Ad Hoc Recherche

What Ad Hoc Recherche does

Ad Hoc Recherche Inc. is a privately held, Quebec-based market research consultancy founded in 1984 and headquartered in Montreal. The firm provides bespoke research services across four practice areas: Customer Experience (CX) measurement, User Experience (UX) research, Employee Experience (EX) measurement, and full-spectrum marketing research including concept testing, advertising effectiveness, brand image, segmentation, and positioning. Its Employee Experience offering is anchored by RADAR RH, an HR research platform for engagement and climate measurement. The firm serves national and international enterprise and mid-market clients on a direct, project-based engagement model with no published standard pricing.

The technical stack spans both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including focus groups, individual interviews, ethnographic observation, in-store visits, online surveys, and phone surveys. Ad Hoc operates Market Research Online Communities (MROC) on LinkedIn, Facebook, and custom platforms supporting video, mobile web reporting, and image annotation. The firm has deployed Text Analytics to automate coding of open-ended survey responses, achieving cited 50-80% time savings versus manual coding, and uses webcam-based facial expression analysis tools (Noldus, Affectiva, Nviso, Emotient) for emotion measurement during advertising and stimulus testing. Customizable online dashboards provide continuous tracking of metrics such as brand image and customer satisfaction. The firm's information security is governed by ISO/CEI 27001:2022 certification (November 2023), with personal data hosted on in-house servers in Montreal and anonymization protocols compliant with PIPEDA, Quebec privacy law, and ESOMAR guidelines.

Commercially, Ad Hoc operates a direct-to-client professional services model with no products sold on subscription or standardized pricing. Distribution is primarily through direct enterprise engagement, referrals, and established reputation, supplemented by content marketing via a bilingual blog and active participation in the UXAlliance network and World Usability Day. The firm employs nearly 90 staff distributed across Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Ontario, and Chicago under a permanent remote-first policy. Co-founders Michel Berne and Stéphan Harris began retirement in June 2026 after 42 years, with the company having transitioned to a prepared internal succession team. No funding rounds, acquisitions, parent company, or institutional investors are disclosed.

Name

Ad Hoc Recherche

Legal name

Ad Hoc Recherche Inc.

Website

https://adhoc-recherche.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ad Hoc Recherche is a Quebec-based, privately held market research consultancy founded in 1984, providing bespoke CX, UX, EX, and marketing research services to national and international enterprise clients from its nearly 90-employee team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Voice-of-Customer Analytics (BPAHALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

CRM Strategy & Consulting (BPAFAFAA)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Customer experience measurement
• User experience research
• Employee experience measurement
• Brand strategy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: Ad Hoc Recherche provides bespoke market research services including customer experience (CX), user experience (UX), and employee experience (EX) measurement, as well as full-spectrum marketing research: concept testing, advertising effectiveness, brand image, segmentation, and positioning studies. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with national and international clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ad Hoc Recherche is a Quebec-based market research consultancy that delivers bespoke qualitative and quantitative research across customer experience (CX), user experience (UX), and employee experience (EX) measurement, as well as full-spectrum marketing research including concept testing, advertising effectiveness, brand image, segmentation, and positioning studies. The firm serves national and international clients through tailored projects using focus groups, interviews, ethnographic observation, online surveys, online communities (MROC), text analytics, and facial expression analysis. It also operates RADAR RH, its proprietary employee experience measurement platform.

Product overview

Ad Hoc Recherche, founded in 1984 and based in Montreal, Quebec, is a market research firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of research services structured around three core experience measurement pillars: Customer Experience (CX), User Experience (UX), and Employee Experience (EX — delivered via the RADAR RH platform). Its service offering spans the full spectrum of qualitative and quantitative marketing research methods, including concept testing, advertising effectiveness, brand image and positioning, segmentation, and satisfaction measurement. Key product lines include RADAR RH for HR analytics, UX research solutions, and MROC (Market Research Online Community) platforms for online qualitative engagement. The firm also employs advanced research technologies such as Text Analytics for processing open-ended survey responses, facial expression analysis for measuring emotional responses to stimuli, and online reporting dashboards for dynamic, personalized data visualization. Physical research rooms and facilities support qualitative research activities including focus groups, individual interviews, triads, dyads, and in-store observation. Ad Hoc's approach is described as agile and innovative, leveraging continually updated research methods including AI-adjacent technologies such as Text Analytics and process automation to reveal strategic insights for its national and international client base.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customer Experience (CX) Measurement

Quantifiable outcome

• Client global satisfaction score of 8.9/10 in 2025 Client Experience Survey
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UXAllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAd Hoc Recherche is a partner in the UXAlliance network, collaborating annually on World Usability Day (November 14) to raise awareness about the importance of user experience in digital and connected environments. The partnership involves joint advocacy and awareness activities for accessibility and usability of essential products, services, and interfaces.
• Certi-TrustcoreOthersCerti-Trust is the certification body that issued Ad Hoc Recherche its ISO/CEI 27001:2022 certification in November 2023. The certification validates Ad Hoc's information security management system against the internationally recognized ISO 27001 standard.
• Cohésion StratégiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCohésion Stratégies, a consulting firm specializing in brand strategy led by President Cristiane Bourbonnais, collaborated with Ad Hoc Recherche to develop a proprietary 10-point model for measuring brand strength, covering familiarity, importance, uniqueness, relevance, quality, vitality, popularity, attachment, value, and governance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CROP Inc. CROP is a Montreal-based research and strategic consulting firm specializing in social research, brand strategy, and customer experience studies. It directly competes with Ad Hoc in Quebec and across Canada on custom market research, segmentation, and CX measurement engagements.
• Maru Group: Maru Group is a research and advisory firm providing CX, employee engagement, brand, and customer community research with significant North American operations. It competes directly with Ad Hoc's RADAR RH employee experience platform and CX/EX measurement offerings.
• Léger: Léger is the largest Canadian-owned market research and analytics firm, headquartered in Montreal with national and U.S. reach. It competes directly with Ad Hoc on CX/EX measurement, brand tracking, segmentation, and advertising effectiveness, and shares the same Quebec-anchored bilingual delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is one of the world's largest market research and consulting firms, offering CX/UX/EX measurement, brand health tracking, advertising evaluation, and segmentation across global markets. Ad Hoc's bespoke methodology and Quebec-anchored delivery compete against Ipsos's mid-market and French-language research offerings.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global data, insights, and consulting company offering brand equity tracking, advertising effectiveness, CX measurement, and consumer panels. It competes with Ad Hoc at the enterprise end of the market where multinational clients require globally consistent methodologies.
• NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ is a global consumer intelligence firm providing market measurement, consumer behavior analytics, and brand performance insights. It competes with Ad Hoc on brand and consumer research mandates where clients want syndicated data layered with custom research.

Regional players

• SOM (Société d'Opinion et de Marketing): SOM is a Quebec-based custom market research firm serving Canadian and international clients with qualitative and quantitative methodologies. It overlaps directly with Ad Hoc on CX, brand, and consumer research, particularly for French-Canadian enterprise buyers.

Emerging players

• Qualtrics: Qualtrics is an experience management software platform offering CX, EX, and brand tracking via self-serve survey tools and AI analytics. It competes with Ad Hoc not as a custom research firm but as a technology substitute that enterprise clients may favor for in-house research execution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/adhocrecherche
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ad-hoc-recherche
• Xx.com/adhocrecherche

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ad Hoc Recherche