M&A firm advises global social media advertising technology company on its sale to Gannett, an international media and marketing company
NEW YORK – M&A firm AdMedia Partners today announced that it acted as exclusive financial advisor to BLiNQ Media LLC, a leading social engagement advertising media and technology company, in its acquisition by Gannett Co., Inc., an international media and marketing solutions company.
Founded in 2008, BLiNQ has managed social media marketing campaigns for more than 600 of the world’s largest advertisers. As the leading innovator in social engagement advertising, BLiNQ delivers rapid, scalable results through a blend of technology, experience and proprietary processes. The company, with headquarters in New York and offices worldwide, has become widely successful as one of only a few companies providing a technology dedicated to managing ads that engage consumers and build brands on Facebook.
Gannett owns a network of broadcast, digital, mobile and publishing properties including USA Today. The BLiNQ acquisition significantly enhances Gannett’s social marketing and analytics capabilities, and allows Gannett to offer in-house technology and expertise on social media ads to its local and national advertisers.
Gannett announced the acquisition of BLiNQ yesterday. Since 2008, BLiNQ has managed social media marketing campaigns for more than 600 of the world’s largest advertisers.
“With demand for social media marketing solutions continuing to grow at a rapid pace, this acquisition is part of our ongoing transformation at Gannett and positions us to be a leader in both local and global social media marketing. BLiNQ will enhance Gannett Digital Marketing Services’ ability to deliver a one-stop shop for all marketing needs, including social marketing,” said Gracia Martore, president and CEO at Gannett.
“BLiNQ has the ability to deliver innovative and differentiated social media marketing solutions, especially at the local level, which is great news for businesses in our 100+ local communities, as well as for national brands that want to reach audiences in those communities.”
BLiNQ will continue to operate its core business as part of Gannett’s portfolio of brands, providing technology and media solutions for social advertising and engagement to agencies and brands. As part of Gannett’s Digital Marketing Services organization, BLiNQ will help develop innovative social marketing solutions for businesses that want to reach local consumers. Gannett Digital Marketing Services will fully leverage BLiNQ’s BAM 2.0 technology platform, which facilitates social media campaign planning, set-up, management, optimization and insights. BLiNQ will have a strong focus on delivering robust solutions for local social engagement at scale, including working closely with ShopLocal to help shape best practices and results in reaching, engaging and building loyalty with retail consumers via social media. Dave Williams, BLiNQ’s CEO, will report to Vikram Sharma, president and CEO at Gannett Digital Marketing Services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
BLiNQ has had a longstanding and strong relationship with Facebook and enjoys priority access to the Facebook platform. BLiNQ was one of the first companies to gain access to the Facebook Ads API, which allows developers to create tools and services that create, buy, and manage Facebook ad campaigns. BLiNQ also is one of a small handful of companies worldwide with two Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) badges (“Ads” and “Insights”), and one of a small number of PMDs offering premium media on Facebook. PMD Badges are awarded to developers that have demonstrated value-added capabilities that help marketers scale and achieve efficiency, and extend beyond the functionality of Facebook’s native tools. BLiNQ will continue to drive innovation across current, new and emerging social platforms, including the rapidly emerging mobile social advertising space and its industry-leading LiFT (Likes, Interests, & Fan Targets™) planning tool.
BLiNQ’s headquarters will remain at TechSpace in New York City and its technology, finance and marketing groups will remain based in Atlanta. BLiNQ’s sales and support offices will continue in London, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
About Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is an international media and marketing solutions company that informs and engages more than 100 million people every month through its powerful network of broadcast, digital, mobile and publishing properties. Our portfolio of trusted brands offers marketers unmatched local-to-national reach and customizable, innovative marketing solutions across any platform. Gannett is committed to connecting people – and the companies who want to reach them – with their interests and communities. For more information, visit www.gannett.com.
About AdMedia Partners:
Founded in 1990, AdMedia is a leading M&A advisory firm serving the marketing services, advertising, marketing technology, media and information sectors. AdMedia has completed over 180 transactions for clients valued in excess of $8 billion since 1999. For more information about AdMedia Partners, please visit www.admediapartners.com.
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