The Economist Group acquires US-based Capitol Advantage

The Economist Group announced today that the company has acquired Capitol Advantage for $43m. Based in Washington, DC, Capitol Advantage is a pioneer of online technology that helps US corporations and trade associations organise grassroots advocacy campaigns and manage relationships with elected officials and others. The company also produces printed directories listing members of the United States Congress.

Capitol Advantage is made up of three core products: Congress at Your Fingertips, CapwizXC and Knowlegis. First published more than 20 years ago, the Congress At Your Fingertips congressional directory is the leading source of information on members of Congress and their staff. CapwizXC, an award-winning online advocacy solution employed by more than 1,700 websites, empowers organisations to influence legislation by educating and mobilising their grassroots supporters. Knowlegis is a suite of innovative online tools that provide legislative data necessary to manage relations with policymakers.

Capitol Advantage also powers Congress.org, a website providing information about legislative and political issues facing US lawmakers. It helps US citizens identify and send e-mails to their representatives.

The Economist Group will manage Capitol Advantage as part of the Roll Call Group alongside the Washington-based newspaper, Roll Call, and GalleryWatch, a legislative tracking service. For 50 years Roll Call has been the leading Capitol Hill newspaper and is one of the most effective publications for reaching opinion leaders in Washington. As such, the acquisition of Capitol Advantage is an excellent fit. As the US’s leading provider of online and offline grassroots solutions, Capitol Advantage products are used by nearly 2,000 corporations, not-for-profit organisations, associations, educational institutions, media portals, and other organisations, many of which are also Roll Call Group customers.

We are delighted to have acquired Capitol Advantage," said Andrew Rashbass, chief executive of The Economist Group. "Alongside Roll Call and GalleryWatch, it will allow us to provide an even greater range of services to people looking to understand the workings of Congress."

(August 1st 2008)