General Assembly: A New Name for the GfK Verein

Nuremberg , December 18, 2018 – On Monday, December 10, 2018, the extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly of the GfK Verein took place in Nuremberg. The topic was the proposed name change with the aim of clearer positioning in external communication. With 84.05 % of the represented votes, it was decided that the GfK Verein would be named “Nürnberg Institut für Marktentscheidungen e.V.” (Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions) in the future. 

The background of the proposed name change was also the need for a distinctive – and legally necessary – separation between the commercial orientation of GfK SE on the one hand and the non-commercial research assignment of the Verein on the other hand.

After intense discussion of the pros and cons of a new name, and with 84.05 % of the represented votes of the members, it was decided that the GfK Verein would be named “Nürnberg Institut für Marktentscheidungen e.V.” (Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions) in the future. Paragraph 2 (1) of the Articles of
Verein, in which the name is determined, will be amended accordingly and this change will be entered in the Register of Associations.

It was also decided that in the future, where the name appears, the note “founder and anchor shareholder of GfK SE” will be added to clearly indicate the history and special relationship of the association to the GfK SE. “Our self-image remains untouched by the name change, because we will continue to be heavily committed to the GfK SE – as a majority shareholder and, where it is in our mutual interest, also as a research partner,” explains Manfred Scheske, President of the GfK Verein.

As of January, the Verein will no longer use the orange GfK logo. The complete revision of the external appearance is planned for spring 2019.

The research strategy of the Verein was also realigned, in particular regarding the global digitalization of market research. In the future, the primary research area will be based even more on market decisions. Understanding purchasing decisions of consumers and improving marketing decisions of companies was and remains the core of the added value of market research, which will not lose relevance due to technological developments, but will become significantly more important.

"This new focus – with the new name – makes it easier for us to fulfill our role as a non-commercial, international and interdisciplinary research institute in exchange with a network of relevant cooperation partners and other think tanks,” explains Dr. Andreas Neus, Managing Director and Vice President of the GfK Verein.

Also, for members of the Verein, the stronger focus on how purchase decisions of consumers change and how marketing decisions of companies can be improved should bring relevant insights. “We look forward to the future, with new and exciting research projects, and to the dialogue with our members, which we would like to play an even greater role in our research topics in the future,” says Andreas Neus.

The GfK Verein is a non-profit organization for consumer and market decision research. It examines how decisions of consumers and companies change in markets at the interface between science and practical application. The goal is to understand how consumers make decisions so that marketing managers can make better decisions in their marketing efforts. The GfK Verein is the founder and anchor shareholder of GfK SE. Its members are comprised of 520 companies and individuals.

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