BOISE, IDAHO — Impact Group, a grocery sales and marketing agency, has acquired digital advertising platform Cluep. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2012, Cluep uses artificial intelligence (A.I.) to help brands connect with consumers by serving targeted advertising based on individuals’ social media activity. The company’s digital advertising platform tracks what consumers are sharing, how they are feeling and where they have been to deliver individualized content. The Toronto-based company has executed more than 1,500 campaigns for more than 400 brands around the world, leveraging proprietary text analysis, real-time targeting, facial recognition and vision recognition to anticipate consumer interest and connect brands with those consumers. The platform offers a variety of products, including Cluep Posts, which targets consumers based on their social media conversations; Cluep Pics, which targets consumers based on the pictures they post on social media; and Cluep Places, which targets consumers based on the places they go in the physical world. Cluep services brands such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Walmart and Unilever.
Impact Group’s acquisition of Cluep is a response to market shifts in retail and grocery, Impact Group said, as online grocery sales are projected to reach $100 billion by 2025.
“Today’s consumer is highly engaged in the digital world, and we’re seeing them embrace brands through digital interactions at an unprecedented rate,” said Carl Pennington, president and chief executive officer of Impact Group. “Our acquisition of Cluep is not only a strategic part of our growth: it’s crucial to providing our consumer packaged goods (C.P.G.) clients with access to proven digital resources that can propel their brands forward in a way that bolsters their retail presence and helps them win with today’s shoppers. We look forward to improving reach and elevating results for our C.P.G. clients and retail customers through the acquisition of Cluep.”
Cluep will continue to operate as a separate division under the Cluep brand and retain its employees. The company’s offerings will complement Impact Group’s sales, marketing and merchandising knowledge as well as its value-added service offerings, Impact Group said.
Founded in 1994, Impact Group is a sales and marketing agency that “focuses on leading change through disruptive and innovative services, including sales, merchandising, and category analytical support to companies in the C.P.G. industry,” the company said. Impact Group works with more than 700 C.P.G. companies, including General Mills, Nestle, Kellogg, J.M. Smucker, Campbell Soup and B&G Foods.
“Using artificial intelligence to help brands connect and engage with people represents the next big chapter at Impact Group — and the Cluep team is honored to be part of it,” said Karan Walia, co-founder of Cluep. “We have exciting plans and new A.I. innovations on the roadmap, so it’s time to get to work.”