Acxiom
Encyclopedia
Acxiom is a global interactive marketing services company that uses consumer data, analytics, information technology
, data aggregation
, data integration, and consulting solutions to help companies conduct direct marketing
programs. Acxiom’s interactive capabilities allow marketers to have direct interaction and response with consumers, and these services include direct-mail, e-mail, mobile advertising, display advertising, social media, and Web-site personalization.
It has been described as "one of the biggest companies you've never heard of." In addition to collecting detailed information about people, the company helps marketers anticipate the future needs of consumers, according to the documentary "The Persuaders." As the world's largest processor of consumer data, Acxiom has identified 70 types of consumers with its segmentation product PersonicX.
Forrester Research
, the technology research company, considers Acxiom “a technology powerhouse” with deep industry expertise across a multitude of industries. Acxiom has traditionally been known for helping many of the world's largest financial services companies conduct direct marketing campaigns, but now more than 75 percent of its revenue is derived from non-financial services clients. Today, Acxiom is a $1.38 billion-a-year company, representing more than 12 percent of the direct-marketing-services sector’s $11 billion in estimated annual sales.
The corporation has been listed several times by Computerworld
and Fortune
as one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States.
, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
The company has additional U.S. offices in Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Foster City, California
; and Nashville, Tennessee
. International offices are located in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Australia, China and Brazil. Services are also available to companies in scores of other countries.
In early 2004, Acxiom acquired part of Claritas, a major European data provider.
In 2005, Acxiom acquired Digital Impact and integrated its digital and online services into its business.
In early 2006, EMC Corporation
acquired Acxiom’s information grid software in a $30 million deal.
On May 16, 2007, Acxiom agreed to be bought by leading investment firms Silver Lake Partners
and ValueAct Capital in an all-cash deal valued at $3 billion, including the assumption of about $756 million of debt.
However on October 1, 2007, a press release announced that the takeover agreement was to be terminated and Charles Morgan would retire as Acxiom’s Company Leader upon the selection of a successor.
On January 17, 2008, Acxiom named John Meyer (from Alcatel-Lucent
) as new CEO and President, effective February 4, 2008.
On July 11, 2008, Acxiom acquired ChoicePoint
's database marketing solutions division, adding seven clients from industries including banking, insurance, and media.
On October 9, 2008, Acxiom announced it had entered into a long-term exclusive contract with XSellNethttp://www.xsellnet.com to deliver and manage the distribution of real-time customer data and analytics to the retail auto dealer industry throughout the United States. The collaboration is co-branded as X12 powered by Acxiom.
In 2010, Acxiom acquired part of GoDigital, a Brazilian direct marketing and data quality company.
On March 30, 2011, Acxiom named Jerry Gramaglia as interim CEO.
filed a complaint before the Federal Trade Commission
against Acxiom and JetBlue Airways
, alleging the companies provided consumer information to Torch Concepts, a company hired by the United States Army
"to determine how information from public and private records might be analyzed to help defend military bases from attack by terrorists and other adversaries."
According to the complaint, Acxiom's activities constituted unfair and deceptive trade practices, as "Acxiom has publicly represented its belief that individuals should have notice about how information about them is used and have choices about that dissemination, and has stated that it does not permit clients to make non-public information available to individuals," and Acxiom proceeded to sell information to Torch Concepts without obtaining consent, an ability to opt-out, or furnishing notice to the affected consumers.
The FTC took no action against Acxiom, which had responded that it had followed its privacy principles and was not deceptive in its business practices. "Torch Concepts was acting under contract to the Department of Defense in their efforts to research ways to improve military base security," a company spokesman said. "Our policy clearly states that we 'provide information products which include financial information, Social Security number
and other related information where permitted by law,' and that this information is 'provided to government agencies for the purposes of verifying information, employment screening and assisting law enforcement.'"
Acxiom also has a history of making it difficult for consumers to remove themselves from Acxiom's marketing lists.
In 2005 Acxiom was a nominee for the Big Brother Awards
for Worst Corporate Invader for a tradition of data brokering.
was not breached, and no databases were accessed by the hackers. Prosecutors described the 2006 case against the hacker accused of stealing the data as the "largest ever invasion and theft of personal data" ever tried. The stolen data only came to light during an investigation of a separate data theft incident.
Based on their investigation, prosecutors said there was no risk of identity theft or harm to individuals based on the breaches. They also praised Acxiom for being aggressive in pursuing the hackers and cooperating with authorities. "The positive outcome of this investigation is testament to the strong partnerships we have established with our counterparts at the headquarters and field offices of various organizations, from the FBI and Department of Justice to the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorneys' Office in Little Rock," said K.C. Crowley, Special Agent in Charge of Secret Service's Little Rock Field Office. "Furthermore, I commend Acxiom Corporation for their cooperation and responsible approach to the situation. Acxiom's quick response in contacting federal investigators after determining there had been a network intrusion should serve as a model for others in similar circumstances." The two primary hackers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, data aggregation
Data aggregator
A data aggregator is an organization such as Acxiom and ChoicePoint involved in compiling information from detailed databases on individuals and selling that information to others.-Description:...
, data integration, and consulting solutions to help companies conduct direct marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
programs. Acxiom’s interactive capabilities allow marketers to have direct interaction and response with consumers, and these services include direct-mail, e-mail, mobile advertising, display advertising, social media, and Web-site personalization.
It has been described as "one of the biggest companies you've never heard of." In addition to collecting detailed information about people, the company helps marketers anticipate the future needs of consumers, according to the documentary "The Persuaders." As the world's largest processor of consumer data, Acxiom has identified 70 types of consumers with its segmentation product PersonicX.
Forrester Research
Forrester Research
Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides its clients with advice about technology's impact on business and consumers. Forrester Research has five research centers in the US: Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York, New York; San Francisco, California;...
, the technology research company, considers Acxiom “a technology powerhouse” with deep industry expertise across a multitude of industries. Acxiom has traditionally been known for helping many of the world's largest financial services companies conduct direct marketing campaigns, but now more than 75 percent of its revenue is derived from non-financial services clients. Today, Acxiom is a $1.38 billion-a-year company, representing more than 12 percent of the direct-marketing-services sector’s $11 billion in estimated annual sales.
The corporation has been listed several times by Computerworld
Computerworld
Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...
and Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
as one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States.
History
Founded as Demographics in 1969 by Charles D. Ward in Conway, ArkansasConway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
.
The company has additional U.S. offices in Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Foster City, California
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
; and Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. International offices are located in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Australia, China and Brazil. Services are also available to companies in scores of other countries.
In early 2004, Acxiom acquired part of Claritas, a major European data provider.
In 2005, Acxiom acquired Digital Impact and integrated its digital and online services into its business.
In early 2006, EMC Corporation
EMC Corporation
EMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...
acquired Acxiom’s information grid software in a $30 million deal.
On May 16, 2007, Acxiom agreed to be bought by leading investment firms Silver Lake Partners
Silver Lake Partners
Silver Lake is a US-based private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in technology, technology-enabled and related industries...
and ValueAct Capital in an all-cash deal valued at $3 billion, including the assumption of about $756 million of debt.
However on October 1, 2007, a press release announced that the takeover agreement was to be terminated and Charles Morgan would retire as Acxiom’s Company Leader upon the selection of a successor.
On January 17, 2008, Acxiom named John Meyer (from Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a global telecommunications corporation, headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It provides telecommunications solutions to service providers, enterprises, and governments around the world, enabling these customers to deliver voice, data, and video services...
) as new CEO and President, effective February 4, 2008.
On July 11, 2008, Acxiom acquired ChoicePoint
ChoicePoint
ChoicePoint was a data aggregation company based in Alpharetta, near Atlanta, Georgia, United States, that acted as a private intelligence service to government and industry...
's database marketing solutions division, adding seven clients from industries including banking, insurance, and media.
On October 9, 2008, Acxiom announced it had entered into a long-term exclusive contract with XSellNethttp://www.xsellnet.com to deliver and manage the distribution of real-time customer data and analytics to the retail auto dealer industry throughout the United States. The collaboration is co-branded as X12 powered by Acxiom.
In 2010, Acxiom acquired part of GoDigital, a Brazilian direct marketing and data quality company.
On March 30, 2011, Acxiom named Jerry Gramaglia as interim CEO.
Controversy
In 2003, the Electronic Privacy Information CenterElectronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research group in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values in the information age...
filed a complaint before the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
against Acxiom and JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
, alleging the companies provided consumer information to Torch Concepts, a company hired by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
"to determine how information from public and private records might be analyzed to help defend military bases from attack by terrorists and other adversaries."
According to the complaint, Acxiom's activities constituted unfair and deceptive trade practices, as "Acxiom has publicly represented its belief that individuals should have notice about how information about them is used and have choices about that dissemination, and has stated that it does not permit clients to make non-public information available to individuals," and Acxiom proceeded to sell information to Torch Concepts without obtaining consent, an ability to opt-out, or furnishing notice to the affected consumers.
The FTC took no action against Acxiom, which had responded that it had followed its privacy principles and was not deceptive in its business practices. "Torch Concepts was acting under contract to the Department of Defense in their efforts to research ways to improve military base security," a company spokesman said. "Our policy clearly states that we 'provide information products which include financial information, Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
and other related information where permitted by law,' and that this information is 'provided to government agencies for the purposes of verifying information, employment screening and assisting law enforcement.'"
Acxiom also has a history of making it difficult for consumers to remove themselves from Acxiom's marketing lists.
In 2005 Acxiom was a nominee for the Big Brother Awards
Big Brother Awards
The Big Brother Awards recognize "the government and private sector organizations ... which have done the most to threaten personal privacy".They are named after the George Orwell character Big Brother from the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.-Countries:...
for Worst Corporate Invader for a tradition of data brokering.
Security breaches
In 2003, over 1.6 billion customer records were stolen during the transmission of information to and from Acxiom's clients; the information included names, addresses, and email addresses. Acxiom's firewallFirewall (computing)
A firewall is a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny network transmissions based upon a set of rules and is frequently used to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass....
was not breached, and no databases were accessed by the hackers. Prosecutors described the 2006 case against the hacker accused of stealing the data as the "largest ever invasion and theft of personal data" ever tried. The stolen data only came to light during an investigation of a separate data theft incident.
Based on their investigation, prosecutors said there was no risk of identity theft or harm to individuals based on the breaches. They also praised Acxiom for being aggressive in pursuing the hackers and cooperating with authorities. "The positive outcome of this investigation is testament to the strong partnerships we have established with our counterparts at the headquarters and field offices of various organizations, from the FBI and Department of Justice to the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorneys' Office in Little Rock," said K.C. Crowley, Special Agent in Charge of Secret Service's Little Rock Field Office. "Furthermore, I commend Acxiom Corporation for their cooperation and responsible approach to the situation. Acxiom's quick response in contacting federal investigators after determining there had been a network intrusion should serve as a model for others in similar circumstances." The two primary hackers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.