Leading brand and reputation analysis company, Echo Research, has acquired the UK-based KWHR Network Limited, it was announced today.

Under the terms of the agreement, Echo Research will also take over KWHR's global reseller agreement with PR Newswire, the leading global commercial news distribution service, which uses KWHR to power its media measurement and evaluation service, MediaSense ™.

Sandra Macleod, founder and CEO of the Echo Group said: "KWHR is at the forefront of technology solutions and academic thinking on content analysis and media capture. This represents the second key investment Echo is making to expand the range of solutions we can offer clients to meet their differing demands and budgets. It is less than two weeks since we announced that David Michaelson LLC is merging its operations and client base with Echo Research Inc in New York. These additions strengthen our ability to provide the full suite of research across all our offices - primary, secondary and media content analysis - needed by today's PR practitioners."

Among KWHR's main clients are Vodafone, Sony, eBay and the John Lewis Partnership. KWHR has also produced over 900 MediaSense reports in its agreement with PR Newswire for organizations of all sizes spanning all industries including consumer, financial services, automotive and non-profit.

KWHR's Managing Director, Keith Woods-Holder commented: "KWHR was looking for an international partner to provide value-added services to our existing client base and expand our advanced technology-based solutions. We share Echo's commitment to quality and consultancy services to help deliver organizational success through improved communications."

PR Newswire's Chief Executive, Charles Gregson, added: "We have been delighted with the tremendous success of MediaSense which has been developed and managed by KWHR since 2005. Its rapid take-up in the PR industry has surpassed our expectations. KWHR's acquisition by Echo will add more resources and possible new research services for our customers internationally and we look forward to working together in this new partnership."

About Echo Research

With 165 employees and analysts in offices in Europe and North America, and research centers in Asia and South America, Echo Research provides independent reputation analysis through media content and stakeholder studies for FTSE and Fortune 100 organizations, the public sector and not for profits. With over 26 Awards for Excellence in research, Echo's current clients include Barclays Bank, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Hewlett Packard, JPMorgan Chase, PricewaterhouseCoopers, NHS Employers, Severstal, Swiss Re, Texas Instruments, WWF and Zurich Financial Services.

About KWHR

KWHR has traded since 1992, providing bespoke research and evaluation services to corporate clients around the world. Formed by former Saatchi & Saatchi Research Director, Keith Woods-Holder and his wife, Julie, KWHR is a network of consultants specializing in research, corporate decision making and the measurement and evaluation of communications and brand awareness with public and professional audiences

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire Association LLC (http://www.prnewswire.com/) provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement and broadcast services on behalf of tens of thousands of corporate, government, association, labor, non- profit, and other customers worldwide. Using PR Newswire, these organizations reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up- to-the-minute, full-text news developments. Established in 1954, PR Newswire has offices in 11 countries and routinely sends its customers' news to outlets in 135 countries and in more than 40 languages. PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media plc of London.

More information at www.echoresearch.com and www.prnewswire.com/

SOURCE: Echo Research