Polk ADC Group, a manager of compiled lists, has added 2 million names to its Outdoor Database of state registration files with the acquisition of five files from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The 1.12 million-name fishing license holders, the 612,000-name hunter license holders, 653,000-name boat registrations, 416,000-name park visitors and 51,000-name Conservation Passport lists had been managed by the state since last February.
Texas took the files back from the Kleid Co. when the list firm filed for bankruptcy. The state conducted a bidding process for a new list manager that pared down an initial list of 20 firms to three finalists, which also included Stevens-Knox, New York and Chilcutt Direct Marketing, Oklahoma City.
“It was in the best interests of state and the use of our resources to outsource management since it is not our primary business,” said TPW manager of planning Jim Martino.
The win is important for Polk ADC, Stamford, CT, which maintains an Outdoor Database of 26 million names from 35 states. Texas ranks second in the nation in fishing licenses, third in marine-related sales, fifth in boat registrations and also is a top-ranked hunting state.
“Texas is the most significant overall state for outdoor lifestyles in the country,” said Polk ADC president John Kallassy.
Polk ADC has signed a two-year contract worth $121,500 per year to TPW with automatic renewals for three one-year terms, which brings the total worth of the deal to more than $600,000. Martino said the state was looking for a fixed price rather than a percentage of sales and was impressed by Polk's work with the outdoor files of other states.
List compiler American Data Consultants was acquired by Polk two years ago. ADC provides Polk with a focus in the outdoor lifestyle area while Polk technology greatly enhances the responsiveness of compiled lists. The Outdoor Database can be overlaid with more than 200 lifestyle enhancements and RFM data for modeling.
“The challenge is to make compiled work like response, that's what we can bring that Texas and Kleid could not,” Kallassy said. “Our main advantage is more sophisticated data mining at a national level.”
Kallassy said affinity credit card issuers focused on special interest groups are a major user of outdoor lists and that the addition of Texas will add a new set of prospects.
