SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

LiveRamp^®, an Acxiom^® company (NASDAQ: ACXM) and leading provider of omnichannel identity resolution, today announced the acquisition of Pacific Data Partners to accelerate LiveRamp’s ability to power people-based business-to-business (B2B) marketing.

Pieter De Temmerman and Grant Ries, co-founders of Pacific Data Partners and former Oracle and BlueKai veterans, will lead LiveRamp’s efforts to expand IdentityLink™ to deliver the full gamut of people-based capabilities to the world’s largest B2B marketers. IdentityLink allows marketers to create an omnichannel view of consumers and professionals by resolving data from any channel or source to an individual. This view can be activated on over 500 technology platforms in people-based marketing initiatives that increase the relevancy of marketing and improve the consumer experience.

"As one of the world's largest technology companies with thousands of global customers, HPE's digital marketing strategy and execution are core to our growth. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has been leveraging Pacific Data Partners’ custom B2B audience capabilities in conjunction with LiveRamp to great success," said Rene Asis, Global Manager Media Technology of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

The 2017 Outsell Advertising and Marketing Study projected total US B2B marketing spend at $166.5 billion, with $89.6 billion allocated to digital channels.

“Historically, B2B marketers have lacked the ability to recognize the professionals they are targeting in digital channels, leaving them unable to take advantage of the innovations identity resolution has driven in consumer marketing,” said James Arra, Co-President at LiveRamp. “We’re excited to bring people-based marketing to the world of B2B, and about the value this will add for both marketers and the companies that support them in the space.”

“As the leaders in Account Based Marketing, we recognize the importance of identifying and reaching the right people at the right accounts,” said Chris Golec, CEO of Demandbase. “LiveRamp’s people-based precision will improve how B2B marketers connect with their audiences, and we look forward to our continued partnership as LiveRamp builds out their identity resolution capabilities in the B2B space."

"Improving B2B marketing is a key focus for many of our clients," said Steve Katelman, EVP Global Strategic Partnerships, Omnicom Media Group. "We work with both LiveRamp and Pacific Data Partners, and believe this combination will allow them to provide exciting new capabilities that have the potential to reshape the field of B2B marketing.”

“As a leader in connecting B2B data and intelligence, and one of LiveRamp's close B2B partners, we've seen firsthand the reach and conversion impact of people-based solutions," said Darian Shirazi, CEO of Radius. “We're thrilled to see LiveRamp invest further in increasing our customers’ reach to business decision makers."

“B2B marketers face a unique set of challenges that are not being addressed by consumer-centric marketing approaches,” said De Temmerman. “We're excited to join LiveRamp to build a leading B2B focused solution that brings professional identity resolution and B2B data solutions to those marketers.”

“Grant and Pieter have proven to be game changers in our industry, and we’re really excited to have them joining the team,” added Arra. “Our vision continues to focus on improving the consumer experience through improving the relevancy of marketing, and I’m confident they’ll help us do this in the world of B2B marketing.”

Financial Impact

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction has no material impact on Acxiom’s guidance for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018.

About LiveRamp

LiveRamp offers brands and the companies they work with identity resolution that is integrated throughout the digital ecosystem, and provides the foundation for omnichannel marketing. IdentityLink transforms the technology platforms used by our clients into people-based marketing channels that improve the relevancy of marketing, and ultimately allow consumers to better connect with the brands and products they love. LiveRamp is an Acxiom company (NASDAQ: ACXM), delivering privacy-safe solutions to market and honoring the best practices of leading associations including the Digital Advertising Alliance's (DAA) ICON and App Choices programs. For more information, visit www.LiveRamp.com.

About Acxiom

Acxiom provides the data foundation for the world’s best marketers. We enable people-based marketing everywhere through a simple, open approach to connecting systems and data that drives seamless customer experiences and higher ROI. A leader in identity and ethical data use for more than 48 years, Acxiom helps thousands of clients and partners around the globe work together to create a world where all marketing is relevant. Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corporation. For more information, visit Acxiom.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements regarding Acxiom’s acquisition of Pacific Data Partners. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. The following are factors, among others, that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements: the possibility that the integration of Pacific Data Partners may not be successful as planned; the possibility that the transaction will not deliver the expected benefits to our customers or value to our shareholders; and the possibility that other risks and uncertainties may emerge, including those detailed from time to time in our current and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the caption “Item 1A. RISK FACTORS” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2017, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 26, 2017.

We undertake no obligation to update the information contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statement.

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