MDC Forms Performance Marketing Services Group To Capitalize On The Growing Need To Drive Return On Marketing Investment

NEW YORK, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDC Partners Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Communifx, a data analytics and database marketing firm that specializes in engagement marketing and optimization solutions. In addition, MDC announced today, a new reporting structure to better represent the strategic focus of the company. Under this new structure, all of MDC's partner firms will fall under either the Strategic Marketing Services Group, which will include all of their integrated advertising agencies and strategic consulting services businesses, or, the newly formed Performance Marketing Services Group. The Performance Marketing Services Group will include all MDC firms that use data analytics, provide consumer insights, or one-to-one consumer engagements to satisfy the growing need for targetable, measurable solutions and cost effective means of driving increasing return on marketing investment and growth for clients. MDC will align its financial reporting with the two operating segments immediately, the presentation of which will be with the release of fourth quarter 2009 results.

The formation of the Performance Marketing Services Group is an integral part of MDC's ongoing strategy to develop world class data analytics, database marketing and data mining capabilities that are essential to improving the addressability and measurability of marketing investments in the world of digital, social and multi-channel media.

The acquisition of Communifx is expected to be a very important strategic addition to MDC Partners Performance Marketing Services Group. Communifx specializes in the development and delivery of consumer engagement marketing solutions, and is unique in its approach to underpinning interactive and social marketing platforms with database and analytics technology, thereby informing each customer engagement with insights that ultimately deliver greater value for the brand and the consumer. The firm offers a comprehensive range of services from consumer engagement strategy development, to database management and analytics, concept design and implementation, to production and execution of data-driven marketing ideas and initiatives. Communifx's services will be integrated with the offerings of MDC's existing firms to provide a broader scope of solutions to the marketplace.

"Communifx provides scalable technology, tools and expertise to improve return on marketing investment for our clients and for MDC partner firms," said Chris McDonald, President of MDC's Consumer Insights Group. "Google trained us all to pay-for-performance, real results. We must be able to demonstrate growth for our clients' brands, and how to continually optimize performance on an ongoing basis."

"We are thrilled to announce our agreement to add Communifx to the MDC Partners network as part of our objective to operate as a marketing investment management firm," said Miles Nadal, Chairman and CEO, MDC Partners. "We are competing in a world where the analytical left-brain must fully inform the creativity, and big ideas born of the right brain in order to deliver to our clients a superior return on marketing investment. The acquisition of Communifx, and the reorganization of our operating segments properly align our structure to optimize the implementation of our strategy and the corresponding results. The marketing services firm that is able to consistently demonstrate increases in return on marketing investment for clients will significantly increase its market share. We plan to dramatically increase our resources in this important group by organic growth and acquisition over the next 5 years."

About MDC Partners, Inc.

MDC Partners is a progressive Marketing and Communications Network, championing the most innovative entrepreneurial talent. MDC Partners provides strategic and performance marketing solutions and services to multinational clients in North America, Europe and Latin America. Our philosophy emphasizes the utilization of Strategy, Creativity and Consumer Insights to drive growth and increasing the return on marketing investment for our clients. "MDC Partners is The Place Where Great Talent Lives." The company's Class A shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDZ.A".

SOURCE MDC Partners Inc.

Back to top