Merkle`s CognitiveDATA to Acquire Catalog Marketing Services Firm CMS Direct

Providers of Data Quality, List Processing and Database Services to Integrate
Solutions Under CognitiveDATA Brand
COLUMBIA, Md.--(Business Wire)--
Merkle (www.merkleinc.com), one of the nation`s largest and fastest growing
database marketing agencies, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary
CognitiveDATA is acquiring the Minneapolis-based catalog marketing services firm
CMS Direct. When the sale is completed later this summer, CognitiveDATA will
expand to include an established provider of data quality, list processing and
marketing database services. All three companies are privately held, and the
value of the transaction, which is expected to close July 31, 2009, was not
disclosed.

CognitiveDATA and CMS Direct began a strategic partnership in 2006 to develop
technology that combines address hygiene and advanced merge-purge services into
a single, streamlined process. Today`s announcement marks the evolution of that
relationship, and will enable CognitiveDATA to completely integrate its
proprietary data accuracy technology with the database and list processing
solutions offered by CMS Direct. CMS Direct employs approximately 50 at its
Minneapolis office, which will remain the operational center of CognitiveDATA`s
catalog marketing service offerings moving forward.

According to company executives at the three firms involved, the goal of the
acquisition will be twofold: To grow the overall range of solutions offered
through CognitiveDATA, and to provide competitive, cutting-edge technology to
marketers in the catalog retail sector.

Merkle President and CEO David Williams said, "CMS Direct serves a world-class
range of companies in the catalog industry, and CognitiveDATA ensures marketers
can improve their return on investment by eliminating waste in their direct
marketing programs. Combined, these companies are well positioned to bring
technology innovations to a sector of the marketplace that has a critical need
for solutions that enable cost savings and improved marketing results."

CognitiveDATA President and CEO Rod Ford said, "Marketing in the catalog sector
is a highly specialized and extremely complex undertaking, and without a doubt
there continues to be high demand for innovative, competitively priced solutions
that increase accuracy and reduce the time needed to deploy marketing campaigns.
Since we first partnered with CMS Direct, we have felt their list processing
solutions and database management services complement those offered by
CognitiveDATA. Having the backing of Merkle puts us in the ideal position to
achieve our goal to bring new technologies to catalog retailers."

CMS Direct President Andy Cossette said, "We are confident and excited about
what this acquisition means - to our clients, our employees and to the industry
as a whole. CognitiveDATA is a forward-thinking technology innovator, and Merkle
is one of the most dynamic entities within the marketing industry. Their
insights, technology and resources will further strengthen our products, and in
turn, better position us for future growth. Ultimately, the acquisition will
ensure that our products provide maximum benefit to our current and future
clients in the catalog space."

About CognitiveDATA
Founded in 2001, CognitiveDATA is a marketing technology company recognized as a
leader in new innovations that improve the quality of customer and marketing
data. Companies in the retail, communications, insurance and publishing sectors,
as well as associations and nonprofits, benefit from CognitiveDATA`s effective
approach to data optimization. CognitiveDATA has been recognized by both Inc.
magazine and the Deloitte Fast 500 for its impressive growth, and its data
quality technology is an NCDM award winner. The company is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Merkle and is headquartered in Little Rock, with offices in New
York and Chicago. For more information, visit www.cognitivedata.com.

About Merkle
Merkle is one of the nation`s largest and fastest growing database marketing
agencies. For more than 20 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit
organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer
portfolios. By combining a complete range of marketing, technical, analytical
and creative disciplines, Merkle works with clients to design, execute and
evaluate Integrated Customer Marketing programs. With more than 1,000 employees,
the privately held corporation is headquartered near Baltimore in Columbia,
Maryland with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Little Rock,
Philadelphia, Seattle and Hagerstown, Md. For more information, contact Merkle
at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

Media Contact
DPR Group Inc.
Rachel Hunt, 240-686-1000
RHunt@dprgroup.com
or
Company Contact
Merkle Inc.
Kathryn Conway, 443-542-4000
KConway@merkleinc.com

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