Internet customer relationship firm WiredEmpire said it will acquire and then merge with Pegasus Internet Inc., a marketing consulting and technology development company.
Both companies are subsidiaries of Marketing Services Group Inc. (MSGI). Financial arrangements were not disclosed.
WiredEmpire said it will leverage Pegasus Internet’s content delivery technology to add a new product, ContentAgent, to its suite of integrated Internet-based customer care and marketing solutions.
In addition, the merger broadens WiredEmpire’s range of Internet marketing consulting services to include online marketing strategies,
e-mail marketing techniques, and dynamic Web content delivery and management.
ContentAgent enables Web sites to serve custom content to visitors based on their interests and preferences. Content could take the form of banner ads, Web links, Web pages, etc.
By utilizing the company’s e-CustomerDatabase, ContentAgent will follow pre-defined business rules to determine which content is best suited to each individual Web site visitor. ContentAgent will be offered as a component of WiredEmpire’s e-Marketing Suite that currently includes CampaignAgent and ProfileAgent.
In addition to its e-Marketing Suite, WiredEmpire also provides an Internet-based customer service e-Care Suite that includes an e-mail response management solution (ReplyAgent) and a self-service automated response FAQ solution (AskMeAgent).
“The technological and strategic synergies between Pegasus Internet and
WiredEmpire are compelling, and this acquisition creates a sophistication of
e-marketing capabilities unique in the marketplace,” said Robert Bourne, founder and CEO of Pegasus Internet.
Last October WiredEmpire acquired Cambridge Intelligence Agency Inc., a provider of the ReplyAgent and AskMeAgent solutions.
Major stockholders in Marketing Services Group Inc. include GE Capital (an 18 percent stake) and CMGI Inc. (a 10 percent stake).
The company’s core technology was developed by CMG Direct Corp., the original CMGI company, and stresses opt-in participation to ensure privacy. WiredEmpire’s current clients include Levi Strauss, Grainger, Boston.com, SmartAge, Magnitude Network, CMGi and others.
