You have probably noticed that the blog has been a bit quieter than usual in the last couple of weeks and today we can reveal the reason why and that is because we have been off forming a great new partnership with The Oxford Research Agency in the UK that will help to take our little company to the next level. We will analyze what the deal means for us more in the coming days here on the blog but safe to say it will allow us to grow significantly here in Ireland and establish Simply Zesty in the UK. You can see the full press release relating to the deal below…

Press Release

Dublin, 12th May. The Dublin-based social media agency Simply Zesty has taken an investment of €500,000 for a minority stake in the company, from The Oxford Research Agency (TORA), based in the UK. The investment comes as Simply Zesty, founded by Niall Harbison and Lauren Fisher, celebrated its one year anniversary earlier in the week.

The deal values the agency at over €1m and the investment sparks a new phase for Simply Zesty, who already boast an impressive client list including Vodafone, Universal Pictures, Nokia and The Body Shop. The deal will enable both parties to develop ground-breaking social media and research tools.

At a time when the Irish economy is struggling, the two co-founders of Simply Zesty are excited about the implications for opening up jobs within the company in Ireland.

Niall Harbison says :
This is a huge vote of confidence for our young company and we are delighted to be partnering up with such a well established and reputable company. We are hoping to add a new level of measurement to our social media offerings while also helping TORA to add a new level of social media to their research capabilities. This is a match made in heaven that will hopefully help both companies to grow significantly in the years to come.

Lauren Fisher says : . Given that we have just reached the one year mark, we think it’s exciting to come out and say that we are taking this investment and hope it tells a positive story to other business owners out there, as well as those that work in social media. We see a natural fit between social media marketing and research, and think that both areas can take key learnings from each other that will progress the two disciplines.

Chris Sinclair, CEO of TORA says “The coming together of Simply Zesty and TORA gives us the opportunity to redefine research. TORA already helps its clients to launch new products that are four times more successful than the industry average. Both TORA and Simply Zesty believe in the power of listening to consumers, and its ability to improve in-market success rates further with better brands, products, packs and higher customer satisfaction.

—ends—

About Simply Zesty

Simply Zesty is the largest social media agency in Ireland and was established by Lauren Fisher and Niall Harbison in May 2009. The agency offers a range of social media services, including design, building apps, online PR, blogger outreach and social media training. Simply Zesty is one of the only dedicated social media agencies based in Ireland, and was the first of its kind when it was set up in 2009. The agency has a range of clients both from Ireland and the UK and also put on conferences throughout the year, that explore various areas of online marketing and social media.

For further information and press inquiries, please contact :

Lauren Fisher on +353 86 868 4506 or lauren@simplyzesty.com

Niall Harbison on +353 87 223 9832 or niall@simplyzesty.com

About The Oxford Research Agency

The Oxford Research Agency (TORA) is a specialist FMCG and customer experience market research company. The Agency uses innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies to help companies to launch successful new products into the marketplace. TORA is one of the few market research firms able to support clients through the entire product development process, from concept screening, through to packaging design, and pricing to the accurate prediction of the product’s marketplace success, and to be able to do this across the world

For further information please contact John Whittaker at The Oxford Research Agency john.whittaker@tora.co.uk

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