Toronto-based market profile specialist Compusearch Micromarketing Data and Systems and its list management sister company Prospects Unlimited are now part of an American credit-reporting giant following a $260-million deal earlier this month.

Equifax signed an agreement with R.L. Polk to acquire Polk’s consumer information solutions (CIS) group, which includes Compusearch and Prospects Unlimited. The deal is expected to close by the end of April.

‘We are very excited about it,’ says Jan Kestle, president of Compusearch. ‘Equifax is a very large player in the financial information business around the world. This deal won’t have much effect on our day-to-day operations, but it does put us with a group that is extremely large.’

Compusearch provides geodemographic and market analyses for marketing organizations across Canada. Prospects Unlimited manages four major Canadian consumer databases for direct marketers, including the 12-million name TotaList Canada and Prospects Canada, which numbers 7.5 million.

Equifax, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., says it will use the companies’ databases to help its clients conduct more targeted marketing efforts.

In a statement, Equifax president Lee Kennedy said his company is poised to take advantage of Polk’s CIS management team and its presence in the consumer goods manufacturing industry.

One of the anticipated benefits for Equifax is that the deal will allow it to overlap Compusearch’s consumer lifestyle and demographic databases on its credit information database. However, both Equifax and Compusearch made a point of saying that the Equifax consumer credit database will remain separate from the acquired lifestyle and demographic databases.

‘Last fall, we announced that Compusearch’s neighborhood cluster system, PSYTE, has been linked to aggregated credit information from Equifax,’ says Kestle. ‘This product is an example of how Compusearch and Equifax can work together to create information products that benefit our mutual customers, while ensuring that the privacy of Equifax’s consumer database is protected.’

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Thursday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the Creative Business Transformation, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Luxury Lions, Brand Experience & Activation, Innovation and Creative Commerce Lions categories. Canadians were recognized with three Lions today: a Silver in Brand Experience & Activation, a Bronze in Creative Commerce and a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness. Rethink was awarded twice on Day 4, while Weber Shandwick rounded out the Canadian agency wins with one Lion. Below is a look at the work. Catch the Gold winners later this afternoon when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.

Creative Commerce (1 Silver)

1 SILVER: “U Up?” by Rethink for IKEA

IKEA’s “U Up?” campaign has legs, it turns out. The campaign is getting major love at Cannes. The IKEA work, created in collaboration with Rethink Toronto, added to its Cannes Lions tally with a Silver medal in Creative Commerce. That now makes five total Lions for the work, including two Golds on Wednesday night, for Direct and Socal & Creator. The campaign has been lauded by jurors for its dexterity, contextual timing and humour.

Creative Effectiveness (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch” by Rethink for Kraft Heinz 

Both Rethink and Kraft Heinz picked up another Lion, this one a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness for their collaboration on “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch.” Not only did the work capture a culture moment spurred by Taylor Swift, but it also created a new product, “in under 24 hours,” to match. The latest two Lions makes 10 total wins for Rethink. Kraft Heinz and Rethink also picked up a rare Gold Lion for Media a day earlier.

Brand Experience & Activation (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Airbnb Icons” by Weber Shandwick for Airbnb

The Weber Shandwick work, “Airbnb Icons,” won Bronze on Thursday in Brand Experience & Activation after claiming a Bronze in Media Wednesday. Airbnb turned media brands into a destination, partnering with the likes of Marvel and Disney to offer travellers experiences like drifting off in the Up house or crashing at an X-Men mansion. The first 11 experiences rolled out mid-2024, and most of the experiences were free or under $100, with over 4,000 tickets sold by the end of the season.