Valassis

Valassis is a marketing-services company and brand headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. Founded by George Valassis in 1970, it developed around the production and distribution of promotional materials, particularly grocery and retail coupons. Over time, the company expanded from print manufacturing into coupon clearing, direct mail, promotional analytics, digital advertising, and campaign services for national advertisers and retailers. The company purchased its first printing press in 1971. Its ownership and corporate structure changed substantially during the following decades. Consolidated Press Holdings of Sydney, associated with Australian media proprietor Kerry Packer, acquired Valassis in 1986. In 1992, the business became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as Valassis Communications, Inc. Consolidated Press initially retained a substantial holding but exited that investment in 1997, leaving Valassis independent. Expansion was driven both organically and through acquisitions. In 2003, Valassis acquired NCH Marketing Services, a coupon-clearing and marketing-services business with operations across North America and Europe. The transaction broadened Valassis's international reach and strengthened its role in the processing and settlement of coupons distributed by manufacturers and retailers. In 2007, Valassis purchased direct-mail marketer Advo, adding large-scale household distribution capabilities. Later acquisitions included Clipper Magazine and Total Loyalty Solutions in 2015, followed by digital-marketing technology company MaxPoint in 2017. Valassis operated across several connected areas: free-standing newspaper inserts, direct-mail packages, coupon processing, promotional measurement, loyalty marketing, digital advertising, and retailer or manufacturer campaigns. Its advertiser relationships covered consumer packaged goods, grocery, specialty retail, automotive, consumer electronics, financial services, franchise food, and telecommunications. The company also operated or owned businesses and brands including Valassis Digital, Valassis Direct Mail, Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, and NCH Marketing Services. The consumer-facing RedPlum brand became a prominent part of Valassis's promotional ecosystem. RedPlum distributed savings materials through newspaper inserts, direct mail, and an online savings and lifestyle site. In 2018, the consumer print and digital offering was renamed RetailMeNot Everyday through a partnership involving RetailMeNot. This reflected the industry's shift from traditional coupon distribution toward integrated online, mobile, and data-supported promotional marketing. Valassis also maintained a significant public-service role through the Have You Seen Me? missing-children photo program, conducted with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Postal Service. Since its 1985 launch, the program has placed photographs and identifying information about missing children in direct-mail materials. The initiative later expanded from detached address labels to full-color direct-mail pieces, free-standing inserts, regional targeting, and broader household distribution. Valassis's corporate independence ended in February 2014, when Harland Clarke Holdings, a subsidiary of M&F Worldwide, completed its acquisition of the company for approximately $1.8 billion. Valassis subsequently operated within the Harland Clarke organization and was ultimately unified under the Vericast parent brand in 2020. Today, Valassis is best understood as a business-to-business marketing-services brand rather than a standalone public company. Its historical strengths remain promotional distribution, coupon processing, direct mail, and advertiser-to-consumer reach, supplemented by digital marketing and campaign technology.

Valassis began in 1970 under the leadership of George Valassis and acquired its first printing press the following year. Its early business was rooted in printed promotional materials, a foundation that later made the company a major participant in coupon distribution and processing. In 1986, Consolidated Press Holdings of Sydney acquired the company. Consolidated Press was associated with Kerry Packer and retained a significant ownership position after Valassis entered the public markets. In 1992, Consolidated Press took Valassis public on the New York Stock Exchange under the name Valassis Communications, Inc. The parent retained 49 percent at the time of the offering, but divested that interest in 1997, restoring Valassis's independence. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the company tested digital couponing. Its Save.com website launched in September 1999 but was closed in 2001 because management concluded that it had not attracted enough advertisers to achieve a viable scale. Valassis pursued international and operational expansion through the 2003 acquisition of NCH Marketing Services. NCH brought coupon-clearing and marketing operations in the United States, Mexico, and several European countries, making Valassis a substantially more international business. The company also developed a public profile through its consumer promotional brands and through partnerships with advertisers, retailers, and public-service organizations. The company encountered regulatory and legal challenges during the 2000s. In 2006, it settled an FTC complaint alleging that it had attempted to coordinate with News America Marketing, its principal competitor, in ways that could limit competition. A consent order prohibited comparable conduct. In 2007, Valassis completed its $1.2 billion purchase of Advo, a direct-mail marketer, after initially attempting to withdraw from the transaction because of concerns about Advo's financial reporting. In 2008, Fraser Papers sued over alleged unpaid paper invoices; the matter was settled in 2009. The competitive conflict with News America continued in court. In 2010, News Corporation agreed to pay $500 million to resolve litigation brought by Valassis. The dispute concerned allegations that News America Marketing used long-term insert contracts and threatened pricing changes on in-store displays to increase market share. The settlement also included a ten-year shared-mail distribution agreement involving Valassis Direct Mail. Valassis continued to add promotional and digital capabilities. It acquired Clipper Magazine and Total Loyalty Solutions in 2015 and acquired MaxPoint, a digital-marketing technology company, in 2017. Its RedPlum consumer brand combined coupon inserts, direct mail, and online savings content. In 2018, that offering was renamed RetailMeNot Everyday through a partnership with RetailMeNot, reflecting the growing integration of print promotions with digital discovery and shopping tools. A separate and enduring part of Valassis's history is the Have You Seen Me? program. Launched in 1985 with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Postal Service, the program placed missing-child photographs in materials distributed to households. It expanded from detached address labels to direct-mail pieces and free-standing inserts, while later using regional targeting and age-progressed images where available. The program became one of the company's most visible public-service initiatives. Valassis ceased to be publicly traded after Harland Clarke Holdings completed its approximately $1.8 billion acquisition in February 2014. Harland Clarke Holdings was a subsidiary of M&F Worldwide. After subsequent corporate consolidation, Valassis was unified under Vericast in 2020. The brand therefore remains active as part of a broader marketing-services organization, with its legacy centered on coupon infrastructure, direct mail, promotional media, and digital customer-reach services.

• 2020

  Unified under Vericast

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Valassis was unified under the Vericast parent corporation.

• 2017

  MaxPoint acquired

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition added digital-marketing technology to Valassis's service portfolio.

• 2015

  Clipper Magazine and Total Loyalty Solutions acquired

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Valassis expanded its print-distribution and loyalty-marketing capabilities through two acquisitions.

• 2014

  Taken private by Harland Clarke Holdings

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Harland Clarke Holdings completed its acquisition of Valassis for approximately $1.8 billion.

• 2007

  Advo acquired

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Valassis completed the acquisition of direct-mail marketer Advo for approximately $1.2 billion.

• 2003

  NCH Marketing Services acquired

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Valassis acquired NCH Marketing Services, adding international coupon-clearing and marketing operations.

• 1997

  Consolidated Press exits ownership

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Consolidated Press Holdings divested its remaining interest, making Valassis fully independent.

• 1992

  Public listing

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  The company became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as Valassis Communications, Inc.

• 1986

  Acquired by Consolidated Press Holdings

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Consolidated Press Holdings of Sydney acquired Valassis.

• 1985

  Have You Seen Me? launched

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Valassis launched its missing-children photo program with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Postal Service.

• 1971

  First printing press purchased

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  Valassis purchased its first printing press, supporting its early print-production business.

• 1970

  Company founded

  [1]Valassisen.wikipedia.org

  George Valassis started the company, which developed around printed marketing and promotional services.

A large-scale, multichannel promotional-marketing provider connecting consumer brands, retailers, and advertisers with households through coupons, direct mail, digital media, data, and campaign services.

• Consumer coupon and savings media · 2008

  RedPlum

  RedPlum was Valassis's principal consumer-facing promotional brand. It combined newspaper coupon inserts, direct-mail savings packages, and a digital savings and lifestyle site launched in 2008. The offering was designed to distribute manufacturer and retailer promotions to large household audiences, with online content aimed particularly at consumers seeking deals and shopping information. In 2018, the offering was renamed RetailMeNot Everyday.

• Consumer coupon media · 2018

  RetailMeNot Everyday

  RetailMeNot Everyday became the successor name for the RedPlum consumer coupon offering in 2018. It represented Valassis's effort to connect its established print-distribution network with RetailMeNot's consumer savings identity and digital promotional ecosystem.

• Direct-mail marketing

  Valassis Direct Mail

  Valassis Direct Mail provides household-distribution and direct-mail capabilities for advertisers and retailers. Its activities have included promotional packages, shared-mail programs, and the distribution of coupon and public-service content. The unit also participated in a ten-year shared-mail arrangement included in the 2010 settlement with News Corporation.

• Digital marketing

  Valassis Digital

  Valassis Digital represents the company's digital advertising and marketing-services capabilities. Its role developed through the expansion of online promotional media and the 2017 acquisition of MaxPoint, which added digital-marketing technology to Valassis's traditional print, coupon, and direct-mail infrastructure.

• Coupon clearing and marketing services · 2003

  NCH Marketing Services

  NCH Marketing Services is a coupon-clearing and marketing-services business acquired by Valassis in 2003. Its operations across North America and Europe helped Valassis process promotional coupons and serve international consumer-goods and retail advertisers.

• Public-service direct-mail program · 1985

  Have You Seen Me?

  Have You Seen Me? is Valassis's missing-children photo program conducted with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Postal Service. It distributes photographs and identifying information through direct-mail materials and inserts, using regional or broader distribution to help members of the public recognize missing children.

• 2010

  News America Marketing antitrust-related litigation

  News Corporation paid $500 million to settle litigation brought by Valassis concerning allegations that News America Marketing used long-term contracts and threatened pricing increases to gain market share in in-store advertising displays.

  Source

• 2006

  FTC complaint over alleged competitor coordination

  Valassis settled a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that it had attempted to coordinate with News America Marketing to reduce competition in promotional advertising. The settlement included a consent order restricting similar conduct.

  Source

Read more

• 2008RedPlum online savings and lifestyle site

  United States

  Valassis extended the RedPlum consumer brand online with savings content, offers, and a recurring email newsletter.

  Outcome. The initiative connected Valassis's traditional coupon-distribution business with web-based consumer engagement.

  Source
• 1992White Ribbon missing-children awareness campaign

  United States

  Valassis initiated a white-ribbon campaign to remember children who had not been recovered, associated with National Missing Children's Day.

  Outcome. The activity broadened the public-awareness dimension of the company's missing-children program.

  Source
• 1985Have You Seen Me?

  United States

  Valassis began distributing photographs of missing children through postal and direct-mail materials in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Postal Service.

  Outcome. The program became a long-running national public-service initiative and was credited by the cited reference with generating a substantial share of leads to the missing-children organization.

  Source

• 2017

  Acquired MaxPointM&A

  Background

  Valassis was expanding beyond print coupons and direct mail into technology-enabled digital marketing.

  Action taken

  The company acquired digital-marketing technology provider MaxPoint.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added digital capabilities to Valassis's multichannel marketing portfolio.

  Source

• 2014

  Acquired by Harland Clarke HoldingsM&A

  Background

  Valassis was a publicly traded marketing-services company before the transaction.

  Action taken

  Harland Clarke Holdings completed the acquisition and took Valassis private.

  Aftermath

  Valassis ceased operating as an independently listed public company and became part of the Harland Clarke organization.

  Acquisition value. Approximately $1.8 billion (February 2014)

  Source

• 2007

  Completed Advo acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Valassis had sought to withdraw from the proposed transaction after raising concerns about Advo's financial figures.

  Action taken

  The company ultimately completed its purchase of Advo, a direct-mail marketer.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition strengthened Valassis's direct-mail distribution scale.

  Acquisition value. $1.2 billion (2007)

  Source

• 2003

  Acquired NCH Marketing ServicesM&A

  Background

  Valassis sought broader coupon-clearing and marketing-services capabilities and a stronger international presence.

  Action taken

  It acquired NCH Marketing Services, which operated in North America and several European countries.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded Valassis's international operating footprint and coupon-processing capabilities.

  Source

• 2001

  Closed Save.comStrategy

  Background

  Valassis had launched the online coupon website in 1999, but determined that it had not attracted enough advertisers to reach viable scale.

  Action taken

  The company shut down Save.com and redirected attention toward its established promotional distribution activities.

  Aftermath

  The closure illustrates an early limit to standalone internet couponing before Valassis later expanded its digital capabilities through acquisitions and integrated services.

  Source

1. 1Valassisen.wikipedia.org