Roper Public Affairs & Public Policy Expertise Comes to Washington Through New Regional Office

Washington, DC, February 14, 2005 — GfK NOP (Formerly NOP World) today announced the opening of its Roper Public Affairs Regional Office located in the heart of downtown Washington, DC, at 601 13th Street Northwest. The office will be led by Annie Weber, Senior Vice President, Roper Public Affairs.

"The Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK NOP has worked for years with many clients in Washington DC on public affairs, advocacy and other types of communication research," notes Ms. Weber. "Now with our new DC office, we look forward to working even more closely with our longstanding clients—and serving other organizations seeking research partners with deep expertise in public affairs research and consulting."

A former reporter and experienced researcher specializing in public opinion polls, strategic communications, and market research, Ms. Weber, and the Public Affairs team, have managed major public studies for a variety of NOP World clients, including AOL, AARP, NEETF, the Smithsonian, the Tremaine Foundation, the Tiger Woods Foundation, the WashingtonPost.com, New York Times Digital, and Randstad North America. A Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University and past Treasurer for the New York Chapter of the American Association of Public Opinion Research, Ms. Weber joined NOP World's Roper Public Affairs division in 1999.

"Our public affairs and public policy research practice has been rapidly growing and expanding," adds Ms. Weber. "And even in a world in which e-mails, telecommuting and PDAs make it easier to build client relationships, we recognize that there's nothing quite like being there in person, face-to-face."

The mover to open an office in Washington, DC, is in response to a growing demand for advocacy support and public opinion insights from nonprofits, trade associations, advocacy organizations, various lobbies, public relations firms, public affairs agencies and regional corporations based in, or focused on, our nation's capital. Many DC organizations are also expressing an interest in tapping into the power of word-of-mouth by reaching the Influentials® segment—identified by Roper through over 60 years of research. The Influentials® segment comprises the consumer opinion leaders who tell the others how to vote, where to eat and what to buy. Other key research tools and expertise that the Roper Public Affairs group offers include a Corporate Reputation Scorecard®, NewsFlow® (for measuring the impact of news coverage), and crisis management.

"By bringing our expertise in advocacy, public affairs and public policy research to Washington, we can help area organizations target The Influential Americans® and provide decision support for their strategic communications, crisis management, public relations and issues management efforts," said Ms. Weber. "We've combined the expertise of Roper Public Affairs with the global resources of GfK and made these capabilities readily accessible through a conveniently located regional resource."