Macromill Group

Tokyo, August 14, 2023 - Monitas, Inc. (Headquarters Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Hidenori Hayashi; "Monitas," hereafter) has become a consolidated subsidiary^*1 of Macromill, Inc. (Headquarters Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Executive Officer and Global CEO Toru Sasaki; "Macromill," hereafter). As a result, the total number of consumer research panelists across the Macromill Group has exceeded 36 million members, among the largest in Japan^*2. Going forward, Macromill and Monitas will leverage the advantages of their panelists on a joint basis to strengthen the rollout of products.

■ Background

Since it was established in 2000, Macromill has driven the industry as a leading online research company. Today, Macromill has built a domestic affiliated panel network comprising more than 11 million panelists and has rolled out various services with a focus on its research business.

Established in 1991, Monitas manages a consumer research panel organization with around 25 million panelists through which it pursues its core monitor alliance business, which includes support for the monetization of media utilizing survey content, and services to provide survey monitors to research companies and other organizations.

The marketing research industry is currently in a transitional phase to becoming an insight industry. This makes an evolution beyond the provision of traditional research services such as quantitative and qualitative research, reflecting the need to collect and analyze a wide range of data to provide client companies with deeper and more accurate insight into consumers. In the course of this shift, Macromill and Monitas aim to provide services through their respective panel assets to help solve the marketing challenges faced on client companies in speedier and more wide-ranging ways.

■ Expected Synergy

1. Establishing One of Japan's Largest Consumer Panel Infrastructures

   With Monitas being made a consolidated subsidiary at this time, consumer research panelists across the Macromill Group will increase to around 36 million people, among the largest such totals in Japan. This is expected to increase the number of those surveyed in the Group's existing research services and digital operations, expanding the scope of products provided while improving quality. Looking ahead, the two companies will strive to further expand their scale of their operations, leveraging the advantages of these panels as a basis for new product development.

2. Improving Products in the Markets for Sample Panel Provision and DIY Platforms

   By making Monitas into a consolidated subsidiary, the Macromill Group will launch a full-scale rollout of products in the markets for sample panel provision and DIY platforms^*3, areas that have recently exhibited continued growth even by insight industry standards.

   Specifically, in the market for the provision of sample panels, which involves supplying clients with consumer panels to assist with their research, the Group aims to expand its scope of services and further expand the size of the market. In the market for DIY platforms, where clients can perform research and data analysis on the users of their own products and services, the Group will also aim to expand the scope of its services and scale of its operations. Macromill currently provides the Questant and milltalk platforms in this market, while Monitas' offerings include Supcolo (registered patent no. JP,7286802,B). Going forward, both companies will make use of their expertise with their respective products to provide clients with services that meet their research needs in speedier and more inexpensive ways.

The Macromill Group is converting its business model into Professional Marketing Services Company to help solve marketing challenges as a whole from further upstream, beyond addressing the research challenges of clients. Macromill will continue to offer innovative products based on various data obtained from consumer panels in order to spread innovations throughout the marketing business industry.

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