dec 2015
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Latest Ipsos quality study shows SA motor industry puts quality first
Ipsos South Africa has announced the 2015 Product Quality Awards. This follows the Quality Awards Purchasing and Servicing Quality Awards which were announced in June this year. In 2014, the results of both surveys were announced simultaneously.
23 Oct 2015
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Demographics and attitudes play a significant role in customer satisfaction
Demographics play a significant role in customer satisfaction in terms of the purchasing and servicing experience of vehicle owners in South Africa. This is clear in the detailed breakdown of the latest Ipsos Competitive Customer Experience which is the result of telephonic interviews with more than 25,000 owners of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles over a 12-month period.
10 Jun 2015
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Usual suspects continue to excel in Ipsos sales and service survey
The Volkswagen Group once again fared very well in the recently announced 2015 Ipsos Competitive Customer Experience (CCE) for people buying or servicing a vehicle in South Africa.
3 Jun 2015
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How to begin optimising your customer retention
Retaining customers is a big focus in every business, and every business wants to make sure that their customers are happy and loyal - so that they buy more and buy more often. The way to do this is obviously through positive engagement, meeting their needs, and meeting needs better than the competition. This ongoing and increasing spend or share of wallet drives profitability and market share growth.
12 May 2015
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Ipsos South Africa announces new country manager
Ipsos in South Africa is pleased to announce the appointment of its new country manager - Ryan Gould. This follows the announcement of Harald Hasselmann's departure. Hasselmann will be leading Ipsos's Nordics cluster in Scandinavia.
19 Mar 2015
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Ipsos launches Ipsos Connect for brand communication, advertising and media services
Ipsos is pleased to announce the launch of Ipsos Connect, a global specialised business to coordinate Ipsos' services in the domains of brand communication, advertising and media. Ipsos Connect amalgamates the legacy brands of Ipsos ASI and Ipsos MediaCT.
27 Feb 2015
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63% of online South Africans believe that violence against children has become more frequent
The majority of South Africans with access to the internet (63%) believe that violence against children has become more frequent in the last five years. This is in line with the global average of 62% in 28 countries believing that violence against children has become more frequent. This is an important finding in view of yesterday being International Human Rights Day and also the last day of the 16 days of Activism Against Violence Against Women and Children.
11 Dec 2014
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Are we settling for mediocre customer service?
The voice of the consumer has come to the fore in the last week with the dramatic events surrounding the banner that was erected by a disgruntled Cell C customer. The banner proclaimed Cell C to be "The most useless service provider in SA - Cell C Sandton City" and has brought the issue of customer experience under scrutiny.
19 Nov 2014
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Brand reputation important for low-cost vehicle purchases
One in every three South African owners rated price as the most important purchase decision influencer, according to a recent study conducted by Ipsos. Price is followed by brand reputation, with roughly 16% of car owners placing great importance on the latter aspect.
17 Sep 2014
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Ipsos study puts SA motor industry in very good light
Ipsos South Africa (part of the second largest survey-based market research company in the world), and its 12 local syndicate members representing 18 brands, have announced both the 2014 product quality and customer experience (service received when purchasing or servicing) awards at the same time. Previously the results were announced separately.
28 Aug 2014
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Ipsos presents new thinking on share of wallet
In a time when the economy is so volatile, it is important to understand customers' spending patterns. "Focussing on retaining customers alone does not have a big enough impact on a company's bottom line," states Rentia Kramer, Head of Ipsos Loyalty in South Africa. Even though your brand could be receiving high satisfaction and recommendation ratings from customers, it could still be losing sales if customers are more satisfied with, and more likely to recommend, a competitor. It is valuable and important to measure how happy your customers are and how likely they would be to recommend your brand, however it doesn't shed any light on how customers are dividing their spending between your brand and its competitors.
24 Jul 2014
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Low level brand loyalty and the new brand image in the automotive market
More than a third (35%) of current car owners who are considering purchasing a new car in the near future say they will possibly purchase a different car brand to the one that they have, according to a recent study by Ipsos. A third of car owners feel undecided.
8 Jul 2014
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Ipsos pre-election projections on the mark
Ipsos in South Africa has proved its research accuracy through recent pre-election polls that have been conducted by the company. At its latest release of its poll findings (released Friday 2 May), the poll suggested that at a moderate voter turnout, ANC would garner 63% of the votes, and the DA 22%.
14 May 2014
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Ipsos survey: Provincial political party support in a moderate voter turnout scenario
In a press release issued last week Ipsos stated that: "...voters intend, to a much greater degree than in previous elections, to split their votes - i.e. vote for different parties on the national and provincial ballots."
16 Jan 2014
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Ipsos survey: Political party support six months ahead of the election
The ruling party is currently less popular with eligible voters than in November 2008.
14 Jan 2014
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Lukewarm adoption of e-toll tags amongst motorists in Gauteng
Only one in every ten (10%) drivers in Gauteng "strongly agree" with the statement
"I have bought an e-toll tag already or intend to buy one"
2 Dec 2013
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Ipsos global president visits South Africa, reinforces focus on South African market
The South African market research industry continues to be one of key focus for Ipsos globally, says Didier Truchot, global co-president of the international market research company Ipsos.
20 Sep 2013
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Women's Day 2013: "Glass ceiling" still intact
More women than men are looking for work whilst caring for young children and when working, they generally earn less than men. Many South Africans still believe that education is more important for a boy than a girl and that a woman "should be kept in her place"!
12 Aug 2013
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Ipsos ASI creates a 'smart' new research app to measure brand touchpoints in real-time
New Brand Shout Research Solution Taps into Smartphone Technology, 'Always Connected' Culture to Capture 'In-the-Moment' Insights
4 Jul 2013
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Ipsos survey: Youth Day: Moderate optimism and views on the direction in which the country is going
In public opinion surveys worldwide the youth are generally expressing more optimistic views about issues than older people, but young people in South Africa are only slightly more optimistic than older people.
18 Jun 2013
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Ipsos announces Quality Award Winners 2013
Ipsos has announced the 2013 Ipsos Quality Awards for Sales and Service experience in the automotive industry. These awards have been awarded to the industry for the past nine years and have become the benchmark in customer experience in the automotive industry.
10 Jun 2013
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Ipsos Survey: Performance rating of national government declines
According to the latest poll by opinion and market research company, Ipsos, just over half of adult South Africans (52%) indicated that, in their view, the national government was performing "well". Four provinces, namely the Western Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and the Free State outperformed the national government when their performances were evaluated.
15 Feb 2013
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Ipsos poll measures public satisfaction with government performance in key policy areas
The government has not significantly impressed the public in terms of their performance in
of the policy areas, according to the latest poll by market and opinion research company, Ipsos. "There has actually been a deterioration in public perception of how well the government is doing since this time last year," states Mari Harris, Director of Public Affairs at Ipsos South Africa. This time last year, 14 out of the 25 policy areas were rated below 50%. This year this has increased to 17 policy areas which the public rate as below the "pass mark". "There are definite improvements in the evaluation of some of the areas but overall, the picture is one of dissatisfaction with most of the key policy areas," states Harris.
14 Feb 2013
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Half of ANC supporters worried about leadership issues
More than half (53%) of adult South Africans
52% of ANC supporters agree that
the future of the ANC is uncertain because of the leadership issues within the party
. Only two in every ten ANC supporters (19%) disagreed.
10 Dec 2012
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Ipsos appoints Nick Coates head of Marketing Business Unit in South Africa
Global Market Research company, Ipsos, has appointed Nick Coates as Head of the Marketing Business Unit of its South African operation.
6 Dec 2012
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Ipsos appoints Harald Hasselmann head of South Africa
Global Market Research company, Ipsos, has appointed Harald Hasselmann as Country Manager of its South African operation. As Country Manager, Hasselmann will be succeeding Jake Orpen who is leaving the company. Orpen had been with the business since 2004 and had led the successful combination of the Ipsos and Synovate businesses in South Africa following Ipsos's acquisition of the latter in 2011.
30 Nov 2012
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Record scores in Ipsos Automotive Quality Survey
The Ipsos Quality Awards 2012 have revealed outstanding results with the lowest scores in the history of the survey. The Ipsos Quality Awards were previously known as the Synovate Quality Awards and have been awarded to the industry for the past eight years. They are the benchmark in measuring the customer perspective on the experiences and vehicle quality in the South African automotive industry.
12 Nov 2012
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Are we proudly South African?
With Heritage Day around the corner, Ipsos releases poll results revealing that four out of every five South Africans say they are proud to be South African.
27 Sep 2012
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Most global citizens plan to watch Olympics, especially track and field and soccer
Ipsos survey reveals global interest in the Olympic Games.
30 Jul 2012
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Zuma's performance evaluation remains fairly steady
According to the latest poll by opinion and market research company, Ipsos, 60% of South Africans indicated that, in their view, the president was performing "well". This remains virtually unchanged from our last reading (61%) at the end of 2011, but has dropped from two-thirds (66%) in May 2011.
12 Jun 2012
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Low adoption of e-toll tags amongst the South African public
Only 16% of Gauteng residents have bought, or intend to buy an e-toll tag. This is according to an Ipsos poll investigating the attitudes of the public towards the e-tolling plans. The research was conducted prior to the interdict against the e-tolling as passed in early May this year.
11 Jun 2012
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Interconnected world: communication and social networking
Most global internet users turn to the web for emails (85%) and social networking sites (62%)
4 Apr 2012
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While six in ten global citizens say they need to live better, most wish they had a recipe to do so
Six in ten (64%) global citizens think they need to live better, finds a new survey by global research company Ipsos on behalf of Reuters News, but eight in ten (81%) say they wish they had a recipe or plan for living better.
22 Mar 2012
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SA government does not impress in its control of cost of living
Less than four in every ten (38%) adult South Africans believe that the government is doing "very well" or "fairly well" in its efforts to control the cost of living in the country.
23 Feb 2012
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Survey: South Africa shows greatest improvement in global economic assessment of its economy
National economic assessments are up on the global aggregate level and in every region. This is the first time since April 2010 that all geographic regions included in the survey have displayed an improvement in economic outlook.
22 Feb 2012
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SA favours Karoo gas exploration but wants info on job creation, environment and electricity supply
Although most adult South Africans were unaware of the possible exploration for natural gas in the Karoo, when introduced to the concept, the majority said that they are in favour of determining the presence of natural gas in the Karoo. Respondents wanted the pressing issues of job creation, economic development and environmental concerns to be addressed in the process. The prospect of natural gas development creating a reliable domestic energy source that would give more South Africans access to electricity was also of paramount importance.
21 Feb 2012
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No green lights for government: Ipsos measures public satisfaction with government performance
The government did not perform according to a "green light standard" in
of the policy areas measured recently, according to the latest poll by market research company, Ipsos. This indicates that 2012 will have to be a year of "delivery" before the important ANC party conference at the end of the year in Mangaung.
10 Feb 2012
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Ipsos appoints Jake Orpen head of South Africa
Global market research company, Ipsos, has appointed Jake Orpen as Country Manager of its South African operation.
8 Nov 2011
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Synovate's record rugby pass
Global Market Research company, Synovate, is attempting to complete the longest rugby pass during the Rugby World Cup 2011.
3 Oct 2011
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Census critical: The relevance of South Africa's largest survey
With the fast-approaching Census, Synovate takes a look at some of the detail and complexity surrounding such an enormous project.
22 Sep 2011
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Synovate Customer Experience joins CXPA as Founding Corporate Member
Synovate Customer Experience, Synovate's global practice dedicated to customer experience research and consulting, has announced that it has joined the Customer Experience Professionals Association (
) as a Founding Corporate Member. The CXPA is a global industry trade group whose members are responsible for creating and maintaining an overall positive customer experience - a vital objective for any organisation that offers products or services for sale.
29 Jul 2011
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Synovate comments on Aegis Group plc announcement on agreed sale of Synovate to Ipsos
Today Aegis Group plc, parent company of top four global custom market research firm Synovate, issued an announcement to the London Stock Exchange indicating that it has agreed the sale of Synovate, excluding Synovate Aztec, and the Aegis Board has recommended that shareholders approve the deal.
27 Jul 2011
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Two-thirds of South Africans support increasing the legal drinking age to 21
Two-thirds of South Africans polled in Synovate's latest survey believe that increasing the legal drinking age to 21
will be effective
in decreasing both underage drinking and alcohol abuse.
7 Jul 2011
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2011 Synovate Quality Awards: Winners announced
Synovate has announced the 2011 Synovate Quality Awards for Sales and Service experience in the automotive industry. These awards recognise service excellence and are acknowledged as the highest accolade for customer service in the South African motor industry. Gold Award winners include Audi, Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet and Lexus.
31 May 2011
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Synovate survey reveals latest green habits and consumption across the world
A new study from top four global custom market research firm Synovate on 'green' behaviour shows that women and older consumers across the world are more environmentally conscious overall. How people feel about the future and their family, and which country they live in, are less important factors in determining their green habits.
6 May 2011
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Synovate appoints Darren Smith as new operations director for Synovate Pan Africa
Global market research firm Synovate, one of the big four custom research firms, has announced that Darren Smith has been promoted to operations director for Synovate Pan-Africa.
21 Apr 2011
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Synovate appoints Global Heads of Brand & Communications and Customer Experience research
Top four global custom market research company Synovate has announced that it has appointed Global Heads of its Brand & Communications and Customer Experience practices. Jon Harper is now Global Head of Brand & Communications and John Carroll III is Global Head of Customer Experience.
1 Apr 2011
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Gauteng toll roads: 86% of Gauteng motorists not willing to pay proposed rate
Synovate speaks to Gauteng motorists on the costs and impact of proposed toll fees.
10 Mar 2011
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Synovate appoints Jake Orpen head of South Africa
Global market research firm Synovate, one of the big four custom research firms, yesterday announced that Jake Orpen has joined the company as managing director for Synovate South Africa.
14 Jan 2011
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Synovate launches dedicated Mystery Shopping Business Unit
Synovate in South Africa has enhanced its Mystery Shopping offering to clients and prospects with the launch of a dedicated Mystery Shopping business unit.
25 Nov 2010
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Customised mobile contracts: A South African reality or just a dream?
Global market research company Synovate explores the landscape of the South African mobile user.
15 Oct 2010
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Synovate launches True Customer View
On Wednesday 25th August, Synovate successfully launched its revolutionary new customer relationship insights and performance management system. Over 100 marketing and research professionals gathered to listen to Dr Jannie Hofmeyr present Synovate's new innovation and how it challenges market research theories that have long been held as real.
2 Sep 2010
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South African consumers reveal what makes them 'click' online
Market research company Synovate uncovers the online spending habits of South African Internet users.
20 Aug 2010
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Climate change concerns amongst South Africans remain high
77% of South Africans state that they are concerned about Climate Change compared to a global average of 69%.
4 Jun 2010
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Synovate's Qualitative Business booms
Synovate in South Africa has established a Qualitative Business Unit, headed by newly appointed Qualitative Director, Maree Fouché.
18 May 2010
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84% of South Africans
cannot live
without their phones
84% of South Africans 'cannot live' without their cell phone. This is according to latest findings by market research company, Synovate.
10 Mar 2010
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Synovate achieves another first in the pursuit of excellence: ISO 20252
Synovate has again demonstrated their commitment to quality and the company is now compliant with the requirements of ISO 20252. Synovate is the first marketing research company in South Africa to achieve this status.
27 Nov 2009
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Money matters: global Synovate survey on money and finance
Global market intelligence firm, Synovate, has released data from its global money and finance survey, revealing more than half all respondents across 16 markets have permanently changed their attitudes to saving as a result of the credit crunch, 22% have written or revised budgets in the past six months and six percent have even delayed having a baby.
4 Nov 2009
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Synovate in South Africa celebrates its 20-year birthday
The 15th September marked Synovate South Africa's 20-year anniversary. Synovators celebrated by giving back to the community. 150 Synovators reached out to 13 charities in total, mostly in Johannesburg but also including some in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
21 Sep 2009
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Synovate introduces 'always on' research
Global market research firm Synovate has introduced Synovate Community Panels, an online solution that allows companies to reach customers directly for research purposes, and which also quickly and cost-effectively integrates qualitative and quantitative research with unique applications.
8 Sep 2009
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The price of power - reactions to electricity tariff increase
85% of our lower LSM South Africans deem the 31% electricity tariff hike as unacceptable, according to a survey released by market research company, Synovate. The lower hike of 15%, which applies to lower income earners, was also not received with any enthusiasm - 70% stating that it is unacceptable.
20 Jul 2009
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2009 Synovate Quality Awards announced
Synovate has announced the 2009 Synovate Quality Awards for Sales and Service Satisfaction in the automotive industry. These awards recognise service excellence and are acknowledged as the highest accolade for customer service in the South African motor industry.
29 May 2009
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One in two South Africans experience road rage
Rage on our roads has maintained a similar level over the last year, according to a recent survey by Synovate. In 2005, road rage in South Africa was at a record high amongst the other members of the globe. Reports of aggressive or threatening driving behaviour have stabilised at 51% over the last two readings (August 2008 and April 2009). Even though this is lower than reported in 2005, this still means that one out of two drivers on South African roads are experiencing aggressive/threatening driving behaviour.
28 Apr 2009
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Global survey shows six in ten women consider themselves financially independent
Leading global market intelligence firm Synovate has released results from a new study on women and financial independence, which found that nearly six in ten (58%) women across 12 diverse countries believe themselves to be financially independent.
6 Mar 2009
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Synovate survey reveals attitudes to male beauty
Leading global market intelligence company Synovate, has released findings from a global male beauty survey showing that 81% of Greek men feel sexy, Italian men are rated as the best-looking and 56% of all male respondents use beauty products created for, and marketed to, men.
8 Dec 2008
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New CEO of Synovate Africa announced
International market research company, Synovate, recently announced the promotion of Jon Salters to the position of CEO of Synovate Africa.
1 Dec 2008
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Charlotte Jackson named new Managing Director of Synovate South Africa
Leading global market research company, Synovate, has announced the promotion of Charlotte Jackson to Managing Director of Synovate South Africa, effective early 2009.
28 Nov 2008
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The young and the techno-savvy: South Africa's young adults revealed
South Africa's young, techno-savvy adults have set the record straight in a study conducted by global market research company, Synovate.
4 Nov 2008
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Faster vehicles become victims of road rage
High performance and sports car drivers are most likely to be victims of road rage, according to a recent road rage survey by Synovate. This is true of road rage behaviours including persistent flashing headlights, hooting, rude gestures and insults, as well as aggressive driving behaviour. Of those that have reported being the victim of road rage where another driver actually got out of their vehicles, most are reported by drivers of small cars.
10 Sep 2008
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Social networking - everyone is doing it. Or are they?
Across 17 markets of the world, well over half of the population (58%) do not know what social networking is. This is according to Synovate's recent global survey on the subject of online communication and social networking.
5 Sep 2008
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Personal shoppers and pampering top South Africans' beauty wish list
Over two thirds of all South Africans say that beauty is essentially about non-physical attributes but this does not mean that they don't have plans to improve their looks. Top of their list would be personal shoppers and self-indulgent treatments, according to a recent global study on beauty conducted by Synovate.
28 Aug 2008
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Concerns about climate change hit home
77% of South Africans have expressed their concern about climate change, according to a global survey conducted by BBC World News and Synovate. This is 5% higher than the global average of 72% across all markets surveyed.
26 Aug 2008
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Customer satisfaction in the motor industry - a different view
Does being a man mean that you are more likely to complain about service or be less satisfied when buying a car? Does being younger mean that you have less experience and are more easily satisfied when you buy or service your car? Not necessarily, according to market research company Synovate's recently published Sales and Service Satisfaction results.
4 Jul 2008
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Synovate's Africa offering strengthened by Steadman Group acquisition
Synovate, the market research division of Aegis Group plc, has announced that it has acquired the Steadman Group, a leading provider of market research, media monitoring and strategic management consulting.
2 Jul 2008
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Should I stay or should I go? Synovate survey reveals South African attitudes towards emigration
According to a recent survey by global market research company, Synovate, 20% of South Africans are definitely planning on emigrating or seriously considering it.
22 May 2008
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Does money make the world go round?
Above all else, South Africans define financial success as being able to provide the basics of food and shelter for their families. This is according to a global study carried out by market research company Synovate.
5 May 2008
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The light on the other side of loadshedding
Recent loadshedding activity has led 90% of South Africans to cut down on electricity usage, according to a recent survey conducted by global marketing research company, Synovate.
16 Apr 2008
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Synovate launches new system to measure barriers and the impact it has on a brand's market share
Global market research company Synovate has announced that it has just launched a new solution called Market Barriers. The system which can be added to clients' existing tracking programmes quantifies the degree to which brand performance is a function of factors beyond brand relationship.
8 Apr 2008
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It's in the jeans
Sixty two percent of South Africans keep a keen eye on the jeans brands worn by others on the street. This is compared to a 26% global average, according to a recent global study conducted by Synovate.
4 Mar 2008
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Clean living in emerging markets
Thirty nine percent of South Africans pay someone else to clean their homes, according to a global study conducted by market research company Synovate. This is compared to a 27% average in emerging markets and a 12% average in developed markets.
21 Feb 2008
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Survey points to Chester Williams as favourite for Springbok coach
Chester Williams is the favourite for the new Springbok coach, according to a recent Synovate survey where respondents were asked their opinions on a number of issues recently confronting the national teams.
8 Jan 2008
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Road rage in South Africa sees a slight decrease
50% of South African drivers have experienced aggressive or threatening driving behaviour from other drivers in the past 12 months, according to Synovate's recent road rage study. This is a 4% decrease since the last measurement in May 2007.
19 Dec 2007
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National Credit Act receives positive response
Synovate has released the results of their survey on the impact of the new National Credit Act (NCA) on ordinary South Africans. Synovate contacted 676 people in metropolitan areas to investigate perceptions of the NCA. Of those, 177 had never even heard of the law. The remaining 499 respondents had heard of the law and 41% believed they had been personally affected by the new law.
28 Nov 2007
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Synovate expands footprint in Australia and New Zealand with Research Solutions deal
Leading global market research firm Synovate has announced its acquisition of Research Solutions, one of New Zealand's largest independent full-service research agencies. Headquartered in Auckland, Research Solutions provides market intelligence services backed by a team of 45 full-time staff and a field force of over 200 interviewers.
5 Nov 2007
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The makings of a quality vehicle
Synovate has announced the winners of the Synovate Quality Awards for Product Quality. Looking at the problems that customers are most commonly reporting, it appears that any major problems with reliability are a thing of the past.
25 Oct 2007
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Another great year for vehicle quality – 2007 Synovate Quality Awards results
Synovate has announced the winners of the Synovate Quality Awards 2007 for Product Quality. "This year has been an exceptional one for vehicle quality," states Richard Rice, Automotive Client Services Director at Synovate.
23 Oct 2007
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BBC World and Synovate unveil global attitudes to democracy
More than half the people surveyed in a global opinion poll for BBC World believe that terrorism can destroy democracy. The survey of 12,000 people across 15 countries on five continents was carried out in August by the international market research company Synovate.
11 Oct 2007
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Smoking bans put to the vote
A recent global study conducted by Synovate has revealed that out of 15 markets surveyed across the globe, South Africa is one of the least in favour of smoking bans. While the percentage of those pro smoking bans (72%) is fairly high, it is the Italians (96%), Thais (96%) and Taiwanese (93%) that are most supportive of wide-range smoking bans. Bulgaria and the Netherlands exhibit the most resistance to smoking bans, gathering 63% and 64% yes votes for the bans respectively. Globally this figure stands at 80%.
25 Sep 2007
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Domestic tourism's autumn/winter wave remains constant
Satisfaction in domestic tourism during the South African autumn/winter quarter yielded a constant rating of 78%, according to recent results from Synovate's Domestic Tourism Barometer. The findings of this unique study represent the views of a sample of 1202 respondents, who have travelled within South Africa during the second quarter of 2007.
31 Aug 2007
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How will SAA become world class?
Recent statistics published by the Star Alliance, of which SAA has recently become a member (
Lufthansa Magazine
, 05/2007) have raised some interesting issues regarding South African Airlines' operations in comparison to other member airlines globally.
7 Aug 2007
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Music Matters - music piracy fact sheet
Music piracy remains an ongoing problem in Asia according to the Branded, MTV and Synovate Music Matters survey released at the 2007 Music Matters Asia Pacific Music Forum in Hong Kong.
11 Jun 2007
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Survey reveals music trends rocking young urban Asian consumers
Convenience, convergence and growth opportunities from connecting with consumers are the three big trends driving the consumer music market in Asia according to the Branded, MTV and Synovate Music Matters survey released today at the 2007 Music Matters Asia Pacific Music Forum in Hong Kong.
8 Jun 2007
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Synovate launches new market potential solutions
Synovate has introduced a leading-edge suite of models and simulators for quantifying the market potential of a product or service.
5 Jun 2007
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Road rage levels still high
More than a half (54%) of South African drivers claim to have been on the receiving end of aggressive or threatening driving behaviour in the past 12 months, according to a recent study by Synovate.
1 Jun 2007
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Domestic tourism stays stable
The first quarter of 2007 has seen little fluctuation satisfaction amongst domestic travellers, according to the latest results from Synovate's Domestic Tourism Barometer, a unique study focusing on the more affluent domestic traveller.
10 May 2007
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Synovate strikes global panel partnership with GMI
Global market research company Synovate has entered a worldwide partnership with GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), one of the world's leading panel and market research software providers. This partnership gives Synovate access to over six million panellists across the globe. Combined with its existing ViewsNet panels, this partnership now enables Synovate to offer panel research in more than 50 markets.
20 Apr 2007
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Battle of the brands for emerging market hearts
While almost 60 percent of consumers in emerging market countries would buy a local brand over an international brand if both products were of equal price, consumers in these 'Hotspots' countries have the same brand preferences for cars (Toyota), fast food (McDonalds) and hotels (Hilton) as developed market consumers, reveals global market research company Synovate.
17 Apr 2007
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Synovate and BBC World unveil global attitudes to climate change
International market research firm Synovate have announced the key findings of its first global opinion survey carried out in conjunction with the 24-hour international news and information channel BBC World.
11 Apr 2007
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Synovate enjoys industry-topping growth in 2006
Aegis Group plc, which owns global market research company Synovate, has reported 2006 preliminary results showing another year of excellent progress as business positioning and product investment deliver a tenth straight year of market outperformance.
3 Apr 2007
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Gold awards to top manufacturers
The Synovate Quality Awards have once again resulted in a close battle between South Africa's vehicle manufacturers to reach the top of the ranking in Synovate's annual survey of Sales and Service satisfaction in the local motor industry.
2 Apr 2007
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Teaching children financial responsibility
The vast majority (91%) of South African parents teach their children to save money, reveals global market research company Synovate. American parents expect their children to do chores for their pocket money, while more than half of parents in Cyprus teach their kids about the stock market.
19 Mar 2007
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Domestic tourism continues to please
Satisfaction with domestic tourism stabilised over the last six months of 2006, according to the latest results from Synovate's Domestic Tourism Barometer. Overall satisfaction when travelling within South Africa remains at 78%.
7 Mar 2007
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Do motorsports rev up South African brands?
More than a third of motorsports fans in our country state that they would be influenced by a manufacturer's success on the racing circuit when buying a car or motorcycle, according to a recent global survey by Synovate.
5 Mar 2007
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BBC World and Synovate launch global survey partnership
International market research firm Synovate, has announced details of its new global survey partnership with 24-hour international news and information channel BBC World.
13 Feb 2007
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Desperately seeking love online
Only 12% of South Africans have used the Internet to find love. This is compared to 29% of the French and 21% of Filipinos interviewed in a global survey about dating perceptions, use of the Internet to find a romantic partner and the level of success that they have had.
8 Feb 2007
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Synovate further strengthens position in Netherlands with Interview-NSS
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, has announced that it has acquired Interview-NSS, The Netherlands' largest independent full-service market research company. Amsterdam-based Interview-NSS employs 110 members of staff and has particular expertise in contact and channel management, media and branding research.
31 Jan 2007
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Synovate reinvents brand research
Synovate has launched a revolutionary new market research system which allows brand owners to consistently predict the sales impact of their marketing investments.
1 Dec 2006
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Gauteng traffic: braving the rush hour
30% of Gauteng motorists believe that the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) strategy could work in reducing traffic congestion, according to the recent Synovate Rush Hour Survey.
27 Nov 2006
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Customer satisfaction increases in the telecommunications industry
The Synovate SAS Index (South African Satisfaction Index) results for the telecommunications industry have been released, showing an increase in customer satisfaction with customer service across all the telecommunication providers. Overall satisfaction in the industry has increased from 79% in November 2005 to 82% this year.
9 Nov 2006
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Synovate Quality Awards 2006 winners announced
Synovate has announced the winners of The Synovate Quality Awards 2006 for Product Quality. The highly coveted 2006 Synovate Quality Awards have been hotly contested, with the traditional stalwarts vying amongst themselves and against new entrants for top positions.
16 Oct 2006
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Will new air travel restrictions keep travellers closer to home?
Recent new security restrictions at many airports will deter some consumers from air travel, but it's the ongoing threat of terrorism that will have a greater effect on their travel habits, according to a new survey by Synovate.
12 Oct 2006
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Domestic tourism cools over the winter months
As South Africa celebrated Tourism Month in September, Synovate released its third reading of Synovate's Domestic Tourism Barometer.
10 Oct 2006
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Meet the "Stressettes" - young women feeling the pressure to be and have it all
Every generation of young women faces some identity struggles, but a recent study suggests that today's women are feeling more pressure than ever before to succeed both personally and professionally. According to a recent study conducted in the US and Canada by global market research firm Synovate, a growing number of young women today are in a constant identity struggle to be viewed as both the "hot", desired girl as well as the successful, independent woman.
11 Aug 2006
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Synovate initiates 'From Now to Wow'
Synovate has launched a major initiative to promote growth and better align the company with the needs of global clients. Called 'From Now to Wow', the programme will apply across all business units, support services and operations.
10 Aug 2006
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Genetically modified foods - delight? Or fright?
Anything that makes food taste better is fine, according to 62 percent of South Africans who are familiar with genetically modified foods, global market research company Synovate has revealed. That statement is sure to be abhorrent to the 89 percent of corresponding Greeks who believe such products may be harmful.
7 Aug 2006
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Synovate announces expansion of its global media research services
Leading global research firm Synovate has announced an expansion of its media research services. The new global group will be based in London and led by Steve Garton, currently Director, Media Research for Synovate in Asia Pacific.
23 Jul 2006
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Living with - or without - technology
Almost half of us think new technology looks cool even if we don't understand it, according to a recent Synovate survey. The global market research company also learned that while a mobile phone is the gadget most people could not live without, almost one-quarter of respondents claim they could live without any of their high-tech toys.
6 Jul 2006
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Mobile number portability - how loyal are you to your network?
Twenty one percent of cellphone users believe that they will change networks once mobile number portability (MNP) comes into play, a recent Synovate survey has revealed.
27 Jun 2006
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Another petrol price increase - is it time for alternative engine technologies?
Despite the numerous petrol price increases South Africa has undergone this year (approximately 18% since the start of the year), awareness and adoption of alternative fuel engine technologies are fairly low, according to a recent Synovate survey.
8 Jun 2006
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World Cup fever
38% of South Africans are prepared to call in sick to watch the World Cup, according to a recent global Synovate survey.
7 Jun 2006
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Moving the customer loyalty needle
possible to move the needle on customer loyalty, says Larry Crosby, CEO of Synovate Loyalty, but doing so requires a holistic approach. Speaking at an event hosted by Synovate South Africa last week, Dr Crosby discussed what leading companies are doing today to move customer loyalty to the centre of their business strategy.
30 May 2006
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What makes a call centre a good one?
"Measuring customer satisfaction alone cannot guarantee that your contact centre is a good one," states Jon Salters, Managing Director of Synovate Sub-Saharan Africa. "The secret lies in firstly, measuring the right things - those that really make an impact on customers - and secondly, using the information on an ongoing basis and linking the measurement to an improvement in contact centres."
8 May 2006
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Is employee loyalty a thing of the past?
Forty percent of employees think it's no longer possible to be as loyal to a company as in the past, with the French - at 56 percent - expressing the highest such sentiment, a recent Synovate survey has found.
4 May 2006
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Will the Gautrain serve its purpose?
Only 48% of current Tshwane - Johannesburg car commuters are likely or extremely likely to use the Gautrain, which means one of the project's main objectives - alleviating traffic congestion - may not be achieved, a recent Synovate survey reveals...
12 Apr 2006
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He's just into you - wrinkles and all
MTV booty-shaking minx or Sophia Loren? In a recent Synovate survey of seniors aged 55 or older, there is no contest - nearly 40% of men in 12 key markets said older women were just as attractive as their younger counterparts. In a day and age when Hollywood roles for older actresses are in rapid decline and Botox use starts in the teenage years, this is refreshing news.
11 Apr 2006
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Top manufacturers in tight tussle for awards
Nissan has worked its way to the top of the Synovate Quality Awards in a closely-contested and high-scoring annual survey of sales and service satisfaction in South Africa's motor industry.
3 Apr 2006
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Telephone vs. Mail: Fishing where the fish are
What works best for market research tracking surveys: telephone or mail questionnaires? Synovate tackled this sometimes contentious subject at the SAMRA conference this past week.
19 Mar 2006
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Hofmeyr joins Synovate as Global Head of Insights for new brand practice
Leading brand commitment expert Jan H. Hofmeyr has been appointed Global Head of Insights for Synovate Brand & Communications, the company's newest practice, effective April 1st.
16 Mar 2006
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Temperature of Domestic Tourism in South Africa? Hot!
Travel consumers want atmosphere, memories, escapism, responsive hosts and their expectations met, according to Synovate's first measurement of the South African Domestic Tourism Barometer, a unique study focusing on the upper LSM's.
15 Mar 2006
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Bird Flu: Is anyone ducking the issue?
Almost half of Indonesians and Turks have stopped eating chicken as a result of the threat of bird flu, a recent Synovate survey has discovered.
2 Mar 2006
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Synovate launches specialist loyalty practice
Synovate, the global market research firm which forms part of Aegis Group plc, has announced the launch of its new speciality practice, Synovate Loyalty.
1 Mar 2006
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Is the Gautrain a good idea?
Mention the Gautrain and you are likely to be met with a lot of strong opinions. Much commentary has been made on the proposed high speed train in Gauteng.
23 Feb 2006
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Western consumers still sceptical about quality of 'Made in China' and 'Made in Korea' labels
Only one in eight respondents from the US and key markets in Europe think highly of the quality of products made in China and Korea, a recent Synovate survey showed.
9 Feb 2006
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Synovate expanding globally
Aegis Group plc ("Aegis" or "Group") - the media communications and market research group - has announced that it has acquired Roland Berger Market Research, the custom market research subsidiary of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, based in Munich, Germany; Plus REMARK, the largest independent full service market research company in Turkey; and, the Scandinavian market research group, Univero, the holding company for MMI Univero (Norway), TEMO Univero and LUI Univero (Sweden), Vilstrup Univero (Denmark) and Fieldwork Scandinavia.
19 Jan 2006
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Let the consumer be the guide
Today everything is media but we do not control the dialogue, the consumer does. We need to know who today's consumers are as people and when and where we can find them in the mood to welcome a brand message.
9 Jan 2006
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Life in the slow lane
Most South Africans claim that our traffic problems are mostly due to selfish and uneducated drivers. 73% of South African respondents in a recent Synovate survey attribute South Africa's worsening traffic problem to people who don't know how to drive or those who drive selfishly, second only to rocketing private car ownership.
8 Dec 2005
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Consumers rate Vodacom tops
According to Synovate's SAS Index results released this week, Vodacom has again been conclusively named as number one in service excellence for customers in the telecommunications market.
27 Nov 2005
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Which bank delights most?
Synovate's definitive ranking of customer satisfaction with South African banks was released yesterday - identifying ABSA as tops in delighting its customers.
7 Nov 2005
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2005 Synovate Quality Awards - Quality of imported newcomers impress
The 2005 Synovate Product Quality Awards has seen great jostling for positions amongst the tried and tested vehicle brands, but the imported newcomers to the study stole the show this year.
23 Oct 2005
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On consumers' terms
It is long overdue, but the South African marketing industry is being exposed to the thinking on the psycho-dynamic approach to research and what it can do for marketing. On Tuesday, Synovate was delighted and honoured to host a global authority on consumer behaviour and motivation, Mr Jan Callebaut.
27 Sep 2005
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Synovate awarded PMR Golden Arrow Award
Market Research company, Synovate, added a prestigious award to its accomplishments when it received the Professional Management Review (PMR) Golden Arrow for Outsourced Call Centres.
12 Sep 2005
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Is the leisurely drive on the road to extinction?
Eleven percent of South African drivers claim to have been at the receiving end of threatening behaviour in the past 12 months, where the aggressor got out of the vehicle to confront them, according to a new survey by Synovate.
15 Aug 2005
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Synovate acquires Italian research agency
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, has announced its acquisition of Italian market research company, AMT Consulting Srl.
5 Jul 2005
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Synovate strengthens capabilities in France
Aegis Group plc ("Aegis" or "Group") - the media communications and market research group - has announced that it has acquired the French market research group, ARTeam, the holding company for QCG and Socioscan. ARTeam will become part of Synovate, Aegis's fast growing global research network.
2 Jun 2005
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Synovate Quality Awards - Sales & Service 2004
Synovate releases the South African motor industry's latest Customer Satisfaction Research results.
18 May 2005
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Synovate raises the bar on customer loyalty in South Africa
Dr. Lawrence A. Crosby, CEO of Symmetrics, the global customer loyalty management practice of Synovate, presented the specifics of his Measure, Model, Manage framework to a group of marketing management professionals in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 12 and 13 May.
17 May 2005
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Global travel survey asks, 'how much are consumers willing to sacrifice for cheaper airfares?'
Synovate, a leading market research company, has released the results of a global study into perceptions of budget air travel and corresponding consumer behaviour.
15 May 2005
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South African Satisfaction Index 2005 results
In its fourth year of existence, the 2005 SAS Index has measured two new industries - Medical Schemes and Municipalities - revealing that, overall, these industries have a big gap for improvement potential.
5 Apr 2005
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Customers win as companies now listen better
Good news for consumers is that organisations now have an increased focus on tracking customer satisfaction and to listening what they have to say. This is according to the latest Merchants Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report, which is produced by Dimension Data and global research company Synovate, which is also the South Africa's biggest market research company.
18 Feb 2005
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Consumers have their say!
Good news for consumers is that organisations have an increased focus on customer satisfaction. This is according to the latest Merchants Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report produced by Dimension Data and Synovate, a global research company.
17 Feb 2005
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SA customer satisfaction research methods and technology launched across the USA
Synovate South Africa has announced that its locally designed research technology and methodology will be used, in part, to improve customer loyalty in the US automotive industry.
30 Jan 2005
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150 problems for every 100 vehicles sold - should we be too scared to buy a new car?
The past few weeks have seen the release of research results by Synovate relating to the quality of new vehicles sold in South Africa - the first time this sort of information has been available here.
15 Oct 2004
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Proactive Insight joins one of the world's largest market research companies
Proactive Insight has announced that it has joined Synovate, one of the largest market research companies in the world. "This acquisition expands Synovate's global reach into Southern Africa, complementing our existing operations in North and West Africa," said Synovate CEO, Adrian Chedore.
28 Jun 2004
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BEE Market research company wins one of SA's biggest contracts
The South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) has awarded a substantial portion of its media industry research contract to a BEE company. This decision has ended a 30-year monopoly of the contract by a single research supplier.
11 May 2004
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text:
The ink wasn't even dry on our closing papers and there I was paypaling a crap ton of money to a stranger for a pony I hadn't even met.
There wasn't any reason I had to add the stress of purchasing and transporting a pony from out of state on top of buying a house, moving, and filming for the show. The idea had gotten into me though and it just had to happen. Right then.
Right after I posted on here my lament that there were no ponies to be found, I stumbled on a FB group called "Packer ponies and horses for sale". Huh. Sounded pretty perfect. It opened up my search nation wide and I immediately saw that there were a lot more prospects in my budget outside of my region where the same type of ponies were being listed for double or triple the price.
Early on I stumbled upon an ad for a nice looking welsh gelding. He did it all: w/t/c, 2′ jumps and trail rides. He was listed at the top of my budget and was located in RI which turned me off of him at first. Having just expanded the search, I was hoping to find something closer and less stressful to coordinate shipping.
As time wore on though, I kept going back to his ad and comparing everything else to him. Finally I caved and contacted the owner. A long conversation ensued and next thing I knew I was sitting in the lawyers office sending over money to a stranger hoping the pony really existed.
Next up was the stress of finding transport but it turned out to be extremely easy with living so close to Aiken and all the northern transplants heading this way for winter training. I ended up with several options and chose a delivery date of 12/22 (today!!!).
The last week flew by with moving and filming and I loved the seller who kept me in the loop with regards to the health certificate, shipping conversations and how he was doing. She sent me the bill of sale, a copy of his Coggins and the health certificate.
And then this morning I saw the truck pull up and my new love unloaded.
His stats: 9 year old 12h welsh pony. Broke to ride w/t/c, jumps to 2′, auto lead changes (um…yeah he is better trained than Gem). Not registered, but I don't care. He is a gelding. Super easy going nature, been on trails and around kids. Perfection.
Without further ado here is the first of many photo spams of Nash. Wyatt hasn't met him yet so be prepared for that post coming up 🙂 Doing this on the app is driving me crazy but I don't have internet at home yet. Sorry for any inevitable funkiness in this post.
His little head poking out the trailer window already stole my heart.
The hauler said he loaded well and travelled like a complete gentleman. His partner in the trailer was an equally adorable black pony traveling from RI to GA
He seemed happy to be out of the snow and in grass again. He was quiet and got busy being mosey immediately
His tiny little ears stole my heart!
I love the look on his face. Gem is all "Oh! What new friend did you bring me?" Nash is like "Dear God what is that thing?!"
We sectioned off a smaller paddock in front of the arena to let him stretch his legs and have a small quarantine period.
I let him off the lead rope and spent time walking away, going back and catching him again, letting him off, jumping around, making loud noises. He could have cared less about any of it.
Since he came from snow and hasn't had green grass in months, I let him out for about half an hour and then tucked him away in a stall with a big pile of hay. He was drinking great, peed clear and by the time I had to leave to make it to the OR (to sit here and wait while my case got bumped) he was settling in for a nice nap. Wyatt will get to meet him tonight after work and then we will likely have some monitored meeting time with the Dynamic Duo tomorrow and Sunday.
I can't wait to see Wyatt's reaction when he meets his new pony. And now all my December craziness is complete. Life should return to normal soon.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In today's Mail Today, Headlines Today executive editor Rahul Kanwal adds another name to the roster of journalists working with the Anna Hazare campaign against corruption: former Star News anchor Shazia Ilmi.
He also throws light on the media strategy adopted by the team to craft India's "Arnab Spring":
# Never start a press meet at 7.30pm. That's when TV news channels run sports shows; they will not cut out cricket to show you.
# Avoid live briefings at 2.30pm, that's when Hindi news channels run Saas- Bahu shows, which fetch very good ratings.
# Keep the message fresh: Supply 'breaking news', like letters to the prime minister or Sonia Gandhi, at regular intervals.
# Use symbols to get the message across, like Ana Hazare making a detour to Raj Ghat when few expected him to.
On last night's NDTV, Shivendra Singh Chauhan (a former journalist from the Hindi daily Navbharat Times of The Times of India group) and identified as currently being part of Times Internet Limited (again of ToI), popped up as the man behind the social media use of the Hazare campaign.
Image: courtesy Mail Today
Also read: The ex-Zee News journo on Anna Hazare team


text:
Amber Weather offers various weather widget styles within a minimal designed weather app. Use your favorite widget on your home screen and enjoy it everyday!
What Makes Us Different?
Amber Weather brings you high quality designs of weather widgets from different designers and artists. We are trying to beautify your home screen by providing various weather widget themes in our "Customize Store".
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– Intuitive information of temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, visibility, pressure, dew point, UV etc.
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– Smart Alert when weather changed, support push notification to your android wear device.
– Support new feature on Android L and Android wear.
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– Support tens of thousands cities's climate around the world, also support world clock take it when you are traveling!
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– Customize Elements
– Doppler and Radar map.
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Catholic Syrian Bank RTGS Centre IFSC & Branch Info
The IFSC Code of Catholic Syrian Bank RTGS Centre branch is CSBK000NEFT. The branch is located in Ernakulam district of Kerala. For address and phone numbers, scroll down.
CSB RTGS Centre IFSC Code: CSBK000NEFT
This IFSC Code is currently NOT in use.
Catholic Syrian Bank RTGS Centre MICR & Contact Info
Address, MICR code, branch contact number etc of CSB RTGS Centre branch is given below. You may contact the branch or the Customer Care number of the bank information relating to your Catholic Syrian Bank account.
|Branch Name
|Catholic Syrian Bank RTGS Centre
Market Road, Ernakulam - 682011
City : Kochi
District : Ernakulam
State : Kerala
|Branch Phone Number
|Customer Care Number
CSB branches in Ernakulam | CSB branches in Kerala
Along with your account number, account name and account type (ie., savings or current) the following information about the branch is to be provided for fund transfer:
Bank Name : Catholic Syrian Bank
Branch Name : RTGS Centre
IFSC Code : CSBK000NEFT
Location : Kochi, Ernakulam, Kerala - View full address & contact number
To make NEFT or RTGS money transfer to Catholic Syrian Bank RTGS Centre branch from any other bank in India, IFSC code is necessary. For hustle free payment transfer, share the accurate IFSC, branch name and account number with the transferer.


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Some camera purchases begin with much research, planning and deliberation; not to mention angst and hand-wringing. Others begin at airport duty free with too much time on one's hands, and subsequent serendipity in locating a second hand unit. This falls into the latter category. I make no secret to being a big fan of large sensor compacts for their versatility and image quality. I liked the original APS-C GR, the Coolpix A and to a lesser degree, the original RX100; the RX0II is in my bag. You see, I had some time to kill at Heathrow, and landed up playing with some things I wouldn't have done so otherwise. Those touch-and-try display counters are dangerous things.
Quick review: the 2019 Fuji XF10
Quick first thoughts – Nikon Coolpix A and Fuji Finepix X20
I recently picked up review units of the Nikon Coolpix A and Fuji Finepix X20 at B&H – the store itself is an incredible experience for any photographer, by the way – after a few days of intense shooting during my Making Outstanding Images workshops, I've had a chance to put together a few quick thoughts on the two cameras. I will be doing more complete reviews once I get a chance to shoot further with them and pore through the hundreds of images. Until then, this should tide over the curious.
Review: The Fuji FinePix XF1
One of the more interesting compacts in recent memory is the Fuji Finepix XF1. Announced at Photokina 2012, it's a pocketable metal-bodied camera with a moderately sized sensor – not the 1″ of the Sony RX100, but not the usual 1/1.7″ type either. It shares a sensor with the Fuji X10 – the 12MP 2.3″ EXR-CMOS, presumably it's the updated version without the white orb issue; I certainly didn't see any during my testing. The camera is definitely retro-styled, with a faux-leather skin covering the middle portion of the body, with warm silver metal covers top and bottom – presumably anodized aluminum. It's certainly a pleasingly tactile object to handle. For the style conscious, the camera is available with black, tan or red pleather; I opted for red since the camera was ostensibly a present for my wife.
The camera's biggest party trick is its lens: a 25-100/1.8-4.9 equivalent that both sports a mechanical zoom ring – slowly becoming a rarity even for M4/3 cameras – and a collapsing mechanism that lets it drop back into the camera body to keep things pocketable. Presumably it's an evolution of the design used on the X10, though obviously not as fast due to size constraints. Again, like the X10, it also powers on the camera. One twist into standby mode puts the camera either into 'ready' position (if enabled, eats battery); another twist to the wide end of the zoom turns the camera on. I would love to have a separate power switch, too – this would make it a fantastically responsive camera as you could have the desired focal length preset before powering on; something I wish the otherwise very fast Sony RX100 could do.
Lens in a range of positions from fully retracted to fully extended.
Needless to say, zooming is quick and easy. The mechanism itself is reasonably smooth, but it could use a bit more damping to give a higher quality feel; you have the impression of a lot of light pieces of plastic or thin metal moving around inside the lens barrel as you turn it. In fact, the camera is quite light – generally a desirable quality – personally, I'd prefer a bit more heft. Finally, stiffer detents between the 25mm position, STANDBY and OFF would help avoid accidental power ups/ shut downs. The only other notable mechanical gubbin is the release lever for the dinky pop-up flash hidden in the top plate.
It would seem that the feature race hasn't ended for the enthusiast-level compacts; the XF1 is packed with all sorts of modes and customisability; the only three that are of any real note are the dynamic range optimiser, built in level and customizable buttons. The former does some strange things with the sensor and ISO range to extend highlight and shadow dynamic range in JPEG files only; it seems to work. I'll say more on this in the image quality section. The built in level is an unobtrusive horizon line through the middle of the frame that works for roll only, but shows a single green line when the camera is level. It's actually quite handy on a camera of this size, because it isn't always easy to hold it stable with one hand – not that you're going to be shooting the XF1 singlehanded with the mechanical zoom.
Finally, there are effectively no less than seven programmable buttons: pressing E-Fn brings up a virtual overlay where the user's choice of shortcuts are assigned to the four directions of the D-pad, playback and record buttons on the back; there's also another function button on the top plate behind the shutter. Annoyingly – perhaps out of muscle memory – it's in exactly the same place as the power button on just about every other compact, and I find myself repeatedly hitting it and wondering why the camera won't turn on or off, but instead bring up a menu. The only function which I'd want to assign to this direct-access key (you don't have to press E-Fn first) would be AF area – and guess what, this also happens to be the only one of the customizable functions that's missing from the list of possibles for this button. Grr.
It's worth noting that there is no way to separate AE lock and AF lock from the shutter button – so the half-press-and-dance routine may result in some undesirable metering. The XF1 also has a lens-shift based image stabilization system that moves a group of four elements. The best word to describe it is 'aggressive'; it reminds me of the early days of IS where the image would sway a bit as the stabilizer locked down. I'm estimating it's probably good for 2-2.5 stops. It certainly isn't as effective as the Panasonic OIS system, which I think is probably still the class leader for compacts.
Overall, there are a lot of things I like about the UI, and a number I don't. Playback is done well, for a change on a compact – you can power on the camera straight into playback mode by holding down the play key; there's no need to extend the lens. Then, press in the top command dial in to go to maximum magnification, and then you can compare images at the same zoom level and position by moving the rear dial. But this is where another issue raises its head: the camera has two command dials, which is the same number as any camera of this size and most pro DSLRs. Yet by default they seem to be dormant or redundant most of the time – only in M do the two dials do anything independently. It would be sensible to have one serve as direct acesss to exposure compensation and the other as program shift/ aperture/ shutter speed in the other modes, but no. You have to press up on the D-pad to enter exposure compensation, then use either dial to change it. And then press up again to go back to changing the main exposure setting. Still, at least it's a shooting priority camera. It just seems that there are a lot of wasted opportunities here that would have let Fuji knock one out of the park with this little camera's handling. There's still hope for a firmware update, I suppose – Ricoh's GRD series is very much the leader when it comes to compact camera handling; and it's done with no more buttons than the XF1 has.
Other little things – the LCD isn't the highest resolution out there, with about 460,000 pixels; you can just about make out the pixel mask if you look closely, but most of the time it's a non-issue. The screen gets pretty bright for daylight use, but of course that comes at the expense of battery drain. I'd like to see something a bit less contrasty, though; it doesn't give that good an indication of overexposure – but there's a blinking highlights warning in playback mode to get around this. Fortunately, the XF1 seems to be fairly miserly with power consumption, yielding about 300 frames on a charge of it's quite physically small battery. The lens-based on-off switch makes it quite easy to power the camera off between frames, which of course helps with battery life. The camera also shoots full HD video at 1080p30, which is nice but not something I use – so I'll leave it to others to test.
Urban geometry around dawn. Fuji XF1
I was not impressed with its predecessor's focusing speed – despite having ostensibly the same sensor and a faster lens, the X10 is not a fast-focusing camera. This isn't the main problem, though – it freezes between half-press and achieving focus, which means that a) if you move slightly, and you will because it's a compact, then you won't see it until you get a sudden jump when the camera focuses; b) the delay is annoying. In fact, this was the main reason why I didn't buy one. I'm pleased to report the XF1 fixes this. Whilst there's still a very tiny perceptible freeze, it's almost negligible. I certainly don't notice it in practical use.
Overall; the XF1 is a fast camera and doesn't keep you waiting. It shuttles around RAW or JPEG files with equal indifference, except perhaps write time is noticeably longer. That said, I wouldn't recommend using this camera to shoot RAW even though it can; and this has a lot to do with the quality of the in-camera processing, and the absolutely crappy results obtained via ACR. This is a bit of a shame, as the lens quality is very impressive – better than the Zeiss-branded lens on the Sony RX100. It doesn't suffer from the same flare or low contrast at wide angle and f1.8; the corners are also much sharper. More impressively, this level of optical quality is maintained through the telephoto end of the range, too. (It could also be because the lens has to cover a much smaller image circle than the RX100's.) There is some CA in the corners, but flare is impressively low, microcontrast high, and color rendition pleasing.
Despite Fuji's claims about the camera's bokeh-generating ability (and 7-bladed diaphragm) – the reality is that you're only going to get a tiny bit of background separation if your subject is close, you're shooting at 25mm and f1.8 equivalent, and the background is very far away. The RX100 has more potential for subject isolation through shallow(er) depth of field, and I still treat that as a program mode-hyperfocal camera. As with every small-sensored camera, don't bother with aperture priority: you have no control over depth of field anyway. I only use program and manual – either when the built in flash triggers speedlights, or in the case of the XF1, you need exposure times longer than a second – and remember to disengage auto ISO first, otherwise you can't go any slower.
Nature outgrows us all. Fuji XF1
I find the image quality of this camera paradoxical. On one hand, the JPEG output is amongst the best I've ever seen from a compact – especially when using the trick DR400 mode, which supposedly extends the camera's tonal range by two stops – on the other hand, the RAW files are amongst the worst I've ever seen from any camera, and far below even its own JPEGs. The RAW files are far noisier, have poorer dynamic range, less detail and acuity, and just seem very dull by comparison; it's akin to the difference between RAW and JPEG on other cameras, except in reverse. The only conclusionS I can come to are that Fuji has some extremely sophisticated processing algorithms inside this camera, the ACR converter algorithm just doesn't work for this sensor, or both. It is widely known that ACR doesn't really do a good job with Fuji files, but this difference almost defies belief. Needless to say,
I'm not going to be using RAW mode on the XF1 it will be set to JPEG DR400 mode for my wife to use. For the purposes of this article, I shot JPEGs and did some minor tweaking to them with Photoshop.
What on earth is going on here? That's not a mistake: the DNG (converted via ACR 7.2 from the original Fuji Raw file) is on the right. Full size file here.
All that said, the image quality of the JPEGs is superb. Noise is low, detail is high (though oddly blocky in places, somewhat reminiscent of the older SuperCCD designs) and the tonal rolloff in the highlights is outstandingly well handled. Note that you really do have to use the DR400 mode to achieve this; otherwise the highlights blow just as fast as with any other compact. The files just look natural. The files actually remind me strongly of the 6MP SuperCCD FinePix F10, F11 and F30/31fd cameras; perhaps this is their spiritual successor. Of course, if you want there are also the usual super-saturated, B&W and toned modes; Fuji labels them with the names of its film – Provia, Velvia, Astia – though I doubt any of the XF1's buyers even know what those things are, let alone what they should look like.
JPEG noise crops. Full size here.
RAW (via ACR) noise crops. They just simply look worse than the JPEGs. Full size here.
On the noise front, I would have no qualms in using this camera up to ISO 800 in JPEG mode; 1600 and 3200 are noticeably softer, but surprisingly close in terms of both noise and detail retention. Thus, 3200 is probably a viable option in emergencies. Fuji does a pretty good job balancing noise reduction and detail here. Dynamic range noticeably decreases when you increase ISO, note that in order to expand dynamic range, the camera increases the ISO. This is presumably to allow additional sensitivity in the shadows. Yet the camera is smart enough to only increase the ISO past the sensor's base of 100 if it detects that the dynamic range of the scene exceeds the sensor's native capabilities – neat. This is why you might see EXIF data for a photo in good light with ISO 400 – it's a wide dynamic range scene – or ISO 100, if the contrast levels are manageable. Note that you do see a bit of noise in the shadows at DR400 mode, but at least they're not blocked up to black.
DR modes do make a noticeable difference. Note the garlic at the bottom; the leftmost image is DR100 (i.e. standard) mode; the right, DR400. Full size crop here.
Confusingly, Fuji makes the DR AUTO, DR100, DR200 and DR400 modes available both in the full-resolution 12MP mode, as well as on a separate EXR position on the mode dial. Here you can choose for dynamic range, resolution or low light priority; I don't see the point unless you're not going to do any processing afterwards at all. I suppose it must be a kind of smart auto mode, though there's also the camera position, ADV(anced) and scene modes on the dial – how on earth does this many options make things less confusing to the camera's intended audience, or more useful to the advanced user who just wants a good compact? Personally, I'm leaving it in P mode and DR400. If I want lower noise by pixel binning, I can do that myself afterwards in Photoshop – the results between the 6MP SNR (EXR Low Noise) mode and a downsized 12MP file in P mode look pretty much the same to my eyes. What Fuji should have done is made an auto mode that maintains best perceptual image quality: in good light, shoot at 12MP, say up to ISO 800; in high contrast situations, automatically use DR400; finally, when the required ISO goes to say 1600 or above, then start binning pixels down to 6MP.
So where does the XF1 stand against the other competition in this segment? In the same price and size bracket, we have the Panasonic LX7/ Leica D-Lux6; the Canon S110, and the Sony RX100 – though the latter is a bit more expensive. All are moderately pocketable. I've excluded the Nikon P7700, Canon G15 and Olympus XZ2 because I don't think these are pocket cameras anymore. I've not used the Canon extensively, so I'll refrain from commenting on that; it and the LX7 both use a smaller sensor than the XF1, and it shows. The Canon is perhaps at the greatest disadvantage because it has the slowest lens and the smallest sensor; the XF1's image quality – certainly the JPEGs – are noticeably better. The LX7 has a lens that's fast at both ends and optically excellent, which claws back some of the Fuji's sensor advantage; it also has more isolation potential as the long end of the lens isn't f4.9. I've always liked the LX series as macro cameras too; they focus very close throughout the entire zoom range, not just wideangle. This leaves us with the RX100: it on the other hand isn't a very good macro camera at all because the lens performs poorly at close distances until f4 or so; and doesn't focus close throughout the rest of the range. However, it does have the best sensor of the lot; clearly a notch above the Fuji, and challenging Micro Four Thirds. I wouldn't use the Fuji at ISO 1600 and very low light; I've done higher ISOs with the Sony and still gotten pretty impressive results.
In my mind, the final scoring stacks up this way:
Fuji XF1 if you are a JPEG shooter and don't plan to do much, or any, postprocessing.
Panasonic LX7/ Leica D-Lux6 if you shoot macro, or want to try and get some depth of field control.
Sony RX100 if you want the best image quality in any compact camera available, period.
Canon S110…I actually can't think of any good reason to buy this – if you need GPS, perhaps.
The overall impression one gets of the XF1 is a positive one. It has some endearing quirks – the mechanical zoom, for the most part – some less endearing ones (control idiocy and mode confusion) – but what really impresses are the quality of the JPEGs. And if you need something pocketable that delivers great results without too much effort – albeit without as high ultimate image quality potential as something that has a malleable raw file – then this is probably the camera for you. In fact, I think it's the perfect camera for my wife – she likes to have something responsive, compact and (sigh) stylish, can process RAW files but never bothers, yet is frustrated at the limitations of the JPEG output of most compacts. Just think of it as a tax to appease the other half before you tell them you're buying a Hasselblad. MT
The Fuji Finepix XF1 is available here in several colors from B&H and Amazon.
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3 die, scores hurt in massive crash on snowy I-94 in northwest Indiana
- Eastbound lanes of I-94 remained closed Friday morning as crews continued working to clear the scene.
- Drivers stuck in the backup Thursday could only wait and try to stay warm as temperatures hovered around 10 degrees.
- More than 20 people were injured%2C including one critically%2C in the crush of semitrailers and mangled passenger vehicles.
A multiple-vehicle crash Thursday in Michigan City, Ind., that killed three people and injured more than 20 others, including two critically, could have been much worse, emergency management officials said Friday.
"It was like a war zone out there," Chief Mick Pawlik of the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department said at a morning news conference. "We're lucky the roles weren't reversed, that there weren't 20 fatalities and three injuries."
The massive pileup involving 46 vehicles — including two box trucks and 18 semi-trailers — occurred in snow and whiteout conditions near Michigan City, about 60 miles from Chicago. Indiana State Police Cpl. Larry Koebcke said the eastbound lanes of Interstate 94 were still closed Friday morning as workers used cranes and workers to clear the scene. Those lanes reopened Friday afternoon.
Indiana authorities identified the victims as Thomas Wolma, 67, and his wife, Marilyn, 65, of Grand Rapids, Mich., who were returning home after caring for a relative in Wisconsin, and Jerry Dalrymple, 65, Chicago, who was killed along with his dog.
Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer said one of his primary concerns initially was providing assistance to "folks who weren't injured but their vehicles were towed away," leaving them stranded in the cold. "We were able to get people into hotels, get them to train stations," he said.
Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Williams said eastbound travelers were driving at highway speed when they encountered an "unpredictable" scenario. "As the people came into the whiteout conditions, it became that situation where they couldn't see each other as the vehicles came into the white-out environment."
He said chaplains were brought to the scene to assist motorists — and emergency workers. "These are the types of scenes that most of us see only once or twice in our careers," he said.
Drivers stuck in the backup Thursday could only wait and try to stay warm as temperatures hovered around 10 degrees.
Stacey Johnson, 37, had a family emergency and was traveling from western Michigan to Tennessee with her three sons, ages 3, 9 and 10. She told The Associated Press she'd researched road conditions before leaving because she was worried about the weather. She didn't know about the accident until traffic started crawling and then stopped.
Nearly five hours later, long after she'd planned to stop for dinner, her car was still sitting on the westbound side of the highway. A woman in the car next to hers noticed she had children with her and offered cereal, popcorn and fruit to tide them over.
Scott Collins, 17, of Chesterton, Ind., was riding in a car with three other teens and saw the crash happen just behind them.
"One of the semis started sliding and I think it jackknifed in the middle of the road" and collided with another semi, he said. "After that happened, multiple semis locked up. ... We were pretty nervous."
Contributing: Associated Press


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Tommy Lee Does Not Want Motley Crue Songs Played at SeaWorld
For all of Tommy Lee's notoriously decadent exploits, it's surprising to learn that he is a strong supporter of animal rights. The Motley Crue drummer is joining with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to stop the "Shamu Rocks" attraction at the SeaWorld theme park in San Diego.
"Shamu Rocks" features white orcas performing tricks as music at volumes of up to 90 decibels blares out of the public address system. According to experts, even 70 decibels is too much for the mammals to handle and can affect their ability to communicate by sonar. In a letter to John T. Reilly, the president of SeaWorld San Diego, Lee addressed his concerns and asked that his own music not be involved.
"I'm writing to ask you not to play any Mötley Crüe songs at any of SeaWorld's parks during this sad show," he wrote. "Although we like to torture the human fans who willingly come to our shows, we don't want to be a part of making innocent animals' lives hellish...Whales are not head-bangers, so stop cranking the music and take one small step toward improving their welfare."
Lee has long been a supporter of PETA and has often lent his support to their causes, as has his ex-wife, model/actress Pamela Anderson.


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Two missing BBC 'Doctor Who' episodes found
LONDON - Agence France-PresseTwo classic 1960s episodes of the BBC science fiction series "Doctor Who", thought lost forever, have been found, the British Film Institute said Monday.
The missing episodes, dating from 1965 and 1967 and starring William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton respectively in the title role, were bought at a village fete in southern England in the mid-1980s, the BFI said.
The copies are thought to have originated from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The BFI said the copies had been in the private collection of a former TV engineer. They have now been given to the BBC archives.
"Doctor Who", which ran from 1963 to 1989 and was revived in 2005, is one of BBC television's top entertainment programmes.
Some 106 episodes dating from between 1964 and 1969 are missing from the BBC archives due to a tape-wiping policy which was in place for much of the 1960s and 1970s.
Video tape was expensive at the time and so transmission tapes were wiped in order to be reused.
"Doctor Who" was sold around the world during the 1960s. Top BBC programmes were transferred on to film for foreign broadcasters, the corporation said, and the BFI sometimes manages to recover these copies.