In the background of all the product strategizing, marketing and advertising that are plainly visible to consumers, a data industry busily gathers and trades market survey results and manages pools of willing survey takers.
Patrick Comer was as vaguely aware of this business as any typical shopper when he first encountered it, but now he leads one of the most successful recent startups in New Orleans, a company called Federated Sample, that is positioning itself as a central fixture of that field.