[ Summer 2010 ]

Reasons to Be Grateful

By Simon Kooyman

The lesson of the past year and a half is clear: Take nothing for granted. We survived challenging economic times; and though things are looking up in many areas, we would be wise to continue counting our blessings and dispensing with assumptions. We certainly do.

At Knowledge Networks, we have much to be grateful for. Though the downturn has not passed us by completely, the solid relationships with our clients have shielded us – we continued to grow our business in several sectors. Our combination of rigorous methods, marketing and research expertise, and flexible collaboration have made KN a key partner for many high-profile companies and institutions – and we will never take these relationships for granted; we will continue to give them our best.

We also are grateful to have maintained strong continuity among our people – the most valuable KN asset. Our teams specializing in health care, government and academic studies, media, and other areas, whether client-facing, in operations or in support, continue to be among the best in the industry. We have added strong new hires – like Ethan Rapp, an innovator and thought leader in advertising effectiveness and cross-media research. (You can read an interview with Ethan's elsewhere in this issue.)

And, in a time of contraction, KN was able to expand, acquiring two companies with sound business models and outstanding personnel. Dimestore Media (now KN Dimestore) leverages a unique platform for measuring the brand lift delivered by online advertising; and the incorporation of CMR gave us both the most engaged online panel of health care professionals (Physicians Consulting Network) and the specialized team of experts that uses PCN to execute and analyze extraordinarily complex surveys with speed and precision.

We at KN feel it is our role to provide a "reality check" for clients, at a time when many are still uncertain about the reliability of opt-in online research for important decisions. We combine the best of scientific rigor with the new – adherence to traditional statistical principles, along with the many advantages of the online environment – to deliver an extraordinary quality and service clients can get nowhere else.

At Knowledge Networks, we realize the importance of the changing media landscape, the increasingly interactive consumer and the power of digital market research, because they are at the core of our company's history and existence. Our research focuses on the power to project, predict, and chart a path to actions.

It is no small task, but we know it is what our clients are counting on. And we are more than grateful to have been trusted with this important role.

Simon Kooyman is CEO of Knowledge Networks.