Adobe Systems to buy French digital marketing software firm Neolane for $600 mn

Adobe Systems Inc, the maker of Acrobat and Photoshop software, yesterday agreed to buy privately-held Neolane, a French digital marketing software company, for $600 million in cash.

Paris-based Neolane integrates online and offline marketing data from across an enterprise and delivers marketing messages across the Web, email, social, mobile, call center, direct mail and point of sale.

The Neolane software provides a cloud-based, web-services based platform that centrally manages direct marketing campaigns, leads, resources, customer data and analytics. The software also allows companies to design and target personalised campaigns via direct mail, e-mail, SMS, MMS and more.

Neolane has more than 400 customers worldwide, many of whom are also Adobe's clients.

Neolane customers include global brands such as Accor Hotels, Alcatel-Lucent, AXA, barnesandnoble.com, Debenhams, Dior, Hager, IKEA, Kidzania, Maybourne Hotel Group, Carrefour, Motorola, Dassault Systèmes, Sears Canada, DHL International, Sony Music, Nissan, and Bridgestone.

The company was founded in 2001 by Stephane Dehoche, Stephan Dietrich, Thomas Boudalier and Benoit Gourdon and has been backed by Auriga Partners, XAnge Capital Auriga Partners and Battery Ventures.

Neolane CEO, Dehoche will continue to lead the Neolane team as part of Adobe's Digital Marketing business.

Adobe said that Neolane will become a sixth solution in the Adobe Marketing Cloud, complementing the existing Analytics, Target, Social, Experience Manager and Media Optimizer offerings.

The Neolane acquisition builds upon Adobe's strategy of making key acquisitions like the 2009 purchase of Omniture followed by Day Software in 2010, Demdex and Auditude in 2011 and Efficient Frontier in 2012 to strengthen its solutions for digital marketing.

''The acquisition of Neolane brings critical cross-channel campaign management capabilities to the Adobe Marketing Cloud,'' said Brad Rencher, senior vice president and general manager of Adobe's Digital Marketing business.

''Adobe has long been the trusted partner to creative professionals and we are now extending our lead in the digital marketing space with the addition of Neolane.    From campaign creation through planning, execution and optimization, Adobe technology is driving the entire marketing process,'' he added.