Cult Research

What Cult Research does

Cult Research (legal entity: CULT MARKET RESEARCH SRL) is a private Romanian market and social research company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bucharest. The firm positions itself as an agile, empathy-led research provider offering four solution areas: Communication Research, Marketing Research, Institutional Research, and Innovation Research. Its proprietary technology stack centers on the CultIO online survey panel, which aggregates over 50,000 verified adult panelists in Romania and feeds data into project deliverables; secondary tools include InZights (a Gen Z-only cross-platform community), BAR (influencer ROI measurement), and recurring barometer studies (BAROC civic barometer, BARES responsibility barometer). Methodologies span CATI, CAWI, PAPI, MROC, focus groups, in-depth interviews, netnography, and a Digi-tool kit that combines social media monitoring and mobile surveys.

The company serves a horizontally diversified customer base spanning FMCG (Coca-Cola, P&G, Fairy), banking (BCR, UniCredit), retail (Carrefour, Leroy Merlin), energy (OMV, Enel), healthcare and pharma (GSK, MSD, A&D Pharma, Kwizda), automotive (SKODA, Motorola), construction (Holcim), tech (LG, Tazz, Keez), and media (Radio Guerrilla, Rentrop & Straton), as well as public institutions, NGOs, and international bodies (World Bank, Free Press Eastern Europe, Geeks for Democracy).

Cult Research operates on a project-based professional services model with quote-driven, custom engagements often structured as multi-year contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company employs approximately 11 people, is founder/management-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, and is part of a broader Cult Group that includes ISSPOL, Call2B, and ARENAS. In February 2025 the firm secured EU Social Fund+ co-financing of 4,903,762.75 lei for a capacity-building project running through January 2027, signaling continued investment in productization and growth.

Name

Cult Research

Legal name

CULT MARKET RESEARCH SRL

Website

https://cultresearch.ro

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cult Research is a Romanian market and social research firm offering agile, customized studies across communication, marketing, institutional, and innovation verticals. It serves enterprises, public institutions, NGOs, and international organizations via its CultIO panel of 50,000+ panelists and proprietary tools.

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)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Consumer insights
• Brand tracking
• Online survey panel
• Social research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bucharest

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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 Studies: Project-based market research services including quantitative and qualitative studies, ethnographic research, trend analysis, consumer behavior studies, employer branding, and CSR research. Services are customized for each client and delivered as consulting engagements.
2. Consulting Services: Consultancy based on research studies, providing recommendations for business strategy. Consultants provide insights beyond percentages and graphs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cult Research is a Romanian market and social research company that delivers customized quantitative and qualitative research studies for companies, public institutions, and NGOs. Its offering spans four solution areas (Communication Research, Marketing Research, Institutional Research, and Innovation Research), supported by the proprietary CultIO online survey panel of 50,000+ Romanian panelists and a suite of specialized tools such as BAR, InZights, BAROC, and BARES. Services are delivered as project-based consulting engagements combining digital data collection with traditional qualitative methods.

Product overview

Cult Research is a Romanian market and social research company offering a portfolio of research services organized under four main solution areas: Communication Research, Marketing Research, Institutional Research, and Innovation Research. These are supported by the company's proprietary online survey panel platform, CultIO (with access to over 50,000 panelists), and a suite of specialized tools and sub-products (InZights for Gen Z communities, BAR for influencer ROI measurement, UX/Design Research, (Real-Time) Brand Tracker, Cult Live Insight Community, Cult Branding, Cult Customer Experience, and Cult Product Testing). The company also employs a range of research methodologies including CATI, CAWI, PAPI, MROC, Focus Groups, IDI, (N)etnography, and Digi-tool. The research products include named barometer studies such as BAROC (Romanian Civic Barometer) and BARES (Responsibility Barometer).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CultIO: Online survey aggregator platform for market research that brings together individuals who want to make their voices heard. Offers access to a wide range of studies with diverse themes, with over 50K panelists.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50K+ panelists on CultIO platform
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers35 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Free Press Eastern EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Study on media literacy, RU-UA war, and mass media evaluation conducted for Free Press Eastern Europe.
• Geeks for DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Partnership for BAROC (Barometrul României Civice) civic studies. Jointly conduct research on Romanian civic engagement, extremism, political perceptions, and social trends. Studies include national representative samples (800+ respondents).
• GRF+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for BARES (Barometrul Responsabilității) - Romanian Responsibility Index study.
• eFdeNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for BARES study on sustainability and social responsibility in Romania.
• Ursus Breweries RomâniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned study on road safety attitudes (ATITUDINI SOCIALE PRIVIND RISCUL ÎN TRAFIC 2022).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence and measurement company with deep FMCG, retail, and shopper research expertise. Overlaps with Cult Research's marketing research and consumer behavior studies work across retail clients like Carrefour and Leroy Merlin.
• Ipsos: Global leader in market research, social and opinion research, and data analytics. Directly competes with Cult Research for multinational client budgets in Romania, particularly from FMCG and consumer goods clients like Coca-Cola and P&G that Cult Research also serves.
• Kantar: Global research, data, and insights company with strong brand tracking and communication research capabilities. Competes with Cult Research's Communication Research and brand tracker offerings, especially for multinational clients seeking global-to-local coverage.
• GfK: Consumer research company with strong consumer goods, retail, and technology sector expertise. Competes with Cult Research for buyer research across FMCG, retail, and tech clients including Philips and SKODA.

Emerging players

• Civic Science: US-based consumer polling and market research platform using online panels for real-time insights. Comparable to Cult Research's CultIO panel and syndicated barometer products (BAROC, BARES) in delivering fast, panel-based consumer intelligence.
• Attest: UK-based consumer research platform targeting brands with self-serve access to its global panel. Comparable to Cult Research's CultIO + MROC-style offering for on-demand brand and consumer research.

Regional players

• ISRA Center Marketing Research: One of the largest Romanian market research agencies with direct overlap in consumer research, brand tracking, and media studies. Cult Research's closest direct domestic competitor in the Romanian market research space.
• Gemius: Digital audience research and online measurement company with strong presence across CEE. Comparable to Cult Research's CultIO panel and digital insights work, particularly in social listening and online community research.
• Daedalus Research: Romanian market research agency focused on quantitative and qualitative consumer research. Direct competitor for custom research projects with Romanian enterprise clients.
• Mercury Research Romania: Romanian market research agency offering qualitative and quantitative research, mystery shopping, and field research. Direct competitor for custom research projects and field-based methodologies in Romania.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cultresearch4019
• Facebookfacebook.com/cultresearch.ro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cult-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/cult.research
• TikToktiktok.com/@cult.research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Cult Research