GfK Buys Social Media Specialist Sensemetric

GfK has acquired Sensemetric Web & Social Media Mining, as part of its plans to centralize its existing social media services in a global Intelligence Center. Terms of the buy were not disclosed.

Vienna-based Sensemetric, which was previously a GfK preferred Partner, has developed a social media mining tool which offers seven-days-a-week monitoring in any language. The firm was originally formed as a joint venture between the online/social media, PR, and market research divisions of the Radix Group and online and IT specialist a-linea.

Following the deal, Sensemetric's web crawling and crowdsourcing technology will be integrated into GfK's new Social Media Intelligence Center along with other GfK data sources such as the Media Efficiency Panel.

Christian Waldheim (pictured) and Florian Schütz, formerly MDs of Sensemetric, will head up the new center.

Web site: www.gfk.com .