Acquisitions/transactions
QuestionPro, a provider of online survey and research services, has acquired conversation intelligence platform Bryght AI.
Consumer intelligence company Talkwalker has acquired consumer and cultural insight platform discover.ai.
Dun & Bradstreet, a provider of business data and analytics, has agreed to acquire research companies Eyeota and NetWise.
Employee experience management company Tivian has acquired GuideSpark, a provider of change communication.
Insights firm Curion will acquire consumer research company Ravel.
Insights and analytics company Directions has agreed to acquire intelligence firm Aimpoint Research.
Canadian marketing research and analytics company Leger has acquired Insights West, a Vancouver-based research firm.
Data and research services company Schlesinger Group has acquired Methodify by Delvinia, an automated market research platform. As part of the deal, Schlesinger has gained online consumer panel AskingCanadians by Delvinia.
DoubleVerify, a software platform for digital media measurement, data and analytics, has agreed to acquire OpenSlate, a pre-campaign contextual targeting platform, in a cash and stock transaction valued at $150 million.
Customer data specialist Edit has been sold to marketing services business Salocin Group.
Amsterdam-based marcom agency Candid has acquired U.K. brand consultancy Brand Potential. The founders of Brand Potential, Mary Say, Tom Lovett and Chris Molloy, will join the platform as partners.
Accenture has acquired Founders Intelligence, an innovation strategy consulting firm.
Entertainment marketing research firm Screen Engine/ASI has acquired London-based Tapestry Research. Tapestry co-founders Kevin Thompson and Ian Wright will continue to lead the company as joint managing directors and will join the Screen Engine/ASI management team as executive vice presidents.
Accenture has agreed to acquire Tambourine, an e-commerce customer experience agency based in Japan.
Bilendi, a provider of research technology and data, has agreed to acquire European data collection group respondi.
Accenture has acquired BRIDGEi2i, an AI and analytics firm headquartered in Bengaluru, India.
Medallia Inc., a provider of customer and employee experience, has acquired Fields Healthcare Research, a data collection company specializing in patient health care experience research.
Meltwater B.V., a provider of media intelligence and social analytics, has agreed to acquire artificial intelligence startup DeepReason.ai for $7.3 million in a combination of cash and Meltwater equity.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
Customer experience and research tech company Forsta has partnered with Lumoa, an AI-powered insight platform, which has been integrated into Forsta's platform to provide AI-driven analytics.
Marketing research company Rival Technologies Inc. has partnered with contextualization analytics platform Spiketrap.
Forsta, a customer experience and research technology company, has renewed its partnership with customer intelligence consultancy Material.
Phebi AI, a provider of voice tech for health and marketing research, has appointed Netherlands-headquartered Innovators4Research as its partner to provide marketing, sales, implementation, consulting and client support services in the Netherlands and several other European countries.
On Device Research and Lumen have partnered to launch their Attention Brand Impact product, which provides a quantitative measure of an advertisement's brand effectiveness based on consumers’ attention to digital advertising.
Association/organization news
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) has named Roben Allong as president of its board of directors for 2021-2022. In addition to Allong, the 2021-2022 board of directors includes Farnaz Badie, new board member and secretary Susan Fader, Pam Goldfarb Liss, Corette Haf, new board member Cynthia Harris, vice president Michael Mermelstein, treasurer Joel Reish and Anya Zadrozny.
Awards/rankings
The Australian Data and Insights Association has awarded the Jayne Van Souwe Research Industry Leadership Award for 2021 to Brian Fine, CEO at Australia Online Research and Quality Online Research, and Martin O’Shannessy, partner at OmniPoll. The award “pays tribute to those leaders who have made a significant and longterm contribution to the growth, promotion and advancement of the Australian research, data and insights industry.”
Technology provider Cint and ad and innovation testing platform Zappi have won the I-COM 2021 Data Creativity Award in the Programmatic Category for their advertising effectiveness measurement solution that combines Connect by Cint and the Zappi Ad Pulse platform.
Research & Marketing Strategies Inc. has been ranked the eighth largest patient satisfaction measurement firm in the U.S. by Modern Healthcare.
Quirk's Media has announced the winners for the 2021 Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards. Winners were selected by a panel of independent judges, including end-client researchers, research suppliers and Quirk's editorial staff. The award winners were recognized during a virtual ceremony on November 9. Watch the ceremony here.
• Outstanding Young Researcher – Thomas Ware, Liberty Mutual Insurance
• Fearless Leader – Diego Adolfo Chávez Terrazas, EyeSee
• Nonprofit/Social Enterprise Research Project – Opinium and Plan International
• Global Marketing Research Project – Sparkler, Part of PA Consulting, and Twitter
• Groundbreaking Research Project – Escalent and Merrill
• Advertising Research Project – MESH Experience and Fidelity International
• Health Care/Pharmaceutical Research Project – NHS Healthier Together and Mace & Menter
• B2B Research Project – Microsoft
• Best Place to Work – Zappi
• Transforming Insight presented by the IMA – Jason Alleger, Traeger Grills
• Qualitative Research Impact – Feeling Mutual
• Technology Impact – Imperium
• Panel Company – Full Circle Research
• Best New Product/Service Innovation – Catalyx
• Client/Supplier Collaboration – Dish/Sling Network, MDRG and Bera
• MR Supplier (2020 revenue below $10 million) – Ebco Trends
• MR Supplier (2020 revenue at or above $10 million) – PureSpectrum
• Best Client-Side Team – Ferrara
• Researcher of the Year (end-client) – Jason Alleger, Traeger Grills
• Researcher of the Year (supplier) – Thomas Troch, InSites Consulting
• MREF Everyday Hero – Jaceey Sebastian
• Philanthropic Company of the Year – M/A/R/C Research
• Lifetime Achievement – Monica Wood, Herbalife Nutrition
Consumer research platform quantilope has been ranked No. 11 in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 awards.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
Kantar Health has become Cerner Enviza, combining the offerings of parent company Cerner and Kantar Health.
Marketing research company Verve is opening a Centre of Research Excellence in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 2021. The endeavor will be run by Heather Tluczek, managing director, and Meryl Dovey, head of new business development.
Marketing research and advisory company Savanta has rebranded recently acquired MSI International as Savanta MSI.
Research company earnings/financial news
Media measurement company Nielsen has released financial results for the third quarter of 2021. Revenues increased 5.5% to $882 million on a reported basis and 5.1% on a constant currency basis.
Media measurement company Comscore has released financial results for the third quarter of 2021, announcing revenue of $92.5 million, up 5% from $88.0 million in the year-ago quarter.
Fyllo, a provider of compliance-first SaaS solutions, has closed $40 million in a Series C round led by Eminence Capital with participation from Longview Capital Advisors and ArrowMark Partners.
Consumer insights platform Prodege has agreed to secure an investment from private equity firm Great Hill Partners.
Netomi, an AI-driven customer service platform, has secured $30 million in Series B funding led by WndrCo with participation from Eldridge and Fin Venture Capital.