Wirthlin Worldwide

Wirthlin Worldwide
private
Industry public opinion research
Founded 1969
Headquarters Reston, VA
Website wirthlin.com (archived)

Wirthlin Worldwide was a political and business consulting firm founded by Richard Wirthlin in 1969. It ceased to operate as a separate company on September 8, 2004 when it was sold to Harris Interactive in a deal valued at $42 million.[1][2][3]

Wirthlin Worldwide specialized in polls and their interpretation. In addition to political consulting, Wirthlin Worldwide also provided research for non-profits and industry, covering topics as varied as hand washing behavior after using public toilets,[4] post September 11 charitable giving,[5] the impact of a company's ethical image on consumer purchasing behavior,[6] and preferred methods for purchasing prescription drugs[7]

History

Wirthlin Worldwide, originally Decision Making Information, Inc,[8] was founded in Los Angeles in 1969 by Dr. Richard Bitner Wirthlin. Wirthlin was an economist with a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. During its life it went through two name changes, The Wirthlin Group in the 1990s and Wirthlin Worldwide at the beginning of the 21st century. It was finally sold and merged into Harris Interactive in the fall of 2004. The company website was shut down and began redirecting to Harris Interactive on March 16, 2005.[9][10]

When the firm was first founded its offices were in Los Angeles. In 1980 it was asked to help with the presidential campaign of then governor of California, Ronald Reagan. This led to continued engagements throughout the two terms of President Reagan, including the second presidential campaign.

Wirthlin Worldwide won the ARF David Ogilvy Advertising "Grand Winner" Award four times,[11] most recently in 2002 for its research work on the Robert Wood Johnson "Covering Kids" campaign.[12]

By the time of its acquisition by Harris Interactive in 2004, Wirthlin had grown from a small firm in Los Angeles to a global consultancy with offices in the United States, Europe, and China. It also had an Australian affiliate, Crosby|Textor

Clients

During its history Wirthlin Worldwide worked for a variety of non-profit, political and industry organizations.

Industry clients included:

Non-industry related non-profit clients included:

References

  1. ↑ "Harris Interactive Announces Fiscal First Quarter Results", Lexdon Business Library. Last accessed 2004-03-25.
  2. ↑ Harriis Interactive Inc - HPOL - Unscheduled Material Events. Last accessed 2004-03-26.
  3. ↑ Harris Interactive Buys Wirthlin for $20 million and stock. Direct, September 13, 2004. The stock was valued at 21.8m.
  4. ↑ "Another US airport travel hazard - dirty hands". American Society for Microbiology, Sept. 15, 2003. Last accessed 2007-03-25.
  5. ↑ A Survey Of Charitable Giving After September 11TH, 2001, prepared by Wirthlin Worldwide for Independent Sector, October 23, 2001. Last accessed 2007-03-25.
  6. ↑ The Hidden Costs of Unethical Behavior. Josephson Institute, 2004. Last accessed 2007-03-25.
  7. ↑ "Attitudes about Mandatory Mail Order Pharmacy", National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (NACDSF). Last accessed 2007-03-25.
  8. ↑ Wirthlin Worldwide - Our Firm. Last accessed 2007-03-26.
  9. ↑ Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Last accessed 2007-03-26. On this date the archived pages begin redirecting to Harris Interactive.
  10. ↑ Redirection page
  11. ↑ "Speaker Biography: Richard Wirthlin". American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). 2004. Last accessed 2007-03-25.
  12. ↑ The ARF David Ogilvy Advertising Awards - 2007 Entry Kit
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