SA startup Monocle wants to boost companies’ online rep using big data

Recently launched online marketing startup Monocle recently launched, aiming to give clients in-depth analysis of their online personas by using big data.

Monocle is described as taking big data — that confusing mass of computationalised figures — and turning it into smart data, which is information that can be easily understood and so used to make real-world business decisions.

“It is only when you see how your brand is performing online — where exactly it is flying and where exactly it is falling — that you can adjust your online strategy for maximum impact,” says Monocle CEO Steve Gardner.

The online reputation management company tracks and monitors the online activities and performance of its clients (as well as that of their competitors) to equip executives with the intelligence necessary to make well-informed, strategic decisions.

This is done by providing each client with a personalised Dashboard, where various graphs, maps and more serve as Lenses into specific aspects of one’s online performance, for instance Share of Voice, Online Sentiment, and Reach. The company notes that while the software is necessarily complex, the interface is easily navigated.

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Based in Durban, South Africa, the startup is born out of an award-winning digital marketing firm, DigitLab, headed by Mike Saunders. The research department of DigitLab has always been a key strength of the company. Just this January it earned DigitLab a Bookmarks Awards nomination in the category Research and Insights Projects for its work with Nedbank.