Mediaplex Seeks Larger Market, Buys Adware

Advertising technology company
Mediaplex Inc. Monday bought Adware Systems Inc., a provider of media
management applications, from The Interpublic Group.

Under Monday’s agreement, Mediaplex will acquire all outstanding shares of
AdWare in exchange for approximately $27.3 million in cash and stock.
AdWare will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mediaplex.

Mediaplex touts the purchase of Adware as a chance for
the company to offer its agency and advertiser clients a “complete
online-to-offline media-management solution.”

Mediaplex also called the
purchase of Adware, which offers a suite of capabilities ranging from agency
accounting to media buying, a chance to move from being a provider to the
Internet-only advertising arena to one also serving the far larger, total
advertising marketplace.

“In conjunction with AdWare, Mediaplex now has the technology to manage
media intelligently across print, radio, TV, billboards, the Web and
wireless devices,” said Gregory R. Raifman, chairman and chief executive officer of
Mediaplex. “This builds on Mediaplex’s proven ability to integrate corporate
information, such as real-time product pricing or availability data,
directly into a Web or wireless ad campaign,” Raifman said.

As part of the transaction, Mediaplex/AdWare executed a five-year services
agreement under which the McCann-Erickson agency, a subsidiary of The Interpublic Group, will continue as an
AdWare client. At the same time, Mediaplex/AdWare will continue to offer its
services to other agencies and partners throughout the industry.