BlueFocus International, the international subsidiary of Chinese powerhouse BlueFocus Communications Group, is merging with the performance-marketing business of advertising technology and analytics company Cogint.
The deal includes a number of public relations and digital marketing firms acquired by BlueFocus in recent years, including Canadian-based marketing communications company Vision7 International and its Citizen Relations public relations arm, and UK-based We Are Social, which has offices around the world.
Those business will combine with Cogint’s data-driven performance marketing platform business Fluent creating a company with combined revenue in excess of $400 million. BlueFocus—which is also contributing $100 million in cash—will own 63% of the combined company; Cogint shareholders will own the remaining 37%.
According to this morning’s announcement, issued by BlueFocus International president and CEO Holly Zheng (pictured) and Fluent co-founder and CEO Ryan Schulke, “the combination provides Fluent with an immediate international presence with access to the world’s leading brands, and delivers differentiated, end-to-end solutions consisting of Fluent’s unique customer acquisition and retention capabilities and BlueFocus’s premier agency and creative services.”
Says Zheng, “In today’s world our clients require more transparency, accuracy and clear-measured ROI when carrying out marketing. Fluent is exceptionally positioned with a proven track record. Its performance-based approach and digital-driven capability will continuously generate insights in demand by CMOs and business leaders.”
Before the deal closes, Cogint will spin-off its data and analytics operations and assets into a public company, expected to be listed on NASDAQ under the name Red Violet. BlueFocus Communications Group, the company’s domestic vehicle, is not a party to the transaction and its listing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange will be unaffected.
