George Wiedemann, founder of Grey Direct, and Kenneth Lomasney, founder of Market Knowledge Inc., joined forces to form Wiedemann & Lomasney, a marketing services holding company.
According to both founders, W&L aims to create a customer-centric marketing services firm over the next 10 years.
“We are a true holding company, building our acquisitions on go-to-market brands and focusing on companies that are go-to-market brands,” Mr. Wiedemann, chairman/CEO of W&L, said.
The acquisition strategy focuses on the long term, with plans to join complementary service companies into a unified, new model enterprise. Immediate plans are to announce the first investment before the end of June.
“The task is to re-approach marketing communications organized around focus on customers and prospects and how they want to interact with brands,” Mr. Wiedemann said.
He also said today’s challenge is to merge metrics with the creative engagement in a way that drives accountable revenues.
“After a collective half-century of leadership experience in direct, digital and database marketing, we’ve decided that the time has come to offer 21st century marketing services,” Mr Lomasney said in a statement.
Mr. Weidemann said that he and Mr. Lomasney want to acquire small companies that don’t have a lot of legacy in the 20th century, “so they can focus on customer-centricity and develop in this new model, which is required for success in the 21st century.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t see the need,” he said.
