Q Interactive, a performance-based advertising network, announced on July 7 it acquired Postmaster Direct, a double opt-in permission-based e-mail marketing company, from Authentic Response, a market research and lead generation company spun off by Return Path in October 2008. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Q indicated the deal gives it high quality publishers and advertisers to add to its e-mail advertising network and extends its reach into the b-to-b market. There are a total of 11 million names in Postmaster Direct’s double opt-in database, and it currently has 100 advertising partners and 70 publishers.
“There is a lot of concentration in the b-to-b space with great advertisers like Microsoft,” said Matt Wise, president of Q Interactive. “On top of expanding our b-to-c footprint, it will open doors in the b-to-b environment as well.
Wise said Q Interactive has been building an e-mail network for the past few years, and this deal moves the company closer to that goal. “We want to create the largest, branded e-mail-based advertising network,” he said. “Postmaster Direct owns a patent and a strong reputation. It will accelerate our growth in that segment.”
