Sports Media Report
Industry leaders MVPindex® and Umbel® today announced the merger of the two companies, reinventing the way the entire sports and entertainment ecosystem – from brands and agencies to properties and talent – measures the value and impact of their digital marketing spend, including sponsorships and social media campaigns.
The new entity will combine MVPindex’s industry-leading social media measurement and valuation platform with Umbel’s innovative solution for collecting and segmenting first-party data to deliver highly targeted activations and campaigns. Together, they will serve nearly 140 of the top brands, agencies, media companies, teams, leagues and venues, providing clients with a dynamic and comprehensive solution for understanding audience engagement and purchase intent.
According to Umbel board member Tom Meredith and MVPindex CEO Stan Woodward, the merger will not only accelerate the growth of both platforms but it also has the power to transform the industry.
“This is really a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts,” Meredith said. “In today’s 24/7, social media-centric world, our customers need credible data in real time to identify the partnerships and content that move the needle for their brands. MVPindex and Umbel are united in the belief that the market hasn’t adapted to the new reality.”
Woodward agrees: “Why are we using stale and inherently biased survey responses – not to mention irrelevant sample sizes – to understand customer attitudes and behavior when the actual answers are in the data? Together, we can finally make the old methodologies obsolete and replace them with actionable insights that can drive immediate value for our clients.”
They are referring to the new company’s unique ability to analyze both first-party and third-party data and identify those “ah-ha” moments that can transform the way brands and organizations engage with their customers.
For example, sports and entertainment organizations can now leverage data about fan behaviors – where and how they spend their time, what motivates them, what drives their engagement – to forge a stronger connection with existing fans and attract new ones. This in-depth audience intelligence is also essential for brands and agencies as they select, evaluate and measure their talent and property investments.
“Our clients are looking for the right properties and content creators that will allow their brands and their messages to be seen by the audience they’re targeting and to strengthen their brand equity. But that’s not all,” Woodward said. “The Holy Grail in our business is total social audience measurement, which means we can help identify buyer intent and then offer valuable insight about how to convert that intent to purchase. It’s truly a game-changer for the sports and entertainment industries, and with this merger, we’re the only ones who can do it.”
Based in Austin, Texas, with offices in Dallas, the company will be overseen by a board with representation from both MVPindex and Umbel. MVPindex CEO Stan Woodward has been named CEO. In addition, MVPindex Co-Founder Shawn Spieth will serve as President and Chairman with Co-Founder Kyle Nelson as CMO. Umbel CFO Iser Cukierman will serve as the company’s CFO and GM of the Umbel business unit.
“I couldn’t be more excited to lead this team,” Woodward said. “Our mission is to leverage the largest, most valuable data asset on the planet and our leading social measurement platform to transform marketing research as we know it. And the big winners will be the brands, agencies, properties and talent with whom we do business.”
