[ press Release ]

Knowledge Networks Acquires Garcia Research Associates – Extends Leadership in Hispanic Consumer Research

Adding the Cada Cabeza online panel and GRA's research expertise helps KN clients capitalize on the full U.S. Hispanic market

New York, NY; July 6, 2011: Knowledge Networks has acquired Garcia Research Associates (GRA), a firm well known for its thoughtful approaches to measuring the growing influence of Latinos on commerce and society in the U.S. With the acquisition of GRA's Cada CabezaSM online panel and team of expert researchers, Knowledge Networks has elevated its long-standing commitment to Hispanic consumer research, becoming the leading force for understanding how to capture $1 trillion in U.S. buying power among Spanish-speaking Americans.

Founded in 1990, GRA has earned its solid reputation conducting research for Fortune 500 companies, as well as for organizations involved primarily in the Hispanic community. Its Cada CabezaSM survey panel provides high respondent engagement and expert bilingual support. GRA will maintain its home office in Burbank, CA; KN will fully utilize GRA's operations center in Tijuana, Mexico.

With the addition of GRA's experts, Knowledge Networks will have 15 full-time staff in its Hispanic research team, as well as unmatched panel resources for accessing all facets of the U.S. Hispanic population. The acquisition of Cada Cabeza, along with KnowledgePanel LatinoSM and the National Shopper Lab, strengthens KN's ability to reach U.S. Hispanic segments — such as Spanish-dominant/Unacculturated — often missed by other research.

"The need to find ever more sophisticated ways to understand the U.S. Hispanic population — especially those in Spanish-dominant or bilingual households — has been our priority for years," said Knowledge Networks CEO Simon Kooyman. "GRA shares our focus and our passion for making insights actionable for clients of all types, and Cada Cabeza provides an excellent complement to KnowledgePanel Latino. I am pleased to welcome Carlos and his team to KN."

Garcia's President and CEO, Carlos Garcia, said, "We are glad to be joining a firm that has shown such a strong commitment to representing every voice among Latinos in the U.S. We know Knowledge Networks as top-quality partners and innovators, and we look forward to bringing our combined resources to clients — at a time when the need to understand the burgeoning and complex Hispanic population has never been greater."

Knowledge Networks is passionate about research in packaged goods, retail, media, health and social policy – collaborating closely with client teams throughout the research process, while applying rigor in everything we do. We specialize in innovative online research that consistently gives leaders in business, government, and academia the confidence to make important decisions.

KN delivers affordable, statistically valid online research through KnowledgePanel® and leverages a variety of other assets, such as world class advanced analytics, an industry-leading physician panel, an innovative platform for measuring online ad effectiveness, and a research-ready behavioral database of frequent supermarket and drug store shoppers.