Decision Analyst (founded 1978) is an American marketing research and consulting firm based in Arlington, Texas. It also operates the American Consumer Opinion online panel, which is made up of over eight million people.
Decision Analyst provides global research and analytical consulting services to major corporations, advertising agencies, and marketing consultancies in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Decision Analyst was founded in 1978 and is wholly owned by its 150 employees. The firm is headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas.
1978 – Decision Analyst founded by Jerry W. Thomas
1981 - Data Preparation and Data Tabulation Departments were added in April 1981.
1982 - Software development began in September 1982.
1982 - The Data Collection Department was added in November 1982.
1986 - The American Consumer Opinion® mail panel was launched in early 1986.
1996 – Decision Analyst first offered its STATS™ statistical software free to marketing researchers.
1996 - Decision Analyst won the David Ogilvy Award for its marketing research accomplishments on behalf of Tropical Freezes, a new frozen drink introduced nationally in 1995.
1996 – The American Consumer Opinion® panel was converted to an online survey panel, and started accepting members worldwide.
1999 – The Technology Advisory Board®, Physicians Advisory Council®, and Contractor Advisory Board® online survey panels were added.
2000 - The Executive Advisory Board® online survey panel was added.
2002 - The Imaginators® consumer ideation panel was launched
2003 - The Medical Advisory Board® online panel was added.
2007 – Decision Analyst was part of the team that won the 2007 David Ogilvy Award in the Beverage Category.
2008 - For its work with Target, Decision Analyst won Target's Vendor of the Year award for marketing research services.
2008 – Decision Analyst ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction according to MarketResearchCareers.com 2008 Annual Survey of Market Research Professionals.
2009 – Decision Analyst released STATS™ 2.0 statistical software, its free software for marketing researchers. STATS™ 2.0 allows users to load, manipulate, and analyze custom data sets through cross-tabulation, correlation, regression, factor analysis, and cluster analysis.
2011 – Decision Analyst was ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among buyers of full-service marketing research according to MarketResearchCareers.com, Annual Survey of Market Research Professionals released in February 2011.
2012 - Decision Analyst programmers developed an R Language choice-modeling software package called ChoiceModelR™. The software is free to download.
Decision Analyst conducts multinational marketing research studies on marketing strategy, market segmentation, product optimization, advertising testing, package optimization, new product concept testing and forecasting, website optimization, and customer experience optimization. The firm blends qualitative research, secondary data analysis, survey-based research, econometrics, and advanced analytics (modeling, simulation, and optimization) to solve the most difficult marketing problems. Sophisticated survey-based research, using Decision Analyst’s worldwide online panels, is a core strength. Surveys can include 3-D animation, uploaded photos, sound, videos (uploaded or shown), and timed exposure of stimuli. Surveys are conducted globally on a common, unified software platform (Logician®) so that methods are identical from country to country. Qualitative services include in-person depth interviews, focus groups, ethnography, and an array of online methods: Time-Extended™ Online Forums, online group discussions, online depth interviews, online communities, and mobile ethnography. Ideation and innovation services, using hypercreative individuals, are offered to develop new product concepts, new positionings, new packaging, and new advertising claims
Decision Analyst offers proprietary standardized decision systems. These systems incorporate standardized questionnaires, sophisticated sampling, mathematical models, normative data, and action standards so that results are truly meaningful. Decision Analyst’s proprietary, online DecisionSystems™ include:
PackageScreen®
PackageCheck®
PackageTest®
PackageOpt™ package optimization
CopyScreen®
CopyCheck®
CopyTest®
CopyTrack®
CopyOpt™ copy optimization
ConceptScreen®
ConceptCheck®
ConceptTest®
ConceptOpt™ concept optimization
Conceptor® volumetric forecasting
Optima® product testing
NameScreen®
PromotionScreen®
PromotionCheck®
PromotionTest®
PromotionOpt™ promotion optimization
Brand Equity Analyzer™
Brand Equity Monitor™
MenuAudit™
SatisfactionAudit™
Published Articles and Data
Below are some of Decision Analyst’s published articles and survey results:
A bird's-eye view of what mobile can do
Putting choice modeling to work for new product sales forecasting
Ten keys to defusing political land mines in the back room
Qualitative Analytics
Qualitative Package Design Research
Multidimensional Segmentation
Concept Testing (And The “Uniqueness” Paradox)
COMFORT FAQ: How Can HVAC Installation Contractors Better Serve Customers?
From HIRI, a deep data dive in Orlando: Researchers come to grips with new tools
Index points to slow growth
Small-Business Owners Forecast a Warm Summer According to Survey
Big-ticket purchases: How consumers shop
Home Improvement Shoppers: Brand Loyal?
Little Data vs. Big Data: Nine Types of Data and How They Should Be Used
