Ad rep firm Phase2Media said e-mail marketing company ClickAction will beef up the back end of its online direct mail business, through a deal announced Monday.
ClickAction E-mail Relationship Management technology will serve as the basis of Phase2Media Direct, which sells e-mail marketing products and list services. The unit has been handling campaigns quietly for some time, but spokespeople from Phase2Media said the ClickAction’s technology will help Direct come into its own.
“We chose to partner with ClickAction because they were able to deliver a top-notch e-marketing service that best fits the marketing needs of Phase2Media and our clients,” said Phase2Media chairman and chief executive Richy Glassberg. “We have confidence that ClickAction will be able to extend the marketing reach of our clients’ customers because they have built a strong product and established numerous partnerships with several well-known technology companies.”
ClickAction allows clients to distribute, target and track opt-in e-mail marketing messages. In addition to several recent client wins, Monday’s announcement indicates that the company is continuing its trend of striking partnerships with ad agencies and online marketing services firms to broaden its reach.
Recently, the company signed agreements to handle e-mail marketing campaigns on behalf of the interactive units of Grey Worldwide and Lowe Lintas, as well as CMGion ad server AdForce.
“This is truly a win-win partnership for both Phase2Media and ClickAction,” said Joe Cortale, executive vice president of worldwide sales for Palo Alto-based ClickAction. “By providing our best-in-class E-mail Relationship Management service and the back-end technical infrastructure, Phase2Media can enable its clients to both monetize their subscriber base and experience the incredible ROI made possible with permission-based e-mail marketing.”
The deal could also mean ClickAction will be delivering e-mail on behalf of some high-profile firms. New York City-based Phase2Media recently began repping FOX’s Internet properties to ad agencies, and the company’s client roster also includes Sothebys.com, Prodigy Communications and the online versions of publisher Hachette Filipacci’s magazines — such as Car and Driver, Elle and George.