Emergence Inc., a branding consultancy with a direct marketing agency arm, has acquired Loyalty Rules Inc., an Asheville, NC, loyalty marketing firm.
The acquisition is Emergence's second this year after the Richmond, VA, firm in January bought Cadmus Creative Marketing, Atlanta, for an undisclosed sum. Terms of the Loyalty Rules deal were not disclosed.
“It helps me to have a broader range of services that I can offer, and the same thing for Emergence,” said Dennis L. Duffy, managing partner of Loyalty Rules and author of the recently self-published book, “Loyalty Unplugged.”
The acquired firm will be renamed Emergence Loyalty Rules. This arrangement mimics the Cadmus Creative deal. After its purchase, the 65-person, $8 million billings agency was renamed Emergence Creative Labs.
Duffy retains his managing partner title at Emergence Loyalty Rules as well as the Asheville base. His new title within the parent company is executive vice president.
Loyalty Rules recently completed work for clients like Domino's Pizza, Eat'n'Park Hospitality, Southern State Cooperative and Sao Paolo, Brazil-based direct marketing agency Fabrica. Emergence's client base includes Bloomingdale's, Russell Athletic, Nordstrom, Hill-Rom, Sesame Workshop and Cadmus Communications Corp.
