(US and Canada) Mintel, the global leader in market intelligence, announced the acquisition of Black Swan Data, an AI-native company specializing in analyzing and predicting trends from social media.

The ambitious partnership brings together two market leaders united by the ambition to revolutionize predictive intelligence and reshape the future of insights. Combining Mintel’s deep consumer, product, and category expertise with Black Swan’s real-time social predictive analytics gives CPG brands a clearer, more dynamic understanding of what’s emerging and why it matters. The combined datasets enable expanded predictive capabilities, accelerate innovation timelines, and allow clients to forecast trends with greater accuracy and confidence.

“Mintel’s acquisition of Black Swan Data unites our strengths in structured data, advanced technology, human expertise, and real-time social analytics to deliver unparalleled predictive intelligence for our clients,” said Matt Nelson, Mintel CEO. “Our immediate goal is to transform front-end innovation, delivering the clarity CPG brands need to understand where to play, what to prioritise, and how to win with greater precision and confidence.”

“Great marketing begins with great diagnosis. Always has, always will. Mintel’s acquisition of Black Swan is just a super smart move because it makes them all the better at understanding and predicting the consumer. ” Prof. Mark Ritson

The New Standard in Front-end Innovation
Mintel and Black Swan Data are already demonstrating the power of their combined capabilities through recent consulting engagements, enabling clients like Pepsi Co. to navigate front-end innovation with greater precision and certainty.

“In a fast-changing world, we’re always looking for better ways to anticipate and act on where the consumer is headed. The Mintel and Black Swan partnership brings together two of the most forward-thinking players in the insights space. Combining their data sources and capabilities has the potential to redefine how we identify emerging consumer needs and accelerate better products to market. It’s a win for insights, innovation, marketing, and ultimately, the consumer,” said Stephan Gans, Chief Consumer Insights and Analytics Officer, PepsiCo.

See Further, Act Faster with Innovation Foresight
As the insight industry evolves, the combined strength of Mintel and Black Swan Data positions both companies to lead through disruption. The growing role of AI is transforming how insight is delivered and consumed, but it’s not smarter AI that will define success; it’s smarter data. The quality, clarity, and contextual value of the data, as well as how it’s applied through expert human interpretation, will be the real differentiator for brands navigating complexity and change.

Together, Mintel and Black Swan are setting a new standard for predictive intelligence, one that enables faster and more precise business decisions grounded in evidence. This partnership empowers clients to unlock opportunities for sustainable and profitable innovation by understanding not just what people are doing now, but what they will want next and why.

“Together, Black Swan Data and Mintel are taking an ambitious step forward for our industry,” added Hugo Amos, co-founder and CEO of Black Swan Data. “In an era of increased pressure to innovate quickly, responsibly, and with impact, CPG brands need clarity, precision, and the confidence to act at the right time, in the right way. That is exactly what we deliver, powered by smarter data, expert thinking, and a shared ambition to help clients grow their business.”