Acquisition expands A—B’s research capabilities to help brands, leaders, and progressive causes build deeper connections with diverse audiences
NEW YORK, July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — A—B, the Black-owned, full-service strategic insights company helping brands, leaders, and progressive causes build and design successful campaigns, today announced its acquisition of Avalanche Insights, a polling and civic research firm which specializes in innovative research methods that deliver sharp, nuanced insights with speed and scale. The acquisition by A—B — the award-winning firm which has developed campaigns for film studio A24, leading civil rights organization Legal Defense Fund, progressive political group Working Families Party, and social justice philanthropic organization Ford Foundation — will expand its capabilities by offering an even more powerful research and data engine to provide clients with a competitive edge to reach people of color in today’s fast-paced market and evolving political landscape.
“People of color are the fastest growing segment of consumers and we’re on track to be a majority of the electorate in just a few years. But despite billions in spending power and the ability to swing elections from the local school board to the White House, even the biggest brands and organizations struggle to find the tools and expertise to reach our communities consistently and authentically. A—B has acquired Avalanche to fill this gap and bring the next level of precision and innovation to multicultural marketing. Our clients and partners know that this change is no longer a choice – they must connect quickly, deeply and with nuance to diverse communities if they want breakthrough growth and impact,” said Andre Banks, Founder and CEO of A—B. “Avalanche Insights’ deep-rooted research expertise will be a key differentiator for us, especially as we head into the 2024 election cycle when many clients are looking for quality data, polling, and voter audience analysis that can help them tap into the power of a rapidly diversifying electorate and deliver results.”
A—B will leverage Avalanche Insights’ proprietary research approach and methodology — which embrace the most valuable aspects of cognitive behavioral science — to partner with brands, progressive causes, and organizations in developing evidence-based campaign strategies, advertising, and messaging to mobilize target audiences, including 2024 election cycle voters. Clients will receive actionable insights complete with the depth of a focus group and the breadth of polling. These expanded offerings will shape the authentic connections needed to move individuals to action, broaden coalitions, and make a real impact.
“At Avalanche, our goal has always been to build power by using the strength of research to drive campaigns to victory. Inside A—B, Avalanche will now be able to offer more comprehensive services to help transformational leaders better understand people,” said Tovah Paglaro, Cofounder of Avalanche Insights. “We know that brands and organizations are challenged in reaching Black and brown audiences but A—B’s unique Identity-Powered Design approach paired with Avalanche’s innovative research model, will help organizations truly unlock the power of Black and Brown voices.”
Avalanche Insights will join the current A—B research team, led by Head of Research Sian Lewis, a seasoned data scientist with expertise in building research-backed narrative strategies. “Across industries, our clients need to build relationships with people of color in order to win campaigns, market share, or attention. With the acquisition of Avalanche Insights, A—B is better equipped than ever to foster those connections and generate even more impact for our partners,” said Lewis. “As a Black woman, I’m immensely proud to work for a Black-owned company with women and people of color in leadership that is flipping the script on what power is and who holds it.”
“Earlier this year, the A—B team jumped in quickly to use their unique research methods to help design a compelling brand and narrative for the newly formed Just Majority campaign. They were great partners who helped us build a campaign that delivered on our objectives, and with this expansion they will continue to be an invaluable resource for the progressive movement,” said Brian Fallon, Executive Director of Demand Justice.
A—B was founded in 2018 by Andre Banks, a skilled political communications executive with over two decades of experience. Before founding A—B, Banks served as Executive Vice President for Social Impact & Philanthropy at BerlinRosen, founding partner at Purpose, and co-founder and executive director of All Out. Under his leadership, A—B has garnered impressive results for clients using its “Identity-Powered Design” approach to campaign development, which puts culture first to uncover messaging that connects, paired with persuasive strategy and research-driven visual design created by an award-winning, in-house brand studio. The company has worked with many notable clients, such as Win Black, Amnesty International, Open Society Foundation, Highlander Institute, Aspen Institute, Mozilla Foundation, A24, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and We Act for Environmental Justice.
The hybrid company with anchor offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, and its team of strategists, campaigners, brand builders, and designers will now expand to 60 employees and offer end-to-end services, including research, strategy, and creative. The company will move full speed ahead to take on more barrier-busting challenges and re-center audiences and issues that have often been marginalized. A—B has also set an ambitious goal of surveying 100 times the number of voters of color this election season to add to its audience profiles.
About A—B
A—B is a Black-owned, full-service strategic insights company helping brands, leaders, and progressive causes build deeper connections with diverse audiences. Using proprietary research models to tap into the nuanced power of social, political, and cultural identities, we help clients bring communities of color into higher resolution. Powered by storytellers, we provide dynamic solutions for clients who need to move their industry forward — toward equity, sustainability, and resilience.
About Avalanche Insights
Avalanche is transforming how we understand and move people to create a more fair and just world. We’re fundamentally changing how research is done, delivering insights with the depth of a focus group and the scale of polling. Drawing on deep experience across campaigns, communications, science, and technology, Avalanche is setting a new standard in research — the power to truly understand people at scale. We help organizations making a difference in people’s lives and the world.
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