Global consumer research consultancy InSites rebrands as Human8
After a string of recent acquisitions, InSites has unveiled a new brand identity – Human8 – which it says will unite its various entities with one vision and strategy.
According to the newly-dubbed firm, the rebranding as Human8 unites its global workforce of 900-plus professionals across Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe under a single brand, with a clear vision and strategy driven by a human-centred approach.
“Practicing what we preach, Human8 is built upon true client insight,” said Human8 CEO Kristof De Wulf. “We didn’t take this global rebrand journey lightly, we’ve been building and evolving towards this new future alongside our employees and clients. With Human8 we bring a new portfolio to the market, we bring a new promise to brands, and we bring a new purpose to our people across the globe.”
Founded in the Belgian university town of Ghent in 1997 by de Wulf and his fellow Vlerick Business School colleagues, the consultancy received a significant boost in 2018 via the backing of Mentha Capital, and has been busy hoovering up fellow research agencies ever since. Among those were Answer Global and ABN Impact in Asia, while Australia’s Direction First joined InSites in 2017.
Altogether, ten entities are now united under the Human8 brand, including recent purchase Happy Thinking People, although B-certified cultural and creative consultancy Space Doctors will continue to act as a sub-brand. De Wulf stated that while the different brands brought a richness of diversity and perspective, there was now a need for simplicity and a consistent offering that clients could easily understand.
The consultancy said that the name ‘Human8’ brings together a variety of concepts, beginning with its human-centred ambitions. The ‘8’ component is described as a symbol for the “holistic multi-perspective thinking” approach the company adopts to understand people, while together they form the verb, to “humanate” – reflecting the action orientation brands require rather than relying on data alone.
“In Australia, Human8 is a significant milestone, marking 26 years since our homegrown agency’s inception and the journey in crystallising our vision to combine global best practices and technologies with a unique and authentic Australian point of view,” said Australia managing partner Erica van Lieven. “As Human8, we look forward to facilitating closer connections between brands and Australian consumers.”
The move to rebrand follows a recent reshuffle of the consumer research consultancy’s senior leadership, which saw former ABN Impact CEO and co-founder Maz Amirahmadi appointed as Asia Pacific managing director. Human8’s APAC division, which includes outlets in nine countries across the region, generates around one fifth of Human8’s roughly $140 million in global annual revenues.
