FM3 Research Inc

What FM3 Research Inc does

FM3 Research Inc (legal name: Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, Inc.) is a privately held public opinion research and strategic consulting firm founded in 1981 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm conducts custom-designed quantitative and qualitative research for political campaigns, government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses, with a particular concentration in California ballot measure work. Each project is led by one of six partners with nationally recognized expertise, supported by a 22-person full-time team including in-house data analytics and graphics departments.

The firm operates a B2B professional services model with project-based pricing tailored to client needs—no standard pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. Its core product offerings span quantitative research (telephone, online, mail, and intercept surveys, including multi-mode designs), qualitative research (in-person and online focus groups, executive interviews, online discussion boards), advertising and media testing including Perception Analyzer dial-based systems, and strategic consulting that translates research findings into messaging and campaign strategy. Service delivery is multilingual (English, Spanish, Chinese, and other languages) and the firm supports national research despite its West Coast operational footprint in Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland, and Monterey.

FM3's go-to-market is sales-led and partner-driven, leveraging direct client engagement, professional reputation, and word-of-mouth referrals within the political and policy research community rather than digital or channel-based distribution. The client base spans federal, state, and local political campaigns (e.g., U.S. Senate races for Patty Murray and Tammy Baldwin, Karen Bass's mayoral campaign), ballot measure campaigns (e.g., California's Prop 1, Prop 68, the $5.3B LA Community College bond, the $3.5B BART bond), and major public-sector and nonprofit organizations (e.g., LA Metro, San Jose, The Nature Conservancy, Association of California Water Agencies). Ownership is concentrated among the six partners, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding.

Name

FM3 Research Inc

Legal name

Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz, and Associates, Inc.

Website

https://fm3research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FM3 Research Inc is a California-based public opinion research and strategic consulting firm founded in 1981 that conducts custom surveys and focus groups for political campaigns, government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses, primarily in California and the West Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Public opinion polling
• Political research
• Survey research
• Focus group research
• Ballot measure research

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Opinion Research Services: FM3 conducts custom-designed public opinion research projects for clients including surveys, focus groups, and other opinion research methods. Each project is led by a partner and provides strategic consulting and data-driven advice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

FM3 Research is a public opinion research firm that conducts polling, focus group studies, and survey research for political campaigns, government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses. The firm specializes in ballot measure research, political campaign research, advertising and media testing, and strategic communications consulting. Engagements are delivered as custom-designed qualitative and quantitative research projects for organizational clients.

Product overview

FM3 Research (Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates) is a public opinion research and strategic consulting firm founded in 1981. The company offers a portfolio of research services including quantitative research (telephone, online, mail, and intercept surveys) and qualitative research (focus groups, executive interviews, and online discussion boards), along with advertising/media testing and strategic consulting. Their core service offerings are organized around ballot measure campaigns, candidate campaigns, local government research, environmental/conservation studies, education, healthcare, transportation, land use, energy, criminal justice reform, and labor issues. FM3 operates primarily in California and Oregon with a team of 22 full-time employees and six partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Opinion Polling Custom-designed public opinion polling engagements for political campaigns, government agencies, nonprofits, and corporate clients. Polling studies measure attitudes, voter behavior, and constituent sentiment.
• Focus Group Research Qualitative focus group studies designed and moderated by FM3 Research to explore participant attitudes, reactions, and messaging responses. Used by political, government, nonprofit, and corporate clients.
• Survey Research Quantitative survey research engagements that collect and analyze structured data from defined populations. Delivered to political, government, nonprofit, and corporate clients.
• Qualitative Research Custom qualitative research engagements, including in-depth interviews and small-group discussions, designed to explore attitudes and inform strategy.
• Advertising and Media Testing Research services that test advertising messages, media content, and communications collateral with target audiences before rollout. Used by political campaigns, nonprofits, and corporate clients.
• Strategic Communications Consulting Advisory support that ties research findings to communications strategy, audience positioning, and messaging frameworks for organizational clients.
• Ballot Measure Research Specialized polling and research engagements focused on ballot initiatives and ballot measure campaigns, including viability testing and message development.
• Political Campaign Research Research services for political campaigns, including voter attitude surveys, tracking studies, and message testing to support campaign strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Passage of California's Prop 1 ($4 billion housing bond) and Prop 68 ($4 billion park and water bond)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Benenson Strategy Group: Benenson Strategy Group is a public opinion research and strategy firm that works with corporations, political campaigns, and advocacy organizations. It is a direct peer to FM3 in the political and public affairs polling space, with a comparable client base and methodology.
• Lake Research Partners: Lake Research Partners is a public opinion research and strategic consulting firm serving Democratic campaigns, nonprofit organizations, and foundations. It is a direct peer to FM3, with similar focus on ballot measure research, candidate polling, and advocacy message testing.
• Hart Research Associates: Hart Research Associates is a leading public opinion research firm that conducts survey research for progressive political campaigns, nonprofits, and issue advocacy organizations. It is a direct peer to FM3, with comparable client mix of political, government, and nonprofit work.
• Anzalone Liszt Grove Research: Anzalone Liszt Grove Research is a national Democratic polling and strategic research firm serving political campaigns, ballot measures, and advocacy groups. It is a direct peer to FM3, providing opinion research and messaging guidance for progressive campaigns and causes.
• Public Policy Polling: Public Policy Polling is a Democratic polling firm that conducts public opinion surveys for political campaigns, ballot measures, and advocacy organizations across the U.S. It is a direct peer to FM3, offering similar survey-based research and strategic consulting services to campaigns and progressive causes.
• Global Strategy Group (GSG): Global Strategy Group is a research and strategic communications firm serving political campaigns, corporations, and advocacy organizations. It is a direct peer to FM3, providing public opinion polling, message testing, and strategic consulting for progressive clients.
• StrategyFirst Research: StrategyFirst Research is a California-based public opinion research firm that conducts polling for political campaigns, ballot measures, and government agencies. It is a direct peer to FM3, with overlapping focus on West Coast ballot measure work and candidate research.

Broad incumbents

• Gallup: Gallup is a global analytics and advisory firm best known for public opinion polling. While it does not specialize in political campaign or ballot measure work like FM3, it overlaps in survey research methodology and public opinion measurement.
• Pew Research Center: Pew Research Center is a major nonpartisan research institution that conducts public opinion polling and demographic research. While not a competitor for political campaign work, it overlaps substantively with FM3 in survey methodology, public opinion measurement, and policy research.

Emerging players

• TargetSmart Communications: TargetSmart provides data and targeting services for political campaigns, advocacy organizations, and nonprofits. While it is more tech-enabled than FM3, it overlaps in serving progressive political and advocacy clients with research and voter data tools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 FM3 Research Inc