Dun & Bradstreet Continues Slow-Motion Acquisition Spree with Avention Purchase
Business data compiler Dun & Bradstreet announced purchase of Avention, which distributes B2B company and contact data through lists, triggers, and integration with CRM and marketing automation systems. Price was $150 million. Avention had previously used more than 100 data sources, including event, social, and contact information not found in D&B’s own data set. D&B’s announcement stressed the value of Avention’s software as a distribution channel. The acquisition comes almost two years to the day since D&B purchased NetProspex, which added individual contact names to D&B’s company-level information. Will D&B keep all of Avention’s sources? Will vendors who resell D&B data object to direct competition? Will D&B make more acquisitions? Stay tuned.