The acquisition of marketing database solutions provider ClarityBlue by information solutions company Experian will allow it to obtain consumer information in more high-tech fashions and to get databases up and running in less time, says Rick Erwin, Experian’s senior vice president, product development.
Erwin expects the company to be able to churn out databases for its clients within 60-90 days, which he says is quicker than the industry standard and will result in quicker return on investment for clients.
“Combined, we will be able to create some cutting-edge business services for our clients,” Erwin says. “Our clients tell us they are excited because ClarityBlue’s existing offerings allow us to bring them specific individual offerings.”
In addition to traditional ways of retrieving data, Erwin says ClarityBlue, which is headquartered in Auburndale, MA, and Luton, U.K., is advanced in established European technologies that are just emerging here in the U.S., such as SMS (short message service, a type of text messaging) and video messaging.
“This is the next significant step in growing our database business, and we expect to make a steady flow of investments in product enhancements and leadership in the coming months,” Erwin says.
ClarityBlue will be merged into Experian’s marketing services group in the U.S., but will retain the ClarityBlue name in the U.K. because of the brand equity it has built there. Experian purchased ClarityBlue on Jan. 26 for $150 million with a performance-related earn-out of up to $27 million during three years.