Advertising firm Bluestreak, which began as a rich media player and recently
expanded into ad serving technology, is stretching yet again, acquiring
Plano, Texas-based e-mail marketing company e2 Communications.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
The deal furthers Newport, R.I. -based Bluestreak’s efforts to shed the
“rich media company” label and become a full-service online advertising
technology firm in the mold of industry leader DoubleClick. With the
acquisition, Bluestreak moves beyond customer acquisition technology —
media and ad serving — and gets into customer retention.
“E-mail marketing adds an important new capability that complements our
corporate mission perfectly,” said Peter Corrao, president and chief
executive officer of Bluestreak.
Founded in 1997, e2 Communications’ strengths lie in its technology
products, the crown jewel of which is its e2Mail Center, an ASP product that
allows marketers to craft e-mail campaign strategy, create messages, and
track results.
Bluestreak’s products are also offered as ASPs, so the acquisition is
consistent with the company’s history and philosophy. The companies plan to
immediately offer the e-mail product to existing Bluestreak clients, but
intend to integrate their technologies into Bluestreak’s ION Marketing
Platform.
The addition marks the expansion of Bluestreak’s suite of products and
cements the idea that the company aims to be a full-service, rather than a
niche player. The company began with do-it-yourself rich media banner ad
technology, then began focusing on its ad serving, reporting, and
optimization capabilities — efforts helped along by the acquisition of
Engage AdKnowledge in September 2001. With this latest deal, Bluestreak
declares its intention to make its mark in the e-mail space as well.
Thus far, Bluestreak has positioned itself as a boutique player next to
industry leader DoubleClick. While the online ad giant has an advantage
because of its strength and size, Bluestreak has not been unsuccessful in
its efforts, having recently landed ad agency Carat Interactive as an ad
serving client. Carat is using Bluestreak’s technology in the U.S., U.K.,
and in France.
E2, for its part, brings to the table 400 clients, and offices in the Dallas
area and in the United Kingdom. Among its clients are Adobe, Anheuser Busch,
AT&T Wireless, JCPenney, and Starbucks.