Bob Hulks

Bob Hulks joined his first advertising agency, Erwin Wasey, in 1963 as a media research executive, one of the first of the new breed of researchers to work in agency media departments. Following short periods spent at smaller London agencies, he joined J Walter Thompson as media research manager in 1971 where he led a small research team. During this time he represented the IPA on several industry research bodies including JICNARS and JICTAR. In 1973 at the ESOMAR World Congress in Budapest, he published a major piece of work on modelling audiences for television advertising campaigns. This paper and the Preface television planning model have been adopted worldwide. He also contributed articles to Admap and other media journals and in 1976 was awarded an MIPA certificate.

In 1978, Bob transferred within the JWT Group to BMRB where he became manager of the Target Group Index client services team. In 1981, he was recruited by media planning software house, IMS (Interactive Market Systems, Inc.), to set up and run their European operations. Within a few years, this had grown to a �1� million company, which was sold in 1984 to VNU. Bob remained with IMS until 1989 when he was headhunted by the BBC and ITV to become the chief executive of BARB, The Broadcasters� Audience Research Board. In his five years as CEO, he successfully piloted the introduction of the �10 million 1991 audience measurement contract, negotiated a new audience reaction contract and started the work on a post-1998 contract.

In 1994, Bob left BARB to set up his own media research consultancy, Alban Hulks Research, which specialises in the use of new information technology in media planning and buying and in the collection and use of media research. His clients include WARC, Reuters, the Newspaper Publishers� Association, Leading Web Advertisers, GfK and Mediametrie. He is a consultant editor and regular contributor to Admap. He has also given several papers on media research at ESOMAR and at the ESOMAR/ARF Broadcast Symposium.