croftanalytics.com

What It Is

Croft Analytics is a UK-based marketing analytics company founded in 2020 by Frank Harrison, who previously held senior R&D and global research roles at Publicis Groupe. Its service portfolio includes applications for marketers and agencies, consulting on brand growth and media strategy, marketing/media research reports, and support services for quickly answering marketing and media questions. Its core product is Share of Searching, which uses search behavior to observe brand and category trends.

Core Features and Data

Share of Searching can track search trends across Google, YouTube, Bing, and Amazon. Users can enter a set of search terms, such as a list of brands, to view search volume trends and share-of-search percentages. Results can be filtered by country and date range, with global data also available, and historical data goes back to 2004. It can also show search terms related to a brand or topic and their trends, and supports exporting charts to PowerPoint and data to Excel. The official website emphasizes that in categories where search plays an important role in purchase decisions—such as aviation, automotive, finance, film, retail, travel, and consumer electronics—brand share of search can be used to predict market share.

Pricing, Platform, and Support

The official website does not disclose pricing models, plans, free trials, payment methods, or the purchase process, so buyers need to contact the company directly before procurement. Support channels mainly include a contact form, the email address [email protected], and a UK phone number. In terms of integrations, the available information only mentions PowerPoint and Excel exports; there is no stated support for APIs, BI tools, advertising platforms, or CRM integrations.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths include coverage of multiple major search/content platforms and a long historical data range, making it suitable for analyzing long-term brand trends, competitor share of search, and changes in market demand. The founder also has a research background at a major agency group, and the consulting services are closely tied to the tool. Limitations include a lack of detailed explanation around data-source definitions, update frequency, sample size, and algorithmic methodology. Pricing and trial information are also missing, and the support system does not appear to include a help center, documentation, or SLA.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is best suited to brand marketing teams, media agencies, consulting teams, and researchers for studies related to brand health, search interest, competitor trends, and marketing ROI. For users in China, the official website does not specify mainland China access, RMB payments, or localized support. The tool also relies on data from overseas platforms such as Google, YouTube, Bing, and Amazon, so actual usability may depend on the network environment and target market. If the focus is on China’s domestic search and social media ecosystem, Baidu Index, Ocean Engine Trend Insight, WeChat Index, and similar tools may be considered as supplements or alternatives.