Strategic Solutions Research

What Strategic Solutions Research does

Strategic Solutions Research (SSR), doing business as Strategic Radio Solutions, Inc., is a B2B market research and consulting firm founded in 1998 by Kevin Cassidy, headquartered in Lancaster, PA with a regional office in Seattle. The firm specializes in audience and content research for radio, television, and podcast media brands, with disclosed service delivery across 24 countries and a client roster that includes iHeartMedia, Hubbard Radio, Sirius XM, Bell Media, RTL Group, and WGBH. Its analytical stack centers on proprietary, branded methodologies: moment-by-moment dial testing with a tune-out button, Pure Core Analysis, Brand Health Chart, S.M.A.R.T. studies, and Content360 Focus Blogs, supported by a 20+ year cumulative dataset on listener engagement.

The core technology asset is Engagement 360, a cloud-based, AWS-hosted platform that enables self-service dial testing, marking a deliberate shift from purely custom research engagements toward a productized, recurring offering. Adjacent product lines include Podcast research, Speech Testing, and partnership-distributed products such as 'What Women Want' (with Alan Burns and Associates), 'What Workers Want' webinars (with Point-to-Point Marketing), and the 'Content Superhero' training program (with Tracy Johnson Media Group). The firm claims 10-25 year client relationships across many named enterprise media brands.

The business model is hybrid: project-based professional services (custom research, content testing, audience insights) combined with subscription-based access to Engagement 360 and revenue from co-developed training and content products. Go-to-market is relationship-led and enterprise-focused. SSR is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, sized at 11-50 employees, and led by founder Kevin Cassidy with Hal Rood serving as EVP/Partner.

Name

Strategic Solutions Research

Legal name

Strategic Radio Solutions, Inc. (d/b/a Strategic Solutions Research™)

Website

https://strategicsolutionsresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Strategic Solutions Research is a B2B market research and consulting firm founded in 1998, serving radio, television, and podcast media brands across 24 countries with proprietary engagement analytics, custom research studies, and the cloud-based Engagement 360 platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Market Research (Ad Hoc Studies, Segmentation, U&A) (MPAAALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB), Product & Innovation Research (Concept, Pricing, Packaging, Conjoint) (MPAAALAI), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Radio market research
• Media brand strategy
• Music testing services
• Television audience research
• Podcast research consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Brand Research Services: Custom strategic research studies including Brand DNA Strategic Studies, perceptual studies, and market research delivered through collaborative consultation with stakeholders. Revenue generated through project-based professional services engagements.
2. Engagement 360 DIY Music Research Platform: Cost-effective DIY music testing subscription license enabling stations to run unlimited tests of currents and recurrents. Brand Licenses are surprisingly affordable with barter options available. Revenue generated through annual platform subscriptions.
3. S.M.A.R.T. Music Test Library Testing: Comprehensive library music testing with follow-up Strategic Music Sort meetings and post-test analysis. Includes moment-by-moment morning show content analysis at no additional charge.
4. Weekly Music Callout Research: Ongoing weekly music research delivering quality data for current music decisions. Delivered within 7 days of wave initiation with customized reports based on client-specified breakouts.
5. Podcast Research Services: Strategic positioning and content research services for podcasts including engagement measurement, concept testing, and moment-by-moment execution analysis.
6. SmartSpots Advertising Research: Radio advertising research measuring spot effectiveness, brand recall, and campaign perceptions. Used as value-added research for big clients and non-traditional revenue opportunity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Strategic Solutions Research is a market research consulting firm that specializes in radio, television, and podcast research for media brand development. The company delivers strategic brand research, music testing (library and current), moment-by-moment content and speech testing, focus group studies, and advertising effectiveness research for broadcasters across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, and 22 other countries. Offerings are delivered through custom professional services engagements plus a self-serve AWS-powered DIY music testing platform called Engagement 360.

Product overview

Strategic Solutions Research offers a portfolio of media research products centered on two platforms: Engagement 360™ (a DIY online music testing platform) and a suite of strategic research services including Brand DNA Strategic Study™, The S.M.A.R.T. Music Test™, and moment-by-moment content testing. The company provides research for radio, TV, podcast, and audio media brands across 24 countries, combining music testing, brand engagement evaluation, advertising research, and focus group tools. Key differentiated offerings include their proprietary Pure Core Analysis™, Brand Health Chart™ (0-6 star rating), and the industry-exclusive 'tune-out' button technology for content testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Engagement360™: DIY online music research platform powered by Engagement 360, enabling radio stations to conduct their own music testing surveys.
• Brand DNA Strategic Study™
• The S.M.A.R.T. Music Test™
• Pure Core Analysis™
• SmartSpots™
• Content360™ Focus Blogs™
• What Women Want™
• What Workers Want™
• Content Superhero™

Products and services

• Brand DNA Strategic Study™ A broad market study that measures brand performance and listener engagement to determine optimal strategy, including Key Brand Drivers analysis and a Brand Health Chart rating (0-6 stars). Designed for radio and media brand executives seeking strategic clarity.
• The S.M.A.R.T. Music Test™ Library music testing solution ensuring stations stay on-strategy, featuring Pure Core Analysis™ to identify Prime Prospects, plus a Strategic Music Sort™ meeting and follow-up reviews. Built for radio stations managing music libraries.
• Weekly Research for Current Music Weekly online music research delivering data on new and current songs resonating with listeners, powered by Engagement 360™ software with up to 30 songs per wave. Results delivered within 7 days of wave initiation with customized reports.
• Engagement 360™ DIY Music Research Platform DIY online music testing platform enabling radio stations to launch surveys testing new and current songs, with real-time results accessible via account dashboard. Available via annual Brand License subscription.
• Moment-by-Moment PPM Content Testing Portable People Meter testing using interactive dial technology with an industry-exclusive 'tune-out' button to measure listener reactions moment-by-moment to talk content, features, and newscasts.
• Content360™ Focus Blogs™ Next-generation focus group tool enabling respondents to contribute discussions via video or text at their convenience, with continuous dialogue capability across days or weeks.
• Moment-by-Moment Speech Testing Speech and presentation analysis using handheld dial technology to visualize effectiveness, with an industry-exclusive 'tune-out' button to identify when audiences disengage, combined with mock jury analysis.
• SmartSpots™ Advertising Research Radio advertising research measuring spot effectiveness versus competitors, ad recall, brand perceptions, and category analysis using a 5 Cs technique.
• Podcast Research Podcast research services including engagement measurement, Prime Prospects identification, podcast concept testing, and moment-by-moment content execution analysis.
• Television Research Television research services helping TV stations and networks maximize viewership and engagement through Prime Prospects analysis and content strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• RTL Berlin achieved #1 position in Berlin across all key demographics (14+, 14-49, 14-39, 14-29) following strategic partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alan Burns and AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for the What Women Want research initiative. Alan Burns and Associates brings 30+ years of strategic and tactical advice to radio broadcasters. Strategic Solutions Research provides strategic research, music testing, interactive focus groups and sales research. The partnership delivers national studies of women's media consumption in markets like New York and Los Angeles, as well as in 24 countries.
• Point-to-Point MarketingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership to present the What Workers Want Webinar Series, a first-ever national study of workers' audio consumption, perceptions, expectations, and desires. The research focuses on consumers who provide the lion's share of quarter-hours for radio ratings.
• Tracy Johnson Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operation of Content Superhero brand. Tracy Johnson Media Group provides talent coaching, programming consultation and digital strategies for radio stations worldwide. Strategic Solutions Research contributes audience analysis and research expertise. Content Superhero research covers all critical demographics (male and female, ages 15-54) across multiple countries and cultures.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is a broad incumbent global market research firm whose media research practice competes with SSR for advertising-effectiveness and audience studies among major broadcasters.
• Kantar: Kantar is a broad incumbent market research firm offering media audience measurement and brand research, competing with SSR at large enterprise broadcaster accounts as part of a wider portfolio.
• Nielsen (Nielsen Audio): Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a broad incumbent providing syndicated radio ratings and audience measurement to broadcasters worldwide, competing with SSR's audience research services as part of a much wider portfolio.

Direct peers

• Edison Research: Edison Research is a direct peer specializing in radio and audio consumer research (e.g., the Infinite Dial study) and shares SSR's media-focused, audience-insight orientation serving broadcasters and device makers.
• Coleman Insights: Coleman Insights is a direct peer providing strategic research and perceptual studies for radio broadcasters and audio platforms, overlapping SSR's Brand DNA and format research offerings.
• Jacobs Media: Jacobs Media is a direct peer offering research and consulting for radio broadcasters, with overlapping services in audience research, content strategy, and digital transformation for media brands.
• P1 Media Group: P1 Media Group is a direct peer providing strategic research and consulting to radio broadcasters, comparable to SSR in serving programming, brand strategy, and audience research needs.
• The Research Group (Cumulus Media/Westwood One): The Research Group, founded by Bill Moyes and now operating within Cumulus/Westwood One, is a direct peer and historical competitor to SSR in radio format research and strategic music studies.
• Signal Hill Insights: Signal Hill Insights is a direct peer providing custom radio and audio research, with comparable strategic perceptual and brand studies targeting broadcasters across North America.

Emerging players

• Triton Digital: Triton Digital (now part of iHeartMedia) provides digital audio measurement and podcast analytics, an emerging player with overlapping audience-research capabilities targeted at broadcasters and streamers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/strategyhello
• Facebookfacebook.com/strategicsolutionsresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-radio-solutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Strategic Solutions Research