Cheil Buys Chinese Social Media Analyst ColourData

Full-service data-driven marketing agency Cheil Worldwide has acquired Chinese social media big data analyst ColourData for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 2014 by former Ipsos/Nielsen exec Eason Chen (pictured), Shanghai-based ColourData gathers postings and comments from more than 5,000 social media sources, news and eCommerce web sites, in order to analyze 'buzz' by geography, gender and age group. Data is analysed using AI-based natural language processing, leading to real-time visualization and on-demand report generation.

Cheil Worldwide, which has previously worked with ColourData on several social media digital marketing projects in China, says the deal will enable it to deliver 'more robust marketing analytics' to existing clients, while also enhancing its business development potential in China across a range of industries. In its statement, the company said the acquisition will also contribute to the continuous growth of its own digital business, which now accounts for over 40% of revenue.

Web sites: www.cheil.com and www.colourdata.com.cn .