NEWS28 November 2012

Omnicom buys Promise to integrate with Communispace UK

M&A UK

UK — Co-creation specialist Promise Corporation has been acquired by Diversified Agency Services (DAS), owners of online community builder Communispace. The Omnicom division now plans to integrate the two research firms to bolster its insight offerings.

In a statement, DAS says that the acquisition will allow Communispace “to marry its unique research approach with the strategic consulting tools and processes that Promise has successfully pioneered over the past decade”.

The move comes a year after DAS acquired Communispace for an undisclosed amount. There is no plan to eliminate the Promise name at this time, due to the company’s valuable brand equity in the co-creation arena.

The Omnicom-owned firm says the integration will be Communispace’s “most significant step to date in expanding its global capabilities… [because] having the ability to tap into consumers 24/7 has never been a more important engine for growth, as insights and marketing teams become increasingly strategic and need more meaningful and actionable interaction and engagement with today’s fast-changing consumer.”

Through the partnership between Communispace and Promise, DAS says the integrated office will have a combined customer book that includes nearly 200 major brands that have worked with the firms over the last decade. New roles and responsibilities are anticipated as a result of the integration, which will take place over the next three months.

Diane Hessan, president and CEO of Communispace, said: “We have been watching Promise for years, as they have mastered co-creation and helped executives act intelligently based on what they learned from consumer. Everything about our business is focused on doing great work that matters, and the experience and dynamism of the Promise team is going to help us make our work matter even more for our clients.”

Charles Trevail, CEO of Promise Corporation (pictured), added: “Just as Communispace invented the idea of using online communities to listen to consumers, we are excited about our combined vision to reinvent the ways organisations gain insights and turn them into innovation and growth. Communispace gives us scale and an infrastructure which brings tremendous new opportunities to our clients and our people.”

Alongside Communispace, DAS also owns predictive modelling and advanced analytics firm The Modellers. Other research companies in the Omnicom group include Flamingo, Hall & Partners and MARC Research.

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1 Comment

11 years ago

Congratulations to Charles Trevail, Nick Coates & colleagues.

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