COLUMBIA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb 11, 2020–

Merkle ( www.merkleinc.com ), a leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing company, today announced the launch of Merkury, Merkle’s identity resolution and data platform designed to power the creation of first-party, “private identity graphs” for both brands and publishers.

Through this integration of existing and acquired capabilities, Merkury provides clients with a complete identity and data platform, including identity resolution, third-party data, marketing technology integrations, and data privacy clean rooms. These components will be highly customizable to each client’s needs and can be managed and hosted internally by clients. Merkury will be operated as an independent, neutral entity open to serving the entirety of the marketer, media owner, and technology ecosystem, irrespective of agency relationships. To enhance Merkle’s pre-existing identity and data assets, Merkle recently announced the acquisition of 4Cite Marketing, whose best-in-class, first-party identity resolution capabilities will play a central role in Merkury’s private graph solution for world-class brands, including Cadillac.

Merkury’s launch will coincide with the integration of its private identity graph capability with key technology partners, including MediaMath, Index Exchange, and SourcePoint, who will automate the industry’s first-ever programmatic trading of marketer and publisher cookie-less, private graph IDs.

“Merkury is a reference application for MediaMath’s SOURCE, a fully addressable, accountable, aligned supply chain that can activate against private identity graphs,” said Joe Zawadzki, CEO, MediaMath. “By treating Merkury identity as the first-class signal across our global supply chain, we are driving a collective effort toward enterprise-grade marketing.”

In addition, Merkury will be launching in partnership with key publishers including Meredith, Pandora, and iHeartMedia’s SmartAudio. “The market is accelerating toward a world where cookies are no longer a solution. We are aligned with Merkury’s perspective and direction on the future of private graphs powered by great partners,” said Alysia Borsa, EVP/chief business & data officer, Meredith.

Merkury will also be partnering with Xandr to power cross-screen insights in advanced TV and digital. “Merkle’s launch of Merkury speaks to a major industry challenge and opportunity to build direct connections to consumers through unique, first-party insights, in a privacy-safe way,” said Jason Brown, chief revenue officer for Xandr. “Xandr today delivers results for clients by working with Merkury to power smarter TV and digital campaigns. As demand increases for integrated cross-screen experiences across linear, addressable TV, and digital, we find ourselves in a unique position to meet buyer demand with Merkury.”

The Merkury leadership team, with John Lee at the helm as president, includes Peter Randazzo, chief technology officer, Gerry Bavaro, chief strategy officer, Eugene Becker, chief data officer, and Kelly Leger, SVP sales.

Merkle will be presenting a webinar on February 26, 2020, at 1:00 pm EST, sharing details on how marketers can leverage Merkury to enable their private identity graph efforts for person-based audience insights, segmentation, targeting, and measurement. For more information and to register, visit here.

About Merkle

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 9,400+ employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the US, EMEA, and APAC.

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CONTACT: Kite Hill PR for Merkle

Moira Shannon

moira@kitehillpr.com