dunnhumby Acquires Social Marketing Company, BzzAgent

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May 24, 2011

London-based dunnhumby Ltd. has agreed to acquire Boston-based social marketing company BzzAgent Inc., which uses word-of-mouth to generate awareness of client products and services through a large network of individual agents.

Once the deal is complete, BzzAgent will become a subsidiary of dunnhumby and operate as a stand-alone business. Dave Balter, CEO and founder of BzzAgent, will continue in his current role and will report directly to Simon Hay, CEO of dunnhumby Ltd, a global leader in building brand value for consumer goods and retail companies. Balter will also join the dunnhumby executive team. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

dunnhumby analyzes shopper data that helps consumer goods companies and retailers better understand the behavior and motivation of their customers, while BzzAgent helps marketers reach their customers, encouraging brand advocacy and product recommendations among them.

“The customer today is as influential as the marketing gurus were a decade ago. Customers’ choices are influenced in many places and social media and word-of-mouth are playing a key role for brands and retailers,” said Simon Hay, CEO of dunnhumby. “Not only does BzzAgent leverage a base of 800,000 influential customers in the word-of-mouth space, it is focused on measuring return on investment and the role of social media.Our focus has always been on building loyalty. With BzzAgent, we believe we can now help our clients understand advocacy and use this knowledge to earn more loyal customers for retailers and brands.”

BzzAgent, founded in 2001, BzzAgent enlists “agents” to generate awareness for consumer goods and services among their peers. The company’s network of 800,000 consumers helps its clients create word-of-mouth endorsements of its products. BzzAgent’s clients include some of the world’s largest companies, including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, L’Oreal and Michelin.

BzzAgent has completed more than 2,000 programs for 500-plus companies since it was founded.

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