The Strategic Counsel

What The Strategic Counsel does

The Strategic Counsel is a Canadian-headquartered market research and consulting firm founded in 1995, operating from Toronto with additional offices in Ottawa, Calgary, and Chicago. It delivers research-based advice to three principal client groups — private businesses, public institutions and government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations — across roughly 10 industry verticals (Financial Services, Government, Healthcare, Education, Arts & Culture, Telecom, Retail, Energy, Transportation, Associations) and 10 solution areas (Advertising Research, Brand & Reputation, Customer/Member Experience, Employee Engagement, Public Affairs, Communications, Audience Development, Product & Service Marketing, Management Consulting, and Data Science & Analytics).

The firm's technical backbone is a proprietary "Data Science Workbench" that packages 16+ analytical methodologies — including Conjoint Analysis, MaxDiff, Discrete Choice modeling, Structural Equation Modeling, Shapley Value Analysis, Factor Analysis, Perceptual Mapping, Cluster Analysis, Latent Class Analysis, Gap Analysis, ANOVA/MANOVA, regression techniques, machine learning algorithms, and NLP tools — into a methodology platform used across both custom and syndicated engagements. The firm maintains PIPEDA-compliant privacy and data handling practices.

The revenue model combines two streams: project-based custom research and consulting engagements (priced per scope/methodology/deliverables on a quote basis) and recurring syndicated reports (Sports360, Must Keep TV, New Canadians Report, Future of Learning). Distribution is direct: senior partners and principals deliver engagements client-side across a horizontal segmentation of private, public, and NGO buyers, supported by LinkedIn presence, website case studies, and referral-driven inquiry. The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, led by co-founder Managing Partners Tim Woolstencroft and Michael Sullivan alongside a bench of Principals, Senior Associates, and analysts.

Name

The Strategic Counsel

Legal name

The Strategic Counsel

Website

https://thestrategiccounsel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Strategic Counsel is a Canadian-headquartered market research and consulting firm founded in 1995 that delivers custom research and syndicated reports to private businesses, public institutions, and NGOs across roughly 10 industry verticals using a proprietary Data Science Workbench of advanced analytics and ML/NLP tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Research and Consulting Services: Project-based professional services delivering customized market research, consulting, and strategic advice to individual client organizations. Revenue generated through engagement fees for research design, execution, analysis, and advisory services.
2. Syndicated Research Reports: Pre-packaged research reports (Sports360, Must Keep TV, New Canadians Report, etc.) sold to multiple organizations. Delivered as PDF reports and presentations with optional custom analyses and briefings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Strategic Counsel is a market research and consulting firm that delivers custom research programs, syndicated research products (Segment Intelligence Reports such as Sports360, Must Keep TV, and New Canadians Report), and management consulting for private businesses, public institutions, and NGOs. Core offerings span advertising research, brand and reputation research, customer and member experience research, employee engagement research, public affairs and consultation, audience development, communications research, product and service marketing, and advanced data science analytics via a proprietary Data Science Workbench.

Product overview

The Strategic Counsel is a market research and consulting firm offering a portfolio of syndicated research reports and custom research services. Their syndicated offerings include named products such as Sports360, Must Keep TV, New Canadians Report, and other Segment Intelligence Reports that provide affordable, time-efficient insights into specialized categories. Their proprietary Data Science Workbench provides advanced analytics capabilities using methodologies including conjoint analysis, discrete choice modeling, and machine learning. Beyond syndicated reports, they offer a comprehensive suite of research services including Advertising Research, Brand & Reputation Research, Customer & Member Experience Research, Employee Engagement Research, Communications Research, Public Affairs & Public Consultation, and Management Consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sports360 Comprehensive syndicated research report providing data-rich insights into how Canadians engage with sports, covering professional league fandom, adult sports participation, youth sport trends, and sports spending. Sold to organizations seeking standardized market insight into the Canadian sports category.
• Must Keep TV Syndicated research report providing brand strength rankings for America's top network, cable, and streaming brands, revealing which brands are essential for US TV households. Sold to media companies, advertisers, and TV service providers.
• New Canadians Report Syndicated research report providing insights on what New Canadians are thinking, doing, and buying, focusing on permanent residents who arrived in the most recent five-year period. Sold to organizations targeting recent immigrant segments in Canada.
• Future of Online vs. In-Person Learning: Impact on Campus Environment Syndicated research report exploring the impact of hybrid learning on students' attitudes, including preferences for online versus in-person learning and impact on frequency of campus visits. Sold to post-secondary institutions and education-sector organizations.
• Segment Intelligence Reports Suite of syndicated research reports providing deep insights into new or specialized categories, markets, or consumer segments in an affordable and time-efficient manner. Sold to organizations seeking pre-packaged market intelligence across named topics.
• Advertising Research Full array of advertising research tools including pre-testing and tracking for both qualitative and quantitative research. Covers concept testing, awareness tracking, brand link, likeability, message comprehension, and purchase intent. Sold to advertisers, agencies, and brand owners.
• Brand & Reputation Research Comprehensive brand research services including brand positioning, corporate image assessment, brand equity and health measurement, brand performance tracking, reputation management, market segmentation, name generation, and competitive analysis. Sold to enterprise clients across industries.
• Customer & Member Experience Research Customized research programs providing insights into customer satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty, including client satisfaction, member satisfaction, audience satisfaction, and organizational climate studies. Sold to enterprises, associations, and member-based organizations.
• Employee Engagement Research Research services measuring employee engagement including informal coffee chats, focus groups, employee satisfaction surveys, and employee engagement surveys. Sold to organizations seeking to improve workforce engagement and culture.
• Public Affairs & Public Consultation Research services for gauging public opinion, understanding stakeholder interests, measuring policy impact, and crisis management including public opinion polling, policy research, and social issues research. Sold to government agencies, crown corporations, and NGOs.
• Audience Development Research services to help organizations develop and expand their audience engagement strategies. Sold to arts, culture, entertainment, tourism, and not-for-profit organizations seeking to grow and retain audiences.
• Communications Research Research services including communications strategy development, crisis communications tracking, social marketing research, and web usability studies. Sold to organizations seeking evidence-based communications strategy and crisis support.
• Management Consulting Business consulting services including constructing business cases, assembling specialist partner teams, project management, and implementation support to help clients tackle tough business problems. Sold to enterprises, public institutions, and NGOs.
• Product & Service Marketing Research services for product and service marketing including product development, concept testing, usage and attitude studies, new technology acceptance, and optimal product and pricing mix. Sold to product marketers, R&D teams, and innovation functions.
• Data Science & Analytics Advanced analytics services utilizing proprietary workbench tools including conjoint techniques, driver analysis, regression modeling, data mapping, visualization, market segmentation, and performance evaluation methodologies. Sold to clients seeking advanced analytical depth within their custom research engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-40% improvement in ad effectiveness scores reported by multinational financial institution client
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: Global research and insights consultancy offering brand, advertising, customer experience and syndicated tracking — competes with TSC for mid-market and enterprise research budgets.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is one of the largest global market research and survey firms with significant Canadian operations, offering custom and syndicated research across public affairs, brand, advertising, and customer experience — directly overlapping TSC's portfolio.
• Forrester Research: Global research and advisory firm publishing syndicated research and providing custom consulting for CX, marketing, and technology buyers — analogous syndicated-plus-advisory business model.
• Nielsen IQ: Global measurement and consumer insights giant whose Consumer Insights team is specifically referenced in TSC's team history. Sets the dominant industry benchmark against which mid-sized research firms compete.

Direct peers

• Abacus Data: Canadian polling and market research firm providing public opinion, consumer, and stakeholder research for brands, governments, and associations — comparable mid-sized Canadian market research peer.
• Maru/Blue: Canadian market research and insights firm combining panel-based syndicated data with custom research in brand, CX, and public affairs — operates in a similar niche and size band.
• Pollara Strategic Insights: Canadian-based full-service market research firm offering custom research, brand tracking, public affairs, and syndicated studies — operates in a similar size band and competitive set as TSC.
• Leger: Leger is the largest Canadian-owned market research firm with bilingual (EN/FR) operations across Canada and the US, providing public opinion, brand, customer experience, and syndicated tracking — the closest head-to-head comp to TSC in geography and service mix.
• Environics Research Group: Canadian-owned research firm focused on public affairs, social research, and consumer insights across multiple sectors. Comparable in size and Canadian-centric service mix.

Emerging players

• Solutions Research Group (SRG): Canadian syndicated-research firm focused on media, technology, and consumer behaviour — directly comparable to TSC's syndicated segment-intelligence products; Kaan Yigit previously founded and led SRG for 25+ years before joining TSC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-strategic-counsel
• Facebookfacebook.com/thestrategiccounsel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Strategic Counsel