EDB and Edelman Singapore sign 3-year deal in EPIC partnership

The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Edelman Singapore have agreed on a three-year strategic collaboration to research and develop new approaches to communications marketing planning using predictive and intelligent technologies.The partnership, which will be known as the Edelman Predictive Intelligence Centre in Singapore (EPIC), will address a gap in the data analytics market, deploying behavioural science to help brands improve their understanding of human behaviour and the motivations that influence and inform people’s decision-making.The Centre’s vision is to change the way organisations build relationships and trust with consumers and stakeholders through scientific analysis of what matters to people and drives their behavior. EPIC is committed to ethical practices in the collection and management of data and will ensure that its standards are in compliance with GDPR and other regulations.“EPIC will strive to use analytics insightfully, purposefully and always ethically so that brands can achieve more meaningful change for themselves and for society,” said Matt Harrington, global COO of Edelman. “This partnership is a triple win, enabling us to do good, build industry best practices and standards, and nurture talent.”Kelvin Wong, assistant managing director, Singapore Economic Development Board said: “Edelman’s decision to base its Predictive Intelligence Centre in Singapore is a boost to our efforts to grow data-enabled marketing innovation capabilities. This is in line with the Professional Services Industry Transformation Map launched in January this year, which seeks to equip the workforce with specialised skillsets in high-growth areas such as data science, analytics, and artificial intelligence. By developing new data-driven approaches to communications marketing planning, Edelman will be able to better serve brands looking to tap into growth opportunities in ASEAN and beyond.”Over the next three years, the Edelman Predictive Intelligence Centre will hire and train skilled data analysts based in Singapore and will collaborate with Edelman’s key markets to drive innovation globally.“Many of our clients are looking for new ways to responsibly combine the treasure trove of data they have with new technologies like AI and blockchain to achieve business goals,” said Amanda Goh, CEO, Edelman Singapore. “It is no longer enough to target audiences solely by demographics. Now we can use predictive analytics and behavioural research to better understand how to effectively communicate with audiences. The Edelman Predictive Intelligence Centre is here to help our clients tap cutting-edge tech to achieve data wisdom.”