Dr. Frank Luntz emailed to let me know that he has sold his market research and strategic consulting firm, The Luntz Research Companies, to Omnicom.
For Immediate Release:
THE LUNTZ RESEARCH COMPANIES SOLD TO OMNICOM
Dr. Frank Luntz, one of Washington’s most influential pollsters for the past decade, announced today the sale of his market research and strategic consulting firm to The Omnicom Group Inc, a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. The new entity will be called Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research and will focus on language development for issue advocacy, brand positioning, labor negotiations and crisis communications for both public affairs and corporate clients.
Luntz made his reputation helping to elect Rudy Giuliani Mayor of New York City in 1993 and then working on the Contract with America that helped Republicans gain control of Congress in 1994. In the political arena, Luntz is known for helping change the “estate tax” to the “the death tax,” for moving the language from “school vouchers” to “opportunity scholarships” and most recently from “drilling for oil” to “exploring for energy.” His survey finding that more young people believe in the existence of UFOs than believe Social Security will exist is the most quoted polling statistic of the past two decades.
Although leaving domestic electoral politics after the 1996 elections, he has often served as an informal advisor to House and Senate Republicans. His political work stretches across the globe, having participated in more than a dozen foreign elections for clients that have included Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Over the past decade, Luntz Research made the successful transition from politics to corporate research and strategic communication. In the past two years alone, more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies have used Dr. Luntz for communication guidance. Luntz Research currently has clients in virtually every major industry: pharmaceuticals, telecom, energy, health care, transportation, sports, entertainment, travel and tourism, shopping centers, grocery stores, restaurants, food and beverage.
The “Instant Response” focus group technique Dr. Luntz brought to live television was profiled on 60 Minutes in 1998 and on Frontline in 2004. In the 2000 election, his segments on MSNBC/CNBC, “100 Days, 1000 Voices” won the coveted Emmy Award. He has been a guest on virtually every public affairs program over the past decade and was the host of his own one-hour Sunday morning show “America’s Voices” on MSNBC in 2003.
“There are dozens of polling companies out there, and many of them do a good job,” said Luntz. “But there is no company that specializes in language. That’s a huge niche that we have already begun to fill. What McKinsey is to management consulting we will be for language and messaging.”
Omnicom CEO John Wren said he was “extremely pleased” with the acquisition. “Frank’s company was built on the principle that the best messages and the most effective communications are those that use the language of the audience – not the language of the client. That approach served Frank well in politics and we think it will work even better helping corporate clients re-position their brands or address an ongoing crisis.”
Dr. Frank Luntz will remain Chairman and CEO of the company. (www.Luntz.com) Michael Maslansky, formerly President of MarketResearch.com, was named President of the new entity.
Omnicom Group Inc (NYSE: OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.
For more info:Contact Frank Luntz or Michael Maslansky at 703-358-0080
