GfK
Line
- Matthias Hartmann, CEO
- Arno Mahlert, Chairman of the Board
GfK SE, headquartered in Nuremberg is the largest German market research institute, currently the number four in the industry and majority-owned (57 %) of the GfK Association.
The company collects the ratings for television in the Federal Republic of Germany. The community serves as Haßloch average place as a test market for the instrument GfK BehaviorScan examined with mainly the effect of television advertising and the introduction of new products is simulated. From the company among other things, the GfK consumer climate index is calculated.
- 2.1 Key
History
GfK was founded in February 1935 as " GfK consumer research company eV" of Nuremberg university teachers, including the later German Economy Minister and Chancellor Ludwig Erhard. The concept was designed by co-founder Wilhelm Vershofen.
1984, the commercial activities were spun off into the " GfK GmbH ", this name was changed on 23 January 1990 " GfK AG ". At this time, the " GfK -Verein " was limited to the promotion of the market and sales research. In September 1999, the " GfK AG " took its IPO and was admitted with effect from March 20, 2000 in the MDAX. On 24 March 2003, the company rose to the SDAX. In 2009, the conversion was followed into a European Company (SE).
Acquisitions and investments
Group structure
GfK SE is active in the three business sectors Custom Research, Retail and Technology and Media. Since 1999, GfK Aktiengesellschaft is represented on the exchange. It provides a holding company for 120 subsidiaries, including Media Control, represents and holds stakes in over 100 countries.
Indicators
As of December 31, 2010
Measurement of audience
Within Germany, the GfK is mainly known that it is entrusted with the measurement of audience of television. For this, they used special instruments (GfK -meter ), which are connected to the TV.
The development of the GfK -meter goes back to the year 1963., The first television -meter, called Tammeter, was by the British " Television Audience Measurement " (TAM ) was developed. The ARD and ZDF founded with the " Infratam " based in Wetzlar, a joint subsidiary and led from 1963 to 1974, the first continuous rate measurements. The Tammeter measure this precise minute, gave the results ( the instrument is switched, channel, time) but only four weeks later and only for the complete television household.
1975 Tammeter from Teleskomat was (also from Infratam ) replaced, which up to six programs and up to seven people recognized personal results from 1,200 households in 30 -second intervals in the household and delivered over night over the telephone line to the central computer. Further progress presented the Tele Control ( TC 3, TC 6, TC XL) is that in the measurement of audience all programs, all persons who are involved in the broadcast being transmitted, taken into account and using the phone line, the data from GfK data Center transmitted.
Since 1985, the use of television of 5500 representatively selected households is measured in seconds just by the GfK meters in Germany. In addition, 2001 140 households from the European Union have been added yet. The system ( GfK meters) consists of three parts: the measuring device, a remote control, with all the people of the household have individually sign in and out, as well as a display. At night, the data is sent via phone line to GfK in Nuremberg, where they are evaluated and are available the next morning the members of the consortium television research.