Chris Forrest, the former Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters planning
director, is linking with two other senior figures from the research
industry to set up a company with Guinness UDV as its biggest
client.
The qualitative research operation - called The Nursery - is already
undertaking assignments for Smirnoff vodka and Bailey's.
The new venture teams Forrest with Peter Dann and Lucy Bannister, both
former associate directors of the research specialist Davies Riley-Smith
Maclay.
Forrest said: "Qualitative research is an interesting area in which to
be at the moment, because clients are prepared to pay a lot of money for
it. As an agency planner it was always frustrating to see the amount of
attention paid by clients of qualitative research. They seem to think
planners are just there to sell them a 30-second TV commercial."
Forrest has been running his own company, Forrest Associates, since
leaving Duckworth Finn in 1997.
