Kantar to acquire Blackwood Seven, accelerating marketing ROI technology roadmap

Kantar, the world’s leading data-driven analytics and brand consulting company today announces it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Blackwood Seven, the Copenhagen, Denmark-based marketing measurement and optimisation company. The transaction is anticipated to complete by the end of April. The move cements Kantar’s position as a market-leader in marketing ROI measurement; a market forecast to be valued at $3 billion by 2024 (17% CAGR ), and accelerates the firm’s plans to bring a Unified Marketing Measurement solution to its global client base. Operationally, the Blackwood Seven team will join Kantar’s Analytics Practice, led by Chris Petranto. Today’s announcement represents Kantar’s sixth acquisition since Bain Capital took a majority shareholding in December 2019.

Founded in 2013 by Henrik Hasselbalch Busch, Thomas Bertelsen and former CEO Carl Erik Kjærsgaard, Blackwood Seven is a leading provider of marketing effectiveness and planning solutions. They offer highly scalable, AI-powered, cookie-less unified marketing measurement globally. Their advanced analytics produce marketing ROI insights at a granular level, enabling marketers to optimise their investments and predict business outcomes. Powered by the Hamilton.AI platform, which continually learns from the effects of past media investments, their solutions model a multitude of scenarios to create future media plans down to an individual publisher level. Sophisticated modelling, which accounts for synergies between channels, macroeconomic factors and competitor activity, allows marketers to make better informed decisions. Continuously refreshed data inputs also facilitate real-time planning and in-flight campaign optimisation.  

Commenting on the acquisition, Ted Prince, Chief Product Officer at Kantar, said: “Kantar’s well-established credentials in ROI analysis are bolstered significantly by the addition of Blackwood Seven’s technology solution. Clients, including Honda, Suncorp and Telenor, already use their solution for budget setting, competitor analysis, reducing customer acquisition cost, measuring brand equity and minimising customer churn. The move will give Kantar’s global roster of clients access to the more granular analytics it provides, alongside the strategic guidance we are known for.”

Prince continues: “Today’s marketers need a solution that brings together insights for both strategic and tactical/in-flight decision-making, and that is futureproofed against cookie deprecation and privacy legislation. We see this driving marketing ROI budgets towards Unified Marketing Measurement solutions in the future. Blackwood Seven’s unique AI-powered product is a leader in this space, and the team has an impressive track record of winning and retaining clients. We are excited to welcome them into our Analytics Practice.”

Henrik Hasselbalch Busch, CEO, Blackwood Seven, added: “Blackwood Seven’s solution gives marketers a way to bring granularity and depth to measuring the effects of their marketing investments, answering the need for a solution to guide both strategic and tactical decisions. Kantar is uniquely placed to scale the offer and enable more businesses around the world to benefit from its many applications.”  

Commercial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.