Stealthy Atlanta Startup Quietly Builds Portfolio of Prominent Investors and Fortune 1,000 Customers

By STS News Desk On Dec 19, 2019

Stealthy Atlanta Startup Quietly Builds Portfolio of Prominent Investors and Fortune 1,000 Customers

1Q is Poised to Turn Direct-Response Marketing, Research, Polling and Other Industries Completely Upside Down

1Q, a disruptive consumer engagement platform, has been ardently serving Fortune 1,000 companies, including Atlanta’s most prominent brands, since 2015, but very few are aware of its existence. Backed by some of the city’s most respected business leaders, including David Ratcliffe, George McKerrow, Steve Hennessy, Paul Garcia, Jim Balloun and Gerry Benjamin, 1Q has intentionally remained under the radar while building out its proprietary platform, impressive customer base and its respondent community of more than one million members.

“1Q is the most disruptive market research/polling engine that I have seen. Its ease of use and instant response capability is unique in the space,” says David Ratcliffe, former chairman and CEO of Southern Company and 1Q investor. “It’s refreshing to see a startup intently focused on building its business, rather than spinning its wheels generating buzz around potential offerings.”

1Q has changed the way brands reach consumers, giving them instant access to key audiences to make quick and informed decisions, an approach that brands such as P&G are rapidly adopting. P&G’s Chief Analytics and Insight’s Officer, Kirti Singh, recently addressed his thoughts in a LinkedIn post, “We believe every A&I professional should be able to efficiently connect with consumers in a matter of hours and days rather than weeks or months. DIY platforms allows us to directly connect with consumers. This could be doing a quick survey or a complex experiment leveraging the Internet of Things.”

1Q’s “radically simple” and “radically transparent®” business model allows companies to reach as many consumers as they desire for $1 per response, $.25 of which goes directly and instantly to the respondent or to a charity of their choice. Companies can segment consumers demographically, but it’s 1Q’s geo-targeting capability that really sets it apart. The owner of four patents, with additional pending, 1Q’s geo-targeting functionality is one of the most advanced in the industry. Companies can reach people based on where they live, where they are right now, where they have been and where they will be in the future. The technology can narrow in on any specific location, such as stadiums, doctors’ offices, airports, shopping districts, big box retailers and more.

“In today’s on-demand climate, marketing and insights teams need prompt consumer feedback to make immediate decisions, and 1Q gives them that without the time and expense of a middleman,” shares Keith Rinzler, founder and CEO of 1Q. “Our customers are using 1Q in hundreds of different ways throughout every phase of the product/service stage-gate process, from product discovery, branding, content development, retail aisle sequencing, targeted marketing, issue management and much more. In fact, if you can think of any reason why any company would want to tap a consumer on the shoulder, that’s what we do, and we do it better, faster and cheaper.”

Democratizing this type of technology is a core principle of 1Q’s, so the revolutionary capability is available to any company, any time, for exactly the same $1 per response price. Now, even the smallest businesses will have access to the same powerful marketing and insights tool as global enterprises.

For consumers, 1Q is leading the consumer empowerment revolution. In stark contrast to the beleaguered business models of internet giants like Google and Facebook, 1Q is the only company in the world that pays consumers instantly, per response, in cash. “These industries should stop treating consumers like zero-value commodities. From now on, if a company wants 5 seconds or 5 minutes of a consumer’s time, we feel the consumer should be paid; not with points or teddy bears or sweepstakes entries, but cold hard cash, and we’re the only company in the world today making sure that happens,” adds Rinzler.

1Q believes it has developed THE model for consumer data privacy. By never sharing consumers’ name or contact information with its customers, but allowing customers to directly ask consumers for it, 1Q puts the control into the hands of the consumer. 1Q will also never share or sell data outside of the 1Q system. People interested in getting paid to share their opinion can register to participate in 1Q’s engagement platform via the 1Q mobile app. Questions are sent via text message or directly through the app. Members receive $.25 for every question answered, and the funds will be deposited immediately into their PayPal account or they have the option to donate it to a charity.

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