Hot off the press! Last week we announced our acquisition of Tweet Binder, and this week we’re so happy to share that we’ve also acquired Affinio, the social audience segmentation platform. We have always seen Affinio as a strong and innovative competitor and as a result of this transaction, not only do we enrich Audiense’s platform, but we have also created a partnership that can provide complimentary value to our customers through Now Vertical's available solutions. We are thrilled to welcome the Affinio team and its customers to Audiense.
Since 2011, we have been on a mission to democratize audience insights by creating a suite of digital consumer intelligence solutions that inform audience strategies and marketing tactical decision making at scale.
Our acquisition of Affinio speaks volumes, by bringing the audience intelligence community under one roof and enhancing the Audiense offering for you, our valued customers. As David Boyle, Director of Audience Strategies, says: “As these two trailblazing companies unite, it feels like the ideal next chapter in the evolution of social intelligence. This merger is a monumental win for users, brands, and audiences alike. A new era in social data-driven growth and success.”
But why now? Post-COVID, there was a strong evolution of market expectations. It was all about fresh takes, quick results, global reach and a real need to understand behavioral consumer insights which fits with our vision of democratizing audience insights. The industry around us faced several consolidations triggering our own spree! We absolutely believe that bringing Affinio into the Audiense fold strengthens our position as the leading audience intelligence platform in the market, and aligns with our mission to provide the most holistic and innovative platform on the market!
Michael Brito, Global Head of Analytics at Zeno Group, said: “The acquisition of Affinio is a game-changer for the industry. As an Audiense customer for over three years, this move solidifies their position in the market as the leader in consumer and audience insights. I’m excited to see how they will integrate both audience platforms with some of their other recent acquisitions.”
So, what does this acquisition mean for you, our valued users of Audiense and Affinio? Simply put, this exciting acquisition consolidates two powerful tools, bringing everything you could need under one roof. You’ll gain access to even more ways to segment your audiences, based on innovative methodology. The addition of Affinio to our growing tech stack will strengthen your ability to analyze and action social data to enhance your marketing strategy. Plus of course, you also now have access to Meta insights, thanks to our acquisition of SOPRISM last year. Audiense is committed to delivering a seamless user experience for all Audiense and Affinio users. We plan to continue to make the Affinio Social service available in its current state as part of our offering.
Joseph Rice, Former Head of Growth & New Partnerships at Twitter, said: “Social intelligence has primarily been an endeavor focused on the 'what' at the expense of the 'who.' However, understanding the people and communities driving social conversations is crucial to social intelligence becoming a more trusted source of consumer insight. Audiense has always been at the forefront of this movement to better understand audiences and their latest acquisition of Affinio Social will only strengthen their capabilities and leadership in the space. They are now the undisputed audience intelligence platform and I'm excited to see where they go next.”
In terms of product roadmap, we’re busy planning how to effectively integrate Affinio to make sure you, our customers, get the best possible data. We’ll share more details on our approach as it develops. If you have questions, reach out to your account manager at Audiense or Affinio.
We are so excited for you to start using Audiense and Affinio together! And we’re not the only ones, here’s how the industry has reacted to the news:
Mehmet Fidaboylu, Chief Strategy Officer at Freemavens, said: “Audiense has proven itself an incredibly versatile tool; allowing us to tackle projects spanning creative & content strategy, media & targeting and even into product improvements & new innovations. The fact that we can deliver audience profiling in a lean and efficient way that seamlessly marries AI & behavioral science means that in the right hands, Audiense allows us to spend more time on asking ‘so what’ and ‘now what’ to drive better decision-making and inspire action for our clients. With the acquisition of Affinio we’re even more excited for the future and can’t wait to see how the tool continues to improve.
Miguel Fernandez Larrea, CEO of Capchase, said: “The team at Audiense are executing flawlessly a growth plan that is strengthening their position as leaders in the audience intelligence industry. At Capchase, we are really happy to help Audiense accelerate growth and retain ownership as they continue to multiply their business.”
Michael Howard, Founder of Nichefire, said: “We're very excited for our partners and friends at Audiense! Audience intelligence is at the heart of our work and we're looking forward to the types of innovations Audiense can bring to the table.”
Francesco D'Orazio, Co-Founder & CEO of Pulsar, said: “It's great to see Audiense and Affinio coming together, their approaches to understanding audiences are complementary and it will only benefit users to see that expertise consolidated. We need to focus our energy in building the future of the Audience Intelligence industry and this is a great step in the right direction.”
India White, Audience Strategist & Marketing Consultant at PortTack, said: “What an exciting development for the audience intelligence industry! I had the pleasure of being an early team member at Affinio and witnessing the transformative impact of audience intelligence technology. This partnership between Affinio and Audiense is the most significant advancement for companies looking to better understand their audiences.In today's fast-paced culture, it's more important than ever to stay ahead of the curve and truly understand your customers beyond demographics and pre-determined segments. Audiense and Affinio are bringing together the most advanced technology and expertise in the space, creating a powerhouse that will enable companies to keep up with the speed of culture and deliver incredible customer experiences with actionable insights. This acquisition marks a significant step forward for the industry, and I can't wait to see the results.”
Jackie Cuyvers, CEO of Convosphere, said: "Audiense's acquisition of Affinio signifies a new chapter in the Audience Intelligence industry. By consolidating these two innovative platforms under one roof, Audiense is demonstrating its commitment to fostering collaboration and empowering the insights community to tackle the challenges of the digital age together. With the integration of Affinio's machine learning-driven interest analytics and graph analytics capabilities, along with Audiense's expertise in social consumer segmentation, affinities, sources of influence, demographics, and personality traits, the combined platform will offer businesses a more holistic understanding of their audiences. This powerful synergy will enable marketers and analysts to create more targeted and personalized marketing strategies, ultimately leading to stronger connections with their audiences and greater overall success."
Oliver Lewis, Chief Innovation Office of Convosphere, said: “This acquisition represents a significant milestone for the insights community as two of the industry's most respected platforms join forces. The collective expertise and technological prowess of Audiense and Affinio will undoubtedly propel the Audience Intelligence industry to new heights. With the integration of Affinio's interest analytics and machine learning capabilities with Audiense's social consumer segmentation and Twitter Marketing expertise, marketers and businesses will have access to a wealth of knowledge and resources that will enable them to better understand their audiences, make data-driven decisions, and create more meaningful connections."