July saw a hefty valuation for Kantar, Instagram remove some likes, funding for New Knowledge and reports from Plank Center and Raconteur.
Kantar valued at $USD 4 billion
WPP has sold a majority stake in market-research unit Kantar to Bain Capital Private Equity in a deal worth $USD 3.1 billion. Bain Capital Private Equity will acquire 60% of Kantar as part of the agreement, which values Kantar at $USD 4 billion. Eric Salama, Kantar’s CEO, said the new owner will be able to invest more in technology, people and acquisitions.
New Knowledge picks up $USD 3 million
It seems like pocket change compared to Kantar, but New Knowledge has raised $USD 3 million in funding. The start-up monitors and verifies the authenticity of social chatter about brands. It plans to release an enterprise platform later in the year to further help companies identify misinformation. The Austin-based company picked up $USD 11 million in Series A funding last August.
North America gets a Communications Monitor
Thinking about misinformation, according to the North American Communication Monitor, just 19% of respondents felt that fake news was an issue for their daily communication work. Furthermore, 36% report that fake information was given to their employees via internal media. The report surveys 1,020 communication professionals in North America (255 in Canada and 765 in the U.S.). The survey joins the the other regional Communication Monitors, which now questions over 6,000 comms professionals in 80 countries. In addition to fake news, the report covers the whole gamut of communications work.
Instagram doesn’t like likes anymore
Instagram is testing the removal of likes from its platform. The trial will take place in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. The “like” feature won’t be hidden completely. Users can see the number of likes on their own posts, but not on others’ pictures and videos. Instagram is a difficult platform to measure effectively, and the removal of one of the few metrics available on the site doesn’t help.
How real are Insta’s users?
Instagram’s announcement comes the same month as PRWeek reports a study by Swedish e-commerce start-up, A Good Company, and HypeAuditor. The study assessed 1.84 million Instagram accounts across 82 countries and looked at fake accounts. The three markets with the most fakes are the US (49 million), Brazil (27 million) and India (16 million). The study also surveyed 400 influencers, and showed that more than 60 per cent admit to either using engagement pods, bought followers, likes or comments at some point, and that one in five intend to continue doing so.
Insight Economy – the long read
If you’re interested in insights and looking for a beach read, I’ve got you covered. Raconteur have released The Insight Economy special report. First published in The Times in the UK, the report features expert opinion on the evolution of data collection, research methods and the role of social media intelligence.
AMEC Measurement Month is coming
In the northern hemisphere, August can be a quiet month. I know that it feels like a long way off, but let this be a friendly reminder that AMEC‘s Measurement Month is coming up in November. August is the perfect time to plan how your organisation wants to share its measurement knowledge.
Don’t forget to let us know about your measurement moments. Email us – hello@prmeasured.com.