JEGI CLARITY (www.jegiclarity.com) of New York, NY, the leading independent investment bank for media, information, marketing services, and related technologies, represented I‐Behavior in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.

The innovator of the cooperative database concept for SKU‐level data, I‐Behavior provides not only database marketing services but also predictive analytics to anticipate future buying behaviors from detailed transactional purchasing history. The company pioneered the concept of an online data cooperative, which demonstrated that similar marketing principles and analytics could be used for more effective online advertising. The company’s buying behavior assessment and projection capabilities optimize performance across all channels: postal, online, email and mobile. Predictive analytics and the ability to offer relevant marketing across both traditional and digital channels are at the heart of state‐ofthe‐ art retail marketing.

I‐Behavior’s data, aggregated from more than 1,900 data‐contributing merchants, and the customer insights gained from advanced data management and marketing techniques substantially expand KBM Group’s retail expertise and enhances its client offerings for its parent, Wunderman, as well as for its WPP sister companies: Kantar, GroupM, and the Media Innovations Group (MIG).

“As with many essential business processes today, data is increasingly driving marketing strategy, especially in a real‐time, interactive world of transactions, making it an extremely valuable asset,” said Gary S. Laben, CEO of KBM Group. “In addition, thanks to internet and mobile marketing, the individual consumer – rather than a cohort of demographically defined consumers – expects and deserves a highly customized selling proposition based on individual preferences and needs. The ability to reference buying behaviors and attitudes, model and predict future needs, and reach the consumer at the right time with the right opportunity through the right medium is critical to the retail community. The acquisition of IBehavior is an excellent complement to our existing strengths and ability to bring robust marketing insight to merchants and increase our growth in this industry.”

In addition, as the data management arm for the Wunderman network, KBM Group will combine its own expertise in knowledge‐based engagement of customers across traditional and online marketing channels with I‐Behavior’s extensive data assets and analytics capabilities to deliver more extensive merchant‐based data services to Wunderman’s clients as well as those throughout the entire WPP group. For example, KBM Group and I‐Behavior’s combined expertise will be leveraged via the MIGs advertising technology platform for improved online behavioral targeting and media optimization, which extends to WPP clients served by companies such as GroupM.

“As an industry leader, Wunderman knows how to develop innovative and creative solutions for the critical challenges of our clients, such as ‘what does the consumer want and when do they want to hear from us?’,” says Daniel Morel, Chairman and CEO of Wunderman. “Our founder, Lester Wunderman, knew data‐based insights are at the heart of impactful customer relationships and are key to knowing what customers want and when they want it – traditionally and especially today in digital. With I‐Behavior joining KBM Group, we can give our clients access to a more complete and timely portrait of each customer.”

“We are delighted with our new partners and eagerly anticipate working closely with KBM Group, the Wunderman network and the rest of WPP,” says Chris Dice, CEO of I‐Behavior. “As these leading companies have built their success on vision and high standards for what’s next and what’s possible, IBehavior has also been committed to innovation that contributes to the success of multi‐channel merchants. We look forward to continuing with like‐minded partners to create the future of our industry and to deliver leading‐edge solutions to our clients directly and through our network colleagues.”