Company type | Subsidiary (since 2014) |
---|---|
Industry | Advertising |
Founded | 1970 |
Headquarters | , United States |
Parent | M&F Worldwide |
Website | valassis |
Valassis Communications, Inc. is a Livonia, Michigan-based company that provides media and marketing services in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Canada. It is one of the largest coupon distributors/processors in the world. Since 2020, Valassis has been unified under parent corporation, Vericast.
Valassis companies include Valassis Digital, Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch and NCH Marketing Services, Inc. It has approximately 7,000 employees in 28 states and nine countries.
Valassis has relationships with more than 15,000 advertisers worldwide in various industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, financial services, franchise food, grocery, specialty retail, and telecommunications.
In February 2014, Harland Clarke Holdings, a subsidiary of M&F Worldwide, completed purchase of Valassis for approximately $1.8 billion. Before this, Valassis had been a publicly traded corporation.
Valassis was started by George Valassis in 1970 and it purchased its first printing press in 1971. In 1986 it was acquired by Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH) of Sydney, Australia, owned by Kerry Packer. In 1992 CPH took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange as Valassis Communications, Inc. (VCI). In 1997, CPH, which had kept 49% ownership in 1992, divested its interest in VCI, making the company fully independent. [1]
In 2001, Valassis closed Save.com, an Internet coupon website that had launched in September 1999, saying that Save.com was unable to gain a "critical mass of advertisers interested in an Internet couponing vehicle." [2] In 2003, Valassis acquired NCH Marketing Services, Inc., a coupon clearing and marketing services company with offices in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, England, United States and Mexico making Valassis an international company. [1]
On Oct 17, 2005, Valassis became the recipient of a Caleidoscope of Culture Award (COCA), which recognized southeastern Michigan organizations and businesses for their ongoing efforts and steadfast commitment to diversity. [3]
In early 2006, Valassis settled a complaint by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it had attempted to collude with News America Marketing, its top rival, to eliminate competition between the two. Under a consent order, Valassis was barred from engaging in similar conduct. [4]
In 2007, Valassis's purchased Advo, a direct-mail marketer, for $1.2 billion. Valassis had sued to get out of the acquisition, saying it had found problems with Advo's financial figures, but the purchase was completed. [4]
In December 2008, Fraser Papers sued Valassis for nearly $1 million, allegedly due to unpaid bills for 1.8 million pounds of specialty paper. [5] [6] Valassis settled the case in March 2009 for an undisclosed amount. [7]
In 2010, News Corporation paid $500 million to settle a case brought against it by Valassis in federal court, [8] after Valassis had won a $300 million verdict in state court in Michigan against News America Marketing, a subsidiary of News Corporation. [9] The lawsuits by Valassis were based on claims that News America had gained market share by forcing its packaged-goods customers to sign long-term insert contracts or risk huge price increases on their in-store advertising displays. [10] The settlement included News America entering into a 10-year shared mail distribution agreement with Valassis Direct Mail, a Valassis subsidiary. [11]
Valassis purchased Clipper Magazine and Total Loyalty Solutions in November 2015. [12]
Valassis recent acquisition in 2017 is Digital Marketing Technology Company MaxPoint. [13]
RedPlum was the consumer-facing brand of Valassis. According to the company, RedPlum's newspaper inserts and direct mailings reach more than 100 million consumers a week, without consent. [14] Redplum.com is a savings and lifestyle site launched in January 2008. The site is targeted at women ages 25 to 50. Registered members receive a bi-weekly e-newsletter featuring deals and offers.
In 2018, RetailMeNot became a partner in Valassis' FSI holdings, renaming RedPlum to RetailMeNot Everyday.
In partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the U.S. Postal Service, Valassis distributes pictures of missing children as part of its "Have You Seen Me?" picture program. The program was launched on May 24, 1985, featuring missing Pennsylvania girl Cherrie Mahan on their first flyer. [15]
The "Have You Seen Me?" program is currently responsible for 87% of the leads called in to NCMEC.[ citation needed ] According to NCMEC, photos are the number one tool that parents and law enforcement officials have in their search for missing children. By featuring recent and/or age-progressed photos of missing children, and their alleged abductors when possible, Valassis empowers the American public to take part in the effort to help safely recover these children. Of the 2,000 children featured in programs such as "Have You Seen Me?", more than 1,200 have been recovered.[ citation needed ]
In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be redeemed for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product.
Direct marketing is a form of communicating an offer, where organizations communicate directly to a pre-selected customer and supply a method for a direct response. Among practitioners, it is also known as direct response marketing. In contrast to direct marketing, advertising is more of a mass-message nature.
Advertising mail, also known as direct mail, junk mail, mailshot or admail, letterbox drop or letterboxing (Australia), is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The delivery of advertising mail forms a large and growing service for many postal services, and direct-mail marketing forms a significant portion of the direct marketing industry. Some organizations attempt to help people opt out of receiving advertising mail, in many cases motivated by a concern over its negative environmental impact.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the President of the United States reauthorized the allocation of $40 million in funding for the organization as part of Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2013. The current chair of the organization is Jon Grosso of Kohl's. NCMEC handles cases of missing minors from infancy to young adults through age 20.
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), or the Postal Inspectors, is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. It supports and protects the U.S. Postal Service, its employees, infrastructure, and customers by enforcing the laws that defend the United States' mail system from illegal or dangerous use. Its jurisdiction covers any crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system, or postal employees. With roots going back to the late 18th century, the USPIS is the country's oldest continuously operating federal law enforcement agency.
In marketing, a rebate is a form of buying discount and is an amount paid by way of reduction, return, or refund that is paid retrospectively. It is a type of sales promotion that marketers use primarily as incentives or supplements to product sales. Rebates are also used as a means of enticing price-sensitive consumers into purchasing a product. The mail-in rebate (MIR) is the most common. An MIR entitles the buyer to mail in a coupon, receipt, and barcode in order to receive a check for a particular amount, depending on the particular product, time, and often place of purchase. Rebates are offered by either the retailer or the product manufacturer. Large stores often work in conjunction with manufacturers, usually requiring two or sometimes three separate rebates for each item, and sometimes are valid only at a single store. Rebate forms and special receipts are sometimes printed by the cash register at time of purchase on a separate receipt or available online for download. In some cases, the rebate may be available immediately, in which case it is referred to as an instant rebate. Some rebate programs offer several payout options to consumers, including a paper check, a prepaid card that can be spent immediately without a trip to the bank, or even as a PayPal payout.
Clipp is a direct marketing company with 413 local editions and specialty publications in 22 states each mailing 6 to 12 times annually to more than 21 million homes. In addition to the Clipp magazine, Clipp publishes Prestigious Living and hosts coupons and purchased deals on clipp.com.
Loyalty marketing is a marketing strategy in which a company focuses on growing and retaining existing customers through incentives. Branding, product marketing, and loyalty marketing all form part of the customer proposition – the subjective assessment by the customer of whether to purchase a brand or not based on the integrated combination of the value they receive from each of these marketing disciplines.
The Data & Marketing Association formerly, Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is a trade organization for marketers. In 2017, their web site stated, "Yes, 100 years ago we were the Direct Mail Marketing Association and then the Direct Marketing Association. Now we embrace …"
A coupon-eligible converter box (CECB) was a digital television adapter that met eligibility specifications for subsidy "coupons" from the United States government. The subsidy program was enacted to provide terrestrial television viewers with an affordable way to continue receiving free digital terrestrial television services after the nation's television service transitioned to digital transmission and analog transmissions ceased. The specification was developed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), with input from the broadcast and consumer electronics industries as well as public interest groups.
QuantumDigital, Inc., is a company based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1986 as Quantum Systems. QuantumDigital was one of the first companies in the U.S. to launch an electronic ordering system, called Q-Direct, for the direct mail industry. The Q-Direct client software was distributed on physical CD-ROM media. Orders were placed via modem connection from the customer's computer to the company's server.
A drug coupon is a coupon intended to help consumers save money on pharmaceutical drugs. They are offered by drug companies or distributed to consumers via doctors and pharmacists, and most can be obtained online. There are drug coupons for drugs from many categories such as cholesterol, acne, migraine, allergies, etc.
AdvoCare International, LLC is an American dietary supplement company. They are a direct sales company and a former multi-level marketing company that was charged with operating a pyramid scheme. The company, headquartered in Richardson, Texas, was founded in 1993 by Charles Ragus.
In marketing, premiums are promotional items — toys, collectables, souvenirs and household products — that are linked to a product, and often require proofs of purchase such as box tops or tokens to acquire. The consumer generally has to pay at least the shipping and handling costs to receive the premium. Premiums are sometimes referred to as prizes, although historically the word "prize" has been used to denote an item that is packaged with the product and requires no additional payment over the cost of the product.
News America Marketing, often referred to as just News America, was a marketing business previously owned by News Corp. It publishes SmartSource Magazine, a weekly consumer-branded newspaper insert offering advertising and coupon promotions, delivered in over 1,600 newspapers in the U.S. and is one of three companies in the United States that control almost all the in-store ads and grocery coupons in the United States.
Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, commonly known as Valpak, is a North American direct marketing company owned by AmatoMartin. Valpak provides print, mobile and online advertising, customer data and coupons. Valpak mails coupons to 41 million demographically targeted households each month and millions more consumers through its advertising postcards and website every year.
Insignia Systems, Inc., often referred to as just Insignia, is a publicly traded U.S. Corporation that manufactures point of sale in-store signs and promotional advertising media for consumer packaged goods companies and retailers. Insignia is one of three companies in the United States that control almost all the in-store ads and grocery coupons in the United States.
Jason Wolfe is an American businessman and entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of several companies, including GiftCards.com, Gift Card Granny, and GiftYa.
Ibotta, Inc. is an American mobile technology company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 2011, the company offers cash back rewards on various purchases through its Ibotta Performance Network and direct to consumer app. Ibotta partners with CPG brands and network publishers to provide these rewards. As of 2024, the company operates solely in the United States. The company's rewards-as-a-service offering, the Ibotta Performance Network, went live in 2022.
Prodege, LLC is an American online marketing, consumer polling, and market research company based in El Segundo, California. The company develops consumer rewards and polling programs under various brands including Swagbucks, MyPoints, InboxDollars, CouponCause, Tada, Ysense, Upromise, and Pollfish.