It’s with great pride that we announce Networked Insights has been recognized as having an “unrivaled advantage for socially informed media planning and buying.” in Forrester Research’s “The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Listening Platforms, Q2 2012.” Furthermore, we’re humbled that our SocialSense product and related value added services have been recognized as a “Strong Performer” by Forrester.

Listening platforms continue to evolve from volume centric tools to multi-dimensional dashboards that influence major marketing and business results. Today’s report marks Forrester’s fourth Wave evaluation in the listening platform landscape. Forrester notes in its report that “listening platforms are part of the way through their evolution – and are currently at a point between the social media monitoring tools they started as and the critical enterprise business analytics tools they must become.”

Networked Insights’ focus is around extracting business insights from social data – with a specialization in informing media planning. Our SocialSense platform directs all aspects of the media buying and planning process, including campaign development, TV buying and selling, digital and search buying, message and creative development, product and brand development post-buy analysis, social media engagement, and campaign attribution and ROI.

Networked Insights’ unique and differential placement within this collection of today’s top nine listening platforms underscores the work of the company and the importance of using social media for real-time decision making in marketing. We believe the demand for data-driven marketing decisions will continue to grow. Companies are no longer looking for just a monitoring platform, they rely on our technology and services to help them successfully navigate the volume of conversations their audience has to make smarter media planning and buying decisions.

Forrester’s latest report evaluated the SocialSense platform, which includes SocialSense Dashboard, SocialSense Analytics and our Sync Suite. We’re thrilled this marketing decision platform is being used by some of today’s top brands and their agencies like Samsung, MTV, Kraft, MillerCoors, Starcom, MediaBrands and more.

See what happens when you embed social data analytics at the center of marketing decisions by watching our recent webinar with Elizabeth Shaw from Forrester Research to learn How to Use Social Data to Make Smarter Media Decisions and to read more about what makes Networked Insights unique download a FREE copy of the 2012 Forrester Wave: Listening Platforms report.

I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that today; Networked Insights was named one of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2012 by Fast Company. The editorial team at Fast Company evaluated information on thousands of businesses across the globe to create the World’s Most Innovative Companies issue, which features Networked Insights in the #39 spot of the top 50! The editors also broke out several of the most innovative industries and listed us in the #3 spot in advertising which is a signal to me that the market is really valuing real-time data analytics and strategic planning when it comes to advertising. Moreover, we appeared ahead of top brands such as Klout, Buddy Media, Target and Wieden+Kennedy.

I am also honored to have Networked Insights be recognized among some of the world’s leading innovators in the field of advertising and beyond. To be on the same list as advertising and industry giants such as Apple, Facebook and Google is a testament to the power that real-time social analytics is having in today’s changing marketplace. We are proud to be leading the charge in harnessing the power of big data to help companies make smarter decisions with their media dollars every day.

Fast Company picked up on the fact that 2011 was a “big year” for Networked Insights. The publication also called out major wins, including the company’s campaign for MTV’s Teen Wolf, Kraft’s Oscar Meyer Select and a $20 million investment from Goldman Sachs.

Our analytical platform uses advanced discovery analytics to deliver marketing and media recommendations to clients that allow them to better plan and optimize their advertising spend, delivering at least 10% efficiency on their media investments.

You can check out the rest of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March 2012) which will be on newsstands beginning February 21 or online at www.fastcompany.com/MIC.

Social Media Week New York is back, and I’m excited to connect with some of the sharpest minds in marketing, advertising and social media. Networked Insights CEO Dan Neely will participate in a social TV panel where he’ll discuss how networks and brands are leveraging social data to improve decisions related to audiences, content and marketing..

Take a look at the marketing and advertising presentations and panels that I can’t wait to check out during 2012 Social Media Week:

Keynote: John Bell, Global Managing Director at Ogilvy, on The Insidious Plot to Socialize the Enterprise

Looking forward to seeing: John Bell

My question for the presenter(s): Business intelligence provides corporations visibility into business performance through data. With the number of social data and analytics providers growing, what factors will accelerate adoption of social intelligence, allowing brands to better understand the world outside their business and the data they own?

Keynote: Jeff Dachis, CEO, Chairman & Founder of Dachis Group followed by Panel: Big Data and Bigger Conversations: Measuring Your Brand’s Social Performance

Looking forward to seeing: Jeff Dachis

My question for the presenter(s): Awareness, advocacy and mindshare are great, but they are values you measure after a campaign is launched. How are you seeing brands use social data to pre-inform decisions, uncover trends and enable predictions related to marketing and advertising?

What Real Time Marketing Really Takes

Looking forward to seeing: Emily Steel

My question for the presenter(s): At Networked Insights we frequently tell people real-time is relative to the decision cycles of the business and marketing activity. I’m curious to hear how Beth Waxman-Arteta see’s marketers adapting pushed by interactive marketing and social media. Social media data allows marketers to get feedback about marketing and advertising in real-time. Is this making marketers more agile or are more traditional mass marketing tactics winning?

State Your Case: Research vs. Social Analytics

Looking forward to seeing: Craig Hepburn

My question for the presenter(s): How does Nokia leverage social data to improve product development, marketing and customer service? What are the obstacles to social media marketers evolving from tactical to strategic roles?

Keynote: Gabe Zichermann on The Business of Fun: How Gamification Will Change Your Organization followed by The Future Of Gaming, hosted by PSFK

Looking forward to seeing: Gabe Zichermann

My question for the presenter(s): What industries, products or marketing programs best lend themselves to gammification marketing techniques?

Socializing the News

Looking forward to seeing: Anthony De Rosa & Elizabeth Heron

My question for the presenter(s): For Anthony – Where can someone get good Chinese takeout in SoHo? For the panel – Is social media changing what news and topics get covered? Are hybrid media outlets influencing traditional news coverage?

We have been working on developing the world’s best platform of information that would help marketers make better, faster more informed decisions about all aspects of their marketing spend. With this round of funding, we are well positioned to challenge the future of advertising and marketing by introducing a decision platform that finally uncovers real time audience interest and allows brands to stay in sync with their customers.

Lead investor Goldman Sachs, who most recently invested in Facebook said: “The growing dependence on earned media requires robust marketing decision platforms capable of uncovering real time data on consumer messaging, engagement and share of voice,” said Gaurav Bhandari, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. “The inclusion of this type of data into marketing is growing rapidly, and we believe that Networked Insights is positioned to capitalize on this growth.”

Brian Wallace, Vice President of Strategic Marketing for Samsung said “Competent marketers react to social data, but smart marketers are directed by it. That is why we have partnered with Networked Insights to optimize our marketing and media dollars to capture the true potential of social data. By moving beyond monitoring and sentiment, we have really started to increase the value of our media and advertising by delivering double digit efficiency across our entire spend.”

From here we plan to use the new funds to continue to scale the business with investments in new data sources, technology that will allow Networked Insights to customize audience development, provide increased fidelity in media attribution and expand critical semantic analytic tools that deliver media prediction.

We hope you will join us in our celebration by asking us how we can help your brand stay in sync with its consumers!

Old Navy

According to social media, Old Navy was the most talked about Clothing or Fashion Brand within the Moms space. Since mid-August, positive sentiment remained constant at 35%, with words such as good, cute, love and nice used frequently. Overall, the number of Old Navy posts increased 18%, and the two most common themes were jeans and maternity wear.

Daycare

Since mid-August, Daycare was the most talked about Baby & Parenting Topic, accounting for 41.4% of chatter within this subject area, or 2.1K posts from over 1,000 contributors. Positive sentiment for Daycare increased slightly to 29%, and the use of good, great and love were common. Daycare conversations covered many themes, such as affordability, paying, preschool, and working.

Nike

Nike was an Insight on the Move, as conversations have increased 70% since mid-August. Positive sentiment for Nike decreased recently, dropping from 40% to 19%; yet good, happy and cute were still used to define the product. Within the Nike space, football cleats and soccer shoes were common chatter. Mercurialvapor – Nike’s soccer cleats also appeared in various posts.

Target

Since mid-August, Target was the number one department store, holding 28.3% of the Moms audience. Positive sentiment for Target increased slightly to 33%. Target Baby and Target Grocery were two of the most talked about themes for this retailer. Kohl’s was a close second place, with 23.1% of the chatter. Kmart held 13.7% of the department store conversation, to round out the top three.

This data was collected using our SocialSense Audiences product. SocialSense Audiences is an analytical platform designed to deliver fast, high-quality insights around specific vertical markets and audiences.

We’re pleased to announce three panel submissions from Networked Insights for the 2012 SXSW Interactive Conference. The prospect of sharing how we’ve been able to help some of the world’s largest brands and agencies improve marketing makes us very excited. But we can’t spread the gospel of social media analytics without your support. We need your vote! Don’t worry, it’s just a few clicks and below are instructions on how to get started.

How to Vote

1. Register on the SXSWi website
2. Click on the link to each of Networked Insights’ panels (below)
3. Click on the thumbs-up to submit your vote

* Note – You can vote for as many panels as you want so if you’d like to support all of our submissions GO FOR IT! With your vote you’ll join a growing number people who are helping companies make SocialSense of the Internet and better understand the desires, wants & needs of today’s digital consumer.

More about our SXSW Submissions

Brands, Social Intelligence, Consumer Revolution (Dan Neely)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/9598

2000 “Likes” Won’t Save Your Job: Real Social ROI (Paul Dunay)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10548

Are you ready for Semantic Analysis? (T.R. Fitzgibbon)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10537

About Networked Insights

We help digital marketers leverage social data to uncover counter-intuitive consumer insights that improve advertising, product development, along with campaign strategy and activation.

What do these new hires say about where we’re going? We’re improving the depth and breadth of our products. And we’re expanding the sales pipeline to keep up with ever-increasing demand.

Here’s a quick overview of these stellar additions to the team:

Brad Burke
With more than 15 years of technology development and leadership experience, Brad has a proven record of delivering results for data-centric companies. Prior to Networked Insights, he served as CTO of The Patent Board, where he was responsible for company development, technology operations, and all data services. Prior to that, he was the director of technology at QInteractive. He previously held technology leadership positions at SBI and Company and Accenture. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science in manufacturing management from Purdue University.

Paul DePinto
With 20+ years experience in sales, Paul has been instrumental in the early stage growth of several technology and marketing services companies. As vice president of sales at Ripple6 and Invoke Solutions he spearheaded the building of world-class sales organizations leading to the turnaround and growth of both organizations. He also held sales leadership and sales positions at Sightward, Entrust Technologies, Red Brick Systems (now part of IBM), and Information Builders. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Seton Hall University.

Both Brad and Paul step in at a time of unprecedented growth for Networked Insights and social media analytics in general. Their combined talents are exactly what we need to take the company to the next level.

Our new office is located at 33 E Main Street, Suite 251, on the Capitol Square. The move is necessary to accommodate continued growth in business and employees. The new space, designed for Networked Insights by architect David Jennerjahn of Chicago’s Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, is larger and better reflects the tone and style of the company. I’d love to give you a tour.

Madison, Wisconsin, is known for it’s resilient economy, bolstered by state government, UW-Madison, and biotech. Government and the university have nurtured biotech and created a thriving industry.  Those same dynamics can support all kinds of successful tech ventures — we’re proof of that. The intentional groundwork has yet to be laid to support broader tech companies, but the city is naturally suited to the task. We’ve recruited and retained some of the smartest developers around to build SocialSense into a premier social-media-analytics tool. Madison is a great place to do what we do.

It’s been a great year, promising continued success in 2010 for Networked Insights:

• Client use of the company’s flagship SocialSense application increased significantly: corresponding revenue is up 240%.
• We’re hiring! We’ve recently added a few, top-notch employees. When we fill our open positions in early 2010, we’ll have grown 25%.

Highlights were many. They include a major, ongoing partnership with print and online publishing giant IDG and successful engagements with American Family Insurance, Fox Interactive Media, Oscar Mayer, Toshiba, and many others.

We enjoyed a slew of national press, including coverage in BusinessWeek, featuring an analysis of Superbowl ads and their engagement on social-media sites. And we increasingly became a source for insights on social media, as in this story about Facebook at Bloomberg.com.

We’re thankful to customers, employees, investors, conference organizers, partners, and more. So many people over the year have contributed to our growth by writing about us, making connections and introductions, or giving me the opportunity to take the stage and convey our vision of what is possible when we focus powerful analytics on the greatest data set of consumer information that’s ever existed.

Here’s to an insightful 2010!

Networked Insights has proposed three panels for this year’s festival and we would be proud to present again this year but we need your vote. Please vote for our panels at SXSW by using the thumbs up icon and leave some comments while you’re at it. (You’ll have to create an account first!)

• Amazing Grace: Once Blind, Now We Tweet
  The traditional marketing roles of large organizations are changing. The old model of broadcasting a message to a world awaiting your announcement is shifting to one where customers have a voice in regards to the success or failure of your campaign or product.
• Should I Shave? A Date With Social Media
  So you’re the brand manager for Company X? What’s it like having millions of unofficial assistants working under you and creating messages that you can’t control? Let us help you figure out what role social media analytics should play for brand managers. How can it contribute to creative insights for campaigns, product development, etc.? How can it help you figure out who to target? How can you use it to discover unmet needs? There are answers and they’re found in this panel!
• Nobody gets in to see the Wizard. Nobody!
  For many marketers social media and social media analytics are still a mystery. The value is fuzzy and the technology behind it is poorly understood. Let’s pull back the curtain on our own technology by demonstrating the value of social media.

Thanks for listening…

Complete re-design of the Overview tab

• Added three new sections: What’s Hot, What’s New and What’s Changed, to highlight key insights for a selected time period (the last month by default).

Complete re-design of the Insight tab

• Shift from a filter paradigm to a search paradigm. We realized our interpretation of the functionality on this tab and our clients interpretation were not in line, so we cleaned things up to make it clear what its purpose is; finding insights.
• New presentation of insights in a list format with bar charts for easy comparison of insight engagement.

Re-factoring of the Insight detail screens

• Restructured all insight data to present key details at a summary level while still allowing access to the nitty-gritty details of the insight.
• Shifted from viewing entire posts to viewing only the relevant verbatims.
• Added ability to filter and search the verbatims within an insight.

Created a new content alert

• Allows user to be notified anytime a new piece of content is added to an insight.

What’s Next?
Version 2.0 represents a big step forward for Networked Insights.  However, it’s only a step and we’ve got a lot of significant changes coming in the near future.  Here’s a sneak peak at a couple of those changes.

• Reporting. We’ve been so focused on our analytics that we’ve delayed building out a more robust reporting interface. Soon, in addition to the ability to export raw data, we’ll have a set of reports that will allow you to easily share the insights you get from SocialSense with colleagues and clients.

• Insight Comparison. While an individual insight can provide a tremendous amount of value, there’s additional value to be gleaned from viewing insights side-by-side. Insight comparison will allow user to put their insights into context. A simple example would be comparing my brand to three or four competitors to see the relative engagement for the last month.

We’re pretty excited about these changes and will fill in some technical details with a follow-up post from Jacob Apelbaum, our VP of Technology. In the meantime we’d love to share more about the new version of SocialSense with you. If you’d like a demo, or just more information, please get in touch.

Read the Press Release

I’ll be speaking on the “Deriving Intelligence from Distributed Communities” panel on Monday, November 3, with David VanHeukelom from IglooSoftware, Neil Beam of Lithium Technologies and Patrick Moran from Mzinga. The panel’s moderated by my friend Deb Schultz, and should be a great discussion around listening to and learning from communities.

Networked Insights will also have a booth, so be sure to stop by and say hello if you are attending. Defrag is exploring all sorts of topics around social media and collective intelligence, so we definitely wanted to be part of the conversation. More info about the conference here, hope to see you there!