ExactTarget raises $30 million in new funding

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110426/STRATEGY0202/304269998/exacttarget-raises-30-million-in-new-funding?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Email marketing company ExactTarget has raised an additional $30 million in venture funding, which the company said it will use to “fund key acquisitions, enter new global markets [and] expand its operations.”
 
The company has raised approximately $208 million to date. The new financing round was led by Technology Crossover Ventures, with participation from existing investors Battery Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and Greenspring Associates.
 
In its latest acquisition last summer, ExactTarget bought Australia-based email marketing company mPath Global and rebranded its operation ExactTarget Australia.

ValueClick buys Greystripe for $70M

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2011/04/25/valueclick-buys-greystripe-for-70m.html?ana=yfcpc

San Francisco-based Greystripe, which operates a brand-focused mobile ad network, had raised $18.1 million in four funding rounds.
ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) said it has retained Greystripe's employees and management team. The business which will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary.
ValueClick, which is based in Westlake Village, expects Greystripe to contribute $24 million to $26 million to its revenue for the remainder of this year.

Responsys goes public

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110427/STRATEGY0202/304279998/responsys-goes-public?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Email marketing company Responsys Inc. has gone public, with an initial public offering, raising almost $80 million. That money will be used to further fuel the company's expansion, particularly overseas, according to the company.


Responsys has been actively expanding globally. In November, the company opened an office in Bangalore, India, to provide access to local talent in the region. Last summer, Responsys opened an office in Copenhagen, Denmark, and also acquired a controlling interest in Australian email and cross-channel marketing company Eservices Group, since renamed EservicesResponsys, for expansion in the Asia-Pacific market.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=570171&ven=yahoo

http://seekingalpha.com/article/264693-responsys-prices-its-ipo-above-the-range-indication-of-good-demand?source=yahoo

Epsilon to Acquire Aspen Marketing Services

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/epsilon-to-acquire-aspen-marketing-services/?ref=media&nl=business&emc=dlbka22


http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=120991&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1553844&highlight=

Aspen is projected to generate $250 million in revenues and $40 million in EBITDA in 2011. Alliance Data will pay $345 million plus a working capital adjustment for the company

The Winners & Losers of Social Networking

http://mashable.com/2011/04/12/social-networks-infographic/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29
The course of social media never did run smooth — not for long, anyhow. And for some Web 2.0 companies, it’s running less smoothly than ever.

It goes without saying that Facebook is the network du jour, but even though the reigning champion’s user stats keep soaring, social networking as a whole might be leveling off. Nevertheless, there are still scores of other highly competitive social sites that are waxing and waning; and different networks and apps are more popular in specific geographic areas, with certain genders or age groups and even among various social classes.

For example, Plaxo is the network with the most users over the age of 65. Facebook is more popular with women, but Digg and Reddit tend to be more popular with men. LinkedIn is the “richest” social network, but Plurk outranks it when it comes to well-educated users who have graduate degrees.

MarketShare gains $32 million in venture funding

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110415/STRATEGY05/304159996/marketshare-gains-32-million-in-venture-funding?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Marketing analytics company MarketShare Inc. has garnered $32 million in funding from venture capital company Elevation Partners to support growth, particularly overseas.

MarketShare will also use the money to bolster investments in analytics, predictive modeling and its cloud-based suite of analytic products, according to the company.
 
This is MarketShare's second round of funding from Elevation Partners. (Elevation's own backers include the musician Bono.)

Blinkx to acquire Burst for $30 million

Video search engine Blinkx will acquire “long tail” ad network Burst Media for $30 million, enabling Blinkx advertisers to target larger, more finely segmented audiences.

Blinkx said it plans to expand its audience by embedding relevant videos and video channels into Burst's network of publisher sites, allowing for the sale of video advertising.
 
U.K.-based Burst's network reaches more than 61% of the U.S. online population, according to comScore. Burst focuses on websites that target specific, niche audiences.

Agencies Get Into the V.C. Business, But Why?

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/agencies-get-vc-business-why-130676
There’s the recently launched Rockfish Brand Ventures and Redscout Ventures. Consigliere, started last year by former Deutsche Inc. chief strategy officer Mike Duda and Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash, is marketing a $20 million fund. Last month Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners launched KBS+P Ventures. Bartle Bogle Hegarty is raising $16 million through its newly formed Black Sheep Fund. And Method Inc. is rounding up $30 million for Method Ventures.

The Power of Packaging Doesn't Stop at the Store

http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/power-packaging-stop-store/227046/
nfluencing consumers to buy a product is half the battle. Getting consumers to use it when they take it home (and therefore increase the likelihood they'll buy it again) is the other. Packaging can make the difference. If a product looks appealing and is practical to store in a consumer's pantry or freezer, it can easily become part of the "three Rs" -- routines, rituals and regimens.

Wal-Mart Buys Kosmix As Part Of ‘Social Commerce’ Push

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-wal-mart-buys-kosmix-as-part-of-social-commerce-push/
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is buying long-standing search technology firm Kosmix in what the big-box retailer is describing as a move to expand into “social and mobile commerce.” This is the second purchase Wal-Mart has made in just over a year intended to build its digital presence. Last February, the company purchased online movie service Vudu

The company says that Kosmix will operate as part of its new Silicon Valley-based @WalmartLabs group, which it says will build “technologies and businesses around social and mobile commerce that will support Walmart’s global multi-channel strategy.”

Kosmix is an odd choice to anchor that effort considering it does not have any direct ties to commerce. The company, which had raised more than $55 million in funding from backers including Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) and Jeff Bezos, has been described for much of its history as a health-centric vertical search firm and still owns top health content aggregator RightHealth. More recently, it has been using its search technology to aggregate content from social media sites and had launched a site called TweetBeat, which aggregates Tweets related to major events.

Decaux Brothers Set Sights on World's Biggest Ad Market

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703916004576270771061934188.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

The world's largest outdoor advertising company, JCDecaux SA, is firmly setting its sights on the world's largest outdoor ad market, the U.S., and is looking at CBS Outdoor as an acquisition candidate to help establish a big presence. The French company ranks fourth in the U.S., behind leader Clear Channel.

Merkle buys strategic consultancy Lenser

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110406/DIRECT06/304069994/merkle-buys-strategic-consultancy-lenser
Database marketing agency Merkle has acquired multichannel strategic consultancy Lenser Strategy Group for an undisclosed sum. Lenser will become a part of Merkle subsidiary CognitiveDATA, which focuses on database accuracy and hygiene. (Merkle acquired CognitiveDATA last year.)
Lenser, based in San Rafael, Calif., had partnered with CognitiveDATA since 2009, working on technology to support address data accuracy and advanced merge-purge. The acquisition will enable the full integration of Lenser's strategic consulting services in support of Merkle's multichannel companies, according to Merkle.

Euro RSCG Worldwide Acquires Strategy Farm

Euro RSCG Worldwide has acquired independent agency Strategy Farm. Founded in 2008 by Laurel Rossi, the agency will be renamed Euro RSCG Worldwide Strat Farm, but it will remain an independently operated company. The flourishing boutique also led by Executive Creative Director Pamela Vahdat, will be responsible for its own client base and will collaborate with all the Euro RSCG companies. Its current clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Weight Watchers, Capgemini North America and MasterCard.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11071619/1/euro-rscg-worldwide-acquires-strategy-farm.html#

Strategy Farm handles brand advertising, digital, direct marketing and social media for several roster clients. With strong roots in CRM and digital marketing, the agency is a rare combination of results-driven shop and high-level brand strategy bureau.

Vice Media gets investors

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/media/05vice.html?_r=1
Today it is a pan-media confederation with a record label, a book label, its own television series and a full-service media agency. It is about to grow larger still with the backing of some of the biggest names and deepest pockets in the media business.

Vice is preparing to announce investment partnerships with Tom Freston, MTV’s co-founder; WPP, the giant media conglomerate; and the Raine Group, a boutique investment firm. To help it expand, Vice has also enlisted William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and its chief executive, Ari Emanuel, to represent the company.

Vice now employs 750 people in offices in 34 countries and claims some 2,500 contributors. Mr. Smith said that as a next step, he would like to see Vice build offices in China and India that are on par with its large operations in London and New York. He said he expected the company’s profits to approach $50 million within the next couple of years.

DG acquires Mijo

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/DG-Acquires-Leading-Canadian-iw-583815839.html?x=0&.v=1

DG® (NASDAQ:DGIT - News), a leading provider of digital media services to the advertising, entertainment and broadcast industries today announced that it has acquired privately-held MIJO Corporation for Canadian $39.5 million in cash. Based in Toronto, MIJO provides broadcast and digital media services to the Canadian advertising, entertainment and broadcast industries.

For 2010 MIJO reported revenues of Canadian $17.4 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of approximately Canadian $3.0 million. DG expects to recognize approximately $3.5 million in cost synergies during the initial 12 month period following close. Additional financial guidance with respect to the MIJO acquisition will be provided on DG's first quarter 2011 earnings conference call.

MIJO co-founder Joel Reitman commented, "We are very excited to partner with DG, as the two companies share an essential belief in utilizing superior technology and talented employees to provide unmatched customer service."

"We have spent over 32 years building a business in Canada that provides a suite of diverse and fully integrated services to advertisers, feature film distributors and broadcasters," said MIJO co-founder Michael Goldberg. "This transaction fulfills our goal to gain access to an international audience for this platform."

SAS acquires Assetlink

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110223/STRATEGY02/302239995/sas-acquires-assetlink

Business and marketing analytics company SAS Institute has acquired marketing resource management company Assetlink Corp. for an undisclosed amount.
SAS has partnered with Assetlink for the past four years. SAS said the formal addition of Assetlink's work-flow technology to SAS analytics offerings will help better identify marketing performance in budgeting, planning and resource allocation.
Assetlink is headquartered in Pune, India, with U.S. operations in Pleasanton, Calif. Assetlink's approximately 60 employees are expected to join SAS in the acquisition

Penton Media acquires EyeTraffic Media

Penton Media announced it has acquired EyeTraffic Media, a marketing services agency based in Washington, D.C. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Our senior team has felt for some time that a marketing services offering—including online lead generation for our clients—was a critical component of our growth agenda,” Penton CEO Sharon Rowlands said in a statement. “EyeTraffic forms the cornerstone of such an offering.”
George Assimakopoulos, EyeTraffic's CEO, will join Penton as VP-digital media services. He will report to Kim Paulsen, senior VP-marketing services.
http://www.btobonline.com/article/20110310/MEDIABUSINESS03/303109994/penton-media-acquires-eyetraffic-media

New Havas CEO on Prowl for Deals

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703410604576216761649266024.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Five years after French advertising company Havas SA buckled down on a major debt-cutting drive, David Jones, the new chief executive, is now on the hunt for acquisitions. He has €750 million, or more than $1 billion, on hand.
"The biggest change I will put into place at Havas will be the new offensive phase with a war-chest to invest," Mr. Jones said in an interview at Havas's headquarters in the Paris suburb of Suresnes. "We just need to spend the money in the right way."

Specialist Agencies Emerge to Offer Big Marketers Help Navigating Facebook's Ad System

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704530204576236891334246456.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

In February, more than a third of all online-display ads in the U.S. appeared on Facebook, according to comScore Inc. That's more than three times as many as its closest rival, Yahoo Inc., had.

But Facebook doesn't come close to capturing a third of the online-ad budgets of major marketers, partly because its ad rates are relatively low, and also because of its hard-to-navigate in-house systems for buying ads.

Enter a new set of specialized Facebook agencies that seek to offer an easier way to buy ads on the social-networking site. The emergence of more than a dozen firms, including Blinq Media LLC, Kenshoo Ltd. and Web-trends Inc., follows a move by Facebook in 2009 to start opening direct access to its internal ad systems to select outsiders.

The Facebook agencies sell marketers the ability to manage the buying of thousands of different versions of their ads, with varying text and images. They also make it easier for advertisers to buy ads targeted at niche groups of consumers, based on their ages, locations, interests and other factors. The agencies also offer tools that track the performance of an ad campaign, such as how many users click on the ads or become fans of the brand on Facebook.