COLUMBIA, Md.—Merkle (www.merkleinc.com), the nation’s largest and fastest growing independent customer relationship marketing agency, announced the acquisition of loyalty marketing firm Metzner Schneider Associates, an established consultancy with vast expertise working with Fortune 500 companies. With the acquisition, Merkle adds significant depth and experience in loyalty marketing to its rapidly expanding strategic consulting organization. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“We have worked with many notable clients over the years, and we look forward to applying new, ground-breaking strategies to Merkle’s integrated customer marketing programs.”
Metzner Schneider Associates principals and founders Richard Metzner and Howard Schneider, who started the firm in 2002, will lead Merkle’s newly formed loyalty practice group that will focus on the development and execution of strategic customer loyalty programs for industry-leading clients. In addition, Merkle is bringing several members of the Metzner Schneider Associates senior management team onboard, including Margy Bloom, Kate Hogenson, Sarah Marsh, Dorothy Rosen and Laura Siegfried. All are seasoned marketing professionals, with the founders having worked in customer relationship management since the advent of modern loyalty programs in the early 1980’s.
“The addition of Metzner Schneider Associates to Merkle is a great opportunity for both companies and the clients we serve,” said Howard Schneider. “When we started Metzner Schneider Associates eight years ago, our goal was to develop innovative loyalty programs and engage customers beyond many of the traditional approaches seen today.”
Metzner Schneider Associates has a long and respected track record of working with many of the nation’s top brands to create pioneering loyalty and customer engagement programs. Its experience spans industries that include travel and tourism, entertainment and hospitality, business-to-business, retail and mail order, financial services, technology and many others. Clients of Metzner Schneider Associates have included Sears Holding Corporation, Marriott International, Hewlett Packard, Virgin America, Continental Airlines, Warner Bros. Studios and Scholastic Publishing.
“The acquisition broadens Merkle’s capabilities, while also enabling the Metzner Schneider team to focus on executing loyalty programs that leverage our established strengths and reputation,” said Richard Metzner. “We have worked with many notable clients over the years, and we look forward to applying new, ground-breaking strategies to Merkle’s integrated customer marketing programs.”
Merkle Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Chris Crayner said, “As Merkle continues its evolution into a customer relationship marketing agency, we are building our strategic capabilities and adding deep subject-matter expertise in key areas of critical importance to our clients and prospects. Loyalty strategy and program development is a major focus area for our clients, and we are extremely pleased to add Metzner Schneider to the Merkle family.”
About Merkle
Merkle is the nation’s largest and fastest growing independent customer relationship marketing agency. For more than 20 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. By combining a complete range of marketing, technical, analytical and creative disciplines, Merkle works with clients to design, execute and evaluate Integrated Customer Marketing™ programs. With more than 1,000 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered near Baltimore in Columbia, Maryland with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Little Rock, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Hagerstown, Md. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.
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