Kantar TNS

Kantar TNS was a global market-research and market-information brand serving businesses, governments, and other organizations across more than 80 countries. Its work covered consumer and shopper research, brand and communications evaluation, product and innovation development, customer experience, employee engagement, media intelligence, automotive research, and political and social opinion studies. The brand represented the international operating identity of Taylor Nelson Sofres, commonly abbreviated as TNS, before its eventual consolidation into Kantar. The company's roots lay in a group of independent research businesses established in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. National Family Opinion was established in the United States in 1946, followed by Intersearch in the United States in 1960, AGB in the United Kingdom in 1962, Sofres in France in 1963, Frank Small Associates in Australia in 1964, and Taylor Nelson in the United Kingdom in 1965. These companies expanded separately for several decades before the research industry entered a period of consolidation. A major step came in 1991, when AGB and Taylor Nelson combined to form Taylor Nelson AGB. Sofres acquired Secodip in 1992 and combined with Frank Small Associates in 1997. Sofres also acquired Intersearch in 1997 and subsequently merged with Taylor Nelson AGB, creating the TNS group. Further acquisitions broadened its international footprint, including Chilton Market Research in 1998, CMR in 2000, and NFO WorldGroup in 2003. The group also developed specialist capabilities in media, consumer panels, consulting, and digital research. TNS was publicly traded in the United Kingdom and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index before its acquisition. In 2008, it became the target of a contested takeover. TNS had announced discussions regarding a possible combination with Germany's GfK, but WPP pursued a competing offer. After earlier proposals were rejected and the proposed TNS-GfK transaction was abandoned, WPP's offer succeeded in October 2008. TNS was acquired for approximately $1.93 billion according to contemporary reporting and became part of WPP's Kantar Group. After the acquisition, TNS continued to operate through regional and specialist businesses while Kantar reorganized its portfolio. In 2013, TNS acquired Sinotrust Market Research in China, strengthening its local research and consulting capabilities. On 8 September 2016, the business adopted the Kantar TNS name, aligning it more visibly with the Kantar parent brand. The identity was short-lived as a standalone brand: on 2 April 2019, Kantar announced that it would retire legacy brand names, including Kantar TNS, and consolidate services under the Kantar name. Kantar TNS is therefore best understood as a historical operating brand rather than a current independent company.

The history of Kantar TNS is the history of a multinational research network assembled from several national and regional market-research companies. Its earliest identified predecessor was National Family Opinion, founded in the United States in 1946. During the 1960s, other important predecessor companies appeared: Intersearch in the United States in 1960, AGB in the United Kingdom in 1962, Sofres in France in 1963, Frank Small Associates in Australia in 1964, and Taylor Nelson in the United Kingdom in 1965. These businesses developed different research specialties and geographic strengths before being drawn together by the consolidation of the market-research sector. The consolidation accelerated in the 1990s. AGB and Taylor Nelson merged in 1991 to create Taylor Nelson AGB. Sofres acquired Secodip in 1992 and combined with Frank Small Associates in 1997. In the same year, Sofres acquired Intersearch and merged with Taylor Nelson AGB, resulting in the creation of TNS. The group continued to grow through acquisitions, adding Chilton Market Research in 1998, CMR in 2000, and NFO WorldGroup in 2003. This process transformed a collection of national research businesses into a global group with a common TNS identity. TNS operated across a wide range of research categories. Its structure included brand and communications studies, innovation and product development, retail and shopper research, customer experience, employee engagement, qualitative research, automotive work, and political and social research. Its methods included computer-assisted telephone interviewing, computer-assisted personal interviewing, computer-assisted self-interviewing, computer-assisted web interviewing, and qualitative techniques. TNS NIPO in the Netherlands operated a large screened respondent database and was known for survey research, including political polling. The group also participated in consumer-panel activities, including LatinPanel in Latin America, which supplied household research across categories such as packaged groceries, toiletries, cosmetics, fresh foods, and textile retail. The company pursued further expansion in the 2000s. It acquired or increased ownership in businesses intended to strengthen consulting, media, digital, and regional capabilities. In 2007, it acquired Landis Strategy & Innovation in the United States and agreed to take full ownership of LatinPanel Holdings. In early 2008, several North American operating units were combined with Compete and Cymfony to create TNS Media Group. TNS became involved in a major corporate transaction in 2008. On 29 April, it announced that it was in discussions about a possible merger with German research company GfK. WPP then made competing conditional offers, which the TNS board rejected. The hostile bid contributed to the abandonment of the TNS-GfK merger plan. GfK was unable to secure backing for a successful rival offer, and WPP's proposal ultimately prevailed. WPP announced the successful acquisition in October 2008, with contemporary accounts valuing the transaction at approximately $1.93 billion. TNS subsequently became part of WPP's Kantar Group and ceased to operate as an independent listed company. Under Kantar ownership, TNS remained a significant operating brand while Kantar managed a broader portfolio of research and consulting businesses. In 2013, TNS acquired Sinotrust Market Research in China. In September 2016, it was renamed Kantar TNS. This branding phase ended in April 2019, when Kantar announced a group-wide move to retire legacy names and present services under the Kantar brand. The Kantar TNS name consequently represents a former brand and operating identity within the history of Kantar rather than a currently independent research company.

• 2019

  Kantar consolidates legacy brands

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  Kantar announces that names including Kantar TNS will be retired and services will be unified under Kantar.

• 2016

  TNS becomes Kantar TNS

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  The operating brand adopts the Kantar TNS identity.

• 2013

  Sinotrust joins TNS

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  TNS acquires Sinotrust Market Research in China.

• 2008

  WPP acquires TNS

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  WPP completes its contested acquisition of TNS, after the proposed TNS-GfK merger is abandoned.

• 2003

  NFO WorldGroup joins TNS

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  TNS acquires NFO WorldGroup, adding another major research network to its international portfolio.

• 1997

  TNS is created

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  Sofres's combination with Intersearch and subsequent merger with Taylor Nelson AGB creates the TNS group.

• 1991

  Taylor Nelson and AGB merge

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  The two United Kingdom research companies combine to form Taylor Nelson AGB.

• 1946

  National Family Opinion is established

  [1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  National Family Opinion is founded in the United States, providing one of the earliest roots of the later TNS group.

A large-scale, multinational research and insights provider combining survey research, consumer panels, qualitative methods, media intelligence, and sector-specific consulting. Under Kantar ownership, the brand was positioned as an integrated source of evidence for brand strategy, innovation, customer relationships, communications, retail, and public-opinion decisions.

• Market research

  Brand and Communication

  Research covering brand health, communications effectiveness, advertising response, and related consumer perceptions. This capability supported decisions about positioning, messaging, campaign evaluation, and the development of stronger brand relationships.

• Market research

  Innovation and Product Development

  Research and consulting for identifying consumer needs, testing concepts, evaluating product ideas, and supporting innovation decisions. The work connected qualitative and quantitative evidence to product-development and portfolio choices.

• Shopper research

  Retail and Shopper

  Research focused on shopping behavior, retail environments, category choices, and interactions between consumers and retailers. It included the use of consumer and household-panel information to understand purchasing patterns across multiple product categories.

• Customer research

  Customer Experience

  Customer-experience research intended to measure satisfaction, service interactions, loyalty, and the factors shaping relationships between organizations and their customers.

• Survey research

  TNS NIPO

  The Dutch TNS NIPO operation provided survey research using a screened respondent database. Its methods included telephone, personal, self-administered, and web interviewing, as well as qualitative research, and it was active in political and social opinion polling.

• Consumer panel

  LatinPanel

  A Latin American continuous consumer-panel business providing household research across a broad regional footprint. Its coverage included packaged groceries, toiletries, cosmetics, fresh foods, and textile retail, supplying data to local and international clients.

• 2006

  Class-action allegations concerning offering disclosures

  A class-action lawsuit alleged that TNS failed to disclose major financial information in a registration statement associated with a secondary offering. The available reference identifies the filing and its allegations but does not establish a final outcome.

  Source

Read more

• 2019

  Consolidate services under KantarStrategy

  Background

  Kantar reviewed the use of multiple legacy brands across its international research and consulting operations.

  Action taken

  Kantar announced that it would retire names including Kantar TNS and unify services and offerings under the Kantar brand.

  Aftermath

  Kantar TNS ceased to function as a standalone public-facing brand.

  Source

• 2016

  Rebrand as Kantar TNSStrategy

  Background

  Kantar sought closer alignment among businesses within its research and insights portfolio.

  Action taken

  The TNS brand was renamed Kantar TNS.

  Aftermath

  The business operated under the Kantar TNS identity until Kantar later retired legacy brand names.

  Source

• 2008

  Accept WPP's acquisition offerM&A

  Background

  TNS had been discussing a possible merger with GfK when WPP launched competing conditional offers. The proposed TNS-GfK combination was abandoned after the takeover contest.

  Action taken

  WPP proceeded with its hostile bid, which ultimately succeeded and transferred TNS into WPP's Kantar Group.

  Aftermath

  TNS stopped being an independent listed company and became part of the Kantar organization.

  Reported acquisition value. $1.93 billion (2008)

  • GfK — GfK's proposed combination with TNS was abandoned, and its subsequent effort to find support for a competing offer did not succeed.

  Source

• 2019

  Kantar retires legacy brand names[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Kantar announced that it would consolidate the services and offerings of legacy brands, including Kantar TNS, under the Kantar name.

• 2016

  TNS adopts the Kantar TNS name[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The TNS business was rebranded as Kantar TNS as part of closer alignment with the Kantar group identity.

• 2013

  TNS acquires Sinotrust Market Research[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  TNS acquired Chinese market-research and consulting company Sinotrust Market Research, strengthening its presence in China's research sector.

• 2008

  TNS creates TNS Media Group in North America[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  TNS announced the combination of its North American media-intelligence and media-research operations with Compete and Cymfony, creating a broader TNS Media Group structure.

• 2008

  WPP completes acquisition of TNS[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  After a contested takeover process and the collapse of a proposed TNS-GfK combination, WPP succeeded with its offer and acquired TNS for approximately $1.93 billion, making it part of Kantar.

• 2007

  TNS acquires Landis Strategy & Innovation[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  TNS acquired the United States-based research consultancy Landis Strategy & Innovation to expand its specialist strategy and innovation capabilities.

• 2007

  TNS agrees to take full ownership of LatinPanel Holdings[1]Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  TNS announced an agreement to increase its ownership of LatinPanel Holdings from 33.3% to 100%, consolidating a consumer-panel business operating across Latin America.

1. 1Kantar TNSen.wikipedia.org