Publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media US maximizes marketing power of customer data with smartFOCUS and Equifax

U.S. arm of largest magazine publisher in the world chooses hosted smartFOCUS software to increase marketing intelligence

BRISTOL, United Kingdom & BOSTON – smartFOCUS (LSE:STF), a global provider of powerful multi-channel marketing software, has announced that Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.), the U.S. subsidiary of the largest global magazine publisher, has selected smartFOCUS’ Intelligent Marketing solution to improve and manage its direct marketing and list rental. Hachette’s marketing solution is hosted by Equifax Inc., a leading provider of marketing database hosting services.

Hachette is a major U.S. magazine publisher with many popular brands, including ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Woman’s Day, Car and Driver, Road & Track and Cycle World.

Working with Equifax’s outsourced direct marketing database team and complemented by the smartFOCUS marketing platform, Hachette is able to more optimally market to its growing database of 23 million subscribers across multiple channels.

smartFOCUS’ Intelligent Marketing solution, which is hosted by Equifax, allows Hachette to leverage analytics to see how its campaigns are performing, and discover new insights from the information it receives. Current clients and prospects can be segmented and targeted for tailored campaign communications which will yield increases in conversion, cross-sell and retention rates across its print and online publications.

Tom Masterson, Hachette’s Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing and Manufacturing, said: “Equifax and smartFOCUS are a winning combination, providing us with a hosted multi-channel solution that gives us superior marketing intelligence, a breadth of analytic capabilities, and new, creative ways of looking at our data. We have a single integrated database and have a strong handle on marketing ROI.”

Chris Underhill, CEO of smartFOCUS, said: “Major publishers are achieving strong returns from our Intelligent Marketing solutions, and the industry is looking to strengthen its control over data and the way it uses it. Hachette chose smartFOCUS, through Equifax’s hosted offering, because of our ability to handle tremendous amounts of customer data smoothly, efficiently and across every communication channel.”

Curt Bloom, President smartFOCUS International said: “Equifax is a very strong partner for smartFOCUS, offering our Intelligent Marketing solutions as a hosted solution alongside their data offerings and consultancy services. It’s a very compelling offering for marketers. We have a number of mutual clients, and to add a company of Hachette’s reputation is further proof of the strength of our joint expertise and offering.”

About smartFOCUS:

A leading international provider of multi-channel marketing software and services, smartFOCUS and its Intelligent Marketing solutions integrate data to deliver the most powerful analysis and customer insight, enabling communication across the entire marketing operation.

More than 700 companies worldwide rely on smartFOCUS to inspire customers, improve results and transform marketing performance. Clients and partners include AAA, ABN AMRO, ASOS, Centre Parcs, EasyJet, EMI, Epson Europe, Equifax, Eurocamp, Harrods, Landal Green Park, Manchester United FC, QVC, Rabobank, RCI-GVN, Société Générale and Sony Europe.

smartFOCUS in news media:

smartFOCUS Astech, a specialist division of smartFOCUS located in Denver, Colo., U.S., provides marketing expertise and Intelligent Marketing solutions that serve more than 200 news media companies internationally. Customers include USA Today, the New York Times Regional Media Group and the Washington Post.

smartFOCUS in e-mail and digital marketing:

smartFOCUS Digital, a specialist division of smartFOCUS, located in London, U.K., provides smartMARKETER eChannel a fully on-demand digital marketing solution that serves each of its customers with e-mail, mobile, social network, landing page, microsites and RSS channel communications.

smartFOCUS is headquartered in Bristol, U.K., with operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.smartFOCUS.com.

About Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) (www.hfmus.com)

Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) serves consumers’ passions and lifestyles through trusted, expert content that entertains and inspires on all media platforms. Illustrated with extraordinary images, these engaging editorial environments combine with highly-targeted demographics and scale to create rich opportunities for our advertisers. Our prestigious brands include: Fashion, Beauty and Design (ELLE, ELLE DECOR, and ELLEgirl); Women & Wellness (Woman’s Day, Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications); Automotive (Car and Driver and Road & Track as part of Jumpstart Automotive Group); Motorcycling (Cycle World) and Entertainment (Premiere). HFM U.S. is part of Lagardère’s (www.lagardere.com) media division Lagardère Active, a producer of special-interest content in more than 40 countries.