It might be the start of a new decade, but not too much has changed. Edelman has released its Trust Barometer, Cision is now a private company, three platforms received funding, and Netbase & Quid merged.
Edelman Trust Barometer
January is known to most as the month of fast-failing fitness fads. But, for us, it’s the month that Edelman releases its Trust Barometer, and we all learn who the world’s really believing. The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer is based on an online survey, which sampled more than 34,000 respondents across 28 markets. The report shows that 56% of respondents felt that capitalism was doing more harm than good; but, corporations were viewed as the most competent group to lead on ethical issues affecting the places in which they do business and their workforce. A workforce that is anxious about disinformation and automation. I’m counting reading this report as a workout, it definitely got my heart racing.
Platinum closes $US2.7 bn Cision purchase
Cision is a private company, again. Platinum Equity has closed its $US2.7 billion purchase of the company. The deal was first announced back in October. Kevin Akeroyd, Cision’s CEO, has stated that the “near-term focus will be on improving customer experience, delivering innovative products, and increasing operating efficiencies.” While, Platinum Equity’s Jacob Kotzubei said that they “will continue investing in new product development and additional opportunities to grow the business.”
Netbase & Quid to merge
Netbase & Quid have announced plans to merge. Netbase provides a social media monitoring and analytics platform, while Quid is a text analytics and data visualisation tool. Following the completion of the merger, Peter Caswell, currently Chairman and CEO of Netbase, will lead NetBase Quid as Chairman & CEO. Quid CEO Bob Goodson will be assuming the role of President.
Influencer Marketing: Traackr & Hivency raise funds
Traackr, the San Francisco-based influencer marketing platform, has picked up a $US 4 million line of credit from SaaS Capital. Pierre-Loïc Assayag, CEO of Traackr, stated that the “credit enables us to focus on our growth and continue to make strategic investments in our product development.” Meanwhile, Hivency, a Paris-based micro-influencer platform, has raised €4 million in Series A funding from Alliance Entreprendre and angel investors. The company plans to use the funding to expand its solution to cover the broader customer lifecycle. The company previously rasied €2 million in seed funding in 2008. Both Traackr & Hivency include L’Oreal among their client list.
SOCi closes $US 15 million funding round
SOCi, the San Diego-based social and reputation management platform closed a $US 15m Series C funding round. SOCi’s an interesting proposition, as it blends paid, shared and earned media to support localised social marketing. Funding was led by Vertical Venture Partners, Grayhawk Capital, Ankona Capital and Blossom Street Ventures. SOCi has raised about $42 million over six rounds of funding.
Social Media Analysis: Funding is down
Funding deals are rightly heralded with optimism but, according to socialmediaanalysis.com, overall funding levels are down. Companies reported taking in about $US 33 million in new investments in 2019, continuing a downward trend since 2015. One deal, Signal AI’s $US 25 million, makes up the bulk of that total. There continues to be a strong need to prove profitability to funders, which may explain the continued lag. We can probably expect to see more consolidation in this congested market.
G2 Crowd: Hootsuite leads Social 
G2 Crowd updated Social Media Monitoring Grid for Winter 2020. The grid is based on customer reviews placed on G2 Crowd’s website by November 27, 2019. G2 ranks Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Zoho Social as its leaders. The review site also updated it’s Social Media Management Grid, with Hootsuite and Hubspot leading the way.
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