smartFOCUS

SmartFocus has a multifaceted history, initially established in 1999 as Emailvision, it evolved into a significant player in the digital marketing automation landscape. The company, headquartered in London, provided a cloud-based marketing platform designed to help businesses manage and automate their digital marketing efforts. In June 2011, SmartFocus, then known as Emailvision, acquired SmartFocus UK (formerly Brann Software), a marketing software provider founded in 1998. This strategic move was followed by a significant private equity round of $30 million on October 10, 2012, from Izurium Capital, contributing to its total funding of $30 million over two rounds. In May 2014, the company further expanded its capabilities by acquiring PivotLink, a provider of retail marketing intelligence and analytics applications. A major milestone in the company's journey was its acquisition by Actito, a Belgian marketing automation firm, on June 19, 2019. This acquisition was part of Actito's strategy to strengthen its European market position and offer an alternative to US-based marketing cloud solutions, with a focus on adapting to European privacy regulations.

The core of SmartFocus's business was its omnichannel marketing automation and customer engagement platform, known as The Message Cloud. This platform enabled clients to connect with consumers through various digital channels, including email, web, mobile, and social media. It served a broad client base across sectors like retail, e-commerce, media, automotive, and travel, with notable clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Levi's, and Macy's. The business model revolved around providing this software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to brands, allowing them to execute targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. The Message Cloud used patented algorithms and location-based marketing tools to monitor customer behavior, offering features like real-time interaction management, marketing intelligence, and personalization tools. It was designed to help marketers deliver contextualized messages triggered by customer actions, thereby improving engagement and conversion rates. A specific feature, Smart Social, allowed marketers to combine their CRM data with Facebook and Instagram's reach to find and target new customers who resembled their most profitable ones.

Keywords: marketing automation, digital marketing, omnichannel marketing, customer engagement platform, The Message Cloud, email marketing, personalization, customer relationship management, real-time interaction management, SaaS, marketing intelligence, data-driven marketing, customer segmentation, Actito, Emailvision, contextual marketing, lead generation, marketing analytics, social media marketing, mobile marketing