Dig Insights acquires OneCliq to beef up market research tools with social media analysis

Toronto-based market research firm Dig Insights has acquired OneCliq, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled startup that mines social media to help brands better understand consumer sentiment.

“[OneCliq] is a smart addition to our tech-enabled approach and a big step forward in how we help clients stay ahead of what’s coming.”
Paul Gaudette
Dig Insights

The acquisition closed earlier this month. In a press release, Dig co-founder and CEO Paul Gaudette said he was excited to have the OneCliq team join the firm. Dig declined to say whether all OneCliq employees were making the transition, noting the terms of the deal were confidential.

OneCliq aims to automate qualitative research by aggregating consumer sentiment from posts, comments, and other content on social media platforms, including Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok.

The company claims its AI-powered consumer insight engine compiles engagement metrics and generates insights that brands can use to inform marketing approaches.

The startup was founded in 2021 by siblings Tanika McLeod and Nathan Knight. In an email, McLeod said OneCliq had raised funding from Antler Canada and several angel investors, as well as family and friends. It also participated in programs such as York University’s Schulich MBA in Technology Leadership venture studio in partnership with Toronto tech hub OneEleven, York University’s YSpace entrepreneurship hub, and the federally funded Black Entrepreneurship Alliance.

“This started because my sister and I wanted to give people’s voices a deeper place in decision-making,” Knight said in a press release. “We’re excited to join a team that shares our belief that emotion is data, culture is strategy, and the future belongs to those who listen deeply to what people say and feel today.”

Nafis Ahmed, associate director of entrepreneurship at YSpace, told BetaKit that the co-founders “consistently embodied the boldness and resilience that define great entrepreneurs.”

Founded in 2010, Dig is a market insights consultancy that focuses on using tech to serve client brands. Toronto-based private equity firm Beringer Capital bought a majority stake in September 2022.

“It’s a smart addition to our tech-enabled approach and a big step forward in how we help clients stay ahead of what’s coming,” Gaudette said in the release.

The startup’s tech will become part of Dig’s product offerings, which include the market research platform Upsiide. Global brands such as McDonald’s and La-Z-Boy have used Upsiide to shape their marketing strategies, according to Dig’s website. Dig also leverages an AI tool, Storyteller, to create reports and recommendations collected from Upsiide consumer data.

The current terms around pricing, data privacy, and product access will remain the same for OneCliq customers, the company said in an FAQ page on its website. However, clients will now gain access to the suite of tools offered by Dig, which OneCliq says will lead to richer insights.

Feature image courtesy Jason Goodman via Unsplash.