IMMedia bags US$1m funding to complete development of martech platform IMMediate

Content marketing agency IMMedia has bagged a US$1 million series A funding, which it will be used to complete the development of IMMediate, an artificial-intelligent, machine learning driven martech platform. The funding will also be used to further expand the agency globally into new markets in 2021. The agency has its eyes set on expanding into Europe and the US, according to Peter Bakker, its managing director and partner. The funding will also see IMMedia's founders, Bakker and Richard Jones, partnering with its new investors, Saxby Capital and Intuitive Australia, to form a new holding company. The new entity will be named "IMMedia Holdings", and it will be the parent company for both IMMedia Content and the newly-formed IMMediate.

According to a press release, IMMediate is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform which "identifies competitor strategy, recommends optimum content, and predicts audience trends". Additionally, the platform is used by IMMedia’s editorial team to "increase content production efficiency" for its client base. Bakker told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the platform is slated to be released by the end of June 2021.

It is added that the platform is currently working with multinational companies including Standard Chartered Bank, KPMG, and UOB.

The agency said that Standard Chartered Bank utilises IMMediate in Singapore to optimise its consumer content, while UOB has used IMMediate across five Southeast Asian markets to identify small medium enterprise (SME) content preferences, generate a fresh strategy, and create content that has increased engagement. Meanwhile, KPMG is also said to have deployed the platform to identify ways to differentiate and maximise audience engagement across multiple markets including Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. 

Bakker said: “As the world rapidly digitised in 2020, IMMedia is and remains at the forefront of digital content marketing. Our unique approach to data and insights through our innovative IMMediate platform, paired with our editorial team will enable our clients to optimise their content marketing strategies in 2021 and beyond." He added that the new investment reaffirms the agency's confidence in the business as the future of content marketing industry. 

Jones, who helms the role of chief operating officer and partner at IMMedia, said the investment is recognition of the huge opportunity which IMMediate offers to improve the effectiveness of digital content, through the creation of new, unique metrics and actionable insights. "Our investors know that now is the time for the IMMediate platform, as companies around the world embrace digitisation and expect the best from the content they create," he added.

Commenting on its offerings, Jones said the global content marketing industry is one that has, for too long, been dominated by strategy developed from short-term brand-driven campaign metrics, the noise of social media, and PR-centric social listening platforms. Thus, IMMedia helps cut through that noise to maximise content marketing ROI for businesses. 

Bradley Saxby, managing director, Saxby Capital, said: “We’re excited to be investing into and backing IMMediate. The groundbreaking technology the platform brings, along with the established content arm of the business, will enable IMMediate to grow into a global content marketing powerhouse”.

Peter Nesveda, managing director, Intuitive Australia, added that investing into IMMediate and working with an experienced team who have had significant success previously ticks a lot of boxes for the firm. The disruptive move into the digital marketing sector which is reshaping how businesses do business via IMMedia is a compelling one and will provide the firm with the opportunity to expand its portfolio into the content marketing sector. "As the world rapidly moves into the digital space, so does Intuitive Australia and with this investment we believe we are at the forefront of this sector of the market," he said. 

Headquartered in Singapore, IMMedia offers a range of services including content strategy, content ideation and creation, and social media marketing and amplification, according to its LinkedIn. The agency was founded in 2017, and is said to work with companies across a broad spectrum of markets, employing innovative methods tailored to their needs. 

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