Experian Announces the Acquisition of Virid Interatividade Digital Ltda, Brazil's Largest Email Marketing Provider

NEW YORK, July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian, the global information services company, announces that it has acquired Virid Interatividade Digital Ltda ("Virid"), a leading permission-based email marketing company in Brazil.

Founded in 1996, Virid is Brazil's largest email marketing service provider, offering email delivery, email based behavioural segmentation, real-time campaign reporting, mobile delivery and social media integration. The company has over 800 direct and 3,000 indirect clients including retailers, advertising agencies and news organisations.

The acquisition is a further step in Experian's strategy to expand its targeted digital marketing activities globally. It extends the geographic reach of Experian's email marketing business into the key market of Brazil, where Virid will become part of Experian's Marketing Services business in Latin America.  Experian is the largest permission-based email marketer globally, providing services in all of the top 10 advertising markets in the world, including the US, the UK, Germany, France, China and now Brazil.

"This acquisition underlines Experian's commitment to providing domestic and international brands in Brazil with innovative digital marketing services. Following the successful launch of Experian Hitwise, our digital marketing intelligence service, the addition of Virid to our portfolio offers organisations the very best in email marketing to help them achieve a high return on investment from their marketing spend," said Juliano Marcilio, president of Experian Marketing Services, Latin America.

"As the largest global technology services provider focusing on the integration of email, social media, mobile and display marketing, we're excited to expand our capabilities and service philosophy to the Brazilian market, and to our international clients who have customers in Brazil," said Matt Seeley, group president, Experian Marketing Services North America. "Email marketing has the highest ROI of any other digital marketing channel and acquiring Virid ensures this trend will continue in Latin America."  

Walter Sabini Jr., founder and CEO, Virid, said: "We are excited at the prospect of being part of Experian and benefiting from the company's global scale, resources and data expertise.  This acquisition means that our existing clients will now also benefit from access to Experian's comprehensive marketing services portfolio."

For the year ending 31 December 2010, revenue for Virid was R$9m (c.US$5m). Gross assets as at 31 December 2010 were R$2m (c.US$1m).  Virid was acquired from its founding shareholder and management. The acquisition has been funded from Experian's existing cash resources.

About Experian Marketing Services
Experian Marketing Services delivers best-in-breed data, analytics and platforms into multiple regions around the globe. It is focused on helping marketers more effectively target and engage their best customers through email, digital advertising, customer data management, customer and competitive insight, data enrichment and list rental, modeling and analytics, and strategic consulting. Through these capabilities, Experian Marketing Services enables organizations to encourage brand advocacy, create measurable return on investment and significantly improve the lifetime value of their customers.

About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 65 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2009, was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:
Jennifer Marshall
Experian Public Relations
1 224 698 8798
[email protected]

SOURCE Experian