AKO

What AKO does

AKO, s. r. o. is a Bratislava-headquartered marketing and public opinion research agency founded in 1991 as the first qualitative marketing research provider in Slovakia. The firm operates a horizontally-segmented service platform across three primary customer groups: advertising agencies and media companies, corporate marketing departments (domestic and international), and public sector institutions including municipalities and state bodies. Its product portfolio spans the full research methodology spectrum — quantitative (PAPI face-to-face, CATI telephone, CAWI online), qualitative (focus groups, in-depth interviews, expert interviews), and semi-quantitative (mystery shopping, in-home/in-store testing, Drive-By outdoor testing). Two proprietary methodologies — DEEP-R® deep recruitment and Drive-By Test® outdoor advertising testing — are registered as brand-identity assets and form the firm's technical differentiators.

The business model is professional-services-based: revenue is generated through tailor-made research projects priced on a quote basis, with cost drivers tied to sample size, methodology mix, statistical depth, and presentation format. Multi-year contract cadences are observed, particularly with media clients. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, anchored by exclusive electoral and topical polling partnerships with major Slovak outlets including JOJ24, TA3, and Hospodárske noviny, which produce monthly press releases that generate recurring earned-media visibility and inbound commercial leads. Distribution is primarily direct domestic sales, supplemented by contracted international fieldwork agency networks for cross-border projects.

Operationally, AKO runs an asset-light boutique model: a 5-person core team (managing director, research director, senior research manager, junior research manager, accountant) coordinates a network of 85 external specialists (recruiters, statisticians, interpreters, multimedia) and 365 interviewers across 226 Slovak locations. The firm is a co-founding member and SAVA-certified holder of the Slovak Association of Research Agencies, and adheres to the ESOMAR international ethical code. Leadership is founder-anchored under co-owner Kamila Hříchová (research director since 1991) and managing director Václav Hřích (MD since 2015, SAVA vice-chairman), with no external institutional investors, subsidiaries, or parent entities disclosed.

Name

AKO

Legal name

AKO, s. r. o.

Website

https://ako.sk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AKO is a Bratislava-based marketing and public opinion research agency founded in 1991, serving Slovak advertising agencies, media companies, corporate marketing departments, and public sector institutions with qualitative, quantitative, and semi-quantitative research plus exclusive electoral polling partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bratislava

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Research Projects: Tailor-made market research and public opinion projects for advertising agencies, media, corporate marketing departments, and public sector clients. Pricing depends on sample size, methodology, question complexity, statistical depth, and presentation format.
2. Focus Group Moderation Services: Moderation of Focus Groups for other research agencies; rental of FG and InDepth facilities; web-stream/live broadcast of Focus Groups for remote client observation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AKO is a full-service marketing and public opinion research agency that delivers tailor-made qualitative, quantitative, and semi-quantitative research projects for advertising agencies, media, corporate marketing departments, and public sector institutions. Core offerings include focus group moderation, in-depth interviews, PAPI/CATI/CAWI surveys, mystery shopping, and proprietary methods such as DEEP-R® deep recruitment. The agency also publishes regular monthly electoral preference surveys and public opinion reports distributed through major Slovak media outlets.

Product overview

AKO is a full-service marketing research agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of qualitative and quantitative research methods and services. The agency's offering is organized as a unified service platform covering market research, public opinion polling, brand and advertising testing, and specialized research techniques. Key service categories include: quantitative methods (PAPI face-to-face surveys, CATI telephone research, CAWI online surveys); qualitative methods (Focus Groups, InDepth Interviews, Expert Focus Groups, Mini Focus Groups); semi-quantitative methods (in-home/in-store/in-hall testing, Mystery Shopping, Drive-By test); and specialized offerings such as the proprietary DEEP-R deep-recruitment method, Focus Group moderation for other agencies, expert psychological assessments, content analyses, and media/communication training. The agency also publishes regular electoral preference surveys and public opinion reports. There are no separately branded software products or named platforms — all offerings are delivered as service engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEEP-R®: Deep recruitment method for research in specific target groups according to client specifications

Products and services

• Quantitative Research Services (PAPI, CATI, CAWI)

Quantifiable outcome

• Most accurate pre-election pollster evaluation by independent monitoring

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESOMARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational professional organization for marketing research. AKO is a member, represented by Mgr. Václav Hřích. The agency follows ESOMAR's international ethical code for marketing research.
• SAVA (Slovak Association of Research Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational industry association for marketing research agencies in Slovakia. AKO is a co-founding member and holder of SAVA control certificate. Václav Hřích serves as vice-president of SAVA.
• International Research Agency NetworksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted partnerships with leading international research agency networks for conducting fieldwork outside Slovakia when clients require international research coverage.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Behavio: Behavio is a Czech market research agency offering consumer insights, brand, and media research in the Czech and Slovak markets. It is a regional peer because it serves overlapping CEE advertising and media clients with comparable methodologies but is Czech-rooted rather than Slovak-rooted.

Direct peers

• Focus, s.r.o. Focus is a Slovak market and social research agency providing quantitative and qualitative services to corporate, media, and public-sector clients. It is comparable because it competes head-to-head with AKO for advertising-agency, media, and government research projects within Slovakia.
• ppm factum: ppm factum is a Czech and Slovak market and public opinion research agency offering quantitative and qualitative services to advertisers, media, and public sector buyers. It is a direct peer because it competes for the same CEE advertising-agency and public-sector research mandates that AKO serves.
• MVK, s.r.o. MVK, s.r.o. is a Slovak media and public opinion research agency co-founded by AKO co-owner Kamila Hříchová. It is a direct peer because it operates in the same public-opinion and media-research category in Slovakia and shares leadership with AKO.
• MEDIAN SK: MEDIAN SK is a leading Slovak polling and market research agency that publishes regular electoral surveys and corporate research. It is the most direct domestic peer to AKO, competing for the same media, advertising-agency, and public-sector clients in Slovakia.

Broad incumbents

• NielsenIQ (NIQ) Slovakia: NIQ (formerly Nielsen and GfK) operates consumer and retail measurement businesses with Slovak coverage, serving advertisers and media companies. It is a broad incumbent peer because it competes for advertising-driven research budgets in Slovakia while offering a global, syndicated-data portfolio.
• Kantar Slovakia: Kantar is a global research and insights firm with Slovak operations serving advertisers and media companies across brand tracking, consumer research, and audience measurement. It is a broad incumbent peer because its offerings intersect AKO's qualitative and quantitative research services within a much larger portfolio.
• Ipsos Slovakia: Ipsos is a global market research firm with Slovak operations serving advertisers, media, and public sector clients across quantitative, qualitative, and syndicated products. It is a broad incumbent peer because it overlaps with AKO's offerings but operates a global portfolio rather than specializing in the Slovak niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/akoresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akoresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 AKO