high-end analytic technology for search engine marketing and optimization.
Dentsu Aegis, a global media and digital marketing company based in London, did not disclose the financial terms of its deal, either. But it has been on a buyout binge since Japan’s Dentsu closed its $4.9 billion purchase of the U.K.’s Aegis Group in early 2013. Dentsu Aegis has made at least 25 acquisitions over the past 20 months or so, according to Advertising Age.
Such acquisitions are consolidating a sector that has seen a proliferation of startups over the past decade. Manion says Ensighten’s competition ranges from goliaths like Adobe and Oracle, which have developed comprehensive digital marketing capabilities, to mid-size rivals like San Diego-based Tealium and Chicago’s Signal, which was previously known as BrightTag until June, a few months after BrightTag acquired its crosstown Chicago rival—the digital-marketing software developer Signal.
In March, Enlighten acquired London-based TagMan, another tag management rival with more than 400 customers, including Virgin America, Travelocity, Marriott, and DirecTV.
Manion, who also happens to rank among the top 60 U.S. chess players, says the abundance of companies providing analytic services in digital marketing has been wreaking chaos among the corporate marketing officers who are responsible for choosing from a bewildering array of online services and technologies.
Ensighten’s customers include such global brands as Microsoft, Capital One, United Airlines, T-Mobile, and Walmart, and with Anametrix’ capabilities, Manion says marketers will be getting richer data and analytics, enabling them to optimize their marketing mix and spending. While Enlighten’s customer base overlaps somewhat with Anametrix’ customers, Manion says the Anametrix buyout was more strategic in nature. He’s focused on adding capabilities that Anametrix has developed to gather data from such non-traditional sources as mobile apps, social media, reference sources like Nielsen, and internal systems. “Anametrix allows us to bring offline capabilities to bear,” Manion says.
Ensighten and Anametrix were already working under a partnership agreement reached a year and a half ago, which Manion says has given Ensighten the opportunity to understand the potential synergies of their merger. As he puts it, “Anametrix gives us new capabilities to visualize data, and apply predictive algorithms and modeling capabilities.”
Ensighten’s customers include such global brands as Microsoft, Capital One, United Airlines, T-Mobile, and Walmart, and with Anametrix’ capabilities, Manion says marketers will be getting richer data and analytics, enabling them to optimize their marketing mix and spending.
