Birmingham’s Unison, a data analytics company, today announced it has acquired Troy’s Brand Machine, a brand solution company. The deal closed on May 15. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition is a continuation of Unison’s growth strategy.
“Over the past few years, we have been 100 percent committed to bringing together the best combination of people, process, and technology, and Brand Machine brings all three to the table,” says Mohammad Hamid, chairman and CEO of Unison.
Unison acquired two42solutions, a media monitoring and analysis company, in 2015.
“Our first acquisition provided us with a platform on measuring public opinion,” says Ben Chutz, COO of Unison. “But today, our clients think of us not only as the barometer for customer engagement, but also a provider of critical insights around the engagement of other key stakeholders, such as employees, investors, suppliers, and more. By bringing all of these pieces together, Unison is becoming the standard for stakeholder engagement.”
The acquisition will allow Unison to implement solutions for their clients.
“The addition of Brand Machine to Unison’s portfolio will allow us to provide the last-mile solution for our clients,” says Hamid. “In addition to our data products, all of our clients will now benefit from any army of subject-matter experts that can help them solve problems.”
Kevin Smith, principal and founder of Brand Machine, will serve as Unison’s executive vice president and managing director of strategic services, while Brand Machine will become Unison’s strategic services division. Its products, team, and clients will be integrated into the Unison ecosystem.
Before 2019, Unison wants to add six people to the leadership team, hire up to six software developers, and create a business development team.
As Unison has grown over the years, the nature of the business has evolved correspondingly. “The foundation of our business is and always has been data analytics,” says Hamid. “Every single one of our Fortune 500 clients relies on us to assess how various different people around their businesses feel and more importantly, the business impact of these attitudes.
“But what we’ve found is that the C-Suite, and Chief Marketing Officers in particular, don’t just need a partner that can diagnose the issues they face, but a partner that can also help in implementing solutions to address those challenges.”
Brand Machine has worked with numerous clients from automotive brands like Ford, Lincoln, Jeep, FIAT and Alfa Romeo; to Holland, Michigan-based Hudsonville Ice Cream; to B2B brands like Guardian Industries and Urban Science; and several of Detroit’s major ad agencies.
Since 2012, Unison’s Stakeholder Insights Platform has worked with Fortune 500 organizations across five key industry sectors: health care, manufacturing, financial services, energy, and retail.
