NZ Mobile Marketing Leader Raises The Bar for Kiwi Businesses with Completion of Sale to US Meredith Corporation

Mobile marketing industry leader, The Hyperfactory (www.thehyperfactory.com) has completed full alignment with leading US media and marketing company Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com), one year after Meredith took a strategic stake in the company.

Created by New Zealand brothers Derek and Geoffrey Handley in 2001, The Hyperfactory specialises in powering businesses and brands through the mobile medium with award winning, innovative and strategically creative initiatives.

Leading US research company, Berg Insight, forecasts the global mobile advertising market to grow at an annual compound growth rate of 43% to $8.7b Euros by 2014, reinforcing the importance of this strategic alignment for both organisations.

“The completion of this deal is further evidence of the ability New Zealand entrepreneurs have to make it on the world stage, in the most competitive and fast-paced industries,” says Derek Handley, Co-founder & CEO, The Hyperfactory.

“Globally, Kiwi companies are at the cutting edge of the use new technology, and by having the courage to take our ideas and capabilities off shore, we are able to become a significant powerhouse within some of the world’s leading corporations. Pivotal to The Hyperfactory’s success was our determination to dual headquarter our offices in both New York and Auckland to support our expansion domestically in these countries, and into other international markets.”

Handley says the relationship presents significant opportunity for the company’s multiple standalone offices around the world. “Key to our definition of success on this sale has been our ability to retain leadership at the helm. It’s important to us to be able to continue the tremendous flow of creativity across our client base, and into all the opportunities Meredith Corporation provides.

“Our company is a global industry leader because of more than 100 mobile technology and marketing experts who support and deliver to clients like Coca-Cola, BlackBerry, L'Oreal, Vodafone and Disney globally through offices in Auckland, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Sydney and Hyderabad, India.

“They are why we have a history of winning more industry accolades than any mobile agency worldwide. This partnership is designed to entrench that leadership in every market we operate, including New Zealand, and creates opportunities to compete for a whole new tier of clients.”

The completion of the remaining 80% investment was always part of the Handley brothers’ vision for the company. At just 32 and 35, Derek and Geoffrey Handley respectively join an exclusive club of young kiwi entrepreneurs determined to put New Zealand on the world stage, and raise the bar on the value of ‘kiwi ingenuity’ while doing so.

While terms of The Hyperfactory acquisition was not disclosed by Meredith Corporation, Derek Handley says it is comparable to recent leading technology deals for Kiwi companies, and “sets a significant benchmark for the sale of a New Zealand business in the emerging technologies sector”.

For Meredith Corporation, the acquisition further enhances the capabilities of Meredith Integrated Marketing, the company’s business-to-business unit that provides leading corporations and brands with custom marketing solutions.

In the past year, as the demand for mobile marketing solutions has rapidly increased, the two companies have joined forces to offer leading companies and brands such as Kraft, Nestle and Honda, cutting edge mobile marketing solutions. Additionally, The Hyperfactory helped to accelerate Meredith’s consumer brand efforts in the mobile space by developing the mobile platforms for the Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Fitness brands.

“Our clients and consumers have responded well to these initiatives, and we look forward to increasing our presence in the mobile space with The Hyperfactory as a full member of the Meredith portfolio,” said Meredith National Media Group President Jack Griffin. “The Hyperfactory's capabilities fall directly in line with our strategic goals and present significant opportunities for our business-to-business engagements.”

“Mobile is becoming a vital ingredient in integrated marketing campaigns, giving consumers access to brands at key decision points in the purchasing cycle for awareness, consideration and calls to action,” said Meredith Integrated Marketing President Martin Reidy. “The Hyperfactory is the ideal partner to help us better serve clients seeking to capitalize on this trend.”

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About The Hyperfactory

The Hyperfactory (www.thehyperfactory.com) powers businesses and brands through the mobile medium. As the most- awarded and most established specialist, it is consistently setting new standards of excellence through two divisions:

Agency: Powering brands through integrated mobile strategy, creative, media and innovation.
Technology: Powering businesses through planning, integration and deployment of mobile technology, regardless of the platform, protocol or device.
Founded in 2001 by New Zealand brothers Geoffrey and Derek Handley, The Hyperfactory is a wholly owned subsidiary of Meredith Corporation, the leading media and marketing company serving American women. Recently recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Annual 100 Brilliant Ideas & Companies issue and with a history of winning more industry accolades and recognition than any agency worldwide, clients include Coca-Cola, BlackBerry, L’Oreal, Vodafone, Disney and Kraft. It employs over 100 of the world’s best mobile technology and marketing experts and supports and delivers globally through its network of offices in Auckland, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Sydney and Hyderabad, India.



About Meredith Corporation

Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP: www.meredith.com) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women. Meredith combines well-known national brands - including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Ladies' Home Journal, Family Circle, American Baby, Fitness and More - with local television brands in fast-growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith then uses multiple distribution platforms - including print, television, online, mobile and video - to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its marketing partners. Additionally, Meredith uses its many assets to create powerful custom marketing solutions for many of the nation's top brands and companies.

About Meredith Integrated Marketing

Meredith Integrated Marketing offers a full spectrum of resources and expertise enabling brands to break through the clutter to grow customer relationships. Meredith Integrated Marketing maximizes results by providing strategic solutions and smart content to personalize the brand experience through meaningful multi-platform custom communications programs.