ADVO Inc., a direct mail media company, engages in soliciting and processing printed advertising from retailers, manufacturers, and service companies for targeted distribution by both shared and solo mail to consumer households in the United States and Canada on a national, regional, and local basis. In the branded shared advertising program, ShopWise, the individual advertisements of various businesses within a mailing radius are combined into a single mail package. Solo mail services include list procurement, addressing, processing, and distributing brochures and circulars for an individual customer through the United States Postal Service. In addition, ADVO rents portions of its mailing list to organizations interested in distributing their own mailings; and creates and distributes cost-effective targeted coupons in a distinctive envelope format for local neighborhood merchants via an extended network of franchise owners. ADVO serves supermarkets, quick serve restaurants, drug stores, discount and department stores, home furnishings, and other retailers. The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut. As of March 2, 2007, ADVO Inc. is a subsidiary of Valassis Communications Inc.