ExactTarget, a global provider of email marketing and interactive marketing solutions, launched its Latin America division today, following the acquisition of Brazil-based email marketing provider Frontier Digital.
The new Sao Paulo-based operation makes ExactTarget's cross-channel marketing platform available in Latin America and directly supports ExactTarget's multinational clients, including more than 80 enterprises previously served by Frontier Digital that include Abril, Ogilvy One, Wal-Mart, TV Record and Ultrafarma.
"Brazil is a dynamic, fast-growing market that presents tremendous opportunity for marketers to connect with consumers online and deliver unparalleled return on investment," said Scott Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of ExactTarget. "The Frontier Digital team shares our passion for client success and brings valuable market expertise that will help us accelerate our growth in the region and around the world."
Frontier Digital has served as ExactTarget's exclusive Latin American reseller since 2010 and has grown to become Brazil's leading provider of email marketing, mobile marketing and social media marketing solutions. As part of ExactTarget, Frontier joins ExactTarget's expanded global team of more than 1,100 professionals located in the UK, Australia, United States, Canada and now Brazil.
"We have built our business by helping marketers in Latin America harness the power of email, mobile and social media," said Edson Barbieri, chief executive and cofounder of Frontier Digital. "Now as a part of ExactTarget, we can provide marketers across Latin America ExactTarget's full global interactive marketing platform and direct access to ExactTarget's team of services and support professionals worldwide."
Barbieri will lead ExactTarget's new Latin America operation as managing director of ExactTarget Brazil and will spearhead the company's growth in the region. Barbieri, along with the Frontier Digital team of more than 50 sales, marketing strategists and technical experts, began servicing both local and international clients from Sao Paulo today.
"The direct investment by ExactTarget into the Brazilian market marries the industry's leading enterprise marketing platform with Brazil's best interactive marketing team at Frontier Digital," said Fernando Cirne, E-business Director — Abril Group. "As a Frontier Digital client, we look forward to the innovations and leadership ExactTarget will bring to Brazil and are eager to leverage our email marketing results."
"With 81 million highly active online users, Brazil remains the growth engine behind the Latin American Internet economy," wrote Zia Daniell Wigder, principal analyst and research director at Forrester Research Inc. in the April, 2011 report: "Latin American Online Retail Forecast, 2011 To 2016." "Brazil ended 2010 as the world's eighth largest economy: The economy barely dipped during the downturn in 2009, and its 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 7.5% put it in the top 20 fastest-growing global economies."
The acquisition of Frontier Digital is the fourth ExactTarget acquisition since 2009. In September 2010, ExactTarget announced its acquisition of Australia-based mPath Global and established operations in Sydney and Melbourne. In March 2010 the company announced the acquisition of San Francisco-based social media management and engagement platform CoTweet, creating the industry's first solution for managing communications across all interactive marketing channels including social media, email and mobile. In September 2009, ExactTarget launched its international division in London with the acquisition of U.K.-based Keymail Marketing.
