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 £1½ 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.