Burson-Marsteller Creates Business Intelligence Tool Designed To Help Clients Turn Raw Data Into Business Solutions

Burson-Marsteller today announced the creation of B-M Business Intelligence, a new information gathering, tracking and analysis tool designed to help clients translate raw data into practical business solutions. Business Intelligence offerings include opposition research, opposition tracking, and crisis and litigation support.

Instead of merely studying media clips to determine their position in the marketplace, companies will use B-M Business Intelligence to take a 360-degree look at their operations, issues and business needs to determine their precise place, opportunities and challenges in the competitive landscape.

“Too often, research is too general or not targeted enough for a company’s needs,” said Ame Wadler, Burson-Marsteller’s Chief Strategic Officer. “B-M Business Intelligence is the latest tool in our growing commitment to developing communications solutions for clients in a way that is completely linked to solving business problems.”

B-M Business Intelligence supports clients by using cost-effective technology and advanced information-gathering techniques to uncover data that may be hidden or hard to find, helping companies gain a competitive edge as they face growing challenges from competitors across the street and around the globe.

“Clients today are tracking news reports every day, but there has been an explosion of information, and we believe more companies need to analyze the information out there to understand the marketplace and compete even more strongly,” said Mark J. Penn, Worldwide President & CEO, Burson-Marsteller. “We believe this is a very strong new offering based on our worldwide network of information gathering and analysis resources.”

The offerings include:

Opposition Research: The opposition research tool helps clients compete in the marketplace by auditing and analyzing competitors’ positioning in areas including business and marketing practices, executive positioning, corporate governance, corporate responsibility, and legal stance on business issues.

Crisis and Issues Support: The crisis and issues support tool helps clients prepare for, cope with and emerge from a variety of potential crisis situations and other challenges by providing them with information and intelligence throughout the life of the crisis. B-M Business Intelligence is able to provide hourly or daily reports to identify new issues, new perspectives, new critics and new supporters and how they are being received by the public. This tool is useful as companies face product recalls, public health emergencies, litigation and legislative battles.

Opposition Tracking: Each of these tools can be supported by tracking of opponents’ statements and positions on a real-time basis to determine the consistency of opponents’ messages on key issues over time. B-M Business Intelligence provides a regular report of key media coverage for opponents, an overview of key developments and any change in messaging or positioning that may occur.