Hill+Knowlton and Brandwatch Launch 'VIP' Influencer Platform

WPP-owned communications consultancy Hill+Knowlton Strategies has partnered with social media intelligence specialist Brandwatch to launch a real-time dashboard called Sherlock+, which ranks the influencers with the most impact across eight different industries and 45 topics.

New York-based Brandwatch offers an analytics platform gathering and helping to analyse online conversations, and the Vizia social media 'command center' which makes dynamic, customizable data available on a variety of screens. Last year, the firm completed a $33m Series C round of funding, to speed up the development of its core technologies and products, and to open additional offices. The new dashboard uses 'VIP lists' of influencers across each subject, and data is then enhanced with analysis of the interactions, engagements, and relationships around these individuals, which are then ranked according to impact. Sherlock+ also tracks variations in influence, based on the news agenda, someone's mood, and by subject.

Greg Lee (pictured), Head of Indirect Revenues at Brandwatch, comments: 'Sherlock+ goes beyond your 'little black book' by using our data to work out who will truly be the most valuable from within a network of contacts, but also builds on this to factor in a unique approach to network analysis.'

Web sites: www.hkstrategies.com and www.brandwatch.com .