The Insight Management Agency Group (IMAG) aims to help its members get closer to client-side concerns and needs and help agencies win business.

The 25 invited agencies will also be able to work closely with the Customer Insight Forum so they can gain first mover advantage.

The group will meet four times a year and members will also be able to take advantage of a project-specific, online agency group marketplace that will enable them to promote relevant products and services to forum clients without giving away any secrets to their fellow agency competitors.

In addition, each member will receive a confidential assessment of their own approaches and performance in terms of delivering and managing insight. 

Customer Insight Forum member Royal & SunAlliance’s head of insight, Caroline Van Den Bos, commented: “We want the best service and the sharpest thinking available. It’s got to be good for clients if agencies are sharing ideas and continually evolving as a group.”

Heading up IMAG are founder and director of Insight Narrator Caroline Florence, Ben Tuttle, MD and founder of Insight Catalyst, and associates of Customer Insight Solutions.

In a company blog post, Customer Insight Solutions director Sally Webb (pictured) said: “The client role has changed significantly and buying research is now a relatively small element of the mix. Clients tell us that they want their agencies to ‘get it’ and to work in partnership with them, which will help them to increase both their impact and value.”