MUMBAI: Global market information provider TNS has announced the official Asia Pacific launch of its latest online research tool – ‘6th dimension’.

The new product is a global, fully-managed online consumer access panel offering unparalleled access to a diverse cross-section of households for the purpose of customised research.

The announcement marks the start of a pan Asian roll out of the panel which, by the end of 2005 will see 6th dimension offered in six of the region’s major markets where Internet penetration rates are sufficient for online research.

Inaugurated a few days ago in Hong Kong – the central hub from where 6th dimension will be managed and controlled, the panel is scheduled to launch next in Korea, followed by Taiwan, Singapore, China and Japan. Future territories are anticipated, as they become market ready. Within Asia Pacific, TNS already offers online access panel capability in Australia and New Zealand.

Developed in response to strong growth in the use of online research methods and increasing demand for prompt, reliable results, 6th dimension capitalises on TNS’ core competency in Managed Access Panels to present research buyers with a number of advantages over alternative online solutions.

In addition to the faster project turnaround times inherent in the use of online research methods, 6th dimension’s panels of fully qualified, opt-in respondents deliver significantly higher response rates than either un-managed or partially managed databases. Furthermore, as the result of TNS’ panel registration process, respondent profiles will offer truly representative sampling as well as the flexibility to target specific and demographic segments.

wAs such, online research via the 6thdimension is particularly well suited to advertising pre-testing, concept evaluation, brand tracking and pricing studies where time is of the essence and/or visual prompting is required. Advertising tests can typically be turned around in a matter of days rather than the weeks required using more traditional methods. Commenting on the launch, TNS MD Asia Pacific, James Hall said, “This is an exciting development as it leverages our core expertise out of North America where we have over five decades of experience in traditional and on line Access panels and also Europe where the panel was most recently launched together with the validation work we have completed in Australia over the last two years.

"It means that TNS Asia Pacific, like other regions in the world where 6thdimension has been launched will be first to market with proven capability in terms of a truly managed access panel that operates in the new internet technology environment.”

TNS regional director access panels Asia Pacific Mark Walton says, “When compared to what is currently offered under the access panel banner around the region, 6thdimension’s introduction certainly raises the bar as being the only credible framework of true managed panels across Asia Pacific. In view of this, as well as the growth in online methods we have been seeing recently, we are confident that 6thdimension will be welcomed by research buyers and are anticipating a rapid uptake.”

Consistent with ‘The 6th Sense of Business’, TNS’ positioning line now for its global business, 6thdimension is not one of the usual three dimensions for data capture; Face to Face, telephone and mail. Furthermore, the real world is said to be three-dimensional, time is considered the fourth, spiritual is 5th and the Internet the 6th.