Sprint Nextel is adding to its mobile app development and advertising expertise by purchasing Handmark/OneLouder, a Kansas-City based startup that has partnered with the carrier in the past for app development. Sprint will make Handmark/OneLouder part of its Pinsight Media advertising service. Handmark and OneLouder will continue to operate under their existing brand names. OneLouder president Evan Conway will lead both OneLouder and Handmark.
The Handmark/OneLouder acquisition is the latest in a series of recent moves by Sprint Nextel to beef up its mobile advertising capabilities. Earlier this month the company partnered with media giant Time Inc.; the two companies will collaborate on mobile advertising solutions and share access to one another’s customers. Sprint Nextel has roughly 50 million mobile subscribers and Time’s mobile network has about 20 million members. Their partnership also gives Sprint subscribers fast access to Time’s digital content through the SprintZone app, an arrangement that might become complicated if Sprint Nextel ends up being acquired by Time Warner rival Dish Network.
Sprint Nextel is also expanding Pinsight’s global reach through an alliance with Telefonica Digital. The companies say that by working together they will give global advertisers access to more than 370 million mobile customers in North America, Latin America and Europe.
Closer to home, Sprint Nextel says the Handmark/OneLouder deal is a great example of how an entrepreneurial mindset can pay off for a small company. “Handmark focused on changing with the times, pivoting their business like a true entrepreneur with OneLouder and becoming attractive to Sprint, among others,” said Kevin McGinnis, vice president of product platforms and services at Sprint Nextel.
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