List of Marketing Research Firms

With expertise in identifying markets and understanding customers, marketing research firms help clients create effective marketing messages.

Marketing research firms specialize in working with business clients to perform high-level marketing research. This is vital to a company's product development and marketing efforts. Research includes development and fine-tuning of target markets and investigation into desired customer benefits. They use quantitative and qualitative techniques to develop effective marketing campaigns. They then follow up with research to learn how effectively the marketing efforts accomplished their purposes.

B2B International

B2B International epitomizes the perpetual growth of global business. It is a full-service marketing research company based in New York, centering on business-to-business marketing. According to its website, B2B's specialty is helping companies explore and discover answers to the hardest questions they face through "a combination of market research and consultancy expertise." Services include assistance in research for companies entering new or emerging markets, looking to improve brand image, or trying to identify new market segments. The company has headquarters in Europe and Asia as well. According to the Green Book listing of full-service marketing research firms, B2B has an affiliation with the American Marketing Association (AMA), the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR), and the Marketing Research Association (MRA).

The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company, a global leader with a presence in many countries, is the largest research firm in the world. This is according to the 2008 Honomichl list of largest research firms, as referenced in the "Top U.S. Market Research Firms" feature on the Marketing Charts website. The public knows the company as the publisher of the "Nielsen Ratings," which provides program ratings for television shows. Nielsen earned $4.6 billion in 2008, nearly $1 billion more than The Kantar Group, the second largest firm. According to Nielsen's website, the company believes its strength is its ability to deliver a greater customer insight to its clients through expansive data and measurement capabilities. Clients include those in the media, consumer packaged goods, telecom and advertising firms.

The Kantar Group

The Kantar Group's $3.6 billion in revenue during 2008 makes it the second largest research firm, according to the Honomichl list and the Marketing Charts article on top research firms. The Marketing Charts also cited the acquisition of TNS by Kantar Group as the largest deal of 2008 in the marketing research industry. The London-based Kantar Group is a global research firm with headquarters and major offices in London, New York, Buenos Aires and Singapore. Kantar highlights its ability to help clients through creative collaboration and inspiration that goes beyond basic research. Its website promises unmatched knowledge and specialized expertise.

References

• Principles of Marketing: Chapter Five -- How companies manage marketing research
• Green Book: Full-Service Marketing Research Firms
• B2B International: B-to-B Market Research & Market Intelligence
• Marketing Charts: Top US Market Research Firms
• The Nielsen Company: About
• The Kantar Group: Who We Are: In Brief

Resources

• Green Book: B2B International
• The Nielsen Company: Contact Us
• The Kantar Group: Contact Us