Brandwatch
Brandwatch is an AI-powered consumer intelligence and social media management platform, a Cision subsidiary, that serves 7,500+ enterprise brands globally with social listening, publishing, engagement, influencer marketing, and GenAI search monitoring across 100M+ data sources.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBrighton, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Brandwatch does
Brandwatch is a consumer intelligence and social media management software company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cision Group Ltd (with Cision's global headquarters in London). The company's platform combines social listening, consumer research, publishing, engagement, analytics, influencer marketing, and media intelligence into a unified suite consumed by over 7,500 brands globally, including 2/3 of Forbes' 100 most powerful brands. Core products include Consumer Intelligence (formerly Consumer Research), Social Media Management (the integrated Falcon.io suite comprising Publish, Engage, Measure, Benchmark, Listen, and Advertise), Influence (formerly Paladin), Search Intelligence with GenAI Monitoring, Vizia visualization, and Media Intelligence & Insights, all layered on the proprietary Iris AI engine that applies natural language processing, generative AI, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and knowledge retrieval across text, image, video, and audio modalities drawn from 100M+ sources with multilingual and APAC-specific coverage (WeChat, Weibo, RedNote). Recognized as a Leader by Forrester (2024) and QKS (2025) and a Major Player by IDC (2025) for social suites, social media management, and influencer marketing respectively, Brandwatch holds EU-U.S., UK-U.S., and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework certifications for its Crimson Hexagon and Falcon.io US entities.
The company generates revenue through enterprise SaaS subscriptions priced via custom quotes on annual or multi-year terms, distributed through a sales-led GTM that combines direct enterprise field sales, inside sales for mid-market, and cross-sell leverage through its Cision parent. Target buyers span intelligence-led social teams, communications and PR-led organizations, and enterprise marketing departments across verticals including agencies, financial services, media and entertainment, pharma and healthcare, retail, CPG, and technology. Named marquee customers include Virgin Holidays, OnePlus, Metia, Bimbo, BBC, Eurostar, Nestlé, and the Detroit-based integrated communications firm Franco. Brandwatch has expanded its capabilities through acquisitions of BuzzSumo (2017), Crimson Hexagon (2018), Qriously (2019), and Paladin (2022), the last rebranded as Influence; in February 2026 the company and partners were selected by NATO's Communications and Information Agency to deliver the Information Environment Assessment Capability, extending the platform into government-grade disinformation monitoring.
Brandwatch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brandwatch
- Legal name
- Runtime Collective Limited
- Website
- https://brandwatch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Brandwatch is an AI-powered consumer intelligence and social media management platform, a Cision subsidiary, that serves 7,500+ enterprise brands globally with social listening, publishing, engagement, influencer marketing, and GenAI search monitoring across 100M+ data sources.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brandwatch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Media Intelligence and Consumer Analytics Software
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reputation Measurement, Auditing & Sentiment Analytics (MPAAAOAO), Media Relations, Monitoring & Rapid Response (MPAAAOAK), Measurement, Attribution & Brand Safety (Fraud/Compliance) (MPACAGAF), Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive) (BPAFAEAJ)
Keywords
Where Brandwatch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brighton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Brandwatch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription: Enterprise SaaS platform sold through subscription contracts, typically annual or multi-year agreements. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to enterprise requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription model with customized pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Brandwatch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brandwatch provides an AI-powered consumer intelligence and social media management suite that enables enterprises to monitor over 100 million online sources, analyze consumer conversations across languages, and manage social publishing, engagement, and influencer campaigns. Its core modules include Consumer Intelligence for social listening and research, Social Media Management for publishing and engagement, and Influence for end-to-end influencer marketing, all unified by the proprietary Iris AI intelligence layer.
Product overview
Brandwatch is a comprehensive consumer intelligence and social media management platform offered as a unified suite with modular components. The core platform consists of Consumer Intelligence (social listening and research), Social Media Management (formerly Falcon.io for publishing and engagement), and Influence (formerly Paladin for influencer marketing). These are enhanced by the Iris AI intelligence layer providing generative AI and NLP capabilities, Search Intelligence for GenAI monitoring, Vizia for visualization, and Media Intelligence & Insights for expert analysis. The Social Media Management module includes sub-products for Publish, Engage, Measure, Benchmark, Listen, and Advertise. The platform operates across 100+ million data sources with multilingual support and is a Cision company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Falcon.io: Social media management platform for publishing, engagement, and analytics. Now integrated under Brandwatch's Social Media Management solution.
- Influence
- Iris AI
- Brandwatch Academy
Products and services
- Consumer Intelligence
Quantifiable outcome
- 22% higher click-through rate on Twitter ads, 59% higher landing rate, and 144% higher conversion rate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Brandwatch
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Brandwatch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Brandwatch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Blackbird.AIflagshipBrandwatch and Blackbird.AI consortium selected by NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) to deliver Information Environment Assessment Capability (IEAC). The solution provides AI-enabled tools to monitor, analyze, and respond to disinformation and narrative threats across public and commercial data sources. The consortium integrates Brandwatch's social intelligence with Blackbird.AI's narrative intelligence platform.
- TrajaancoreTechnology partner from Cision portfolio integrated into the NATO IEAC solution. Trajaan provides technology capabilities for the information environment assessment capability delivered to NATO.
- PaladincoreBrandwatch acquired Paladin in March 2022 to enhance its social media suite with influencer marketing management capabilities. Paladin has been rebranded as 'Influence' and is now part of Brandwatch's Social Media Management solution. The acquisition enables influencer-brand collaborations, campaign management, and measurement.
- Falcon.iocoreFalcon.io merged into Brandwatch; former Falcon products now integrated under 'Social Media Management' in Brandwatch's suite. Existing Falcon customers can access products via the Brandwatch login.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Brandwatch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sprinklr: Enterprise social media management and customer experience platform offering publishing, engagement, listening, and analytics across the same buyer profile (large CMOs, social teams, and global brands) that Brandwatch targets.
- Talkwalker: AI-powered social listening and consumer intelligence platform, a direct competitor to Brandwatch Consumer Intelligence with similar enterprise customer base and multilingual coverage.
- Khoros: Social media management and online community platform serving enterprise brands with publishing, moderation, and analytics, competing for the same brand and agency buyers as Brandwatch's Social Media Management suite.
- NetBase Quid: AI-driven consumer and market intelligence platform specializing in social analytics, sentiment, and trend detection, directly comparable to Brandwatch's Consumer Intelligence offering.
- Synthesio (Ipsos): Enterprise social listening platform owned by Ipsos, providing consumer intelligence and trend analytics to global brands in direct competition with Brandwatch Consumer Intelligence.
- Meltwater: Media intelligence and social listening platform serving PR, communications, and marketing teams globally, offering overlapping capabilities to Brandwatch and Cision's media intelligence suite.
- Sprout Social: Public social media management platform serving mid-market and enterprise customers with publishing, engagement, analytics, and social listening, directly competing with Brandwatch's Social Media Management product.
- Hootsuite: Long-standing social media management suite used by enterprises and mid-market brands for publishing, scheduling, and engagement, with overlapping AI-driven social listening capabilities competing with Brandwatch's suite.
Broad incumbents
- Adobe Experience Cloud: Enterprise marketing and analytics suite that includes social media management and content intelligence as part of a broader martech portfolio, representing a bundled alternative to Brandwatch's specialized suite.
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Broad marketing technology incumbent offering social studio capabilities within a larger marketing, advertising, and customer engagement cloud, often displacing point solutions like Brandwatch in large enterprise deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brandwatch social profiles
Digital presenceBrandwatch compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Brandwatch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brandwatch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Brandwatch subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Brandwatch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brandwatch M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A5 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brandwatch
What does Brandwatch do?
Brandwatch provides an AI-powered consumer intelligence and social media management suite that enables enterprises to monitor over 100 million online sources, analyze consumer conversations across languages, and manage social publishing, engagement, and influencer campaigns. Its core modules include Consumer Intelligence for social listening and research, Social Media Management for publishing and engagement, and Influence for end-to-end influencer marketing, all unified by the proprietary Iris AI intelligence layer.
Is Brandwatch a public or private company?
Brandwatch is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Brandwatch founded?
Brandwatch was founded in 2007. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Brandwatch based?
Brandwatch is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Brandwatch make money?
One revenue line is on record: saaS Subscription.
Who are Brandwatch's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sprinklr, Talkwalker, Khoros, NetBase Quid, Synthesio (Ipsos), Meltwater, Sprout Social and Hootsuite. Broad incumbents are Adobe Experience Cloud and Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Does Brandwatch have an API?
Yes. Brandwatch exposes a public API. Developer documentation is at www.brandwatch.com/products/apis.
What industry is Brandwatch in?
Brandwatch's product category is Social Media Intelligence and Consumer Analytics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAK, Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research), with a secondary code of MPAAAOAO, Reputation Measurement, Auditing & Sentiment Analytics. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7310.