M&A firm advises digital and direct agency in its sale to the nation’s leading data-driven, analytics and CRM firm
NEW YORK – M&A advisory firm AdMedia Partners, Inc. is pleased to announce that it acted as the exclusive financial advisor to New Control, a full-service digital and direct agency, in its acquisition by Merkle, a leading technology enabled, data-driven customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm and the nation’s largest privately-held agency.
“The team’s rigorous creative process comprises a set of guiding principles that are proven to drive results. We are excited about the synergies that will result from this union, beginning with our shared clients and supporting the expansion of our digital agency capabilities in years to come.”
The acquisition supports Merkle’s strategy for aggressive growth in its digital agency group. In addition, the acquisition reinforces Merkle’s industry-focused approach to serving world-class brands, adding deep expertise and penetration in many of the markets served by Merkle, most notably financial services and insurance.
Merkle selected New Control due to its singular focus on driving results through a proprietary campaign development methodology that generates industry-leading response and conversion rates. The 18-year-old agency’s capabilities and digital expertise align closely with those of Merkle. Its strategic consulting, multi-channel creative development, media planning and buying, digital production, and data analysis skills will help Merkle further scale its own integrated addressable agency capabilities. Another commonality is an emphasis on building long-standing relationships with the top-tier brands that New Control brings to the table, such as Chase, Canadian Tire, Fifth Third Bank, WellPoint, PNC Bank and Visa.
New York-based mergers & acquisitions firm, AdMedia Partners (www.admediapartners.com), acted as exclusive financial advisor to New Control in the transaction. New Control’s staff of more than 85 employees, located at both its Chicago headquarters and its San Francisco facility, will join Merkle’s digital agency group, which will now have more than 400 employees.
“New Control’s approach to developing creative is rooted in strategy and analytic decisioning, to inform not only the offer, but also visuals and messaging,” said Craig Dempster, EVP and digital agency group leader for Merkle. “The team’s rigorous creative process comprises a set of guiding principles that are proven to drive results. We are excited about the synergies that will result from this union, beginning with our shared clients and supporting the expansion of our digital agency capabilities in years to come.”
New Control president, Dave Braun, commented on the acquisition, “As we sought to join a great company that would help take New Control to the next level, the most important consideration was a focus on creating customer experiences that drive outstanding marketing performance in addressable media. As a proven leader in providing CRM solutions to Fortune 1000 companies, Merkle was the natural choice. Additionally, it was important to us to join a company with similar values and attributes. Merkle’s unique culture is perfectly suited for the New Control way of life, which is a combination of drive and personality.”
About New Control
New Control is a full-service digital and direct marketing agency that has created a proprietary campaign development methodology to deliver industry-leading response and conversion rates. The company offers a powerful combination of strategic consulting, creative development, media planning and buying, print and digital production, and data analysis. Using an integrated, channel-agnostic approach, New Control develops programs that generate profitable returns from existing customers and reduce the cost of customer acquisition. The company offers a wide range of channel expertise including digital, print, point-of-sale, and out-of-home, to drive action while continuing to build brand equity. With more than 85 employees, New Control is headquartered in Chicago with an additional office in San Francisco.
About Merkle
Merkle, a technology enabled, data driven customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm, is the nation’s largest privately-held agency. For more than 25 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. By combining a complete range of marketing, technical, analytical and creative disciplines, Merkle works with clients to design, execute and evaluate connected CRM programs. With more than 2,100 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland with additional offices in Boston; Chicago; Denver; Hagerstown; Little Rock; London; Minneapolis; Montvale, NJ; Nanjing; New York; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; San Francisco and Shanghai. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.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, visit www.admediapartners.com.
