August 20, 2012 (Burlington, VT) – Dealer.com, the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, has acquired selected assets of Hurley and Frank Industries, Inc. (dba hearforward), a Burlington-based firm that develops, executes and measures social media promotional campaigns. The acquisition closed August 17; terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Hearforward’s talented and creative team leverages deep knowledge of the direct marketing and social media space to help its clients develop, launch and execute successful social media campaigns. With a data-first approach, the company is able to measure and tune its clients’ campaigns to maximize the reach of their message and deliver unprecedented insight into the return on their investment. Hearforward has worked with several renowned and global brands including Pepsi, National Hockey League, Green Mountain Coffee, Seventh Generation and King Arthur Flour.
“This strategic acquisition supports our commitment to helping our clients leverage social media to run their dealerships more profitably, while enhancing customer engagement at the same time,” said Rick Gibbs, President and Chief Technology Officer, Dealer.com. “The hearforward team’s experience developing highly successful and effective social media campaigns is demonstrated by their work with some of the world’s most respected brands, and we are excited to bring this expertise in-house to help deliver similar value to our automotive customers.”
As part of the transaction, Sean Hurley, Partner and CEO at hearforward, will join Dealer.com as Director, Social and Marketing Analytics.