Crowdtap and Joanna Seddon Roll Out 'Brand Influence' Metric

In New York, brand influencer network Crowdtap has partnered with former Millward Brown Optimor CEO Joanna Seddon, to introduce a new metric for measuring the impact of marketing programs.

Launched in March 2011, Crowdtap gives access to targeted groups of influential consumers for real-time market research and concept development. At the end of last month, the firm secured $7m in Series A funding, earmarked for sales and engineering expansion.

Crowdtap and Seddon spent a year developing their new 'Brand Influence' metric, exploring the way in which marketing actions impact consumers' advocacy of a brand and willingness to purchase products. The new metric factors in qualitative inputs of exposure and reach, as well as the qual components of each marketing channel in driving actual marketing impact.

Crowdtap says it will be the first marketing platform to integrate this metric, providing marketers with real-time performance assessment.

'The advent of social media has made audience engagement a popular metric, but what's important is the ability to understand how each marketing activity influences the consumer's view of the brand' states Seddon. 'Brand Influence is the first metric that puts different marketing activities on an equal footing, creating a common currency for measurement, which allows marketers to evaluate effectiveness across channels and types of activity.'

Brand marketing authority Seddon previously served as CEO of Millward Brown Optimor - the consulting unit dedicated to brand strategy and marketing investment - with responsibility for consulting staff in offices on four continents.

Web site: www.crowdtap.com .