M2 Media Group

What M2 Media Group does

M2 Media Group, LLC is a privately held, Stamford, Connecticut-based technology-enabled media company founded in 2004 by Michael Borchetta (CEO) and Michael Frank (President), both former executives from Time Inc.'s Synapse Group. The company operates three core business divisions: Magazine Circulation (acting as a subscription agency serving major publishers and channel partners), Lead Generation (B2B lead delivery via Blue Dolphin Magazines, Mercury Magazines, RewardSurvey, and the TechPapers mobile app), and Product Sales Fundraising (operating M2 Fundraising and the BirthdayRewards platform). Its proprietary subscription-fulfillment and ecommerce platform integrates with major retailers, loyalty programs, and group-buying sites to drive subscription acquisition for more than 1,000 magazine titles from publishers including Time Inc., Condé Nast, Hearst, and Meredith.

The company's underlying technology stack is built around a patented avatar and personalized-portal system (U.S. Patent No. 10,275,807 granted May 6, 2019) and additional patent-pending claims on its ecommerce fundraising platform, both of which were first commercialized with the Girl Scouts of the USA licensing agreement in 2013. M2 has expanded through two material acquisitions - BlueDolphin.com from Zinio Systems (January 2007) and American Publishers from Hearst Magazines (March 2014) - and has built an extensive B2B channel network spanning retailers (Barnes & Noble, Costco, Sears/Kmart, Staples), hotel loyalty programs (IHG Priority Club, Choice Hotels Privileges), group buying (Groupon, LivingSocial), affinity brands (Huggies, ProFlowers, eHarmony, Match.com, VistaPrint), and youth organizations (Girl Scouts of the USA, Cherrydale Farms). The firm was the first magazine subscription agency to obtain Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) certification of its sponsored subscription platform.

M2 generates revenue primarily through transaction fees and platform licensing on subscription volumes processed for publishers and B2B partners, with multi-year contracts governing enterprise relationships. Pricing is opaque and negotiated bilaterally rather than publicly disclosed; the firm has grown without disclosed venture capital funding and has been recognized on multiple Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and Inc. 500/5000 lists. It employs 11-50 people and operates from headquarters in Stamford with additional offices in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Name

M2 Media Group

Legal name

M2 Media Group, LLC

Website

https://m2mediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

M2 Media Group is a privately held, Stamford-based magazine subscription agency and ecommerce enablement platform founded in 2004, serving major publishers, online retailers, loyalty programs, and youth fundraising organizations with subscription fulfillment and circulation management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Subscription Agency Services

NAICS

Media Representatives (54184), Media Representatives (541840), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

Keywords

• Magazine subscription agency
• Subscription circulation management
• Online fundraising platform
• B2B lead generation
• Customer acquisition platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Stamford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Agency Services: M2 acts as a subscription agency providing circulation management services to publishers and value-added marketing programs to Internet-based businesses. The company generates revenue through transaction fees and service fees from managing magazine subscription programs for partners.
2. Youth Fundraising Platform: Online fundraising platform for youth organizations, schools, and non-profits. Revenue generated through licensing agreements and platform fees for enabling groups to sell magazines and subscriptions as fundraising products.
3. Lead Generation Services: B2B lead generation services for technology and business verticals through Mercury Magazines and TechPapers network, providing qualified leads to advertisers and publishers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

M2 Media Group is a technology-enabled subscription agency and customer acquisition company that operates three core divisions: Magazine Circulation (subscriber acquisition and circulation management for major publishers via retail, loyalty, rewards, digital, and incentives channels), Lead Generation (qualified leads for B2B, Financial, Education, and Consumer Brands verticals), and Product Sales Fundraising (online ecommerce-based fundraising platform for schools and youth organizations using patented avatar and personalized storefront technology).

Product overview

M2 Media Group operates as a multi-platform technology-enabled media company with three core divisions: Magazine Circulation, Lead Generation, and Product Sales Fundraising. The company offers a portfolio of branded products including Blue Dolphin Magazines (consumer magazine retail), Mercury Magazines (B2B trade publications and white papers), RewardSurvey (opinion-based rewards), and BirthdayRewards (brand partnership loyalty). Its proprietary fundraising platform enables schools and youth organizations to raise funds through personalized online storefronts with avatar technology. The platform connects publishers with retailers, loyalty programs, and fundraising channels to generate millions of subscriptions annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Dolphin Magazines: Consumer magazine retail brand offering lowest prices authorized by publishers on more than 1,000 magazine titles across categories including sports, fashion, entertainment, and parenting.
• Mercury Magazines
• RewardSurvey
• BirthdayRewards
• M2 Fundraising
• TechPapers

Products and services

• Blue Dolphin Magazines Consumer-facing online magazine retail site offering lowest prices authorized by publishers on more than 1,000 magazine titles across categories including sports, fashion, entertainment, and parenting. Targeted at individual consumers seeking discounted magazine subscriptions.
• Mercury Magazines Online platform for B2B controlled-circulation publications that helps business professionals discover relevant business magazines, trade publications, eBooks, and industry-specific whitepapers based on their business profile, all available at no cost. Serves B2B publishers and advertisers seeking qualified controlled-circulation subscribers.
• RewardSurvey Members rewards platform where users share their opinions and experiences with premium brands about products and services in exchange for rewards. Targets consumer brand advertisers seeking qualified consumer insights and market research respondents.
• BirthdayRewards Rewards platform that partners with top brands to bring members freebies, deals, and rewards for birthdays and year-round. Targets brand advertisers seeking consumer engagement.
• Magazine Circulation Platform M2 Media Group's flagship magazine subscription agency service providing circulation management spanning retail, fundraising, loyalty, rewards, digital, and incentives channels. Partners with large-brand retailers and publishers to generate millions of subscriptions; serves major publishers including Time Inc., Condé Nast, Hearst, and Meredith.
• Lead Generation Platform Online lead generation agency focused on B2B, Education, Finance, and Consumer Brands verticals, delivering measurable, high-quality, scalable leads through best-in-class platforms. Serves advertisers and recruiters seeking qualified professional prospects including IT decision makers.
• Product Sales Fundraising Platform Patented ecommerce-based fundraising platform utilized by thousands of schools nationwide and non-profit youth organizations including Girl Scouts of the USA, featuring personalized storefronts and avatar creator technology. Replaces paper-based door-to-door fundraising programs with online environments.
• TechPapers Mobile App Mobile application for iPhone and iPad delivering and organizing free white papers and professional decision-making content for enterprise technology and business professionals. Targets enterprise technology buyers, IT decision makers, and technology advertisers seeking qualified content engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% increase in revenue for Girl Scout councils in first year using M2 fundraising platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Meredith CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2018Meredith, largest magazine company in the world, selected M2 to manage its school fundraising business unit helping schools and non-profit youth groups nationwide raise money for supplies and field trips.
• Groupon (Expanded)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 November 2017Blue Dolphin Magazines named exclusive inventory provider for Groupon's national retail magazine category. Customers access discounts on hundreds of popular titles including US Weekly, Zoobooks, Better Homes & Gardens.
• Cherrydale FarmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 May 2017Cherrydale, one of largest product fundraising companies in US helping raise over $1.5 billion, uses M2's online fundraising platform to offer magazines to schools. Founded over 100 years ago.
• Deluxe Corporation (Deluxe Rewards)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 March 2016Expanded relationship to offer premium magazine titles to Deluxe Rewards loyalty clients including Verizon, AARP, Allstate, and Citibank. Millions of consumers reached.
• American Publishers (from Hearst Magazines)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2014Acquisition of American Publishers from Hearst Magazines, an industry leader in magazine fundraising managing programs for schools, non-profits, and charitable organizations with 25+ years experience.
• StaplescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 October 2013World's second largest internet retailer selected M2 for ecommerce magazine initiative at Staples.com. Platform integrates with Staples systems with publisher promotions for holiday season.
• Girl Scouts of the USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2013Licensing agreement to provide innovative product sales program enabling Girl Scout members nationwide to sell magazines and digital subscriptions using M2's patent-pending ecommerce platform.
• ProFlowersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 May 2012Magazine rewards offered to ProFlowers' 7+ million customers upon purchase of $20 or more. Titles include Family Circle, Lucky, Reader's Digest, O, The Oprah Magazine.
• Huggies (Kimberly-Clark)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 March 2011Magazine subscriptions featured in Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards program for moms. Titles include Parents, Disney's FamilyFun, Shape, Working Mother, Family Circle.
• TechPapers NetworkcoreTechnology or Integration · 2 March 2011Mobile application for consumption and storage of technology white papers. First mobile app for enterprise professionals to access problem-solving content.
• LivingSocialcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 February 2011Exclusive deals on magazine subscriptions to LivingSocial's 10+ million subscribers. Launched with Newsweek as inaugural title generating thousands of subscriptions.
• GrouponcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 January 2011Exclusive deals on magazine subscriptions to Groupon's 40 million registered members. M2 manages publisher sales, relations, redemption, and fulfillment.
• Kmart (Sears Holdings)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 October 2009Expanded Sears Holdings partnership to include Kmart.com magazine subscription offerings, supplementing Sears.com program with combined formidable customer base.
• Sears Holdings CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 September 2009Sears.com launched magazine subscription category powered by M2's platform with over 1,000 titles from Time Inc., Condé Nast, and Hearst. Launched October 2009.
• CostcocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 May 2009Costco selected M2 for multi-year magazine subscription program at Costco.com. Two-year subscriptions offered at discount to members utilizing bulk sales model.
• InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2008Priority Club Rewards members (39 million+) can redeem points for magazine subscriptions including Forbes, Men's Health, Shape, Smithsonian, and Wall Street Journal. Integrated multi-channel program.
• Choice Hotels (Choice Privileges)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 June 2008Choice Privileges rewards program members can exchange points for magazine subscriptions. Choice Hotels franchises more than 5,500 hotels in multiple countries.
• Barnes & Noble.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 May 2008Barnes & Noble.com partnered with M2 to provide print magazine subscription fulfillment. Over 1,000 titles available at prices up to 90% off newsstand prices through integrated shopping experience.
• eHarmonycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 August 2007Magazine subscriptions offered to eHarmony's 14 million registered users and 2-3 million monthly visitors. Gender-targeting provides dynamic list of titles to paying members.
• VistaPrintcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 June 2007Magazine subscriptions offered to VistaPrint's 9 million customers including small business owners, families, and brides as reward upon purchase.
• Blue Dolphin (Acquired from Zinio Systems)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 17 January 2007Acquisition of BlueDolphin.com online magazine retail website from Zinio Systems. Expands M2's presence in paid magazine services with over 1,300 titles.
• Priceline.comcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 13 November 2006Exclusive licensing agreement to use Name Your Own Price trademark for MyPrice Magazines service, enabling consumers to bid on magazine subscriptions similar to travel booking model.
• BroderbundminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2006Magazine subscriptions offered as benefit to purchasers of leading software titles including The Print Shop and PrintMaster upon checkout.
• Dave Rock (Executive Hire)minorOthers · 12 September 2006Dave Rock joined as Vice President, bringing 14 years of leadership experience in circulation, publishing and marketing from Ziff Davis Media.
• HotwirecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 December 2005Magazine subscriptions included as benefit for customers booking airline tickets, hotels, vacation packages, and cruises through Hotwire. Part of Expedia, Inc. family.
• Match.comcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 July 2005Magazine subscriptions offered as value-added premium to paying Match.com subscribers with over 15 million members. Titles include Elle, Maxim, Premiere, and Men's Journal.
• e-RewardscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 May 2005Magazine subscriptions offered as redemption option for e-Rewards members' cash credits. High-quality, highly segmented base of nearly 2 million consumers and business decision makers.
• Expedia.comcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 February 2005Partnership subscription program where Expedia offers magazine subscriptions to customers included with their travel bookings as a benefit. Travel customers with higher than average discretionary incomes represent quality subscribers for publishers.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Synapse Group: Synapse Group is the magazine subscription agency originally incubated within Time Inc. where M2's co-founders previously worked. It is M2's most direct competitor - both operate as subscription agencies brokering magazine subscriptions on behalf of major publishers through retail, loyalty, and partner channels.
• Publishers Clearing House: Publishers Clearing House operates magazine subscription sweepstakes-driven marketing at massive direct-to-consumer scale. While their model is more DTC than M2's B2B2C, both companies compete for the same magazine publisher subscription budgets and end-subscriber attention.
• ZINIO: ZINIO is a digital magazine newsstand and subscription platform. M2 actually acquired BlueDolphin.com from Zinio Systems in 2007, making them a former partner/competitor in the digital magazine retail space. Both serve consumers seeking magazine subscriptions across web and mobile.
• CafeMedia: CafeMedia provides digital media and advertising technology services to independent publishers. While CafeMedia focuses on digital advertising monetization for publishers (where M2 focuses on subscription acquisition), both serve as revenue-enabling technology partners for publishers seeking diversified monetization.

Broad incumbents

• Blackbaud: Blackbaud is the leading enterprise software provider for nonprofits and fundraising organizations. While M2's fundraising platform is youth-organization-specific rather than general nonprofit, both compete for the same school/nonprofit technology budget and relationship with fundraising administrators.
• GoFundMe: GoFundMe is the world's largest free social fundraising platform. Notably, M2 board director Rob Solomon is former Chairman/CEO of GoFundMe. Both operate in the consumer fundraising space but GoFundMe's peer-to-peer model differs from M2's product-sales fundraising approach.
• Blackhawk Network: Blackhawk Network is a major prepaid and digital payments network providing gift cards and rewards distribution to retailers. Comparable to M2's role as a magazine subscription distributor inside retail loyalty/rewards programs run by Deluxe Rewards, IHG, and Choice Hotels.

Emerging players

• Tango Card: Tango Card provides digital rewards and incentives infrastructure for enterprise loyalty and channel programs. Comparable to M2's RewardSurvey and BirthdayRewards sub-brands, which deliver magazine subscriptions and rewards to enterprise loyalty clients including Deluxe Rewards (Verizon, AARP, Allstate, Citibank).
• Givebutter: Givebutter is a modern, venture-backed fundraising platform for nonprofits and schools. As a digital fundraising technology platform serving similar customer segments (schools, nonprofits, youth organizations), it represents a competitive threat to M2's patented youth fundraising platform.
• iGive.com: iGive is a cause-related commerce and online fundraising platform that connects online shopping with donations to schools and nonprofits. Comparable to M2's fundraising business where consumers purchase magazines through online platforms with proceeds supporting youth organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about M2 Media Group