Merkle

Merkle: Overview

Merkle is a data-driven customer experience management (CXM) agency that specializes in performance marketing, technology implementation, and enterprise-scale data solutions. Founded in 1971 as Merkle Computer Systems, the company began as a data processing and mailing list management firm serving associations and unions in Washington, D.C. In 1988, entrepreneur David Williams acquired the 23-person company and transformed it into a direct marketing powerhouse, eventually pivoting to digital and performance marketing around 2007-2008.

Under Williams' leadership for over 30 years, Merkle achieved consistent 23% annual revenue growth with no down years, growing from a small regional operation to a global CXM leader with billions in revenue. The agency was acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network in 2016 and now operates as part of dentsu, bringing together data, technology, creative, and media capabilities under one roof.

What sets Merkle apart is their proprietary Merkury identity and data platform, which enables privacy-safe identity resolution and audience activation across marketing channels. The agency manages over 150 marketing databases with 3.7 billion customer records, operates a team of 4,500+ analysts and data scientists, and optimizes more than 150,000 media campaigns annually. Their deep partnerships with major technology platforms—including Google Cloud, AWS, Salesforce, Adobe, and others—allow them to build and manage enterprise-scale marketing technology ecosystems.

Merkle has spent over 30 years partnering with ambitious brands across retail, automotive, technology, financial services, healthcare, and media & entertainment sectors, helping them deliver meaningful customer experiences that drive sustainable growth.

What Services Does Merkle Provide?

Merkle offers comprehensive customer experience services spanning strategy, technology, data, analytics, and execution:

Growth & Business Agility

• Business strategy and transformation consulting
• Sustainable growth program design
• Customer lifetime value optimization
• Revenue growth acceleration

Customer Engagement, CRM & Loyalty

• CRM strategy and 360-degree customer profiling
• Loyalty program strategy and execution
• Always-on, personalized cross-channel campaigns
• Promotional strategy and experiential marketing
• Customer retention and lifecycle marketing

Digital Messaging, Marketing & Customer Service

• Email marketing strategy and execution
• Digital messaging across chat, SMS, and service channels
• ESP (Email Service Provider) migration and managed services
• Marketing and customer service unification

Marketing Technology & Automation

• Marketing automation consulting and implementation (Marketo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe, etc.)
• Marketing technology stack selection and integration
• Platform assessments and roadmapping
• Custom development and managed services
• Technology operations and optimization

Commerce & Digital Performance

• E-commerce strategy and optimization
• Digital shelf and commerce intelligence
• Feed management for social and search commerce
• Marketplace optimization
• Performance media for commerce acceleration

Analytics, Insights & Measurement

• Market research and consumer insights
• Experience insights and product/market intelligence
• Measurement and media analytics
• Campaign optimization and reporting
• Marketing mix modeling and attribution

Data Platforms & Identity Solutions

• Customer data platform (CDP) implementation and management
• Identity resolution and audience building (Merkury platform)
• Marketing database management (150+ databases, 3.7B+ records)
• Data clean room strategy and activation
• Privacy-safe data collaboration
• First-party data strategy

Future-Ready Technology

• Enterprise technology implementation (Salesforce, Adobe, SAP, etc.)
• Cloud infrastructure and data engineering (AWS, Google Cloud)
• AI and machine learning integration
• Real-time personalization and decisioning
• API development and system integration

Customer-First Experiences

• Digital experience design
• Website and app development
• Personalization strategy and execution
• Content strategy and supply chain optimization
• User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design

Brand Loyalty & Engagement

• Multi-touchpoint engagement strategy
• Personalization and gamification
• Partnership marketing
• Campaign creative and execution

B2B Marketing (Merkle B2B)

• B2B customer experience strategy
• Complex buyer journey orchestration
• Account-based marketing (ABM)
• Sales and marketing alignment
• B2B research and insights

What Industries Does Merkle Serve?

Merkle serves a diverse range of industries with specialized expertise in several key verticals:

Retail & Consumer Goods

• E-commerce and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands
• Quick-service restaurants (QSR)
• Consumer packaged goods (CPG)
• Specialty retail

Automotive

• Auto manufacturers
• Dealership networks
• Automotive aftermarket

Technology & Telecommunications

• Software and SaaS companies
• Consumer electronics
• Telecommunications providers

Financial Services

• Banking
• Insurance
• FinTech

Healthcare & Life Sciences

• Healthcare providers
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Medical devices

Media & Entertainment

• Streaming services
• Gaming
• Publishing
• Sports and entertainment brands

Travel & Hospitality

• Airlines
• Hotels and resorts
• Travel services

B2B & Industrial

• Manufacturing
• Professional services
• Technology vendors

Merkle has particularly deep expertise in retail, automotive, and quick-service restaurants, where they've delivered transformative loyalty programs and commerce experiences.

What Brands Has Merkle Helped?

Merkle has partnered with leading global brands across multiple industries:

Quick-Service Restaurants

• Burger King
• KFC

Automotive & Transportation

• Volvo Trucks
• Under Armour (athletic apparel)

Technology & Industrial

• Siemens
• Satair (Airbus subsidiary for aircraft parts)
• Signify (formerly Philips Lighting)

Healthcare

• City of Hope (cancer treatment center)

Entertainment & Hospitality

• Funlab (entertainment venues)

Notable Campaign Highlights:

• Burger King Royal Perks Loyalty Program: In under eight months, Merkle expanded Burger King's loyalty database by 500%, drove app downloads and loyalty program signups up 900%, and engaged 10 million diners. The program featured personalized journeys via Braze, trend monitoring with Amplitude, and gamified promotions. Burger King earned Braze's FORGE Torchie Award for Brand of the Year in 2022. The UK-specific BK Footy Royale football campaign set records for app engagement.
• Satair Commerce Solution: Developed a commerce platform for the Airbus subsidiary that serves the aviation parts industry, described as "a commerce solution where not even the sky is the limit."
• Volvo Trucks Data-Driven Experience: Created "the data-driven truck" experience for Volvo, leveraging data and technology to enhance customer interactions.
• KFC China Gen Z Engagement: Connected virtual and real worlds for China's Gen Z audience through digital experiences.
• Under Armour Commerce Performance: Built a longstanding partnership driving commerce performance for the athletic apparel brand.
• Signify (Philips) Direct-to-Consumer Transformation: Used data to power Signify's transformation to a direct-to-consumer model.
• City of Hope Personalized Media Strategy: Developed a personalized media strategy for critical cancer care marketing.

Key Differentiators

• Merkury Identity Platform: Proprietary identity resolution and data platform enabling privacy-safe audience building, segmentation, and activation across channels without relying on third-party cookies
• Enterprise-Scale Data Management: Manages 150+ marketing databases with 3.7 billion customer records, providing unmatched data infrastructure and expertise
• 4,500+ Analytics Team: One of the largest analytics practices in the industry, with data scientists and analysts optimizing 150,000+ campaigns annually
• Technology-Agnostic Partnerships: Deep certifications and partnerships with all major marketing platforms (Salesforce, Adobe, Google, AWS, Braze, Marketo) rather than being tied to a single vendor
• Full-Cycle CXM Capabilities: End-to-end services from strategy and data architecture through technology implementation, creative execution, and ongoing optimization
• Proven Loyalty Expertise: Demonstrated success building and scaling major loyalty programs like Burger King Royal Perks, delivering measurable engagement and database growth
• 30+ Years of Consistent Growth: Bootstrapped for over 20 years with 23% annual growth and no down years, building a culture focused on sustainable, long-term client relationships
• Part of dentsu Network: Access to global creative, media, and technology resources while maintaining specialized CXM and data expertise

‍