Research Guides: Advertising: Industry

Business Research Guides

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Define Your Industry

NAICS
The North American Industry Classification System was created by the government for statistical purposes to describe industries, but it is used for a number of reasons, and it can help you research an industry. It is commonly used in reports and databases (and sometimes you will be asked to identify it in an assignment or business plan). Also available via Data Axle.
SIC
The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) is a system for classifying industries by a four-digit code. Also available via Data Axle.

Industry Reports (and more)

BCC Research
Global market research reports, covering market intelligence, forecasting, statistical and analytical data, key players, industry structure, market share, technology trends, and more.
Note: Access to this resource will end on November 23, 2025. Alternate resources include BizMiner, Business: Insights (Gale), EIU Viewpoint, IBISWorld, Mergent Market Atlas, Mintel, Passport GMID, and Plunkett Research Online.
IBISWorld
Provides access to Industry Reports: analyses of U.S. industries categorized by NAICS
Statista
Statista consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources. Our Market Outlooks provide market sizes, forecasts, key consumer markets and relevant automotive markets for up to 150 countries.
Plunkett Research Online
Analysis and market research for important industry sectors. Includes trend analysis, statistics, organizations, company profiles, information for job-seekers, and ability to create custom reports.

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Industry Financials

Bizminer
Industry financial analysis and market trends for thousands of lines of business in national and local markets.

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Articles

Business Source Complete
Bibliographic and full-text content from peer-reviewed business journals, covering all disciplines of business including marketing, management, accounting, banking, finance, and more.
Dow Jones Factiva
News and business sources including the full text of the Wall Street Journal.

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Getting Started

Start your research with a company profile in a source like Business Insights. You may not find everything you need, but it should at least answer some key questions including:

What is the complete, official name of the company? This can be more difficult than it sounds sometimes. Try a search and note the stock ticker (if it has one) or the exact name for additional research.
Is the company a subsidiary? It may be a subsidiary of, wholly or partially owned by, a parent company. If so, you may only find information on the parent company.
Is the company publicly-held? Private companies aren't subject to the same regulations as publicly-held companies, and therefore don't have to produce the same documentation. There may be less information in traditional sources, and you'll have to try alternative search strategies.
Is the company a U.S. company? Unless the foreign-owned company is traded on a U.S. stock exchange, you'll have to try some alternative sources.