Beeftink Leaves Telmar For The IPA

Belinda Beeftink, formerly the director of client services at Telmar, has left the advertising media information service and it is understood that she is set to join the IPA, working on its TouchPoints system.

Beeftink, who has been at Telmar for around 14 years, was involved with the launch of TouchPoints at Telmar, and an announcement from the IPA is expected next week.

“It’s the perfect job for her,” said Telmar MD Alex Maddox of Beeftink’s new appointment. “We’ll miss her here but I can’t think of a better job for her. We’ve had a long and successful working relationship together, but i do think [the move is] right for her.”

The IPA is set to undertake a second TouchPoints Initiative in 2007, following the launch this October of its first integrated planning database that promises to enhance media planning across the industry (see IPA To Undertake Second TouchPoints).

It is envisaged that this second initiative will be in the same format as the first (see IPA TouchPoints Goes Live), focusing on a bespoke, consumer-centric Hub survey followed by an integration process. Research companies are now being invited to tender for the execution of the Hub Survey, with a second tender to be issued for the integration process at a later date.

TouchPoints’ primary objective is to give communication strategists a consumer-centric planning tool, which analyses how people are using the increasingly wide range of media available to them and how this usage fits into their lifestyles. It has been designed as a stand-alone survey, to be integrated with other media research currencies and surveys such as BARB and the NRS. It also provides a commercial benchmark for all media, including SMS, direct marketing and the internet.

IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk