Client Type: A B2B services company supplying financial data analysis products.
The Brief: At a meeting, the client’s CEO had heard reports that a partner company might be supplying analyses of internal company data to a competitor. Directly confronting the partner risked damaging the business relationship. The client asked us to investigate discreetly.
Our Approach: As this information, if true, would have jeopardised the relationship between our client and the partner company (and could potentially have led to a breach-of-contract legal case), it was highly unlikely that there would even be clues in any secondary or online source. This meant that only HUMINT (human intelligence) interviews would turn up anything. We spoke with senior people in the associate company and in related organisations, asking carefully framed questions about activities that would touch on our client’s contract terms.
The Result: Analysis of the interview transcripts showed that the associate company’s marketing director repeatedly mentioned a particular client company, often after a pause to, seemingly, gather thoughts. We called this company to ask similar questions, and discovered what the associate company was really doing, that had led to the rumour starting. They were analysing their client company’s own data in a similar way to the service provided to our client. This was totally acceptable – they were not using any partner data at all.
The rumour was based on a misunderstanding, not on a breach. Our findings enabled the client to preserve the partnership and avoid unfounded accusations.
Key Takeaway: Sometimes the only way to obtain relevant intelligence is through human source interviews. Careful analysis of what is said, and how it is said, can reveal patterns and clues that point to the truth.
Furthermore, not all rumours are accurate, and some may be based on false assumptions. Independent, third-party intelligence work can be a safe, ethical way to verify sensitive allegations, allowing clients to act with confidence, even in ambiguous situations.
