ADOTAS – With so much noise and activity happening on social channels, it’s no wonder that brands want to know what’s being said about them. Not only for reputation management, social media monitoring technologies allow companies to measure the impact and viral spread of social campaigns that make their way into our Facebook newsfeeds and Twitter streams on a daily basis.
In a move to take on big industry players like Sprinklr, Sysomos, Visible and Radian6 (Salesforce), Brandwatch just announced it has secured a cool $22 million, led by Highland Capital Partners Europe, to further engineering and offer its social media monitoring platform into new international markets.
“Social data is the oil of the tech world right now, and we’re betting big on our own technology platform,” said Giles Palmer (pictured), Brandwatch CEO. “Our reputation as the expert’s social intelligence platform is only as good as our technology which is why we plan to funnel this investment directly into our Engineering department across the board. Our partnership with Highland will help fuel Brandwatch’s lightning-paced growth on a global level, especially in New York City and San Francisco.”
Brandwatch works by “listening” to online conversations about particular products, companies and brands and provides analytics and insights in the form of big data to help fuel future approaches and campaigns. With an impressive client roster including Pepsi, Whole Foods, Verizon and British Airways, the company touts 1,000 plus customers and is also listed as an industry “strong performer” on the Q1 2014 Forrester Wave report analyzing Enterprise Listening Platforms.
“We think customers are everything, so it means the world to us that Brandwatch scored highest in the Customers sub-category,” said Will McInnes, Brandwatch’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We’re now working with nearly 1,000 enterprise clients, including some of the biggest and most admired brands in their industries, so it is really satisfying to be recognized in this area.”
The company has been making significant strides in the last few years, achieving more than 100 percent growth over 2013. In 2012, the company raised $6 million led by Nauta Capital and in 2013, Brandwatch launched Vizia, its social command center platform –- a multi-screen visualization tool that showcases social data in real-time for brands including Monster and Moneygram.
In tandem with landing its recent $22 million in additional funding, Brandwatch is welcoming Sam Brooks, co-founder and partner of Highland Europe, to its board to drive ongoing corporate strategy.
“In an ever chaotic world of social media, Brandwatch has quickly emerged as the global market leader in real-time intelligence,” said Brooks. “Their client list and impressive growth both in Europe and North America are a testament to the team’s focus on product innovation and customer success. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Brandwatch team.”
