CDK completes sale of digital marketing business to Ansira

CDK Global Inc. finalized the sale of its digital marketing business to Ansira Partners Inc., a marketing agency owned by private equity investors.

The digital marketing business includes dealership advertising and websites and has been renamed Sincro, operating as an Ansira subsidiary, CDK said. All of CDK's former digital marketing customers have been transferred to Ansira.

CDK in February said it had signed an agreement to sell the business to Ansira, in part because of its familiarity with automotive clients. Terms of the deal were not released.

"The digital marketing business is an industry-leading and customer-focused organization that will continue to grow and innovate with Ansira," CDK CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement. "I am appreciative of the successes CDK and the digital marketing business experienced together, and I am confident those successes will carry over as we move forward on a new path."

In a release, Ansira said its Sincro business also will provide digital consulting, earned marketing, search engine optimization and other services and has been upgraded with new, user-friendly features.

"The completion of the acquisition of Sincro further amplifies the breadth and depth of Ansira's local marketing solutions, which is especially important today given the unprecedented change happening at the local level," Ansira CEO Jay Dettling said in a statement.

Jen Cole, who previously led CDK's digital business as a senior vice president, has joined Ansira as president of Sincro, the companies said.

Ansira has several offices in the U.S. and abroad and is a subsidiary of private equity firm Advent International.

CDK's digital business was impacted when General Motors opted last year to allow more preferred website providers for its dealers. Prior to this year, CDK had been GM's exclusive preferred website vendor.

CDK will report its fiscal third-quarter earnings May 5.