Overview
Meltwater, founded in 2001 in Oslo, Norway, is a leading global provider of media intelligence and social analytics solutions. Here's a comprehensive overview of the company:
Founding and Global Expansion
- Initially established as Magenta News by Jørn Lyseggen and Gard Haugen
- Renamed to Meltwater News in 2005 after relocating to San Francisco, California
- Bootstrapped with just $15,000, starting as a news clipping service
- Now operates in over 25 countries with more than 2,200 employees
- Serves approximately 27,000 clients worldwide
Products and Services
Meltwater offers a suite of media monitoring and intelligence tools:
- Media Monitoring: Scans over 270,000 global news sources, social media, blogs, forums, print, broadcasts, and podcasts
- Media Relations: Tools for connecting with journalists and managing media contacts
- Social Listening & Analytics: Provides insights from social media platforms
- Social Media Management: Facilitates customer engagement on social platforms
- Consumer Intelligence: Analyzes audience behaviors and preferences
- Influencer Marketing: Helps grow reach through influencer partnerships
- Sales Intelligence: Increases revenue through data-driven insights
Technology and Innovation
- Heavily invested in proprietary technology, including AI and natural language processing
- Made strategic acquisitions to expand offerings, including BuzzGain, JitterJam, IceRocket, Encore Alert, Wrapidity, DataSift, Sysomos, Linkfluence, Klear, and Owler
Corporate Social Responsibility
- Operates the Meltwater Foundation
- Supports the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana, fostering technology entrepreneurship in Africa
Leadership and Public Listing
- Current CEO: John Box (as of November 2020)
- Listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker code MWTR
Recent Activities
- Partnered with the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour
- Established a global brand ambassadorship with Magnus Carlsen
- Continues to expand services and integrate new technologies for comprehensive media and social intelligence solutions
Leadership Team
Meltwater's leadership team comprises experienced professionals steering the company's global operations and strategic direction:
Executive Leadership
- John Box: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Lena Shishkina: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Aditya Jami: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
- Alexandra Bjertnæs: Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Regional Executive Directors
- David Hickey: Executive Director for Asia-Pacific
- David Houston: Executive Director for Client Acquisition in the Americas
- Jeff Rusignuolo: Executive Director for Client Success in the Americas
- Bob Van Velsen: Executive Director for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
Founder
- Jorn Lyseggen: Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board
Key Responsibilities
The leadership team is tasked with:
- Setting strategic direction
- Overseeing operational efficiency
- Driving innovation in media monitoring and business intelligence software
- Expanding global market presence
- Ensuring financial stability and growth This diverse team brings together expertise from various fields, including technology, finance, strategy, and regional market knowledge, positioning Meltwater as a leader in the media intelligence and social analytics industry.
History
Meltwater's journey from a small Norwegian startup to a global media intelligence leader is marked by innovation, strategic expansion, and adaptability:
Founding and Early Years (2001-2005)
- Founded in Oslo, Norway, in 2001 by Jørn Lyseggen and Gard Haugen
- Initially named Magenta News
- Started as a news clipping service scanning 100,000 news sources
- Bootstrapped with $15,000
Global Expansion and Rebranding (2005-2010)
- Relocated headquarters to San Francisco in 2005
- Renamed to Meltwater News
- Opened offices in London, San Francisco, and Singapore
Product Development and Acquisitions (2010-2015)
- 2010: Launched Meltwater Press, a web-based media contact database
- 2010-2011: Acquired BuzzGain, JitterJam, and IceRocket
- 2011: Released Buzz Engage, a social marketing and business intelligence tool
Technological Advancement and Further Acquisitions (2015-2020)
- 2015: Launched a new media intelligence platform
- Acquired companies including Encore Alert, Wrapidity, Klarity, Infomart, and DataSift
- Enhanced capabilities in AI and data analysis
Recent Developments (2020-Present)
- May 2020: Niklas de Besche became CEO
- November 2020: John Box appointed as CEO
- December 2020: Listed on Euronext Growth Oslo (MWTR)
- 2021: Acquired Linkfluence, Klear, and Owler
Corporate Social Responsibility
- 2008: Founded Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana
Current Status
- Global leader in online media monitoring and intelligence
- Approximately 2,200 employees worldwide
- Serving around 27,000 clients internationally
- Reported $439 million in revenue for fiscal year 2022 Meltwater's history reflects its commitment to innovation, global expansion, and leveraging technology to provide comprehensive media intelligence solutions. The company continues to evolve, integrating AI and advanced analytics to meet the changing needs of the digital media landscape.
Products & Solutions
Meltwater offers a comprehensive suite of AI-powered products and solutions designed to provide media, social, and consumer intelligence through large-scale data analysis. Key components include:
Media Intelligence
Tools for monitoring and analyzing media coverage across online media, broadcast, and podcasts, enabling quick reactions to opportunities or crises.
Social Listening & Analytics
Features for tracking and analyzing social media conversations to understand consumer sentiments, trends, and patterns, transforming unstructured data into actionable insights.
Social Media Management
An integrated platform for content scheduling, publishing, engagement, and analytics, streamlining the management of social media channels with features for community management, moderation, and customizable workflows.
Consumer Intelligence
AI-driven tools using social data to provide deep, actionable consumer insights, helping businesses understand customer needs, preferences, and behaviors for better decision-making and strategic planning.
Sales Intelligence
Tools for identifying sales opportunities and understanding market dynamics, enhancing overall business intelligence.
Data & API Integration
Seamless integration of data from various sources through APIs, ensuring a holistic view of brand, market, and consumer insights across the organization.
Influencer Marketing
Tools for identifying, engaging, and managing influencers to impact brand reputation and marketing efforts.
Partnerships & Integrations
Collaborations with various partners to provide comprehensive and trusted datasets, enhancing the accuracy and breadth of insights.
Security and Compliance
ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications, ensuring rigorous security controls to protect sensitive data.
Industry-Specific Solutions
Tailored solutions for specific industries, such as retail and consumer goods, designed to help businesses understand their customers and markets better. Meltwater's product suite aims to help businesses make data-driven decisions, enhance marketing efficiency, and drive impact through AI-powered tools and large-scale data analysis.
Core Technology
Meltwater's core technology revolves around advanced data collection, analysis, and insights generation, particularly in media and social media monitoring. Key aspects include:
Data Collection
- Web crawlers and APIs collect vast amounts of real-time data from millions of online sources, including social media, news websites, blogs, and forums.
Data Analysis
- Advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, including natural language processing (NLP), analyze collected data to understand context and sentiment of online conversations.
- Identifies trends, sentiment, and key insights to inform business decisions.
Social Media and Media Monitoring
- Tools track brand mentions across online news sources and social media platforms.
- Enables businesses to stay informed about online reputation and respond promptly to feedback.
Insights and Analytics
- Sentiment Analysis: Understands positive or negative feelings about specific topics over time.
- Emotional Analysis: Tracks key emotional expressions in content.
- Trendlines and Word Clouds: Identifies underlying themes and tracks topic popularity.
- Competitor Analysis: Monitors competitors' online presence and marketing strategies.
Integration and Collaboration
- Integrates with other tools and platforms, such as Microsoft Teams and Office suite, through the Meltwater Copilot Plugin.
- Enables querying and data analysis within familiar workflows, enhancing collaboration and decision-making.
Data Security
- ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications ensure implementation of rigorous security controls for sensitive data protection.
Customizable Dashboards and Reporting
- Offers real-time tracking of key metrics and KPIs through customizable dashboards.
- Helps businesses visualize data and make data-driven decisions. Meltwater's technology is designed to democratize access to complex data and insights, facilitating informed, data-driven decision-making for businesses across various sectors.
Industry Peers
Meltwater operates in a competitive landscape of social listening, media monitoring, and consumer intelligence tools. Notable alternatives include:
YouScan
- AI-powered platform offering advanced visual analysis, real-time monitoring, and influencer discovery.
- Known for accuracy and user-friendly interface.
Brand24
- Social listening tool tracking over 25,000 sources.
- Transparent pricing models suitable for small to medium-sized firms.
Brandwatch
- Enterprise-level social suite for content management, brand monitoring, and in-depth research.
- Preferred by large agencies and brands for comprehensive social media management and consumer intelligence tools.
Mention
- Media monitoring tool focused on social media.
- Offers real-time updates, social media publishing, and influencer identification.
- Cost-effective with a user-friendly interface but limited analytics depth.
Talkwalker
- Specializes in providing insights from media mentions.
- Suitable for large organizations needing in-depth social analytics.
- Lacks PR-related features and has a higher price point.
Sprinklr
- Unified customer experience platform including social media management, listening, analytics, and customer support.
- Ideal for large customer-facing teams.
Agorapulse
- Social media management platform excelling in publishing, engagement, listening, and reporting.
- Highly rated for usability and support but lacks consumer intelligence and media relations tools.
Awario
- Offers real-time monitoring and sentiment analysis.
- Viable alternative for tracking brand mentions and social media conversations.
Determ and Keyhole
- Provide social listening and media monitoring services with unique features and pricing models. Each competitor offers distinct strengths suited to different organizational needs, whether it's affordability, ease of use, or depth of analytics and features. The choice depends on specific requirements and scale of operations.