Last Friday, MEC Labs announced that it will be acquiring MarketingSherpa, Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

The merger of these two companies is excellent news for marketers who have long relied on both companies for excellent marketing research and data. The organization will operate as separate entities; however the two companies merged resources should provide excellent complimentary data which can only stand to benefit interested marketers.

Diligent RSS Ray listeners might remember MEC Labs director Dr. Flint McGlaughlin’s interview on the program. His excellent advice is a must listen for anyone interested in online marketing. You can listen the whole interview by clicking on the below links.

Here is the email both companies sent to us about the deal:

Dear Reader:

I wanted to write you directly to share the big news:
MarketingExperiments is acquiring MarketingSherpa. The acquisition seems like a ‘natural fit’. MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa share a common objective, to discover what really works in marketing, and we use complementary (but different) methodologies.
MarketingExperiments conducts primary research through real-time experiments; MarketingSherpa conducts secondary research through benchmark studies and Case Studies.

There are two reasons why we believe this is great news for you:

1. Together, the two firms will provided the most comprehensive research library in marketing – more than a thousand case histories and experiments, plus benchmark guides, experiment briefs, and ten different newsletters/journals.

2. Together, the two firms will provide the most comprehensive roster of marketing training in the industry. We will enter 2007 providing the corporate marketing community with at least four annual summits, the MEC professional education program, and fifty-eight web seminars.

I have long been impressed with Marketing Sherpa, and I would like to take this opportunity to compliment Anne Holland and her team. They have done a remarkable job of building a respected, effective organization. I am excited about this opportunity to combine our efforts as we continue our mission: to discover what really works in marketing.

On a practical note, Anne will be staying on, working with MarketingSherpa as we enter 2007. I think it might be helpful to share with you the note she sent to her readers. It is appended below.

Thank you for your trust.

Flint McGlaughlin

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A Note to Readers: MarketingSherpa’s Being Acquired by MEC Labs Group

Dear MarketingSherpa Reader,

I’m writing to you today *before* the official press release goes out so you’re the first to hear we’re being acquired by MEC Labs Group.

Nothing drastic will change. We’re keeping our same name, our staff, our regular publications, and yes, our Warren, RI, headquarters. And our goal remains the same — to conduct new research into what really works in marketing via Case Studies, Benchmark Guides & Summits.

Plus, now our research for you will be supplemented by the team at MEC Labs Group. They run an actual laboratory facility in Atlantic Beach, FL, where they conduct live campaign experiments in partnership with folks such as The New York Times and Reuters.

So, we’ll keep doing anecdotal research for our exclusive Case Studies as well as primary studies for our Benchmark Guides. Plus, we’ll be able to partner with their scientists and statisticians to run live experiments on cutting-edge marketing tactics for which there is no otherwise reliable source of response data.

Back in March 2000, when I founded MarketingSherpa from my second bedroom (yes, honestly), I dreamed it would grow to be the most tremendous source of practical research for the marketers of the world. Now we’re at 237,000 readers, three main offices, and nearly 700 case Studies. It’s been an incredibly satisfying and exhilarating ride!

And now things will speed up even more. I’ll still be here (naturally). Our team is just getting bigger — both at the MarketingSherpa brand and also with the ability to lean on the research and technical team at MEC Labs.

Who is MEC Labs?

They’ve deliberately flown under the radar for the past five years — so although they conduct cutting-edge, primary research about marketing tactics such as video ads online, search marketing, and A/B email tests, outside of their own 50,000 newsletter readership, many other marketers have not heard of them.

I first met Lab Director, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, four years ago when he spoke at one of our Summits on the topic of marketing paid subscriptions to Web sites. I was so impressed I asked him to return to give more Case Studies about his team’s experiments at future Summits.

Then, earlier this year Flint invited me down to his headquarters in Atlantic Beach, FL, (near Jacksonville in northeastern Florida.) The beach right outside the lab’s offices was magnificent, but I was most impressed with his research lab and team. It felt a bit like what you might imagine a Hollywood set director would create for a marketing laboratory. Glass walls, giant view screens, earnest technicians, and concentrated quiet while experiments were under way.

I was hooked. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could work together to get practical data for marketers? Well, now we will be.

Plus, I re-double my invitation for you to attend our B-to-B marketing Summit in San Francisco in less than two weeks (Nov 13-14). Yes, the MEC Labs Group leaders will be there so you can meet them in person and put in your requests for the types of experiments you’d like to see us and them run in the coming year.

Here’s a link to the Summit info:
http://www.sherpastore.com/B-to-BDemandGenerationSummit006.html

And, as always, if you have any questions, feedback — or in this case concerns — for the team at MarketingSherpa, contact us immediately.

Our service team is available Monday-Friday from 9am-7pm ET at (877) 895-1717.

Thanks for your part in making MarketingSherpa the most popular research publication in our industry.

Sincerely,

Anne Holland
Founder & President
MarketingSherpa Inc.