ECircle
Encyclopedia
eCircle is a full service email marketing and digital direct marketing provider headquartered in Munich, Germany.
The company provides software as a service (SaaS)
solutions for email, mobile and social media marketing and offers opt-in email and lead generation media solutions. Buyers of the software and advertising products range from corporate marketing departments over to media and advertising agencies.
invested €60million in eCircle to help them expand their position in Europe and “capitalise on the growth opportunities in the online marketing space”. The company has in excess of 350 employees as of 2011.
Platform eC-social which enables Marketers to plan, implement and evaluate their social media activities from one central platform.
In addition to the email software side of the business, eCircle has a global opt-in email list rental network across a number of product areas. It also generates brand new leads for clients via online lead generation
campaigns and online portals including Bestbuymoney.co.uk, MyTestDrive.co.uk, SpoilMeNow.co.uk, WinGreatPrizes.co.uk and YourHolidayOffers.co.uk.
, a German whitelist programme. In 2007 eCircle forged a relationship with email delivery company Return Path to set up an ISP
relations programme ‘The Sender Score Receiver Alliance’, to optimise delivery security to email addresses in Europe.
, CRM
systems, content management systems, e-commerce platforms
and data warehouses.
Integration partners include: Asknet, Bazaarvoice, Coremetrics
, Hybris
, Intershop
, ComScore
, Omniture
, Prudsys, Salesforce
and WebTrends
.
In 2011, eCircle was accredited the DMA Dataseal which is a recognised standard for information security management systems. The qualification looks at a number of areas within data security including risk assessment, management responsibility, traceability and responsibility of data.
) in conjunction with Adidas
promoting the film ‘Goal’. In 2007 Marketing Magazine in the UK released their annual Digital Agency League Tables and eCircle ranked 7th, moving to 6th place in 2009. eCircle UK was ranked in 5th place in New Media Age
magazine’s Marketing Services Guide in 2007, moving up to 2nd place in 2009 and reached the top of the table at 1st place in 2010. eCircle retained its position as number one Email Agency in NMA’s Marketing Services Guide in 2011. 2009 saw eCircle winning ‘Email Supplier of the Year’ at the Eco Internet Awards 2009 and the ‘Best Use of Email’ Award at the Revolution Awards 2009 alongside Argos
. It was additionally shortlisted for the ‘Best Use of Email’ Award at the NMA Marketing Effectiveness Awards 2009. In 2010 the UK Managing Director Simon Bowker was elected onto the DMA Email Marketing Council which led to his co-writing of The Deliverability Whitepaper and the writing of the DMA Data Analysis and Segmentation Whitepaper. In 2011 eCircle was shortlisted twice in ‘Best Use of Email’ category at the Revolution Awards 2011.
The company provides software as a service (SaaS)
Software as a Service
Software as a service , sometimes referred to as "on-demand software," is a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally and are typically accessed by users using a thin client, normally using a web browser over the Internet.SaaS has become a common...
solutions for email, mobile and social media marketing and offers opt-in email and lead generation media solutions. Buyers of the software and advertising products range from corporate marketing departments over to media and advertising agencies.
History
eCircle was established in 1999 by Volker Wiewer and Thomas Wilke, and entered the markets in the UK, Italy and France in 2000. In 2009, it opened offices in the Netherlands and Spain. In 2010 another office in Poland followed. In 2010 private equity firm TA AssociatesTA Associates
TA Associates, founded in 1968, is one of the oldest private equity firms in the United States. The firm employs a hybrid strategy making growth capital investments in developing companies and acquiring mature companies through leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions...
invested €60million in eCircle to help them expand their position in Europe and “capitalise on the growth opportunities in the online marketing space”. The company has in excess of 350 employees as of 2011.
Products
eCircle's eC-messenger is an email marketing application which offers a range of email marketing features from email broadcasting to complex and automated email campaigns. In 2005 a German email marketing software benchmark study ranked eC-messenger as a ‘high-end solution’. eC-messenger was independently reviewed in 2009 by James Lawson of Database Marketing magazine who said “eC-messenger would make a solid platform for any company’s email marketing work…[eC-messenger] won’t disappoint”. In 2011, eCircle launched its Social MediaSocial media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
Platform eC-social which enables Marketers to plan, implement and evaluate their social media activities from one central platform.
In addition to the email software side of the business, eCircle has a global opt-in email list rental network across a number of product areas. It also generates brand new leads for clients via online lead generation
Online lead generation
Online Lead Generation is a marketing term that refers to the creation or generation of prospective consumer interest or inquiry into a business' products or services online...
campaigns and online portals including Bestbuymoney.co.uk, MyTestDrive.co.uk, SpoilMeNow.co.uk, WinGreatPrizes.co.uk and YourHolidayOffers.co.uk.
Deliverability and ISP Relations
In 2004 eCircle became certified as a reputable mass email sender in the Certified Senders Alliance (CSA)Certified Senders Alliance
The Certified Senders Alliance - initiated by eco and the German Direct Marketing Association - constitutes the central German whitelist since 2005.The CSA whitelist is a positive list for email bulk senders...
, a German whitelist programme. In 2007 eCircle forged a relationship with email delivery company Return Path to set up an ISP
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
relations programme ‘The Sender Score Receiver Alliance’, to optimise delivery security to email addresses in Europe.
Integrations and Partnerships
eCircle’s email marketing technology can be fully integrated with other technologies such as web analyticsWeb analytics
Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage....
, CRM
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
systems, content management systems, e-commerce platforms
Electronic commerce
Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, eCommerce or e-comm, refers to the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. However, the term may refer to more than just buying and selling products online...
and data warehouses.
Integration partners include: Asknet, Bazaarvoice, Coremetrics
IBM WebSphere Commerce
IBM WebSphere Commerce is a software platform framework for e-commerce, including marketing, sales, customer and order processing functionality in a tailorable, integrated package...
, Hybris
Hybris
Hybris may refer to:* Hubris, exaggerated self pride. "Hybris" is an alternative transliteration of the original ancient Greek word ὕβρις.* 430 Hybris, a typical Main belt asteroid* Hybris , the first studio album by Änglagård...
, Intershop
Intershop
Intershop was a chain of government-run retail stores in the German Democratic Republic in which only hard currencies could be used to purchase high-quality goods. The East German mark was not accepted as payment...
, ComScore
ComScore
comScore is a Internet marketing research company providing marketing data and services to many of the Internet's largest businesses. comScore tracks all internet data on its surveyed computers in order to study online behavior....
, Omniture
Omniture
Omniture is an online marketing and web analytics business unit owned by Adobe Systems. The Omniture Business Unit is based in Orem, Utah, with offices worldwide. It serves customers in 75 countries worldwide.- History :...
, Prudsys, Salesforce
Salesforce.com
Salesforce.com is an enterprise cloud computing company headquartered in San Francisco that distributes business software on a subscription basis. Salesforce.com hosts the applications off-site...
and WebTrends
WebTrends
Webtrends is a private company headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States. It provides web analytics and other software solutions related to marketing intelligence...
.
Memberships
eCircle is a member of the adigital, BVDW, Certified Senders Alliance, DDV, DMA, Emma-nl, IAB, IAB Italia, Netcomm, Signal Spam, and SNCD.In 2011, eCircle was accredited the DMA Dataseal which is a recognised standard for information security management systems. The qualification looks at a number of areas within data security including risk assessment, management responsibility, traceability and responsibility of data.
Recognition
In 2000, eCircle was listed as one of the top 25 start ups in Germany. Following this, Volker Wiewer and Thomas Wilke were named as finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002. In 2004, eCircle was named as the biggest permission-based marketing provider in Germany and was presented with the New Media Award 2004 for its videomail campaign for Unicef. The following year saw the UK office win its first award with a Bronze in the ‘Best Email’ category at the DMA Awards with its client Alto Clothing and agency Neoco. In the same year, eCircle Germany were shortlisted at the DMMA 2006 awards for a campaign for sports retailer Karstadt (now ArcandorArcandor
Arcandor AG is a holding company located in Essen, Germany that oversees companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was created in 1999 through the merger of Karstadt Warenhaus AG, which was founded in 1920, and Quelle...
) in conjunction with Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
promoting the film ‘Goal’. In 2007 Marketing Magazine in the UK released their annual Digital Agency League Tables and eCircle ranked 7th, moving to 6th place in 2009. eCircle UK was ranked in 5th place in New Media Age
New Media Age
New Media Age is a weekly news magazine, covering business use of interactive media in the UK.New Media Age is owned by Centaur Media plc. It was launched as a newsletter in May 1995 under editor Phil Dwyer with reporters Nick Jones and Catherine Stewart...
magazine’s Marketing Services Guide in 2007, moving up to 2nd place in 2009 and reached the top of the table at 1st place in 2010. eCircle retained its position as number one Email Agency in NMA’s Marketing Services Guide in 2011. 2009 saw eCircle winning ‘Email Supplier of the Year’ at the Eco Internet Awards 2009 and the ‘Best Use of Email’ Award at the Revolution Awards 2009 alongside Argos
Argos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
. It was additionally shortlisted for the ‘Best Use of Email’ Award at the NMA Marketing Effectiveness Awards 2009. In 2010 the UK Managing Director Simon Bowker was elected onto the DMA Email Marketing Council which led to his co-writing of The Deliverability Whitepaper and the writing of the DMA Data Analysis and Segmentation Whitepaper. In 2011 eCircle was shortlisted twice in ‘Best Use of Email’ category at the Revolution Awards 2011.
External links
- eCircle UK Website http://www.ecircle.com/en/home.html
- eCircle Germany Website http://www.ecircle.com/de/home.html
- eCircle France Website http://www.ecircle.com/fr/accueil.html
- eCircle Italy Website http://www.ecircle.com/it/home.html
- eCircle Spain Website http://www.ecircle.com/es/inicio.html
- eCircle Netherlands Website http://www.ecircle.com/nl/home.html
- eCircle Blog http://www.ecircle.com/blog/
- eCircle Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/eCircleUK?ref=ts
- eCircle Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ecircleuk