Ogilvy & Mather North America has forged a partnership with analytics company Hundredx that will give the ad agency new real-time data for campaigns, mobile apps and websites. New York-based Ogilvy didn't name the brands that would use the stats, stating that its general client list—which ranges from Dove to UPS to Volkswagen—would stand to benefit.
"We want to show them the value of this data to improve the design and delivery of branded experiences at every point of customer contact–in product, customer service, communications and more," said John Seifert, chairman and CEO at Ogilvy & Mather North America.
The partnership underscores the larger trend of traditional agencies ramping up their data capabilities. It's probably best that they make such moves before brands figure out how to get intelligence directly from vendors as Progressive, Geico, Gap, Netflix and AT&T have done concerning programmatic advertising in recent years.
As Seifert pointed out, though, the Ogilvy-Hundredx deal takes aim at the breadth of digital ad executions, including creative. The partnership leans on Hundredx's Express Feedback system, which offers a mix of aggregated data and online survey results—in which consumers have more control than usual about which topics they address, the company said—as well as the ability to mine content, such as customer testimonials, from the Web.
"The result is that Ogilvy and their clients can create more tailored messaging," said Hundredx founder Rob Pace, "and incorporate real-time decision-making into brand programs."
