Fixed-fee company Mando has launched a new partnerships agency, Mando-Connect, which uses a data-fuelled approach to leverage a range of different data-sets to develop partnerships based on science.

Mando is part of global marketing services group WPP, and Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP’s Chief Executive, says: “Mando-Connect makes smart use of over 40 years’ hard-won knowledge of people’s response to promotions. Their clients should love it”.

Mando-Connect will design partnerships and rewards based on the smart use of cutting-edge data and insight. Its custom-built Partnership Engine leverages three extensive data sets, including WPP and YouGov data, Mando’s own ProNet database, covering 20 data points from over 3,000 promotions, and the Connect PartnerBank, which covers 2,000 audited brand partners.

Mando-Connect will specialise in partnerships for customer acquisition and awareness, loyalty, promotions and brand perception shift.

It is already working with Merlin Entertainments, MoveGB, Readly and breast cancer awareness charity Coppafeel!.

Charlie Hills, Managing Director of Mando-Connect and also its Head of Strategy, says that smart use of data can create more impactful partnerships, with higher ROI for clients. She observes: “Our unique data-fuelled insights enable us to know which partnerships will meet our client’s expectations, and which will exceed them. Did you know, for example, that by including an element of personalisation in your approach, a brand can see up to seven times more impact from a promotional partnership?”

The Mando-Connect senior leadership team includes Becky Munday (Mando CEO and former Chairman of UK marketing industry trade body, the IPM), Charlie Hills and Jo Ashdown, Head of Partnerships. The three bring decades of experience in partnerships across sectors including media, leisure, sport, travel, telecommunications, financial services, restaurants, FMCG and retail.

Becky Munday is excited to make the step-change: “Mando’s unique promotional and rewards data is the fuel that will enable us at Mando-Connect to propel partnerships to the next level. By working together and leveraging our unique data, brands can achieve far more together than they can alone, creating purposeful and cost-effective relationships.”

The picture show (left to right) Jo Ashdown, Becky Munday and Charlie Hills.

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Swiss retailer Migros has enhanced its mobile app with a new Discover function, which uses Augmented Reality technology to let shoppers scan more than 5,000 products and access 2,000 Migusto recipes, 80,000 real-time product ratings on the Migipedia platform and nutritional values and further product information – with more content planned for the future.

The new Discover function was developed by Y&R Group Switzerland and its Futurecom interactive division.

Discover uses the smartphone camera to identity unique features on the product packaging and match them with the product database. Y&R claims that approach will in future make QR codes and barcodes for product identification redundant.

As soon as a product has been “discovered”, the product name appears on the smartphone screen together with options and information available in connection with the product, such as suitable recipes or ratings.

Discover has a feedback mechanism that enables the user experience to be constantly optimised.

Discover for iOS and Android, as well as the related back-end infrastructure for image editing and sample identification, was implemented by Futurecom using state-of-the-art technology, including Apple’s new programming language Swift and Microsoft’s new open-source framework ASP.NET Core. In addition to this, essential system components function in the cloud.

Alongside the development and implementation of the Discover function, Y&R Group Switzerland is also responsible for accompanying communication measures aimed at introducing Migros customers to Discover. A film has been produced with this aim in mind, as well as advertisements and various online and social media measures.

Migros is a cooperative society (the Federation of Migros Cooperatives) which is Switzerland’s largest retail company, its largest supermarket chain and its largest employer. It is also one of the 40 largest retailers in the world. It has than two million members.

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Leading employee and customer engagement solutions company Grass Roots is being bought by Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc., a leading prepaid and payments global company based in California.

The acquisition will allow Grass Roots to offer new products and capabilities to its current clients, as well as take advantage of Blackhawk’s global network to broaden Grass Roots’ international reach.

Blackhawk plans to use the acquisition to extend its global footprint by offering global reward and incentive products to its clients through Grass Roots’ leading employee and customer engagement solutions. The deal also adds an important element to Blackhawk’s portfolio by allowing Blackhawk to tap into Grass Roots’ expertise in meetings and events management.

“We are really excited about the opportunities this partnership brings to Grass Roots,” said Richard Bandell, CEO of Grass Roots. “Joining Blackhawk opens up significant growth opportunities for Grass Roots, transforming us into a leading global business and allowing us to inspire more people worldwide. Together, the two companies will have increased scale and scope, and we will bring those benefits to our clients and partners.”

“The acquisition of Grass Roots complements the existing client portfolio of Blackhawk’s incentives business, and enhances solutions for customers requiring global reward and incentive platforms and products,” said Bill Tauscher, executive chairman of Blackhawk. “We will also offer new products and capabilities to Grass Roots’ clients.”

“The Grass Roots team has extensive industry experience and a proven track record of success in the consumer and employee engagement markets. We are thrilled to welcome them and over 2,000 managed service clients to the Blackhawk family,” added Talbott Roche, CEO and president of Blackhawk.

Grass Roots has been an affiliate of WPP for a number of years. It will now operate as a subsidiary of Blackhawk. Matthew Howe and Jonathan Kenny, co-managing directors of Blackhawk’s UK-based Europe operations, will lead the European operations of Grass Roots. Stewart Rigby, managing director, Blackhawk Asia Pacific, will lead the Asia-Pacific operations of Grass Roots.

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