London, UK, January 18, 2023
Merkle wins award for advanced analytics tool combatting human trafficking
Merkle, dentsu’s leading technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management company, has triumphed in the Greater Good Awards for its work with human trafficking prevention charity, Stop The Traffik, to help combat the rapidly growing global social issue.
Presented by Digiday, Glossy, Modern Retail and WorkLife – the Greater Good Awards recognises companies and organisations who are helping to solve critical challenges within society, adding a sense of purpose and unity to communities struggling across the world.
Merkle won the ‘Anti-Violence’ category for their pioneering advanced analytics Human Trafficking Scenario Tool which enables Stop The Traffik to identify potential victims of human trafficking through a user-friendly dashboard, with no need for technical training.
Combining data collected by Stop The Traffik, from approximately 60,000 global human traffic stories, with intelligence data and Merkle’s advanced analytics skills, the scenario-based tool predicts the most likely outcome based on characteristics of potential victims, using the power of machine learning algorithms.
This means the team at Stop The Traffik can act fast by knowing who may be potential victims and witnesses, the most likely destination country, the trafficking type, and methods of recruitment and control. In a situation where every hour counts, being able to take direct action to reach out to potential victims through hyper-personalised targeting on social media can make all the difference in preventing incidents from occurring.
Sandro Matos, Merkle’s lead, says “Our pro-bono partnership with Stop The Traffik is something the Merkle team is very passionate about and it’s a huge pleasure that we can dedicate our time using our skills to help such a great charity and cause. We look forward to our continued work with the team and developing enhanced technological solutions to combat this global social challenge”.
Tina Salvage, Stop the Traffik’s Head of Data and Technology, added: “Being able to identify where potential victims of Human Trafficking are is a game-changer in our fight to disrupt human trafficking. Every hour counts, and by being able to take direct action to reach out to potential victims can make all the difference. The work with Merkle has been invaluable to us as a charity.”
About Merkle:
Merkle, a dentsu company, is a leading data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company that specialises in the delivery of unique, personalised customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading non-profit organisations have partnered with Merkle to maximise the value of their customer portfolios. The company’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive hyper-personalised marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in consulting, creative, media, analytics, data, identity, CX/commerce, technology, and loyalty & promotions drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With more than 14,000 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information, contact Merkle: www.merkle.com.
About dentsu:
Part of dentsu, dentsu international is made up of five leadership brands – Carat, dentsu X, iProspect, Dentsu Creative, Merkle, and supported by its specialist brands. dentsu international helps clients to win, keep and grow their best customers and achieve meaningful progress for their businesses. With best-in-class services and solutions in media, CXM and creative, dentsu international operates in over 145 markets worldwide with more than 45,000 dedicated specialists. www.dentsu.com
Media Inquiries
Holly Forrest, Director of Brand Marketing, EMEA
Email: holly.forrest@merkle.com
About STOP THE TRAFFIK
STOP THE TRAFFIK’s vision is to create a world where people are not bought and sold. By applying innovative technology and analytical tools, we uncover trafficking routes and hotspots (when and where they occur) with the aim of preventing the recruitment of those vulnerable to being trafficked - whether exploited financially, sexually or for any other reason - and ultimately disrupt the money flows of the traffickers.
Over the past 10 years STOP THE TRAFFIK has been consulting and advising business to mitigate the risk of potential human rights and modern slavery issues in supply chains for our many corporate partners.
At the same time, our unique data-led approach has driven change in policy and trafficking activity at local and global levels. We collect and analyse intelligence, issuing key judgement reports for our NGO, government, law enforcement and financial services partners to help them mitigate risk and help with the safeguarding of vulnerable people.
Contact:
Simon Reeves, Head of Marketing and Communications
simon.reeves@stopthetraffik.org