• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, September 9, 2005

Epsilon, a credit card transaction and marketing services provider, will acquire e-mail marketing giant Bigfoot Interactive within a month, per an agreement announced Thursday. Epsilon, part of Alliance Data Systems, will defer all of its interactive marketing and communications business to Bigfoot, or Epsilon Interactive, as it will now be known. Epsilon is paying $120 million, the two companies estimated.

The deal is expected to give Epsilon a stronger presence in both the financial and retail verticals, as Bigfoot's 160-some clients include brands ranging from JPMorgan Chase and Capital One to Target and Amazon. Epsilon also gains access to an integrated real-time marketing platform that is capable of delivering segmented and customized programs across multiple channels such as direct mail, e-mail, and call centers.

"We had a long time under the covers with this company, and we feel like we've known them for years," said Al DiGuido, currently Bigfoot's CEO, and soon-to-be president of Epsilon Interactive. "Myself and my executive team will be assuming expanded roles to oversee of all sales and marketing for all things interactive." Those executives include Bigfoot's CMO Michael Della Penna and its CTO Ragy Thomas.

Bigfoot's other 85 full-time staffers will stay on, DiGuido confirmed.

Annual revenues of Bigfoot Interactive are approximately $30 million, according to a company representative.