Internet marketing startup ClickFuel gains $2.5 million in financing

ClickFuel, a provider of Internet marketing services to small and midsize businesses that was launched last year by former Monster Worldwide senior executives, has gained $2.5 million in financing.
ClickFuel, led by CEO Steve Pogorzelski, formerly president of Monster North America, was started by Colby West, co-founder of online sales site AuctionPal.
The Series A financing was secured through venture capital fund Baird Venture Partners.

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090702/FREE/907029985/1078/newsletter011

StrongMail acquires social media company PopularMedia

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090706/FREE/907069978/1078/newsletter011
E-mail company StrongMail Systems has acquired PopularMedia, a provider of social media and marketing solutions.
As a result of the acquisition, StrongMail will provide an integrated solution to track and measure by response rates the viral nature of e-mail and social networks. The company also plans to leverage PopularMedia’s Social Notes functionality, allowing marketers to share e-mail or Web site content with most social networks.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Acsys Interactive buys IIMS

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090707/FREE/907079988/1078/newsletter011
Acsys Interactive announced it has acquired Innovative Internet Marketing Solutions (IIMS). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition will expand Acsys Interactive’s services in such verticals as pharmaceuticals, financial services, health care and manufacturing. The agency offers a variety of interactive services, including online marketing, Web hosting and Internet strategy.

Johnson & Quin acquires Staples’ direct mail division

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090707/FREE/907079990/1078/newsletter011 Direct mail printing and production company Johnson & Quin has acquired certain assets and customers of InteliMail, a division of Staples Print Solutions. InteliMail, based in Lenexa, Kan., offers products and services associated with direct mail production.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Merkle’s CognitiveDATA to acquire catalog company CMS Direct

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090708/FREE/907089995/1078/newsletter011
CognitiveDATA, a subsidiary of database marketing agency Merkle Inc., plans to acquire catalog marketing services company CMS Direct.
CMS Direct, based in Minneapolis, has partnered with CognitiveDATA since 2006 to develop technology that combines mailing address hygiene and advanced merge-purge services.
The acquisition will enable CognitiveDATA to integrate its proprietary data accuracy technology with the database and list processing solutions offered by CMS Direct.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hill & Company marketing merges with Aevium Interactive

Hill Aevium officially launched this week as the newly merged agency that blends proven marketing and advertising ideals with progressive and innovative Web site development, design and solutions. http://www.realvail.com/RealBiz/684/Hill-Company-marketing-merges-with-Aevium-Interactive.html
http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/05/11/daily11.html

gsi interactive Expands Digital Agency Footprint with Acquisition of West Coast-Based Silverlign

gsi interactivesm, the digital marketing services agency of leading e-commerce solutions provider, GSI Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIC), today announced it has acquired Silverlign Group Inc., an award-winning integrated marketing strategy and design agency based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The acquisition establishes a West Coast presence for gsi interactive and adds several new client relationships.

http://www.gsicommerce.com/index.php/en/article/771/

Acsys Interactive buys IIMS

Acsys Interactive announced it has acquired Innovative Internet Marketing Solutions (IIMS). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition will expand Acsys Interactive’s services in such verticals as pharmaceuticals, financial services, health care and manufacturing. The agency offers a variety of interactive services, including online marketing, Web hosting and Internet strategy.
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090707/FREE/907079988/1078/newsletter011

No Sellers' Market for Traditional Shops

In the past month, there have been some ripples in the otherwise lethargic industry M&A marketplace. Sapient announced it would acquire independent Nitro in a $50 million deal, while Microsoft's Razorfish is said to be in play. Across the Atlantic, independents M&C Saatchi and The Red Brick Road, the shop set up by Frank Lowe and his partners to handle Tesco, have talked to other agencies and holding companies about selling, sources say (although Paul Hammersley, a partner in The Red Brick Road, denies the agency wants to sell).

Within that group, digital powerhouse Razorfish, with $345 million in revenue, is in a league of its own and already is said to be getting attention from Publicis Groupe. But for agencies with more traditional roots that are looking for a buyer, the marketplace is not promising. Strategic buyers are grappling with the weak operating environment and anemic stock prices. Equity investors are faced with continuing tight credit markets and industry conditions that make the sector a less attractive option, with longer exit horizons and lower yields."The large agency holding companies have substantially completed building out their footprint in North America and that extends not only to the capabilities associated with general agencies, but increasingly to things like digital services, direct, database marketing," observed John Prunier, partner at Petsky Prunier, who allows that there will still be smaller acquisitions to fill in gaps.

Gone are the days when agency principals could expect a nice payday just for selling their client Rolodex.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3idcc910dc3148408d673bdab1fa30cba0?pn=2

AIMS Acquires BrandStand Group, Inc.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AIMS-Acquires-BrandStand-bw-188738154.html?x=0&.v=1

AIMS Worldwide, Inc. (OTC BB:AMWW - News), an integrated marketing communications consultancy providing organizations with focused marketing solutions, announced today the acquisition of BrandStand Group, Inc. of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, in a combination of cash, notes and restricted stock.

BrandStand is a branding, marketing and customer-generating service to the restaurant industry. BrandStand clients include national and regional restaurants such as Silver Diner, Burger King, Schlotzsky’s and Z-Pizza.

Omnicom forms agency focused on environmental and social responsibility

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Omnicom Group announced the formation of a new agency called GRO360, specializing in environmental and social responsibility.
GRO360 is part of the Diversified Agency Services network of Omnicom, and is headed by President Bob Terry. It will provide integrated marketing communications services that focus on building sustainable brands.

MeritDirect to acquire list management company

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White Plains, N.Y.—Database company MeritDirect has agreed to acquire list-management company Mail Marketing, adding more than 350 properties to its lineup of managed lists.
Mail Marketing, based in Northvale, N.J., manages files in such industries as aviation, agriculture and equine/horse.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

M&A activity continues to decline in marketing, information and digital sector

Mergers and acquisition activity in the marketing, information and digital media industries continued to decline in the second quarter, according to data released Tuesday by Petsky Prunier.
The investment bank tracked 150 second-quarter transactions, down from 210 in the year-earlier period, a decline of 29%. In the same time frame, the combined deal value fell 68%, from $7.5 billion to $2.4 billion.
The number of transactions (down 17%) and combined value (down 6%) also fell from the first quarter of this year. Petsky Prunier said limited credit and reduced corporate earnings affected deal flow.
“While the deal market continues to be challenging, transactions are still being completed,” John Prunier, partner at Petsky Prunier, said in a statement. “Venture and growth investment is the relative sweet spot in the market, but with exit horizons generally longer and lower in value than they were when many funds were raised, liquidity and terms are still not as expansive as they have been or, we believe, will be again. Similarly, with credit markets remaining tight, leveraged buyouts remain largely beyond the grasp of their private equity sponsors.”

Media M&A activity continues dismal performance

New York—The mergers and acquisition market for the media, information, marketing services and technology sectors remained “moribund” in the first half of this year, with 300 transactions valued at $5.4 billion, according to data released Wednesday by media investment bank Jordan, Edmiston Group.
The number of transactions declined 29.6% from the same period last year, while deal value declined 76.2%.
The b-to-b media sector was especially anemic, with just six deals in the first half, down 45.5% from the year-earlier period. The combined value of this year’s first-half deals, $17 million, was down 95.0%.
Exhibitions and conferences posted a similarly dismal performance, with the number of deals declining 28.6% to 20 and the value plunging 82.6% to $78 million. Database and information services provided something of a bright spot, with the number of deals increasing 11% to 20. The combined value, $327 million, fell 95.5%, heavily impacted by Reed Elsevier’s $4.1 billion deal for ChoicePoint that took place in the first half of 2008.
Despite the weak M&A data from this year’s first half, Jordan, Edmiston said in a news release that it “has seen a definite uptick in M&A activity over the past weeks, as sellers adjust expectations and buyers regain confidence.”

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$65B on websites each year

http://www.outsellinc.com/store/insights/4110 In 2009: $65 billion will be spent on enterprises’ own sites, dollars NOT spent on TV, magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc. To scale that, compare 2009 total U.S. TV ad revenue (cable + broadcast) at $66 billion, and total 2009 U.S. Newspaper ad revenue at $42 billion. So corporations spending marketing dollars on their own sites is equivalent to (a) wiping out all TV ad revenue or (b) wiping out one and one-half newspaper industries!

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090701/FREE/907019985/1078/newsletter011