Acquisitions/transactions
Online consumer rewards platform Prodege has acquired Upromise Inc., a college education-savings rewards business, from SLM Corporation.
According to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Seoul-headquartered marketing company Cheil Worldwide has acquired Shanghai-based ColourData, a social media data analytics firm.
Demandbase, an account-based marketing software company, has acquired B2B account-based engagement platform Engagio.
Professional services company Accenture has agreed to acquire Sentelis, an independent data consulting and engineering company.
Analytics and engagement marketing platform Xtremepush has acquired Alchemetrics, a developer of customer data platforms.
Digital advertising and marketing services company S4Capital will merge its data and programmatic media practice MightyHive with Lens10, a digital strategy and analytics consultancy.
Alliances/strategic partnerships
Brookfield, Wis.-based Dieringer Research Group Inc. has entered into an affiliate agreement with Klein & Partners, a research and brand consulting firm.
Consumer research and analytics company Nepa has extended its partnership with Kindred Group PLC, a gambling brand operator.
Market research company GfK has partnered with automated insight platform Cint for data collection and operational efficiency.
Montreal-based Leger has joined the Qualtrics Partner Network to combine its Experience Management services with the Qualtrics XM Platform.
Stamford, Conn.-based Tru Optik has partnered with Deep Root Analytics to integrate Deep Root’s audience-based segments into Tru Optik’s Political Data Cloud.
Technology provider Cint and Survey2Connect, a provider of client feedback management software, have partnered to offer Survey2Connect Audience, which combines Cint’s audience with Survey2Connect’s platform support.
Crowdsourcing platform Snooper has partnered with Trax Retail, a provider of computer vision and analytics solutions for retail, to offer a combined solution for CPG brands.
Roku Inc. has launched a shopper data program for CPG marketers and has named as its launch partner Kroger Precision Marketing, the media advertising arm of Kroger.
Oslo, Norway-based marketing researcher Norstat has been chosen as a data partner by Schibsted, a family of digital consumer brands, for reach measurements, campaign validation and effects reporting in Norway and Sweden.
Audience technology platform Eyeota has partnered with advertising tech company Amobee to make its audiences available through Amobee's platform for activation on social networks.
Association/organization news
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued facial recognition company Clearview AI, citing the company's "faceprint" database as a violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Maine’s Board of Pharmacy adopted a set of gift ban rules at its May public board meeting, clarifying that a previously proposed set of gift ban rules did not prohibit payments to a medical practitioner for legitimate marketing research. The Insights Association advises marketing researchers to consider avoiding the term “honoraria” to describe respondent incentives provided to health care practitioners, at least with Maine-licensed practitioners, given the Board of Pharmacy’s focus on the potential for “honoraria” in certain circumstances to constitute a prohibited “gift” in the new regulations.
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) has begun accepting applications for its Global Outreach Scholarships for 2021. The scholarship program seeks to involve more international qualitative researchers in opportunities to learn and grow outside their home regions. The 2021 Scholarship will be awarded to one recipient outside of the U.S., U.K. or Canada, and will cover registration and travel accommodations for the QRCA Annual Conference as well as free membership to the QRCA for 2021. The deadline for applications is September 9, 2020.
The Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance and the International Advertising Association have released a guide to how privacy laws affect marketing and advertising titled, "Privacy Law: A Global Legal Perspective on Data Protection Relating to Advertising & Marketing."
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) will offer its Young Professionals Grant (YPG) to 15 recipients this year. The grant covers full registration fees to attend QRCA’s annual conference in San Diego on February 3-5, 2021. YPG winners will also receive free QRCA membership for 2021. Applications will close September 28, 2020, and winners will be notified by October 16, 2020.
The Insights Association has partnered with the Market Research Society and the Research Society to launch a survey on mental well-being in market and social research in the U.K, U.S. and Australia. The anonymous survey will provide information to help companies better support their staff and can be completed here.
The Colour of Research (CORe) initiative, an organization that advocates for the inclusion of ethnically diverse professionals in the market research industry, will officially launch July 29, 2020, with a free virtual launch party. CORe's first project will be the creation of a mentorship program to pair "up and coming" mentees within the industry with ethnically diverse industry leaders. To register your interest in becoming a mentor or to apply to be a mentee, click here.
Awards/rankings
Honeoye Falls, N.Y.-based KJT Group Inc. has been named the Wealth of Health Top Employer, for companies with 1-100 employees, by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and the Rochester Business Journal.
New accounts/projects
The Certification Institute for Research Quality has awarded recertification to Kantar, Health Division for compliance to ISO 20252:2019, a standard for market, opinion and social research, including insights and data analytics.
The Certification Institute for Research Quality has awarded certification to Australian marketing researcher Stable Research for compliance to ISO 20252:2019, a standard for market, opinion and social research, including insights and data analytics.
Marketing researcher ISG has received certification for ISO 27001, an information security standard.
New companies/new divisions/relocations/expansions
Insights firm STRAT7 has brought together its agencies Bonamy Finch, LiFE and ResearchBods, which will now take on the SRAT7 prefix. Additionally, the rebrand includes a redesign of websites as well as new logos, graphics and communications.
Melbourne-based respondent recruiter Telmy has expanded to New Zealand.
Technology provider Cint has opened a new office in Singapore.
Research company earnings/financial news
Digital experience analytics company Decibel has closed $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Perwyn with participation from Draper Esprit, Eight Roads Ventures and Ventureforgood.
MessageGears, a provider of customer marketing solutions, has closed a $12 million funding round led by Argentum and Bridge Bank. Walter H. Barandiarán, managing partner at Argentum, has joined MessageGears’ board of directors.
Experience management company Medallia Inc. announced first-quarter revenue for 2020, reporting total revenue of $112.7 million, up 20% year-over-year. Subscription revenue for the first quarter was up 24% year-over-year at $89 million.
Data automation platform Syncari has raised $6.5 million in a seed funding round led by SignalFire.
Data analytics company Starburst has raised $42 million in Series B funding.