Burke history

In 1935, the company introduced a residential line of play equipment called the Swing King, designed for home backyards and even indoor use.

The two had met in 1947 when he went to work for Crosley and as a matter of course joined the local chapter of the American Marketing Association, of which George Burke was then president.

Miller began work at Burke Marketing in May 1952, a few weeks before the contract was signed.

With the first moon landing July 20, 1969, space ships and rockets became enormously popular.

Established in 1975, the Burke Institute is the global leader in research and insights training, with nearly 90,000 attendees since its inception.

In 1980 Infratest acquired Burke Marketing’s European companies and took the name Infratest Burke.

In 1986 Burke Marketing was acquired by Selling Areas-Marketing Inc. (SAMI), Time Inc.’s market research unit, forming SAMI/Burke, which then established a joint venture with Arbitron Ratings Co. called ScanAmerica to measure television commercial viewing and household product purchases.

In 1997 Burke launched a new Boston-based subsidiary, Burke Strategic Consulting Group, to help clients improve their management practices and structures, and business processes.

Also in 1998, The Burke Institute was sold to AC-Nielsen and renamed ACNielsen Burke Institute.

Burke experienced a dip in revenues at the start of the new century, falling to $34.3 million in 2001 as the economy soured.

In the meantime, Burke’s Training & Development Center was combined with ACNielsen Burke Institute in 2002 to create a new incarnation of The Burke Institute, which would be based in Cincinnati.