Welcome to the realm of marketing and digital solutions providers —
• Agencies who provide advertising and creative services for digital media.
Welcome to the realm of marketing and digital solutions providers —
• Agencies who provide advertising and creative services for digital media.
• Firms that understand how marketing channels work independently and together.
• Aggregators who mine databases and combine information to help companies launch and brand products.
• Firms who make analytical tools that enable marketers to optimize their programs.
• Plus hundreds, even thousands of other companies who do any or all of these in various permutations.
This realm has grown into a major industry that attracts considerable interest from middle-market private equity investors.
It’s a unique sector inasmuch as its key assets are not buildings or other hard assets but rather scalable Intellectual Property, proprietary technologies, skillful know how of how to navigate the complex digital landscape, and how to work with large, global brands.
And it’s an exceptionally active sector. According to investment bankers Petsky Prunier, 2010 experienced a significant rebound with over 1,000 transactions totaling $51.3 billion. And the first quarter of 2011 alone has hit record activity with over 650 transactions totaling $25.3 billion.
Significant private equity transactions included Rockbridge Growth Equity’s investment in One on One Marketing, Silver Lake Partners’ buyout of Interactive Data Corp., Apax Partners’ buyout of Advantage Sales & Marketing, and Thomas H. Lee Partners’ acquisition of in Ventiv Health.
You’ll get an up close and personal look at this in-demand sector when you attend The Capital Roundtable’s brand-NEW full day conference Thursday, June 23, in New York —
Private Equity Investing
In Marketing & Digital Services Companies
Finding the Golden Nuggets
In Today’s Data-Driven World
In addition, there are very real savings of $400 you can claim by signing up now for this conference. Our generous Early Bird Discount applies on all seats when you make your reservation by May 13, 2011!
The opportunities are expanding in the marketing and digital services category as the dollars spent on traditional media — TV, radio, print, outdoor — migrate to digital. But so are the various segments within the digital services pie, and success in this industry demands a real understanding of which areas are growing and which are not.
Central to this is a company’s embrace of what can be called Web 3.0 — an emerging trend that is now where social media was just two or three years ago.
Historically, two camps have dominated the digital space. First, there are those companies who develop content-rich sites and applications supported by advertiser revenue and/or paid subscriptions. One example is WebMD, which has eclipsed hospital and medical society-operated sites to become the nation’s leading health information portal.
By contrast, there are major retailers and small entrepreneurs alike who make their money on transactions — everything from Amazon’s books to Zappo’s shoes (not coincidentally, now owned by Amazon). While these companies excel at product breadth and depth, the same seldom applies to their content.
The Web 3.0 model suggests that private equity firms who make investments that marry complimentary content and transaction platforms will be tomorrow’s leaders — so for example, consider the potential of a nutraceutical destination combining stellar product assortment with virtual prescribing, peer-reviewed research, social media components, and more.
And with the tremendous consolidation taking place in the sector, extending existing platforms and building greater scale is very doable. The companies most able to make their mark are those who understand convergent marketing — finding the right balance of online and offline from a brand perspective.
Those who can develop proprietary intellectual property, making their company highly differentiated, are particularly enhanced with high valuations.
To examine the intricacies of this sector in full detail, we’re delighted to have as our conference chair Marc Byron, founder and chairman at Trivergance LLC, a Fort Lee, New Jersey, private equity firm that focuses on acquiring and investing in middle-market industrial companies with exceptional growth potential.
Marc has a proven track record of starting, building, and selling successful, large service businesses. He has over 20 years of strategic and tactical experience in brand extensions, data aggregation, direct marketing, packaging and promotion, telecommunications and many other consumer-focused marketing services businesses.
Currently, he is chairman of marketing services firm Tranzact, and an advisor to Apollo Management, Halyard Capital, and Sonostar Capital on marketing and media related transactions. Before founding Trivergance LLC, Marc served as CEO for Mosaic Group, founder of Paradigm Direct, and president of telemarketing firm National Market Share He is a graduate of Emory University.
Marc is being accompanied by four panel discussions featuring 20 knowledgeable private equity experts in marketing and digital services, including GPs, LPs, portfolio company operating executives, investment bankers, lenders, consultants, and more.
They’ll share their real-world perspectives, lessons learned, and industry outlooks, including insights on recent deal activity and managing current portfolio companies.
Open Communication from 20 Marketing & Digital Experts.
While this sector has no shortage of opportunities, you can’t just jump in. Not all companies will succeed, and knowing the potential pitfalls is sound advice. That’s why this conference brings you a 360º view of the industry, so you can proceed with confidence and separate the true potential from the pie-in-the-sky.
You’ll hear why regulation is an ever-present concern, and what you can do to stay above the privacy fray. The same targeting and behavioral analysis that offline marketers have done for years carries new cautions in the digital world, and we’ll discuss the issues you need to know.
In addition, we’ll cover the status of ongoing legislation regarding state sales taxes. Internet gambling. Pharmaceutical sales, and more.
You’ll also hear how to put your best foot forward with lenders — we’ll cover whose doors are open and how to get inside.
Register now to get the latest answers, guidance and solutions for digital success, such as —
• What are the best areas of opportunity for new investors in 2011-2012?
• What makes marketing and digital services firms so attractive with so many intangible skill-based assets?
• How are marketing and digital services firms coping with planned and proposed regulations?
• Are today’s high company valuations realistic or cautionary?
• What is the viability for marketing services investors of building a company and selling it to one of the four global holding companies?
• How is consolidation affecting marketing and digital services companies, and which segments are most suited to scale upwards?
• Why can lenders be reluctant to participate in marketing and digital services deals?
• What strategies are in favor today for managing marketing and professional services portfolio companies and preparing for exits?
• What have been some of the most representative middle-market deals in the sector?
• And much, much more.
Exchange Ideas, Make Connections, and Swap Leads.
Throughout the day, you’ll enjoy excellent networking opportunities with both fellow attendees and featured speakers. We provide dedicated session breaks plus an open lunch that will help you grow your database of marketing and digital services contacts.
You should attend this conference if you are a —
• GP or LP looking to invest in marketing and digital services companies.
• New private equity firm considering investing in marketing and digital services companies.
• Hedge fund manager or venture capitalist interested in this specialized space.
• Partner or operating executive of a marketing and digital services portfolio company.
• Lender seeking participation in marketing and digital services transactions.
• Investment banker pursuing deals with marketing and digital services companies.
• Attorney or advisor representing marketing and digital services companies.
• Executive search professional recruiting for the private equity industry.
Remember, register with our Early Bird Discount by May 13, 2011, and you’ll save $400 off our standard fee! Seats are available right now, but not for long, so please make your reservation now so you’re not disappointed. We’ll be looking forward to greeting you.
For more information, please feel free to contact Shaina Mardinly at 212-832-7333 ext. 0 or [email protected].
This conference is being produced by The Capital Roundtable, America’s leading conference organization focusing on “need-to-know” information for professionals in the middle-market private equity community. For more information about The Capital Roundtable’s 30 annual MasterClasses and other events and programs, please visitwww.capitalroundtable.com.
The Capital Roundtable thanks Lowenstein Sandler PC for sponsoring this outstanding event. It’s due in great part to their collaboration and support that we have the resources to make this event so worthwhile for you.
