Dear Friends,
2019 is a notable year for AMS, as we will mark the 30th anniversary of our founding. As we celebrate this milestone, it is worth reflecting on all that we have achieved and our hopes for the future. 2018 was the best year in our history. Our team of 36 professionals, the largest we have been, worked on over 70 engagements for corporate clients and over 100 legal matters. Long-time clients—attorneys, market researchers, product developers, and brand managers—consistently returned to AMS, confident of the impact of our work and its value in informing important decisions. Meanwhile, it seemed we kicked off a first engagement with a new client every other week.
Our Litigation Support practice continued to provide surveys that were critical pieces of evidence in high-stakes legal disputes. Sixteen experts (and counting) now regularly collaborate with our team on legal matters related to false and deceptive advertising, class action, trademark and trade dress infringement, claims substantiation, and patent infringement. Experts and attorneys continued to choose AMS for our deep knowledge of legal constructs relevant to surveys used for litigation, exacting attention to detail, adherence to standards of evidence and discoverability, and our ability to move fast and keep pace with aggressive schedules. At the same time, we have explored new applications of survey research for emerging legal issues.
Meanwhile, our Insights for Innovation practice remained a go-to source of customer insight for product developers and customer experience managers at leading companies in industrial products, medical devices, financial services, e-commerce and technology, and consumer products. We began relationships with 20 new corporate clients in 2018, a record for our firm. Our flagship Voice of the Customer service line delivered game-changing insights into unmet customer needs. Our deep expertise in discrete-choice modeling informed decisions about pricing and product features. New services incorporating machine learning generated insights faster and cheaper, using digital sources. Clients continued to rely on our team of trainers and consultants to build their own insights capabilities.
As we embark on our next thirty years, I have never been more excited about the future of Applied Marketing Science. Thank you to all our clients for the trust you place in us; it is an honor to serve you. And, thank to you everyone on the AMS team for bringing your best to our clients and each other every day. It is an honor to be your colleague.
Warm wishes,
John C. Mitchell
President & Managing Principal