WPP’s The Kantar Group last week bought trade marketing consultancy Cannondale Associates.
The purchase beefs up Kantar’s retail channel expertise and gives Cannondale a broader network for executing retail-driven promotions, and an international platform for its research, especially its annual PoweRanking survey. Terms were not disclosed.
It also ups the ante in “shopper marketing” as agency networks build their retail expertise. WPP added co-marketing shop J. Brown Agency when it bought J. Brown parent Grey Group; rival Publicis bought WalMart specialist ThompsonMurray this summer to build out its Saatchi & Saatchi division (November PROMO).
Wilton, CT-based Cannondale’s senior management remains, including CEO Jack Ryder and partners John Carlson, Paul Crnkovich, Ken Harris, Bob Hilarides, Sven Risom and Don Stuart.
The purchase gives Cannondale access to Kantar’s 18 research and consulting firms, including Fusion 5, Glendinning and Management Ventures Inc.
Cannondale plans to leverage Kantar to build its ShopperGenetics frequent-shopper data analysis and RichMix and PriceRite merchandising and pricing software. The PoweRanking survey asks packaged good marketers and retailers to rate each other on a number of measures.
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