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Alliant, Lotame partner to enhance database offerings

Segmentation service provider Alliant Data has partnered with Lotame Solutions to integrate Alliant's consumer database with Lotame's data management platform, the companies said Jan. 9.
 

Infogroup CEO replaced

Infogroup president and CEO Clare Hart has been replaced by Michael Iaccarino. Hart, who joined Infogroup in July 2010, is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities, Infogroup said in a Dec. 15 statement.
 

Infogroup CMO to leave firm

Infogroup CMO Slade Kobran will be leaving the firm, according to an Infogroup source. The source said Kobran would be leaving because "Infogroup is decentralizing marketing."
 

Acxiom execs to resign

Acxiom Corp.'s COO and EVP John Adams and Shawn Donovan, EVP for global sales, consulting and U.S. markets, will resign effective Dec. 31, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. It is unclear why both executives have stepped down.
 

SDL to acquire Alterian

Translation software and web management firm SDL will acquire London-based CRM firm Alterian for more than $107 million, according to several news reports.
 

Gupta files countersuit, claims Infogroup execs have 'no brains'

List company Database101.com filed a countersuit against data giant Infogroup alleging it used unethical business practices to sabotage the 14-month-old company. The countersuit is in response to a September lawsuit filed by Infogroup, accusing Database101.com founder Vinod Gupta of stealing confidential Infogroup information and using it to develop Database101.com's client base. Gupta also founded Infogroup.
 

Southwest Airlines launches retail rewards program

Southwest Airlines launched a shopping initiative that enables loyalty program members to earn points by making purchases with more than 700 retailers, said Katie McDonald, communications manager at Southwest Airlines. The "Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping" program was built in collaboration with marketing technology company Cartera Commerce.
 

Alterian to shutter Chicago office

Alterian will close its Chicago office as part of a restructuring plan that began in September, said Adrian Duffield, partner at College Hill, Alterian's financial PR agency. Alterian employees were notified on Nov. 6 that the shuttering process would begin immediately, he said.
 

Drakoulias promoted to Draftfcb global chief of staff

Peter Drakoulias has been promoted to the newly-created position of global chief of staff at Draftfcb effective immediately, he told Direct Marketing News. He will report to Draftfcb president and CEO Laurence Boschetto and he will partner with George Kane, EVP and worldwide financial director, to oversee the agency's global M&A activity.
 

MediaWhiz taps new SVP of strategy and operations

Jeremy Leonard has been named SVP of strategy and operations at the MediaWhiz division of The SolutionSet MediaWhiz Partnership, said Ed Kats, president of MediaWhiz. Leonard will be based in New York. He will report directly to Kats.
 

Salesforce.com promotes insider to COO

George Hu was promoted to COO of CRM company Salesforce.com effective Nov. 7, the company said in a statement. Hu previously served as EVP of platform, marketing and operations and will continue to report to chairman and CEO Marc Benioff in the newly-created role.
 

Harte-Hanks' direct marketing revenue up slightly

Harte-Hanks' third-quarter direct marketing revenue increased 0.6% to $151.9 million compared with Q3 2010, while direct marketing operating income declined 10.8% year-over-year to $20.5 million. The San Antonio, Texas-based company reported a decline in overall revenue in the quarter, decreasing 1.8% to $212.8 million compared with Q3 2010.
 

Oracle to acquire RightNow for $1.5 billion

Database company Oracle announced it has agreed to acquire CRM company RightNow Technologies, for $1.5 billion, both companies said in a statement. The transaction is expected to close by late 2011 or early 2012.
 

Hyundai's Veloster campaign increased related Web traffic 73%: DMCNY

Hyundai Motor America's October integrated marketing campaign promoting the Veloster automobile delivered a 73% increase in Veloster-related visits on Hyundai.com, said Jon Budd, senior group manager of CRM and interactive marketing at Hyundai.
 

Oracle agrees to acquire Endeca

Database company Oracle entered into an agreement on Oct. 18 to acquire data management and Web commerce company Endeca Technologies.
 

Alterian cofounders resign due to 'recent failures'

Michael Talbot, president and cofounder of marketing technology company Alterian, resigned effective Oct. 14. Research and development director and cofounder Timothy McCarthy also resigned and non-executive directors Hugh McCartney and Iain Johnston have stepped down from the board.
 

Merkle opens a social CRM agency

CRM agency Merkle has launched a social media marketing firm to develop social products and clients' go-to market strategy. Rich Fleck will serve as VP and GM of the Denver, Colo.-based agency, Merkle Connect, reporting directly to Craig Dempster, Merkle's EVP and CMO.
 

Salesforce.com acquires Assistly, but stock falls after insider trading report

Salesforce.com on Sept. 21 acquired the cloud services customer service company Assistly, to expand the reach of its cloud computing platform. Its stock price dipped after reports of alleged insider trading by its CFO.
 

Infogroup sues Gupta's new firm over trade secrets

Infogroup has accused founder and former CEO and Chairman Vinod Gupta of stealing confidential company information and using it to develop a client base for his competitive startup Database101. Infogroup also claims Gupta is marketing this venture in a way that makes it appear associated with Infogroup.
 

CityGrid Media extends agreement with Infogroup

IAC subsidiary CityGrid Media has renewed its contract with Infogroup to provide approximately 15 million local business-database files to publishers in the CityGrid advertising network.
 

Infogroup launches digital, data units

Marketing services company Infogroup has created two divisions, Yesmail Interactive and enterprise marketing services, to focus on digital and data-oriented services, respectively.
 

Salesforce.com to use D&B files for Data.com

CRM company Salesforce.com has launched recently acquired domain Data.com as a corporate-data site. Business information company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) is the site's exclusive source of corporate information.
 

List Services acquires Accession

List Services Corp. has acquired digital marketing firm Accession Media. The company will combine Accession with its LSC Digital arm to form Allora Media.
 

Eloqua, Jive file $100 million IPOs

Marketing technology companies Eloqua and Jive Software filed separate $100 million initial public offerings this week, according to documents submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
 

CognitiveData names Marshall CMO

Merkle subsidiary CognitiveData has named Cindy Marshall CMO. In the newly created position, Marshall is focusing on crafting "the story that CognitiveData is a full-service marketing company that can help customers with their database marketing," she said.
 

Kellogg picks Epsilon for CRM, database work

Kellogg Co. has selected Alliance Data Systems subsidiary Epsilon to build a real-time customer-preference management system and a classic database and to execute email deployment.
 

Salesforce.com posts record revenue, small loss

Salesforce.com reported $546 million in revenue in the second quarter of fiscal 2012, a 38% year-over-year increase. However, the company saw a slight net loss of $4.3 million during the period.
 

Virgin America, Hertz partner on car-rental promotions

Virgin America and The Hertz Corp. have partnered to give members of the airline's Elevate loyalty program exclusive deals on Hertz rental cars. Elevate members who rent cars from Hertz will earn one point per $1 spent on qualifying rentals.
 

Barclaycard US launches loyalty shopping program

Barclaycard US, the payments business of financial services company Barclays, has launched a shopping platform for more than 1,000 co-branded card programs. The platform will enable cardholders to automatically earn discounts, rewards, miles and cash back for on- and offline purchases with participating retailers.
 

WhitePages to use Infogroup data for local directory

WhitePages will use Infogroup's consumer point-of-interest data for approximately 15 million businesses in its search-based business directory, the companies said August 11.
 

Nielsen buys Marketing Analytics

The Nielsen Co. acquired Marketing Analytics in a deal that closed August 8. Marketing Analytics tracks and correlates marketing initiatives and product sales to measure ROI.
 

Protect-A-Bed launches back-to-school sweepstakes

Bedding-protection products company Protect-A-Bed has launched a back-to-school sweepstakes to promote its Student Bedding Protection Kit. The Wheeling, Ill.-based retailer will promote the campaign through email, social media and its company blog.
 

Merkle taps Beckwith as Dell team lead

CRM agency Merkle has named Cyndie Beckwith VP and client team lead for its Dell Americas account. In the new position, she will report to Scott Cone, SVP and GM of Merkle's client leadership group, and lead a team of 15 to 20 marketers.
 

MCH Strategic Data buys Wilson Marketing Group

Marketing database company MCH Strategic Data has acquired early childhood marketing firm Wilson Marketing Group.
 

Accent Marketing Services to double its workforce

MDC Partners subsidiary Accent Marketing Services will add an additional 2,000 workers within the next two years. The move is part of the new jobs4america initiative, which is a coalition designed to generate American contact center jobs.
 

KBM Group names VP of data and analytics

Shawn Sweeney has been named VP of data and analytics at KBM Group, a new position. The post is effective August 11. Sweeney will report directly to Andy Rutberg, chief data officer and president of global services at Wunderman subsidiary KBM Group.
 

IHG launches an integrated shopping rewards program

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) launched an integrated shopping rewards program, Priority Club Shopping, on August 3 that will enable IHG Priority Club members to earn loyalty points for shopping with more than 600 retailers, said Mark Shepherd, director of partnership programs at IHG.
 

Marketing & Technology Group selects MeritDirect for list management

Marketing & Technology Group, a Chicago-based b-to-b media company, has appointed direct marketing company MeritDirect as list manager of each of its four magazine titles. Marketing & Technology Group titles Hotels, Plate, Meatingplace and Carnetec reach more than 123,000 readers combined each year.
 

Infogroup names Das SVP of database technology

Infogroup has named Purandar Das chief architect and SVP of database technology, a newly-created position, Direct Marketing News has learned. Das will be responsible for developing and implementing Infogroup's database innovation strategy.
 

Acxiom names Howe CEO; revenue up

Marketing services company Acxiom Corp. named Scott Howe CEO and president on July 27, prior to its fiscal first quarter 2012 earnings call. The Little Rock, Ark.-based company reported a 6.9% year-over-year revenue increase to $288.9 million in the period.
 

American Airlines launches sweepstakes to promote luxury service

American Airlines has launched the "Five Star Vacation" sweepstakes campaign, which it will promote through email, on AA.com and in print media. The sweepstakes is supporting the airline's Five Star Service, which assigns a personal airport assistant to members.
 

Infogroup hires execs to bolster client data services

Infogroup has hired Christian Ward as SVP and head of data strategy, analytics and capabilities. The Omaha, Neb.-based company has also named Dana Hayman VP of marketing strategy and insights.
 

B-to-c email list prices plummet 49% since 2006

Permission-based b-to-c email list prices have decreased 49% to $89 per thousand files since summer 2006, according to the Worldata's five-year trend report and list-price index.
 

American Express launches Facebook deals, rewards applications

American Express has launched two Facebook applications that allow cardholders to redeem digital deals and rewards, said Dave Wolf, VP of global marketing capabilities at the financial services company.
 

Alterian turns to Davies to lead company

Marketing technology services provider Alterian has hired Heath Davies as CEO and Phil Cartmell as non-executive chairman. Both will begin work at the UK-based company September 5. Davies will replace David Eldridge, who resigned in April when the company warned investors that revenue would fall 10% below market expectations for the fiscal year ending March 31.
 

CVS promotes digital rewards with social campaign

CVS Caremark launched a digital campaign to support the ExtraCare Rewards loyalty program on July 8. The effort, which encourages consumers to cash in loyalty points, includes a CVS/pharmacy Facebook page with interactive content and loyalty program information.
 

MRM Americas combined with McCann Salt Lake City

McCann Worldgroup subsidiary MRM Worldwide has combined its Americas operation with McCann Erickson Salt Lake City (McCann SLC). The move will result in a single operating unit with more than 1,200 North American employees across disciplines including digital, creative, marketing and CRM.
 

Infogroup sells research unit to private equity firm

Database company Infogroup sold its research branch, Opinion Research Company International (ORC), to Chicago-based private equity firm Lake Capital Management. Infogroup president and CEO Clare Hart said July 7 that the sale will allow Infogroup to concentrate on consumer data, list management and brokerage, multichannel marketing and sales enablement.
 

Infogroup begins round of layoffs, more cutbacks possible

Database services company Infogroup began a round of layoffs today across functions and across US offices, Infogroup CEO Clare Hart told Direct Marketing News on June 30.
 

Tasti D-Lite selects Engage121 as its social CRM platform provider

Frozen dessert company Tasti D-Lite has selected Engage121 as its social CRM platform provider as the company expands globally.
 

Epsilon beefs up email security 92 days after data breach

Marketing services firm Epsilon has added new security enhancements to its email marketing platform in collaboration with Verizon Business, Epsilon president and CEO Bryan Kennedy told Direct Marketing News on June 28. The new features include enhanced protection for Epsilon's information technology (IT) infrastructure and the ability to track malicious IP addresses.
 

MarketShare adds Beyer to boost analytics

MarketShare has hired Dirk Beyer as SVP of analytics and modeling, with a focus on creating commercial opportunities for the marketing analytics company and improving its capabilities.
 

JoS. A. Bank increases catalog sales using database segmentation: DMA All For One

JoS. A. Bank Clothiers generated a 19.5% increase in catalog response and 16.7% growth in catalog sales by using its customer database to better segment offers, said John Lewis, strategic services director of database marketing at the retailer on June 21.
 

Citizens Financial Group uses branch interactions for data: Forrester Customer Experience Forum

Citizens Financial Group uses its in-branch customer experiences to bolster its database marketing, said Nick Primola, SVP and director of direct marketing at the financial company, on June 21 at Forrester Research's Customer Experience Forum 2011.
 

MeritDirect renames list division to emphasize range of services

MeritDirect will rebrand its list management and interactive services division as the "data and media services" unit, the company said June 17.
 

Marketfish hires Fowler as privacy chief

List marketing and lead generation firm Marketfish has named David Fowler chief privacy officer, the company said this week. His primary responsibility is defining and overseeing Marketfish's privacy policies.
 

Citigroup targeted in latest customer data breach

Citigroup said June 9 that it recently discovered an unauthorized person hacked the files of about 1% of its Citi North America bank card accounts.
 

Credit card-brand alliances to help marketers target offers

Credit card companies are becoming integrated partners in the marketing process, helping brands deliver targeted offers to consumers by using their customer databases.
 

Hearst, DMA launch second analytics challenge

Michael Corso

Hearst Magazines and the Direct Marketing Association will launch the second annual "Hearst Challenge" on June 1. The media company will give a $25,000 prize to the entrant who can best build a model to predict whether a consumer will open or click through an email promotion.
 

Mardevdm2 repositioning highlights new capabilities

Mardevdm2 is conducting a b-to-b campaign to promote its transition from a traditional list services company to a service provider offering a wider range of services. The firm, a subsidiary of Reed Business Information, enlisted the help of Branddeli, a UK-based ad agency, to emphasize the services the company had added in recent months.
 

Visa launches travel-themed integrated campaign

Visa has launched an integrated marketing campaign to promote its products to travel enthusiasts during the peak summer travel season. The effort includes a sweepstakes, digital and social media components, TV ads and a Facebook application. The financial company worked with TBWA\Chiat\Day on the TV and social media elements and AKQA on digital. OMD is managing media strategy and planning.
 

ReachForce adds lead marketer, two other execs to management team

ReachForce, a b-to-b data services company, has added Aprimo's former CMO to its executive team, and has hired leaders of product and partner development. Michael Emerson will join the Austin, Texas-based company as VP of marketing, effective immediately.
 

Consumer word-of-mouth activity down since start of recession: Colloquy

Michael Corso

Consumers have cut back significantly on sharing opinions about companies, as well as their products and services, since the beginning of the "Great Recession," according to research from Colloquy. Fifty-eight percent of consumers said they have discussions with family members, friends and colleagues about the brands they use, down from 73% in 2008, according to the loyalty marketing consultancy.
 

WPP Digital buys minority stake in nPario

WPP Digital has bought a $5 million strategic minority stake in technology services provider nPario, the companies said May 17. The investment will help both companies develop services to help marketers improve audience insight and digital campaigns. NPario will integrate WPP's online and offline data into its platform.
 

MasterCard campaign highlights World Elite benefits

MasterCard Worldwide launched an integrated marketing campaign May 16 to promote new features of its World Elite card. The direct mail, email and print effort highlights new Elite benefits, such as a global concierge service, price assure for travelers and exclusive golf packages. The financial services company worked with McCann-Erickson on the initiative's print elements and R/GA on the campaign's online elements and microsite.
 

Disney subsidiary Playdom agrees to $3M FTC children's online privacy settlement

Playdom, a Disney Enterprises subsidiary, has agreed to pay $3 million to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that it violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The alleged violations included illegally collecting and disclosing personal information from more than 1.2 million children under age 13 without parental consent, the FTC said this week.
 

Acxiom revenue up in fiscal Q4; company reports loss

Marketing services provider Acxiom reported 3.6% growth in revenue to $298.8 million in its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter, which ended March 31. However, the Little Rock, Ark.-based company also saw a loss from operations of $53 million in the quarter.
 

Infogroup consolidates subsidiaries, launches client experience group

Infogroup has consolidated five of its data and marketing services brands into a single sales organization, CEO Clare Hart told Direct Marketing News on May 9. The new unit comprises former Infogroup subsidiaries Direct Media Millard, Donnelley Marketing, Edith Roman & Associates, Walter Karl and Yesmail.
 

Sony database breach exceeds 100 million customers

An ongoing Sony Corporation investigation into the April database breach of Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) systems revealed hackers may have accessed the personal information of an additional 24.6 million customers, the company said in a statement May 3.
 

Marriott and JetBlue launch joint loyalty program initiative

Marriott International and JetBlue Airways launched a joint loyalty program initiative on May 2 that will allow JetBlue TrueBlue members to earn points for staying at any Marriott hotel.
 

Brands turn to loyalty efforts as recovery remains sluggish

Major consumer brands are premiering new loyalty programs or overhauling aging membership initiatives to meet consumer expectations, satisfy corporate pressure for ROI, and solidify their customer bases during still-challenging economic times.
 

Class action suit claims Acxiom, former execs withheld adverse information

Law firm Izard Nobel filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Acxiom Corp. common stock holders this week, claiming Acxiom officers and directors violated federal securities laws by failing to disclose facts about the company's struggling financial performance.
 

Infogroup to fold companies under one brand

Infogroup will reposition its various companies as product lines or services under the Infogroup brand beginning July 1, Clare Hart, the company's CEO, told Direct Marketing News. As a result, well known direct marketing brands, such as Direct Media Millard and Edith Roman Associates, will no longer be used.
 

The Children's Place database hacked; email addresses exposed

Retail store chain The Children's Place is notifying customers that an unauthorized third party accessed its email address database. The company said in a statement that no personal information, other than email addresses, was obtained, and that the data was stored with an external email service provider.
 

Slow recovery doesn't hurt analytics growth: Gartner

Technology service providers earned $1.65 billion in revenue from analytics applications last year, a 17.7% increase compared with 2009, according to a Gartner report. Analytics revenue will increase 10.5% in the next five years, according to the research firm.
 

B-to-c email list prices drop, other lists steady: Worldata

The average cost per thousand (CPM) of business aggregated email databases decreased $20 since the start of the first quarter, according to Worldata's List Price Index for spring 2011. The average cost of permission-based b-to-c email lists dropped 13.3% this spring to $93/M compared with the same period of 2010, representing the largest percentage drop.
 

American Airlines, British Airways promote loyalty contest through social media

American Airlines and British Airways began promoting the "Miles Millionaire" loyalty contest on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on April 12 to acquire new program members. The contest, developed by OgilvyOne, is targeting existing American Airlines AAdvantage and British Airways Executive Club members, as well as prospective members.
 

Ford targets black women in Focus campaign

Ford Motor Co. launched a national campaign promoting the 2012 Ford Focus to black women on April 11. The "Inner Child" effort campaign features digital, TV and radio components and collects consumer data for remarketing. The campaign was created by The UniWorld Group, Ford's African-American advertising AOR since 1986.
 

Dunkin' Donuts takes loyalty program nationwide

Dunkin' Donuts unveiled its first national customer loyalty program, "DD Perks Rewards," on April 5. The initiative allows members to redeem unlimited rewards for purchases made with a Dunkin' Donuts Card. Dunkin' Donuts will also ask customers who register for the loyalty program to opt in to its database to receive future email and SMS marketing messages about new offers, products and store openings.
 

Kana Software acquires social listening company Overtone

Kana Software, a service experience management technology provider, acquired Overtone, a maker of social media and customer listening platforms, on April 5. The deal will allow Kana clients to understand and analyze customer sentiment, emerging issues and trends across social networks.
 

Merkle's CognitiveData acquires Lenser

Merkle subsidiary CognitiveData has acquired consulting and strategy firm Lenser, Craig Dempster, EVP and CMO at Merkle, said April 4. The deal will allow CognitiveData to expand its data quality, list processing and marketing database services.
 

Carlson relaunches loyalty program

Carlson, a hospitality and travel company, relaunched its hotel loyalty program on March 31. The revamped program will feature free in-room Wi-Fi, no blackout dates, rollover nights and complimentary room upgrades, among other benefits. Intercontinental Hotels Group also said this week that it will relaunch parts of its loyalty platform in the next three months.
 

Salesforce.com to acquire Radian6

Salesforce.com has agreed to acquire social media monitoring platform provider Radian6 for $276 million in cash and $50 million in stock, the company said March 30. Radian6's technology will allow Salesforce.com to monitor, analyze and track conversations for its clients across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and online communities.
 

TGI Friday's revamps 'Give Me More Stripes' rewards

TGI Friday's relaunched its "Give Me More Stripes" loyalty program on March 29. The revamped program allows consumers to create accounts via text message and on interactive touch screens at restaurants, in addition to already-established online electronic forms and in-store paper applications.
 

Merkle buys search marketing firm Impaqt

Merkle, a customer relationship marketing agency, has acquired search marketing firm Impaqt. The acquisition, completed March 25, will allow Merkle to incorporate Impaqt's search marketing capabilities into its database and digital offerings.
 

Groupon president steps down

Rob Solomon, president and COO of Groupon, will step down from his position at the Chicago-based coupon site after about one year at the company, said Julie Mossler, PR and consumer marketing manager at Groupon. He will remain in his position while the company searches for a replacement.
 

Virgin America launches loyalty program for SMBs

Virgin America airline launched a corporate rewards program for small- and medium-sized businesses on March 15. The program, Elevate Inc., is designed to reward companies that spend a minimum of $20,000 per year on travel with the airline.
 

Southwest Airlines launches sweepstakes to promote revamped rewards program

Southwest Airlines launched a sweepstakes on March 15 to promote its Rapid Rewards loyalty program. The company will give away 10 million rewards points to existing and new members through the sweepstakes. One hundred members will each win 100,000 "Rapid Rewards Points." Non-members can sign up for the loyalty program to become eligible to win.
 

Burleigh named Cloud9 CEO

Cloud9 Analytics, an on-demand sales forecasting and pipeline management services company, has named Jim Burleigh CEO, the company said March 15. He replaced Swayne Hill, who will become SVP of global field operations and report directly to Burleigh.
 

Teradata acquires Aster Data Systems for $263M

Teradata, an enterprise analytics and warehousing company, agreed to acquire Aster Data Systems, an analytics and data management firm, for $263 million on March 3. The acquisition will enable Teradata clients to store, manage and analyze data found on formats such as Web applications, sensor networks, social networks, video and photographs.
 

Salesforce.com CEO says databases should be cloud-based, allow for social interactions

Databases and CRM platforms must harness the same social interactions that consumers have on Facebook and Twitter, said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com, in his keynote address at the company's March 3 Cloudforce 2011 event.
 

The Henry Ford taps Sigma for database marketing

The Henry Ford, a Dearborn, MI-based historical destination, has hired digital and database firm Sigma Marketing Group after an RFP process that included nine firms, the companies said February 28. Sigma is the nonprofit's first database marketing firm.
 

Salesforce.com CEO predicts $2B year after Q4, full-year revenue growth

Salesforce.com reported $1.7 billion in revenue for its 2011 fiscal year, a 27% increase compared with fiscal 2010. Marc Benioff, CEO of the San Francisco-based CRM company, predicted on a February 25 earnings call that Salesforce.com will be "the first enterprise cloud-computing company to generate more than $2 billion in revenue by the end of this year."
 

Constant Contact acquires Bantam Live for $15M

Constant Contact, an e-mail marketing software provider, acquired social CRM company Bantam Live for $15 million on February 15. The deal will allow Constant Contact to integrate a social CRM platform in its e-mail services to develop a unified repository of customer data across all channels, including clicks, e-mail opens, survey responses, event participation and social media interactions.
 

Omnicom Q4 specialty marketing revenue up 17%; CRM increases 6%

Omnicom Group's fourth-quarter specialty marketing services revenue increased 17.2% year-over-year to $331.3 million. For full-year 2010, the holding company generated $1.2 billion in revenue from specialty marketing, a 9.2% increase compared with the year before. The company's revenue from CRM grew 6.5% in 2010 to $4.5 billion, compared with the previous year. Omnicom's Q4 2010 CRM revenue grew 6.2%, compared with the fourth quarter of 2009, to $1.3 billion.
 

HP acquires analytics provider Vertica

HP has agreed to acquire Vertica, an analytics platform provider, the companies said February 14. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of HP's 2011 fiscal year, which will end April 30. An HP spokesperson told Direct Marketing News that "it's too soon to tell if Vertica will retain its brand" and added that "employee decisions will be made at the conclusion of the acquisition process."
 

Harte-Hanks Q4 direct marketing revenue up 14%

Harte-Hanks' fourth-quarter 2010 direct marketing revenue increased 14.2% compared with the same period of 2009, the services provider said February 1 in an earnings report. Overall Q4 revenue at the San Antonio, TX-based company increased 8.5% year-over-year to $239.9 million. Fourth-quarter net income increased 15.7% year-over-year to $15.6 million, while Q4 operating income increased 26.6% compared with 2009's Q4 to $25.1 million.
 

Monster adds 'Do Not Track' setting to personal preferences

Job website Monster.com added a setting on its Career Ad Network January 28 that allows consumers to control behavioral ad targeting. It is the latest example of a company relinquishing some control over online tracking by allowing consumers to determine their own preferences.
 

Acxiom fiscal Q3 revenue up 5.4%

Acxiom, a marketing services and technology provider, reported a 5.4% year-over-year revenue increase to $299.1 million in its fiscal third quarter of 2011, which ended December 31, 2010. Acxiom said January 26 that it earned $861.2 million in revenue in the first nine months of its 2011 fiscal year, a 6.2% increase compared with the previous year.
 

Adobe buys data management company Demdex

Technology company Adobe Systems acquired data management platform provider Demdex on January 18. Adobe will incorporate the company into the Adobe Online Marketing Suite and discontinue the Demdex brand.