JEBCommerce LLC, a Coeur d’Alene-based marketing company, says it has acquired Sixth Man Marketing LLC, of Spokane. 

Last month, Sixth Man’s five employees moved from its offices here at 542 W. Cataldo to join JEBCommerce’s 28 employees in their offices at 610 Hubbard in Coeur d’Alene. 

JEBCommerce founder and CEO Jamie Birch declines to disclose the details of the transaction, but says talks of acquiring Sixth Man had been in the works for a while.

 “I’d been thinking of acquiring Sixth Man for a few years now, as we’ve come to realize through working together that our skills complement one another,” Birch says. “All marketing channels begin with analyzing data, and that was a skill we were lacking. Our clients have been looking for that sort of service, and it’s proven useful to them already.” 

Birch estimates that JEBCommerce previously was serving 45 clients, and through the acquisition has added all of Sixth Man’s clients to its roster. For now, Sixth Man will be known in the Inland Northwest as Sixth Man Marketing—a JEBCommerce company, but it will be referred to nationally as the analytics and optimization division of JEBCommerce, he says. 

Founded in 2004, JEBCommerce is a full-service, online marketing agency that specializes in performance marketing. The company serves both large and small organizations, focusing on what is known as affiliate program management.

 “JEB begins by looking at a client’s customer base,” says Birch. “We find out what kind of person this client’s ideal customer is, what his interests are, and what websites he frequents. We then reach out to those sites, and negotiate ways in which we can gain exposure to that customer.” 

These frequented sites are known as affiliates, providing JEBCommerce clients with a platform from which to advertise their products or services to customers they don’t usually have access to. Every time a customer clicks on a link or ad that is hosted by one of these affiliates and completes a sale, that site gets a commission. 

“Our clients don’t pay for that customer and that advertising until that customer makes a sale,” says Birch.  “Advertisers like this style of advertising because they only pay that cost when an actual order takes place. There’s less risk and it broadens their exposure to websites that don’t usually do advertising.” 

Ed Reese, founder of Sixth Man Marketing, says the two companies’ focuses are different yet complementary. 

“JEB focuses on finding the right marketing tools that will direct traffic to a certain channel, growing their client’s audience for products and services,” says Reese. “Sixth Man focuses on understanding traffic through data, testing and analytics, and using that data information to make those same marketing tools work even better.” 

Birch says part of the company’s growth has involved doubling its office space, creating a more open layout with quiet areas for employees. 

“We’re at just under 8,000 square feet now,” says Birch. “We’re hoping to add an extra 1,500 square feet within the year, building a café area, a usability lab for Ed and his team, and other unique collaborative spaces,” he says. 

Birch says the company also plans to continue hiring, creating new job openings in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas. 

“We’re excited, because we’ll be able to offer career advancement within the company, as well as jobs opportunities that I think are greatly needed in this community,” he says.