NAXION previously known as National Analysts Worldwide, is an American

marketing research Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal is to identify and assess how changing elements of the marketing mix i ...

company that originally worked as a division of the

Curtis Publishing Company The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the ''Ladies' Home Jour ...

. It was founded by

Charles Coolidge Parlin Charles Coolidge Parlin (1872 – October 15, 1942) was the American "manager of the division of commercial research of the Curtis Publishing Company" in charge of selling advertising spots in the ''Saturday Evening Post''. He is credited as being ...

in 1911. Donald M. Hobart, future head of the division, joined in 1923, though he ended up resigning from the company in 1928 because he desired to work on the selling side of the concept. He was asked to rejoin the company and become the head of the division in 1938 after Parlin had decided to retire. It is considered to be the "first commercial research company" ever formed. It became an independent organization in 1943 in order to "provide research services to industry and government."

History

As NAXION

NAXION is the new name for National Analysts Worldwide, a

market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mark ...

and consulting company. The firm was formed in 1911 when

hired

to oversee the Division of Commercial Research and conduct research that would help manufacturers understand their customers in the newly emerging

consumer economy A consumer economy describes an economy driven by consumer spending as a percent of its gross domestic product, as opposed to the other major components of GDP (gross private domestic investment, government spending, and imports netted against expo ...

. The goal was to encourage manufacturing companies to make more effective use of advertising in Curtis publications like ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' and ''

The Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', both of which would go on to have a major impact on 20th Century popular culture. It is considered to be the "first commercial research company" ever formed. It became an independent corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Curtis in 1943 in order to "provide research services to industry and government." In 1970, it was purchased by

Booz Allen Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (informally Booz Allen) is the parent of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., an American management and information technology consulting firm, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in Greater Washington, D.C., with 8 ...

, a consulting firm then seeking to expand its role in the marketing services arena. Two Booz Allen Hamilton officers, Susan Schwartz McDonald and John Berrigan, purchased the firm in 1992, and with Berrigan's retirement in 2004, ownership was restructured as an ESOP under the leadership of McDonald, CEO. In 2006, the firm changed its name to National Analysts Worldwide. In June 2014, the firm changed its name to NAXION to better reflect its expanding 21st century capabilities and affirm its global reach. Standard techniques like probability sampling, and concepts like focus groups, were either developed at National Analysts or saw some of their earliest application. Select other contributions to the industry include: :* modern qualitative research techniques including some of the earliest focus groups on record :* predictive modeling techniques :* optimization modeling :* hierarchical segmentation models and use of multi-criteria cluster techniques :* sampling techniques including invention of Area Probability Sampling

Today

More than a full century after its inception, NAXION remains headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, and operating as a hybrid marketing research and consulting firm. It employs 80 professionals full time. It consistently ranks amongst the

Honomichl Top 50 The AMA Gold Report Top 50, formerly known as the Honomichl Top 50, is an annual compilation of the top 50 revenue-generating marketing research firms operating in the United States. The report is published by the American Marketing Association maga ...

, the largest U.S. research firms. Industries served include: healthcare, pharmaceuticals, communications, technology, media, energy, financial services, residential design, transportation, B2B and consumer products. Service Capabilities include: :* Brand Strategy :* Demand Forecasting :* Market Surveillance :* Segmentation :* Product Development :* Pricing :* Market Entry Strategy :* Brand Equity Assessment :* Positioning :* Customer Insight

References

{{reflist Market research