Valassis
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media and marketing services |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | George Valassis |
| Headquarters | Livonia, Michigan , United States |
Area served | United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada |
| Products | Coupon distribution and processing, digital marketing, direct mail services |
Number of employees | 7,000 |
| Parent | Vericast (since 2020) |
Valassis Communications, Inc. is a media and marketing services firm headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, with operations spanning the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Canada. Recognized as one of the foremost global distributors and processors of coupons, Valassis has been integrated into the parent company Vericast since 2020.
The company’s portfolio includes subsidiaries such as Valassis Digital, Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, and NCH Marketing Services, Inc. It employs approximately 7,000 individuals across 28 U.S. states and nine countries worldwide.
Valassis provides services to more than 15,000 advertisers globally, representing sectors like automotive, consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, financial services, franchise food chains, grocery stores, specialty retail outlets, and telecommunications.
In February 2014, Harland Clarke Holdings—a division of M&F Worldwide—acquired Valassis for roughly $1.8 billion. Before this transaction, Valassis was publicly traded on stock exchanges.
History
Established in 1970 by George Valassis, the company acquired its initial printing press a year later in 1971. In 1986, Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH), based in Sydney, Australia, purchased the firm. CPH took Valassis public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1992 under the name Valassis Communications, Inc. (VCI), retaining a 49% ownership until fully divesting by 1997.
Valassis broadened its international reach in 2003 through the acquisition of NCH Marketing Services, Inc., which operates across France, Italy, Spain, Germany, England, the U.S., and Mexico.
The company encountered regulatory scrutiny in 2006 when it resolved a complaint from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission concerning attempted collusion with competitor News America Marketing. As part of a consent decree, Valassis committed to discontinuing such practices.
In 2007, despite initial legal challenges related to financial disclosures, Valassis acquired direct-mail marketer Advo for $1.2 billion.
Following a $300 million jury award in 2010 against News America Marketing for anticompetitive conduct impacting market share, Valassis reached a $500 million settlement with News Corporation. This accord also established a decade-long shared mail distribution partnership between News America and Valassis Direct Mail.
To strengthen its local market footprint, Valassis acquired Clipper Magazine and Total Loyalty Solutions in November 2015. The company further advanced its digital marketing expertise by purchasing MaxPoint Interactive in 2017.
Over time, strategic acquisitions combined with legal initiatives have solidified Valassis’s leadership position in coupon distribution and marketing services across diverse industries and international markets.
RedPlum/RetailMeNot Everyday
RedPlum served as Valassis’s consumer-facing brand, delivering newspaper inserts and direct mail to over 100 million consumers each week. Introduced in January 2008, RedPlum.com catered primarily to women aged 25 to 50 by providing bi-weekly e-newsletters featuring discounts and special offers.
In 2018, RetailMeNot formed a partnership with Valassis that led to rebranding RedPlum as RetailMeNot Everyday to strengthen its role in coupon distribution channels.
America's Looking For Its Missing Children Initiative
Valassis collaborates with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the U.S. Postal Service to circulate images of missing children via the "Have You Seen Me?" campaign, which began in 1985. This program is responsible for producing 87% of all tips received by NCMEC and has played a role in locating more than 1,200 out of the 2,000 children featured.
Background of NCMEC
- Motivated by the 1984 television film Adam, Valassis created a public awareness effort that involved widespread distribution of photographs of missing children.
- Postal service rules were amended in 1985 to permit images of missing children on detached address labels.
- In 1992, the company launched a white ribbon initiative to commemorate National Missing Children's Day.
- By 1997, regional direct mail firms had broadened the program’s reach by an additional 17 million households.
- Starting in 1998, photo dissemination was refined to focus on areas identified through intelligence from NCMEC and the FBI.
- The milestone of the 100th successful recovery was honored in 2000 during an event hosted by House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
- In 2007, the images were upgraded to full-color placements within direct mail materials.
- The following year, 2008, saw the program extend beyond RedPlum Direct Mail Packages to include Free-standing Inserts, reaching as many as 140 million homes and online viewers.