Ipsos-Insight And The American Floral Endowment Announce Co-Venture

New York, NY-- The American Floral Endowment and Ipsos-Insight are pleased to announce that Ipsos-Insight, the global marketing research firm and member of the Ipsos Group, will manage the long-running Ipsos AFE Consumer Tracking Study, effective July 1, 2004. "Ipsos developed the Ipsos AFE Consumer Tracking Study for us in 1992," said Steve Martinez, Executive Vice President of the American Floral Endowment. "For over ten years, it is has been the only ongoing source for floral consumer purchase data, assisting business owners in making informed business decisions. With the availability of Ipsos' analytic and marketing team, we expect others within the industry to benefit from the consumer behavioral trends-based learning." "We are thrilled to have the Endowment's support as we continue to broaden our work within the floriculture industry," said Barrie Rappaport, chief analyst and manager of the project for Ipsos-Insight. "Our initial goal is to increase awareness of the study and to make it accessible to everyone from breeders and growers to wholesalers and retailers." "As a first step toward this goal, I'll be speaking about current trends in the floral industry from the mass market perspective along with representatives from the Endowment at the Super Floral convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, to be held June 16 to 19," Rappaport continued. Understanding The Consumer As Well As The Customer Because of the Endowment's dedicated support of this ongoing study of 12,000 nationally representative households, the floriculture industry has benefited from tapping into the Ipsos AFE Consumer Tracking Study. The Flower Promotion Organization, an alliance of California and Colombian cut flower growers dedicated to promoting fresh cut flowers to consumers, relies on consumer purchase behavioral trends as a key component when setting their strategic plans. "This is the only information available to the floriculture industry that focuses on consumer behaviors and it's an invaluable resource. Not only can you track demographic and behavioral trends over time to a very detailed level, but it can be used to measure the success of specific initiatives by product category, retail channel, and specific market to analyze impact on consumer purchases," said Stan Pohmer, Executive Director of the Flower Promotion Organization. "When the information is applied to the decision-making processes, this study is an incredibly powerful tool. The more we understand who our customer really is and what drives their purchase behaviors, the better we can develop products and programs that will help build sales and consumption," added Pohmer. Methodology The Ipsos AFE Consumer Tracking Study has been tracking the floriculture industry and providing consumer purchase information for more than twelve years. Reports are compiled from information gathered from a panel of 12,000 nationally representative households who maintain daily purchase diaries for Ipsos. For more information on this press release, please contact: Barrie Rappaport Chief Analyst & Manager Ipsos AFE Consumer Tracking Study 312.665.0541 About Ipsos-Insight Ipsos-Insight, the flagship marketing research division of Ipsos in the U.S., has industry specialists serving companies in the following categories: agrifood; cable, media and entertainment; consumer packaged goods; energy and utilities; financial services; health and pharmaceutical; lottery and gaming; retail; and technology and communications. Ipsos-Insight provides custom and tracking research services to domestic clients, as well as U.S.-based multinationals. It offers concept and product testing, package testing, attitude and usage studies, omnibuses, tracking systems, brand equity, price optimization and segmentation, marketing models, advanced analytics, and global research. Ipsos-Insight is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit: www.ipsos-insight.com. About The American Floral Endowment The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is the leading not-for-profit, non-governmental source for floricultural/ environmental horticulture research and development funding in the United States. AFE funds research and educational development in floriculture and environmental horticulture designed to produce solutions to industry needs and promote the growth and improvement of the floral industry for the benefit of the grower, wholesale, retail, allied segments and the general public. To learn more, visit: www.endowment.org. About Ipsos Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and reactions of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world. Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting and modeling and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2003, Ipsos generated global revenues of $644.2 million U.S. To learn more, visit: www.ipsos.com. Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris Premier Marchй, and is part of the SBF 120 and Next Prime Indices as well as eligible to the Deferred Settlement System (SRD). Euroclear code 7329, Reuters ISOS.LN, Bloomberg IPS FP