Kantar vs. Ipsos vs. Prodege (In-Depth Look)

In this article, we will:

• Make the case for why Prodege (our full-service market research firm) may be a better fit for your team than Kantar or Ipsos

• Compare Kantar and Ipsos and explain the main reasons companies choose them

We’re not hiding the fact that we’re biased toward Prodege or that we’ll spend more time on our own solution than on the Kantar and Ipsos sections.

We take a lot of pride in our service. Kantar and Ipsos have been the default for decades, so it’s no surprise they have better brand recognition than us. But with Prodege, you’ll get the same level of expertise with exceptional service, plus access to our proprietary first-party audience panel of 120M+ respondents across 100+ countries. We’ll get into what makes it different from traditional panels shortly (and how it affects your data quality). 

Why Prodege May Be a Better Fit for You Than Kantar or Ipsos 

Prodege is our full-service market research firm that offers a wide range of research solutions:

For a long time, we were behind the curtain, supplying data to many of the largest providers in the space through our proprietary audience panel. We’ve always been known for our data quality, as you can read about here: 3 Survey Data Quality Issues Sabotaging Your Research.

So while we weren’t previously front and center, we had been powering some of the biggest market research firms and brands with our data. Over time, we’ve grown into a full-service provider that (while we’re biased) does exceptional work. And we have a rare combination of four key components needed for a successful research study:

• Custom research design for each client, not a “one-size-fits-all” template. This makes a massive difference in your research results, and that personalized attention is one of the biggest reasons clients choose us.

• Led by veteran market researchers from start to finish. You won’t be passed off to junior staff after signing. Every research lead at Prodege has 20+ years of experience at companies like Hall & Partners, Lieberman Research, Nielsen, and NPD.

• Exceptional service and responsiveness. When we get stopped at conferences, the number one thing we hear from clients is how we go above and beyond and how responsive we are. 

• Outstanding data quality, powered by our proprietary first-party audience panel. We have a 40-person Panel Support, Security and Compliance Department dedicated to maintaining the integrity of survey responses. Working with Prodege gets you to the front of the line to tap our audience.

We sometimes hesitate to call ourselves “boutique” because the word can imply small. The personalized service and attention part? That’s very much us. But we’re also a large company with a deep history in market research, staffed by experienced researchers who serve as your point of contact throughout your project. We’ve acquired several proprietary tech platforms like Pollfish, a leading DIY survey platform. And we’ve handled large-scale research projects for major clients. 

We may not have the same brand recognition as Kantar or Ipsos, but we believe we offer the best of both worlds: their level of expertise combined with incredible service, personalized attention, and outstanding data quality. 

Up next, we’ll dive deeper into key reasons to choose Prodege.

Proprietary First-Party Audience Panel & Rigorous Data Quality Standards

The biggest thing that differentiates our proprietary panel is that respondents can complete more than just surveys to earn rewards. They can shop, play games, watch videos, upload supermarket purchase receipts, and so on. The result is a more engaged audience that provides higher-quality responses. They’re typically not in their third hour of answering surveys in a day. They’ve been doing a variety of activities on our panel, so you naturally see fewer behaviors that hurt data quality, like speeding through answers (which we also have technology to detect if it does happen).

Another key benefit is that we have more ways to evaluate whether respondents are genuine. Traditional survey panels primarily rely on survey-taking activity. With our panel, we can also draw on receipt uploads, games downloaded and played, online shopping, and more. A purchase receipt from Target, for example, gives us another signal to help verify a respondent’s activity. No single data point tells the whole story, but together, these signals help us identify suspicious behavior and build confidence in the people taking your surveys.

Together, these checks help protect your data quality, so you can make research decisions with greater confidence.

Precise Behavioral Data Targeting

When panelists upload purchase receipts, that data becomes something you can use. One of the really unique things about our panel is the ability to target respondents based on the exact stores they visited, brands they bought, products they purchased, and more.

So if you’re targeting consumers who regularly purchase dog food, you’re not only relying on a screening question about whether they buy dog food (which may be inaccurate). You can also target people whose receipt data shows they’ve purchased dog food.

That makes a big difference in the quality of your data.

We also help with omnichannel path-to-purchase research and have helped leading brands with this:

• Case Study: Uncovering Toothbrush Shopper Behavior
• Case Study: Point of Purchase Experience via a Mobile Mission
• Case Study: In-Store Shelf-Set Assessments

You can explore additional case studies here. 

Led by Veteran Researchers from Start to Finish 

As we’ve shared, each research lead at Prodege has 20+ years of experience at companies like Hall & Partners, Lieberman Research, Nielsen, and NPD.

So while we may be smaller than some other providers, the people actually working on your project are deeply experienced. And they’re your point of contact the whole time, not someone you see at the beginning and never hear from again.

Something clients always tell us is that we feel like an extension of their team. That’s by design. We bring the same level of attention and commitment to your project as an in-house team member would.

You’re not just another project in a queue. You’re the priority. And that makes a real difference in the quality and reliability of your results.

Exceptional Service & Responsiveness

When we attend conferences, the most common thing we hear from customers is how exceptional our service is. 

We once had someone ask if we have a company-wide rule about responding to emails within an hour. She was genuinely surprised at how quickly we were replying. 

That goes back to the point about having the mindset of an in-house team member giving their full attention to your project. That’s exactly why our responsiveness is at this level. 

And it’s all backed by deep market research expertise. That combination is rare when you’re choosing a full-service market research company.

Custom Research Design (Not a “One-Size-Fits-All” Template)

When you start working with Prodege, you’ll feel the difference right away in how we tailor everything to what you’re looking to achieve.

Our initial calls go beyond a standard discovery process. We take your goals and think through every detail needed to achieve your desired research outcome.

That might mean recommending specific quantitative methods you hadn’t anticipated or a combined quant and qual approach (something we do especially well since we own and operate our own panels). Whatever the project calls for, that’s what we build.

We never box you into a standard template. The mindset is always: What does it take to get the best results? And then we execute on all of it.

Kantar vs. Ipsos: Why Companies Choose Them

Comparing Ipsos vs. Kantar is tough. The reality is they’re both massive companies that do almost everything in market research. We could say Kantar is very well known for brand health tracking, but that doesn’t mean Ipsos isn’t also really good at it. So when it comes to saying one is better than the other at something specific, it’s just a hard call to make.

In terms of why companies choose either brand, there are a few key reasons:

• Brand recognition. Kantar and Ipsos have been the default in market research for decades, so they’re often the first names that come to mind when a team is selecting a provider. That built-in familiarity can shorten the decision-making process internally. That said, Prodege’s reputation has been growing steadily, especially as more companies experience the data quality and service firsthand. The brand recognition comes at a price. Working with these world-class organizations is typically more expensive, and the turnaround time may be longer.

• Depth of knowledge across research specialties. Both firms are staffed with people who have specific expertise in even the most incredibly niche areas. You name it, they probably have someone for it.

• Media measurement strength. If you’re running TV ads and want to understand the impact on audience perceptions, they’re both really strong here and pioneered how that type of measurement is done.

Overall, Ipsos and Kantar are great companies with strong brand recognition for a reason. 

Our role in the research ecosystem is to be a partner that brings deep research expertise while delivering an exceptional level of service and data quality. We know we’re less recognized in the space, and the only way to really bridge that gap is to show you. Book an intro call with us and we’ll walk you through how we can help.

Interested in Learning More About Prodege?

We invite you to:

• Schedule an introductory call 
• Explore case studies
• View upcoming events and webinars