Strike up the brand

By JOHN BOOTH - Crain’s Cleveland Business

BrandMuscle Inc. of Beachwood and Cleveland’s DirectConnectGroup are finalizing a technology-sharing deal that pairs the digital brand management of the former with the direct mail and publishing tools of the latter.

The firms, which remain independent, have been putting the idea into practice since spring and hope to have the legal niceties cemented by the end of the year.

BrandMuscle CEO Philip Alexander and DirectConnect managing partner Rob Durham both described an effort that has meshed both companies’ strengths.

During the past few years, Mr. Durham said, DirectConnect has focused on developing print on-demand software so that clients could design direct mail or other ad pieces online and have their projects sent directly to DirectConnect’s production facilities in Cleveland, Seattle or New Jersey.

BrandMuscle, meanwhile, has built its business on managing digital databases of advertising material for clients like BMW, so that individual dealers, for instance, can put together their own ads while staying within company guidelines.

“They (BrandMuscle) had a great digital asset management program, and we had a great print-on-demand and email and alternate-delivery program,” DirectConnect’s Mr. Durham said. “We formed a joint operating agreement, and the companies are sharing each other’s technology.”

Mr. Alexander said BrandMuscle clients had been asking the company for some time about help in direct mail and other more tightly-focused advertising, so the partnership with DirectConnect has strengthened ties with existing customers.

The two companies have sold about 10 accounts, including some new clients, with pitches touting the new pairing, according to Mr. Durham.

BrandMuscle also just completed a move down the street, relocating its 60 employees from its Science Park Drive headquarters to Park East Drive.

Reprinted from Crain’s Cleveland Business