Columinate to now operate as InSites Consulting South Africa

Market research consultancy Columinate will now operate under the title of InSites Consulting South Africa, more than a year after being acquired by Insites Consulting. The rebranding follows a period of acquisitions from Insites Consulting across the globe, and will take effect from this month. 

InSites Consulting, a Belgian online market research and consulting firm, acquired Johannesburg-based Columinate in November 2018. The two firms align suitably in their service offerings, both operating within the domains of market research, brand equity studies and advanced analytics, among others.

At the time of the acquisition, Columinate’s operations were primed to continue unhindered out of the firm’s Johannersburg office, boosted by the added international support system from insites Consulting. Managing Director at Columinate Henk Pretorius joined Insites Consulting as a Managing Partner.

Since then, the combined force has gone from strength to strength in the South African market. Soon after the acquisition, the firm launched a new digital platform by the name of Fluent, designed to bring the benefits of automation into the field of research. The tool automates simpler tasks such as data collection and reporting, as well as basic analysis in some cases.

Last year, the firm launched a digital model to evaluate the effectiveness of an advertising campaign by recording emotive reactions to ads. The model imbibes a number of emotive reactions, ranging from ‘delightful hugs’ to ‘bored yawns,’ to categorise ad campaigns and gauge consumer preferences.

The Columinate brand will now be dissolved, and the firm will function as Insites Consulting. Chief executive at InSites Consulting Kristof de Wulf said, “With the acquisition of Columinate, now known as InSites Consulting South Africa, we have taken a strategic position in Africa, and we trust that, together, we will grow from strength to strength, and continue offering our clients the best, most innovative solutions the industry has on offer.”

InSites Consulting South Africa appears to have established a stronghold in a sector that is of increasing significance across South Africa. The use of technology to understand consumer preferences and design marketing strategies is among the central priorities for many businesses across South Africa at present.