Part 1 of this article has been published on the 20th February 2020 and can be viewed here.
The Top Ten of the U.S. Top 50 realized 2018 U.S. revenue of $10.92 billion (80% of total U.S. Top 50 revenue) and non-U.S. revenue of $12.85 billion (87% of total), for a total worldwide revenue of $23.77 billion (84% of total).
- #10, GfK continues to lead the Top Ten with the largest percentage of non-US research at over 80% of their total revenue. GfK connects data and science through innovative research solutions to answer clients’ questions about consumers, markets, brands, and media.
- #9, The NPD Group combines data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics across many industries to measure markets, predict trends, and improve performance. NPD’s syndicated services include retail tracking, distributor tracking, and consumer tracking.
- #8, comScore provides cross-platform measurement of audiences, advertising and consumer behavior through products and solutions that are powered by industry-leading census, big data and panel information assets that serve 3,200 clients around the world.
- #7, Westat is a 100 percent employee-owned research and professional services company that provides extensive survey design and operations capabilities in support of modern data collection from households, institutions, businesses, and individuals.
- #6, Ipsos covers the whole information production and analysis chain, from the collection of raw data to the activation of the information generated with the client, along with a solid tradition of innovation through new methodological developments and products.
- #5, Information Resources Inc. (IRI) provides big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help CPG, OTC health care organizations, retailers, financial services and media companies grow their businesses and connect with consumers and key constituents.
- #4, Kantar is a data, insights, and consulting company providing techniques and technologies, from purchase and media data to predicting long term trends; from neuroscience to exit polls; from quantitative to qualitative research, incorporating ethnography and semiotics.
- #3, IQVIA provides information, innovative technology solutions and contract research services focused on helping healthcare clients find better solutions for patients by applying human data science to enable companies to reimagine and develop new approaches.
- #2, Gartner Research is the largest of four business segments in Gartner Inc., delivering objective advice to leaders across the enterprise, primarily through a subscription-based digital media service, combining proprietary research methodologies with extensive industry relationships.
- #1, Nielsen provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch and what they buy and how those choices intersect and it delivers critical media and marketing information, analytics and manufacturer and retailer expertise.
Types of services
We asked the U.S. Top 50 companies to estimate the percent of revenue by the type of service they provided to their clients. This question aligns with our efforts to assess and measure the transformation of the industry, including new markets, new methods, and new tools. The data also provide a touchpoint for us to gauge whether and to what extent the U.S. Top 50 companies are exploring and/or investing in new services and new approaches.
| Type of Service | Percent of 2018 U.S. Revenue |
| Audience Measurement | 36.7% |
| Custom Research | 18.2% |
| Syndicated Research | 16.9% |
| Data Collection | 7.2% |
| Advisory & Consulting | 4.1% |
| Data & Text Analytics | 3.5% |
| Qualitative | 2.9% |
| Ad Tracking/Copy Testing | 2.7% |
| Social Media Measurement | 1.9% |
| Data Processing | 1.7% |
| Online Panels/Communities/Sampling | 1.0% |
| Gamification | Less than 1% |
| Influencer research | Less than 1% |
| Enterprise Feedback Management | Less than 1% |
| Auditing (mystery shopping) | Less than 1% |
| Biometrics and Sensory | Less than 1% |
| Ethnography | Less than 1% |
| Expert Witness (jury/legal) | Less than 1% |
| Software Development | Less than 1% |
While these percentages are estimates, it is important to note that 1% represents about $136 million in revenue. Even the “Less than 1%” services reflect significant revenue for the U.S. Top 50 companies.
U.S. Top 50 Companies and Industry Transformation
All of the U.S. Top 50 companies are full-service research, insights, and analytics businesses whose areas of expertise and specialization reflect the breadth of our changing and expanding research industry, which includes data analytics, strategic consulting services, technology services and platforms, as well as market, opinion, social, and survey research.
As these companies evolve and incorporate new services, they also re-examine how they define and describe themselves and their broader portfolio.
In the 2019 GreenBook Market Leaders Report, we asked the U.S. Top 50 companies to identify and rank order by highest revenue to lowest revenue how they describe and position their company in the marketplace. We used four company positioning categories that are key services and major sources of revenue for these Top 50 companies: Full-Service Research Agency; Data and Analytics Provider; Strategic Consultancy; and Technology Provider.
A decade ago, the majority of the U.S. Top 50 would have identified “full-service research agency” as the #1 positioning category for their company. Now, nearly all of the U.S. Top 50 companies have expanded their company descriptions to include all of these positioning categories. Over half of the U.S. Top 50 companies indicated that their primary company positioning category was either “data and analytics provider” or “strategic consultancy,” rather than “full-service research agency.”
Primary (#1) Company Positioning Category
| Company Positioning Categories | Number of Top 50 Companies | % of Top 50 Companies |
| “Full-Service” Research Agency | 19 | 38% |
| Data and Analytics Company | 16 | 32% |
| Strategic Consultancy | 12 | 24% |
| Technology Provider | 1 | 6% |
The transformation process for many of the U.S. Top 50 companies has included a renovation and re-positioning of their branding and marketing. Almost all of the U.S. Top 50 companies have updated and re-configured their company identification and descriptions on their websites and marketing materials.
A careful review of the websites and the social media listings for the U.S. Top 50 reveals that many of these companies do not use “research” or even “market research” as the primary identifier for their company. Only about a dozen of the U.S. Top 50 companies identify themselves primarily as market, survey, or opinion research companies.
Here are the key words (other than “research”) used by the U.S. Top 50 to describe and present their company in the digital world:
- “global measurement and data analysis”
- “advanced analytics, technology solutions, and contract research services”
- “customer experience management and insights”
- “data, insights, consulting”
- “information production and analysis”
- “predictive analytics and AI”
- “measurement of audiences, advertising, and consumer behavior”
- “data, industry, and prescriptive analytics”
- “information technology and services”
- “data and analytics ratings services”
- “consulting and technology services”
- “data analytics, consumer insights, and technology solutions”
- “enterprise feedback”
- “business decision insight”
- “technology-enabled business services”
- “digital marketing solutions”
- “subscription-based information services”
- “decision intelligence”
- “market intelligence”
- “customer data science”
Other than “research,” the “umbrella” words most frequently used to express the industry’s expanding, diverse, and (often) complex portfolio are “data,” “analytics,” “technology,” “consulting,” “strategic,” “decision,” and the four “i’s”—“insights,” “intelligence,” “information,” and “integration.” (Even as I write this list, I think it’s too long and yet incomplete!)
The U.S. Top 50 companies reflect both the foundation and the transformation of the industry. They continue to be vested in survey, public opinion, social, and market research—the industry’s foundation. At the same time, they are expanding, improving, and diversifying their portfolio with new tools, technologies, and techniques through the process of innovation, acquisition, and partnership.
For more information about the U.S. research industry segmentation and transformation, as well as details about the U.S. Top 50 companies, please link to the “2019 GreenBook Market Leaders Report.”
