NSI Marketing Services Acquires RAZOR
ST. LOUIS and DALLAS (January 24, 2011) – NSI Marketing Services, a leader in diversified channel marketing services, today announced that it has acquired RAZOR, a national marketing strategy and customer engagement agency with a focus on utilizing data and customer analytics for sales generating initiatives. The combined company will have an integrated service offering that blends a strong knowledge of strategic customer intelligence and end-to-end execution capabilities that’s unmatched within the industry, the firms said. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.
“NSI and RAZOR have strengths and specializations that are complementary, and together we are even better positioned to offer clients a platform of services that doesn’t currently exist in our industry,” said Mark Mantovani, NSI’s president and chief executive officer, who will lead the integrated company as president and CEO.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to marry NSI’s experience in managing outsourced marketing programs and developing interactive sales and marketing tools with RAZOR’s expertise in optimizing customer engagement in digital and traditional media,” Mantovani added. “We believe this will further enhance the firm’s ability to help clients drive overall profitability and ROI for their marketing programs.”
NSI’s clients are a broad array of top global and national brands including Honda/Acura, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Cisco, Benjamin Moore, and The North Face.
In addition to its St. Louis headquarters, NSI has offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit. RAZOR’s office is in Dallas. The combined company will be one of the ten largest privately-held marketing agencies in the United States with more than 475 employees and annual revenues in excess of $70 million.
According to Mantovani, RAZOR’s successful track record for helping clients drive customer transactions is unprecedented – and one of many areas where NSI and RAZOR expect to be able to better serve clients with enhanced resources and expertise. “No company is doing a better job than RAZOR at helping global brands use marketing data to develop strategic insights and drive business with customers,” he said. “The firm has had outstanding growth in a short period, attracting – and positively impacting – an enviable roster of clients.”
RAZOR’s clients include Rent-a-Center, Domino’s Pizza, Wendy’s, Purina, Zipcar and The Cheesecake Factory.
“The integration of NSI and RAZOR can help our clients engage with consumers in new, innovative ways,” said Tom Cole, former president of RAZOR who will remain with the company as an executive vice president. “Both companies have a history of focusing on developing results-driven, measurable marketing campaigns, and together we’ll be a force to reckon with – particularly as we continue to address digital and mobile marketing opportunities. Our goal is to build upon our successes to create exciting opportunities for the company, our clients, and our employees.”
Key management who will be part of the integrated company’s executive committee include: Gary Weller, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Tom Cole, executive vice president and chief development officer; Dave Kirwan, executive vice president, Dallas operations; Tom Millweard, executive vice president and chief of agency services; Andy Arnold, executive vice president of business development; and Michael Harrison, executive vice president and chief strategy officer.
Frontenac Company, a Chicago-based private equity firm, which has a controlling interest in NSI, served as the company’s financial partner. Ad Media, an independent merger and acquisition advisory firm in New York, represented RAZOR in the transaction.
About Ansira Marketing Services
Founded in 1919, NSI (www.NSIMarketingServices.com) is a leading provider of diversified channel marketing services including marketing administration activity, automation, marketing communication, event marketing and creative services. Its programs support global brands and Fortune 500 companies by ensuring effective marketing activities at the local level and supporting consistent, brand-enhancing activation on the part of their retailers, dealers, wholesalers, resellers and other associated entities. Read a letter from Mark Mantovani, NSI's president and CEO.
About Razor
RAZOR is a seven-year-old marketing agency that leverages customer intelligence to help marketers make better decisions and generate better results in an increasingly complex selling environment. RAZOR optimizes customer engagement across all digital and traditional media to increase customer profitability and improves spending effectiveness to increase ROI. The company represents brands such as Nestlé Purina, Domino's Pizza, Rent-a-Center, Dave & Buster's, The Cheesecake Factory, Baskin-Robbins and Wendy’s. For more information, visit www.razordriven.com.
Contacts:
Alex Stanton, Stanton Public Relations & Marketing
AStanton@StantonPRM.com, (212) 780-0701
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