Snyder Communications - Acquisition Spree

Acquisition Spree

SNC grew aggressively through acquisitions. In 1995, Arnold Communications boss Ed Eskandarian sold out to Snyder. It acquired four other firms since the beginning of 1997, including Medical Marketing Detailing Inc., a New York-based provider of pharmaceutical marketing services; American List Corp. of Mineola, New York, which maintains a database of more than 30 million students that it rents to direct mail and telemarketing companies;fair Neighbor Direct, which provides marketing services for clients in 5,000 retail outlets; and Brann Holding Ltd., a British direct marketing company.

On an organic basis, SNC's revenue nearly doubled between 1995 and 1996 to $82.8 million. Medical Marketing Detailing itself had revenue of about $35 million in its fiscal year ended in October. American List's revenues in 1996 were about $19 million. The cost of those two acquisitions was just over $200 million.

Prior to the IPO, Ventiv Health was hived off and distributed to the existing SNC shareholders. Circle.com, the online activities of SNC, was listed separately as a tracking stock.

Within two years after the IPO, Snyder had negotiated to acquire at least 14 companies In March 1997, SNC bought PromoTech Research Associates, a pharmaceutical marketing communications and direct marketing firm for an undisclosed sum. In December 1997, SNC agreed to buy Blau Marketing, a closely held direct marketing firm based in Wilton, Connecticut, for $72 million. It also bought two pharmaceutical contract sales organizations for a total of $58.5 million: Pharmflex for $34 million and Rapid Deployment Group Ltd. for $24.5 million. Pharmflex, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Rapid Deployment, of Winchester, England, provide sales services to pharmaceutical companies. In September 1998, acquired MKM Marketing of Munich, Germany for $58 million.

At the end of 1999, SNC was put up for sale by the principal shareholder, Daniel Snyder, who wanted to concentrate on football. In the meantime, in January 2000, SNC officially launched Bounty SCA Worldwide, a division that organizes the numerous marketing services businesses it has acquired over the previous few years.