Dean is best known for creating the first global interactive media and services company that collected consumer attitudes about products and services, enabling consumers to reach informed purchasing decisions about the products and services they want to buy; and helping companies better understand their customer in order to formulate effective product marketing strategies. 

 

Greenfield Online increased its revenues by over 500% through inorganic and organic growth. Dean joined as CEO in 2001, led the company turn around and the Greenfield Online IPO in 2004 (Nasdaq: SRVY) . The company was ultimately acquired by Microsoft in 2008. Greenfield Online set the stage for the invention of a new sector of the market research industry, internet-based market research data collection, disintermediating costly offline data collection models. Greenfield Online changed the data collection methods for the marketing research industry forever. Had the company opted for MSFT stock instead of the cash in 2008, the stock would be worth $2.5 billion at today's trading value.

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In September 2001, seven months after Dean's arrival the company embarked on a strategy to convert the focus of the business from providing custom research to end-users to providing Internet survey solutions to the marketing research firms. This strategy culminated in the sale of the custom research business in January 2002 to TNS. This sale represented a turning point in the company business model as we shifted from a labor-intensive, professional services model to a scalable, Internet-based services model.

Now Greenfield Online partnered with their Marketing Research clients to leverage their global sales forces and to not compete with them for custom marketing research business. This cooperative marketing strategy led to significant market penetration. For the year ended December 31, 2003, we completed 2,482 Internet-based projects, a 99% increase over 2002. Additionally, 45 companies each purchased over $100,000 of our products and services in 2003, an 88% increase over 2002. 

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Led IPO and aggressive M&A, acquiring Opinion Survey, Rapidata, goZing and Ciao! within the first nine months as public company. Delivered 3x MOIC to venture sponsor in a '99 "dot com" vintage fund. The Ciao acquisition was another game changing strategic decision.  Microsoft to drop $486 million for European shopping site Deal will bring Ciao, one of Europe's leading price-comparison sites, into Microsoft's fold and extend its online presence on the continent

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