This article was originally published by Business Wire

IRI, a global leader in innovative solutions and services for consumer, retail and media companies, and Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), today announced a new agreement in which IRI will serve as the preferred consumer packaged goods (CPG) data provider for Annalect, the Omnicom Media Group data and analytics division that supports all Omnicom agencies, including Hearts & Science, PHD and OMD.

As part of this relationship, Omnicom Media Group clients will gain access to the industry’s largest and most granular CPG purchase datasets combined with Annalect’s data environment, enabling the highest level of personalization along with comprehensive insights, planning activation and in-flight measurement. Annalect will have access to multiple datasets, such as point-of-sale and consumer panel data in addition to IRI’s de-identified Verified Audiences data from 350 million national loyalty cards from multiple leading retailers. Annalect will use IRI data for the entire insights, planning, activation and measurement processes, enabling them to better understand their clients’ businesses and consumers, and help them to plan their media buys.

Joe Raaen, director of Global Strategic Partnerships for Annalect, said, “Through this partnership, we are combining our capabilities to create a unique new solution that features the depth and breadth of IRI’s consumer purchase data and Omnicom Media Group’s people-based identity solution. Clients will have preferred access to a capability that delivers dynamic and targeted media to drive business results.”

Andrew Appel, president and chief executive officer for IRI, said, “This strategic partnership enables Omnicom Media Group to deliver increased value to their clients by providing them with unprecedented personalization capabilities based on behavioral insights from 350 million loyalty cards. We’re looking forward to helping Annalect leverage these insights to deliver the most effective and efficient media strategies to their clients.”

Omnicom Media Group clients also will have access to IRI Lift^™, a media performance solution that seamlessly integrates IRI’s vast point-of-sale, frequent shopper, causal and media exposure data, allowing Annalect to measure the actual in-store sales lift impact of ad expenditures in real time over the course of a campaign. Combining this offline purchase behavior measurement with Annalect’s proprietary insights will enable a complete, closed-loop solution that translates to enhanced personalized marketing capability.