Joining the partnership programme means KLA will have access to YouGov’s intellectual property, platforms, knowledge about its products and online research insights.

As part of the agreement, KLA will also be able to use two data tools: YouGov Profiles, which selects and analyses audiences for clients; and YouGov BrandIndex, which measures public perceptions of brands.

KLA will also gain entry for the firm and its clients to the YouGov Cube, a database of customer attitudes and behaviours. KLA runs a 20,000-strong consumer online panel, and is based in Johannesburg.

The agreement follows a similar partnership announced earlier this month between YouGov and Vietnamese market research company Decision Lab.

Caitlin Bauristhene, research director at KLA, said: “It isn’t enough to have data. You have to have the right data, of the right quality, at the right time.

“If the role of data is to empower business leaders to make fact-based decisions, and navigate changing times with a degree of sure-footedness, then the data has to be recent, robust and on-tap. This is why we have partnered with YouGov.”

Stephan Shakespeare, chief executive and co-founder of YouGov, said the relationship would help YouGov “establish our brand in South Africa”, as well as the benefits for KLA of joining the global partnerships programme.

“As well as gaining access to YouGov’s technology platforms and suite of data products, they also plug into our infrastructure, helping them to grow their business and expand their client base,” he added.