Experian Acquires CheetahMail
Experian Marketing Services has acquired CheetahMail Inc., an e-mail marketing services firm. Financial details of the transaction, which closed March 2, were not released.
CheetahMail, now CheetahMail Inc., an Experian Company, will remain based in New York, and its 80 employees will stay with the firm. Irene Pedraza will continue to serve as chief executive officer, and will report to Experian Marketing Services president Deborah Zuccarini.
The acquisitions brings CheetahMail’s e-mail delivery, analysis, campaign management, operational e-mail services (such as receipts and shipping confirmations), and database hosting capabilities to Experian, as well as providing the internal e-mail technology platform for the Costa Mesa, CA information firm.
The acquisition also gives Experian access to CheetahMail’s e-mail service client base, which includes strong presences in the retail, catalog and financial arenas. Current clients include Neiman Marcus, Starbucks, Discovery Channel and Bloomingdales. CheetahMail clients will now have direct access to Experian’s consumer data files for overlay purposes.
The acquisition means that Experian will phase out its Denver-based e-marketing operations by late summer, Zuccarini said. Some of the 70 employees there are responsible for Experian’s current e-mail services, and they will either be transitioned to other duties or let go.
