Ascentium Sells CRM Unit to Focus on Creative Technology, New Strategies for Crafting Client-Consumer Connections

SEATTLE, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascentium, The Experience Agency™, today announced a formal agreement to sell its U.S. Microsoft Dynamics CRM business to Avanade Inc. Terms of the transaction are undisclosed.

Ascentium CEO and Co-founder Curt Doolittle said the sale reflects the firm's growing focus on using emerging technologies to develop new creative strategies for clients and build powerful and lasting relationships between clients and consumers.

"For several years, digital firms have evolved in ways that place them in competition with traditional agencies," said Doolittle. "Ascentium's evolution is extraordinary. Our history reflects a singular expertise in innovative uses of digital technology. We combine this experience with new creative ideas and are increasingly in a position to provide creative leadership by developing meaningful, dramatic experiences for clients and consumers."

Doolittle believes misunderstandings of marketing industry changes have hampered the progress of many modern agencies.

"Too many firms have been mired in a debate over the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional and digital agency models," said Doolittle. "This is the wrong debate. The agency of the future will apply appropriate technologies across multiple channels to create integrated, cross-media experiences that unite both the physical and virtual worlds."

As The Experience Agency™, Ascentium combines strategic brand ideas, consumer intelligence, and creative and emerging technologies to deliver interactive products and breakthrough experiences that inspire consumers. The benefit to Ascentium's clients is connected, interactive and responsive brands that build deeper and more loyal relationships.

Ascentium has evolved from implementing pure technological solutions to a mix of strategy, technology, creative, and experience design that enables clients to maximize their relationships with their customers.

"This divestiture allows us to focus our investments on the creative application of technology to build better consumer experiences and let the multinational consulting firms deliver services for IT," said Doolittle.

Ascentium President and Co-founder Steven Salta said the firm will continue its commitment to being a thought leader in both technology and user experience.

"Our core strength has always been execution," said Salta. "The Forrester Wave™ awarded Ascentium the highest client satisfaction score of any agency, and we believe the key reason is that we generate great ideas and deliver on our promises. This is a differentiator in the agency industry today and one that we believe positions Ascentium to realize its vision of setting a new standard for the agency model."

"The agency landscape is dynamic and ever-changing, and Ascentium is committed to leading the way," said Salta. "We will continue to expand the breadth of our offerings and adjust our model with the needs of our clients, the marketplace and consumers, while retaining our focus on technology, strategic partnership with our clients, and flawless execution and delivery of innovative marketing solutions."

Ascentium expects the sales of its US CRM business to be completed within 90 days, subject to closing conditions.

About Ascentium:

Ascentium, The Experience Agency™, delivers unmatched user experiences and innovative business solutions by fusing strategic account planning, cutting-edge use of emerging technologies, and world class creative ideas to create multichannel connections between consumers, brands, and businesses. With offices in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and London, Ascentium provides transformative ideas and results for some of the world's top brands. In 2009, Ascentium was singled out by Forrester Research as the agency with the "highest client satisfaction" on the Forrester Wave™ of Top Interactive Agencies.

SOURCE Ascentium