Berlin-based advertising technology firm Sociomantic Labs has been bought by UK supermarket giant Tesco for a sum reported to be more than $100 million (€72.6m). According to a release, dunnhumby, Tesco’s customer science arm, will “combine its extensive insights on the shopping preferences of 400 million consumers with Sociomantic’s intelligent digital-advertising technology and real-time data from more than 700 million online consumers to dramatically improve how advertising is planned, personalised and evaluated.”
Marketing content, the release added, will be created specifically for an individual in real-time based on their interests and shopping preferences, and delivered across online media and mobile devices.
Simon Hay, dunnhumby CEO, said: “Our strategic priority is to engage consumers and earn their loyalty wherever they shop, in-store and online, with personalised communications that are valuable and meaningful.
“Applying this approach to make online media a better experience for consumers and marketers is paramount to us. Our observed campaigns to date have shown that increased relevance leads to significantly better engagement and response rates. Doing that at a scale of more than a billion people is unprecedented.”
Sociomantic, described as a “global leader in programmatic digital advertising solutions,” employs more than 200 people in 16 offices around the world and brought in more than $100 million in revenue in 2013. It works in verticals including electronics, retail, fashion and travel.
“Dunnhumby is a global leader in building consumer loyalty and has pioneered new ways for marketers to interact with consumers. Together, we can help brands improve the relevance of their messages to create more personal interactions with their customers online and across mobile devices,” said Thomas Brandhoff, MD and co-founder of Sociomantic.