Ruder Finn Adds Data Aggregation Tool

Public relations agency Ruder Finn added to its in-house analytics capabilities by launching Beacon, a suite of tools designed to aggregate multiple consumer data sources in real time.

By analyzing social listening streams on top of what Ruder Finn labels "In Real Life" data (geo-location info, sales data, calendar events, weather patterns), the tools separate signal from chatter to "provide deeper insights into real world consumer behavior," the company said.

To illustrate the capabilities, Ruder Finn offered several examples:

Retail foot traffic and e-commerce data can be analyzed against social impressions to discover correlations with social ad buy or communication campaigns.

Weather patterns and geo-targeting can be used to predict and influence behavior and purchase decisions.

Business-to-business purchase patterns can be mapped against community and influencer activity to better understand influence and decision chains.

Aberrations from historical patterns can signal (and hopefully avert) future impending crises.

"As communications becomes an intricately more complex industry, influenced by multiple channels, content streams and sources, we need to have tools and resources that allow us to monitor, analyze and cut through the 'noise,'" says chief executive officer Kathy Bloomgarden. "Ruder Finn is not only focused on building talent in the data and analytics space but is sharpening our own technology to give clients exclusive access to information that will help them make better business decisions."

The new software has been in beta for six months and already serves companies in the pharmaceutical, transportation, and health & beauty industries.

"Beacon goes a step beyond traditional social listening and analytics tools, helping us better separate the signal from the noise so we can help clients analyze and understand the real impact of a brands' actions on consumer, financial and social behavior," says chief innovation officer Michael Schubert.