Durrants, the media monitoring property owned by Discovery Group, has invested in the social media monitoring company Brandwatch.

The Brighton-based monitoring firm came out on top after Durrants, looking for a social media monitoring partner, trialled several leading firms.

As the social media monitoring market continues to show strong growth, Durrants felt the time had come to move into the industry. Jeremy Thompson, Durrants MD, praised Brandwatch’s relevant and timely coverage, strong account management and technical support, robust platform and user friendly service.

The data provided by Brandwatch will be used by Metrica, the global media analysis and evaluation company, to improve their social media offering. The amount invested remains confidential but is believed to be a minority stake.

This move follows Durrants’ acquisition of Metrica in October 2009, and Gorkana, the media/journalist database and community network, in April 2010. The holding company Discovery Group is aiming to provide full service intelligence for the PR and marketing communities through these investments.