Brazil’s Ibope takes majority stake in Zogby International

John Zogby (pictured) will stay with the firm as chairman and chief insights officer. He said the deal “represents an opportunity for growth and opens an exiting new chapter” for the company.

“With this investment, Zogby International has an opportunity to set more aggressive sales and profitability goals, develop new products and expand into new methodologies that will continue to keep us ahead of the curve,” he said.

The two companies have worked together for the past year, Zogby said, and the investment would provide each company with a platform to expand their activities outside of their native countries.

“We have set three overarching goals for ourselves as we expand into new areas: developing more insights into the future to better serve our clients, being the smartest and most forward-looking in our field and fostering staff curiosity and skill development,” said Zogby. “Using these goals as a guide, we will continue to thrive and better serve our clients in the new economy.”

No jobs are at risk, said a company spokesman. Part of the investment will be used to renovate Zogby’s existing buildings and recruit new employees, he added.

Ibope has partnerships in Brazil with Millward Brown to provide ad hoc research services and with Nielsen Online to supply internet ratings. Meanwhile, Zogby started its forays into the Latin American market following the opening of a Miami office in October 2007.