With Expion, Sysomos expects to get content management and publishing capabilities. Having already established itself as a provider of earned social-media analytics, Sysomos also hopes the deal with translate to analysis on brand-controlled content.
Peter Heffring, CEO of Expion, said the deal was a no brainer. “Adding [Sysomos’] data science expertise and their technical infrastructure into Expion's [content management] ecosystem … creates a company positioned to lead the industry,” Heffring said.
By their own estimate, the combined companies claim to service some 15,000 marketers, representing 1,500 companies. Expion clients include Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Estee Lauder, iHeartMedia and Porsche. The companies’ respective technologies will ultimately be integrated to provide a most comprehensive social intelligence offering.
The combined company plans to more than double headcount, reaching 500 by year-end.
Moving forward, Sysomos plans to expand its global footprint to 10 cities in six countries, adding offices in Singapore and Shanghai, as well as on the East Coast of the United States.
Worldwide, consolidation and investment continues among agencies and technology firms that invest in social marketing services. For example, Publicis Groupe recently bought Italian social-media agency Ambito5, while IPG Mediabrands agreed to acquire Turkish social media agency Promoqube.
On the vendor side, Brand Networks recently agreed to buy rival Shift for $50 million in cash and stock. The combined social-marketing platforms will manage over $500 million in advertising spend, according to internal estimates. In addition, social-marketing firm Percolate just secured another $40 million in Series C financing led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
This year, advertisers will spend $23.68 billion on social networks -- up 33.5% from $17.74 billion, last year -- according to eMarketer.