Wirthlin Worldwide
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Wirthlin Worldwide was an influential political and business consulting firm founded by Dick Wirthlin. It operated from 1969 to 2004. It ceased to operate as a separate company on September 8, 2004 when it was acquired by Harris Interactive for a combination of stock and cash valued at $42 million dollars.^[1][2][3]

Wirthlin Worldwide specialized in polls and their interpretation. Their survey results and the advice they gave based on them had a significant impact on United States public policy during the 1980s and 1990's^{citation needed}. In addition to its political consulting, Wirthlin Worldwide also provided research for non-profits and industry. Research covered 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]

It was widely respected in its industry. During its years of operation it won the ARF David Ogilvy Advertising "Grand Winner" Award four times,^[8] most recently in 2002 for its research work on the Robert Wood Johnson "Covering Kids" campaign.^[9].

History

Wirthlin Worldwide, originally Decision Making Information, Inc,^[10] was founded in Los Angeles in 1969 by Dr. Richard Bitner Wirthlin. Richard 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.^[11][12]

When Wirthlin Worldwide was first founded its offices were in Los Angeles. In 1980 the firm 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.

After the Reagan era, the firm went on to leverage its political involvement, making the case that the lessons learned from that involvement strengthened its ability to interpret events and prioritize information.^[13]

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

Industry clients included^{citation needed}:

• Banking and Financial Services: Citibank
• Manufacturing: DuPont Lycra, American Plastics Council, International Paper, American Furniture Manufacturers
• Medical: Pfizer, Pharmacia, Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Petroleum: American Petroleum Industry, Mobil
• Agriculture: National Cattlemen's Beef Association
• Hospitality: National Restaurant Association
• Other: Syngenta, Organon, Unilever, Monsanto

Non-industry related non-profit clients included^{citation needed}:

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• The Committee of 100

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. ^ "Speaker Biography: Richard Wirthlin". American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). 2004. Last accessed 2007-03-25.
9. ^ The ARF David Ogilvy Advertising Awards - 2007 Entry Kit
10. ^ Wirthlin Worldwide - Our Firm. Last accessed 2007-03-26.
11. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.wirthlin.com/firm/index.phtml| Internet Archive Wayback Machine]. Last accessed 2007-03-26. On this date the archived pages begin redirecting to Harris Interactive.
12. ^ [ http://web.archive.org/web/20050615010310/www.harrisinteractive.com/wirthlin/ Redirection page]
13. ^ Wirthlin Worldwide - Our Firm. Last accessed 2007-03-26.

External links

• Wirthlin Worldwide - Source Watch. Sourcewatch's assessment of Wirthlin Worldwide. Sourcewatch is a watchdog organization that aims to uncover bias in the media and public relations firms. The assessment is based on a view of the home page at a particular point in time. Over time Wirthlin Worldwide featured endorsements from a varied selection of popular business authors.