WANADOO/SPA FINALISTS AT MR AWARDS 2004

5th July evening, in posh frocks, at the Dorchester.

This was the Marketing Research Awards, 2004 – an industry wide event, established to celebrate and recognise the role that market research plays in driving business success. This is only the second year of these particular awards but the number of entries generated were the highest of any similar event for the research industry.

There were 14 categories embracing various industry and product sectors. We (that is - our client, Wanadoo, and SPA) were finalists with the Reconnect project in the media category. Reconnect was a diary study on internet users and their behaviour towards online advertising - commissioned by Wanadoo and conducted by SPA. Hence the excitement.

The Reconnect project was a long time in the making. A diary study in 2002 and again replicated in 2004 provided the foundation for this extremely timely and relevant piece of research which Wanadoo shared throughout the industry.

Anyway - the evening started off sensibly with group photos, in party gear, sober. Then, because we’d taken no notice whatsoever of our client’s directions (which had been emailed to us twice) we got lost on the way to the rendevouz.

But once arrived, there was champagne at £12 a glass (how much?), candelabras, glamorous hostesses showing us where the loos were, gorgeous food, that chap off the telly who does the Lottery and Rebecca, Suzy and Jo drunk in charge of a digital camera.

We didn’t actually win but we did make a lot of noise.

Next year.

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