Silverpop buys mobile marketing platform PlacePunch

The location-based marketing platform will be integrated with Silverpop Engage

Email marketing platform Silverpop announced Wednesday that it is acquiring location-based marketing service PlacePunch.  The terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but the company tells me that PlacePunch will be integrated into the Silverpop product.

We covered PlacePunch when it launched this time last year.  The Atlanta, GA.-based startup allows businesses and franchises of any size to create online location-based marketing campaigns and build loyalty programs to reward customers for checking in at their venues.  For example, repeatedly checking in at our fairytale coffee shop Smarbucks might earn you a coupon for a free cup of coffee next time you’re in the area.

Among the brands using PlacePunch are Holiday Inn, Autotrader, and Food Lion, among others.

"Today, marketers must listen carefully to their customers and deliver the most relevant content at the moment they want it most," said Bill Nussey, president and CEO of Silverpop, in a statement. "Our acquisition of PlacePunch, a true pioneer in the location-based marketing space, provides a remarkably powerful opportunity for our customers to market to people who have clearly indicated an interest in their company and a desire to purchase its products or services.”

PlacePunch CEO Adam Steinberg declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal or how much the company raised in financing, but in the summer of 2010, PlacePunch raised seed funding from Shotput Ventures. 

“The addition of PlacePunch will give our clients the location-based marketing tools that are now key for success in an increasingly mobile marketplace,” a Silverpop spokesperson told me.  “It's an important addition to our Social Connect collection of tools.”

Steinberg will be joining Silverpop as Segment Marketing Director for Social Media, while fellow PlacePunch founder Chris Glace will be joining as Product Innovation Architect.  PlacePunch will be integrating with Silverpop Engage.

Silverpop, which operates in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, offers an email marketing and marketing automation program, but branched into the location-based marketing space in April with the launch of its Foursquare “To-Do Button” option, which allows marketers to deliver location-based offers to users at the time of check-in.

Image source: blur-marketing.com