Acquisition Boosts Zeta Loyalty and Engagement Offer

In New York, data firm Zeta Global has completed the acquisition of the enterprise software business of Marigold, for a total maximum consideration of $325m. The buy enlarges its global footprint and strengthens the Zeta Marketing Platform, including loyalty, omni-channel engagement and personalization tools.

Zeta's Marketing Cloud, launched in 2018, combines identity, intelligence and omnichannel activation, backed by one of the industry's largest proprietary databases. The company was founded in 2007 by David A. Steinberg and former Apple CEO John Sculley, and is headquartered in New York City with offices around the world.

The cash and stock deal includes Marigold brands Cheetah Digital, Selligent, Sailthru, Liveclicker, Grow, and Marigold Loyalty. Zeta has upped its guidance for revenue and profit for the next 15 months to reflect the forecast impact of the acquisition. It raised projected revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 to the range of $378.8m to $381.8m, including $15.8m from the acquired business; and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $90.7m to $91.5m. For the full year 2025 it now expects revenue in the range $1,289m to $1,292m, and adjusted EBITDA from $274.2m to $275.1m. For the full year 2026 revenue guidance is 'at least $1,730 million', including at least $190 million from Marigold's enterprise software business and $1,540 million from Zeta; and adjusted EBITDA of $385.4m.

Steinberg (pictured), who is now Chairman and CEO, says the buy is a 'powerful step forward' for Zeta: ''By combining Marigold's enterprise loyalty capabilities with Zeta's AI and data-driven platform, we believe we can unlock even greater value for our clients, increasing ROI from 6x to more than 10x over time. Together, we are well positioned to deliver unmatched scale, intelligence, and performance to the world's leading brands.'

Web site: www.zetaglobal.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.