Dentsu Aegis Network, owner of Merkle and its Merkle Loyalty Solutions division, announced that it has acquired Detroit, Michigan-based HelloWorld, a digital marketing solutions provider focused on promotion and loyalty solutions. The business will be rebranded “HelloWorld, a Merkle Company.”
By Rick Ferguson
With 370 people and a proprietary technology platform, this acquisition will further scale Merkle’s people-based marketing disciplines, including loyalty solutions, performance media, customer relationship marketing, customer experience, and enterprise technology services.
Founded in 1999, HelloWorld has developed a differentiated practice that links response-driven consumer promotion with loyalty strategies and program execution. The company operates at the intersection of data, technology, and marketing strategy, enabling marketers to more effectively engage consumers and drive desirable emotional and behavioral response. HelloWorld creates promotional and gamified campaigns to spark interest, loyalty programs to retain and reward, insights-driven communications to continue the brand-consumer conversation, and analytics to optimize marketing execution. Long-standing clients include Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft. HelloWorld has offices in Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Money quote from Merkle Loyalty Solutions EVP Michael Hemsey:
“The acquisition of HelloWorld increases our collective scale in providing loyalty strategy, technology, and engagement services that support the life cycle of our clients’ programs, across industries. Bringing together two recent Forrester Loyalty Wave strong performers makes us one of the most significant and strategic players in our industry. We will continue to expand our global client roster, working with brands that leverage the sophistication of our people-based loyalty marketing and technology solutions.”
And from HelloWorld CEO Peter DeNunzio, who will retain his position after the acquisition:
“HelloWorld and Merkle share the vision to help our clients transform their marketing through insight-driven personalized experiences. Leveraging the growth we have seen in recent years and joining forces with Merkle creates a true industry leader in people-based marketing solutions. Adding HelloWorld’s expertise in promotion and loyalty to Merkle’s comprehensive suite of solutions, our combined organization offers clients world-class capability, from acquisition to retention to ultimate loyalty in the brand-consumer ecosystem.”
Rick Ferguson is Editor in Chief of the Wise Marketer Group and a Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional (CLMP).
