ACXIOM CORP
S-8, 2000-06-26
COMPUTER PROCESSING & DATA PREPARATION
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                                                   Registration No. 333-

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                   ------------------------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               ACXIOM CORPORATION
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

              Delaware                                    71-0581897
   (State or other jurisdiction of                     (I.R.S. Employer
   incorporation or organization)                    Identification Number)

                        P. O. Box 8180, 1 Information Way
                        Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-8180
                                 (501) 342-1000
              (Address, including zip code, and telephone number of
                          principal executive offices)
                      -------------------------------------

                        2000 ASSOCIATE STOCK OPTION PLAN
                              OF ACXIOM CORPORATION
                            (Full title of the plan)
                      -------------------------------------

                                Charles D. Morgan
                       Chairman of th Board and President
                                (Company Leader)
                               Acxiom Corporation
                        P. O. Box 8180, 1 Information Way
                        Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-8180
                                 (501) 342-1000
          (Name and address, including zip code, and telephone number,
                   including area code, of agent for service)

                        Copies of all correspondence to:

                               Jeffrey J. Gearhart
                                 Kutak Rock LLP
                             425 West Capitol Avenue
                                   Suite 1100
                           Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
                                 (501) 975-3000
                    ----------------------------------------

<PAGE>


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Title of          Amount      Proposed Maxi-   Proposed Maxi-   Amount of
   Securities         to be        mum Offering    mum Aggregate   Registration
to be Registered    Registered    Price Per Unit   Offering Price      Fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Common Stock,
(par value $.10)<F1>6,500,000<F2>     $28.85       $187,525,000   $49,507.00<F3>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     <F1> Preferred Stock Purchase Rights of Acxiom  Corporation  ("Acxiom") are
attached to and trade with the Acxiom Common Stock.

     <F2>  Pursuant  to Rule  416(c)  under  the  Securities  Act of 1933,  this
registration  statement also covers an indeterminate number of additional shares
that may  become  subject  to the 2000  Associate  Stock  Option  Plan of Acxiom
Corporation as a result of anti-dilution provisions of the plan.

     <F3> The  registration  fee has been computed in accordance with paragraphs
(c) and (h) of Rule 457,  based upon the  average of the  reported  high and low
sales   prices   of   shares  of   Acxiom   Common   Stock  on  the   NASDAQ  on
June 23, 2000.


                                     PART I

                                EXPLANATORY NOTE

     The  information  called  for by  Part I of  Form  S-8 is  included  in the
description of the 2000 Associate Stock Option Plan of Acxiom  Corporation  (the
"Plan") to be  delivered  to persons  purchasing  shares  pursuant  to the Plan.
Pursuant to the Note to Part I of Form S-8, that  information is not being filed
with or included in this Form S-8.

                                      -2-
<PAGE>


                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

     The following  documents  filed by Acxiom with the  Securities and Exchange
Commission are incorporated  herein by reference as of their respective dates of
filing:

     (1) Acxiom's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2000;

     (2) The description of Acxiom's capital stock contained in the registration
statement  on Form  8-A of CCX  Network,  Inc.,  which is now  known  as  Acxiom
Corporation, dated February 4, 1985, and any amendments or updates to that form;
and

     (3) The description of Acxiom's  preferred stock purchase rights  contained
in the registration  statement on Form 8-A dated January 28, 1998, as amended by
Form 8-A/A dated June 4, 1998.

     In  addition,  all  documents  subsequently  filed by  Acxiom  pursuant  to
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a
post-effective  amendment which indicates that all securities  offered hereunder
have been sold or which deregisters all shares then remaining  unsold,  shall be
deemed to be incorporated  by reference  herein and to be a part hereof from the
date of filing of such documents.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.

     Not applicable.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

     The  validity  of the  shares  of  Acxiom  Common  Stock  being  registered
hereunder  is being  passed upon for Acxiom by Kutak Rock LLP,  425 West Capitol
Avenue, Suite 1100, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201. Certain attorneys of Kutak Rock
LLP's  Little Rock  office  (the  location  of the  attorneys  participating  on
Acxiom's behalf) beneficially owned 30,900 shares of Acxiom Common Stock at June
15, 2000.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

     Exculpation.  Section  102(b)(7) of the Delaware  General  Corporation  Law
permits a corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a provision
eliminating or limiting the personal  liability of a director to the corporation
or its  stockholders  for  monetary  damages for breach of  fiduciary  duty as a
director,  provided that such provision may not eliminate or limit the liability
of a  director  for  any  breach  of  the  director's  duty  of  loyalty  to the
corporation  or its  stockholders,  for acts or  omissions  not in good faith or
which  involve  intentional  misconduct  or a knowing  violation of law, for any
unlawful  payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchase or redemption,  or for
any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

     The Acxiom  Charter  provides  that,  to the fullest  extent  permitted  by
Delaware  corporate  law,  a  director  shall not be  liable  to Acxiom  and its
stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director.

                                      -3-
<PAGE>

     Indemnification.  Section  145 of the  Delaware  corporate  law  permits  a
corporation  to indemnify any of its directors or officers who was or is a party
or is threatened  to be made a party to any third party  proceeding by reason of
the fact that such  person is or was a director  or officer of the  corporation,
against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments,  fines and amounts paid
in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with
such  action,  suit or  proceeding,  if such person acted in good faith and in a
manner  such  person  reasonably  believed  to be in or not  opposed to the best
interests  of the  corporation,  and,  with  respect to any  criminal  action or
proceeding,  had no reasonable  cause to believe that such person's  conduct was
unlawful. In a derivative action, i.e., one by or in the right of a corporation,
the  corporation  is  permitted to  indemnify  any of its  directors or officers
against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by
such person in connection  with the defense or settlement of such action or suit
if such person shall have been adjudged  liable to the  corporation,  unless and
only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall
determine upon application that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to
indemnification for such expenses despite such adjudication of liability.

     The Acxiom Charter provides for  indemnification  of directors and officers
of Acxiom  against  liability  they may incur in their  capacities as and to the
extent authorized by Delaware corporate law.

     Insurance.   Acxiom  has  in  effect  directors'  and  officers'  liability
insurance and fiduciary liability  insurance.  The fiduciary liability insurance
covers  actions  of  directors  and  officers  as well as other  employees  with
fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.

     Not applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

     5.1  Opinion  of Kutak  Rock LLP as to the  legality  of the  shares  being
          registered (filed herewith).

     23.1 Consent of Kutak Rock LLP  (included  in the opinion  filed as Exhibit
          5.1 herewith).

     23.2 Consent of KPMG LLP (filed herewith).

     24.1 Power of Attorney (filed herewith).

Item 9.  Undertakings.

     (a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

          (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made
     of the securities  registered  hereby, a  post-effective  amendment to this
     registration statement:

               (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the
          Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act");

               (ii) to reflect  in the  prospectus  any facts or events  arising
          after the effective date of this  registration  statement (or the most
          recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
          aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
          in this registration  statement.  Notwithstanding  the foregoing,  any
          increase  or decrease  in volume of  securities  offered (if the total
          dollar  value of  securities  offered  would not exceed that which was
          registered)  and  any  deviation  from  the  low  or  high  end of the

                                      -4-
<PAGE>

          estimated  maximum  offering  range  may be  reflected  in the form of
          prospectus  filed with the Commission  pursuant to Rule 424 (b), if in
          the aggregate,  the changes in volume and price represent no more than
          a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate  offering price set forth
          in the  "Calculation  of  Registration  Fee"  table  in the  effective
          registration statement; and

               (iii) to include any  material  information  with  respect to the
          plan of  distribution  not previously  disclosed in this  registration
          statement  or  any  material  change  to  such   information  in  this
          registration statement;

provided;  however,  that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and
(a)(1)(ii)  above do not apply if the  information  required to be included in a
post-effective  amendment by those  paragraphs is contained in periodic  reports
filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant  pursuant to Section
13 or Section  15(d) of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934,  as amended (the
"Exchange  Act")  that  are  incorporated  by  reference  in  this  registration
statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining  any liability under the
          Securities Act, each such post-effective  amendment shall be deemed to
          be a new  registration  statement  relating to the securities  offered
          therein,  and the  offering of such  securities  at that time shall be
          deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

               (3) To  remove  from  registration  by means of a  post-effective
          amendment any of the securities  being  registered which remain unsold
          at the termination of the offering.

          (b)  The undersigned  registrant  hereby undertakes that, for purposes
               of  determining  any  liability  under the  Securities  Act, each
               filing of the  registrant's  annual  report  pursuant  to Section
               13(a)  or  Section   15(d)  of  the  Exchange  Act  (and,   where
               applicable,  each filing of an  employee  benefit  plan's  annual
               report  pursuant to Section  15(d) of the  Exchange  Act) that is
               incorporated by reference in the registration  statement shall be
               deemed  to  be a  new  registration  statement  relating  to  the
               securities  offered therein,  and the offering of such securities
               at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
               thereof.

          (c)  Insofar as  indemnification  for  liabilities  arising  under the
               Securities  Act  may be  permitted  to  directors,  officers  and
               controlling  persons of the registrant  pursuant to the foregoing
               provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in
               the  opinion  of the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  such
               indemnification  is against  public  policy as  expressed  in the
               Securities  Act and is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the event
               that a claim for indemnification  against such liabilities (other
               than the payment by the  registrant of expenses  incurred or paid
               by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in
               the  successful  defense of any action,  suit or  proceeding)  is
               asserted  by such  director,  officer  or  controlling  person in
               connection with the securities being  registered,  the registrant
               will,  unless in the  opinion of its  counsel the matter has been
               settled  by   controlling   precedent,   submit  to  a  court  of
               appropriate    jurisdiction    the    question    whether    such
               indemnification  by it is against  public  policy as expressed in
               the Act and will be  governed by the final  adjudication  of such
               issue.


                                      -5-
<PAGE>


                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement  to be  signed  on its  behalf  by  the  undersigned,  thereunto  duly
authorized, in the City of Little Rock, State of Arkansas, on June 26, 2000.

                                             ACXIOM CORPORATION



                                           By: /s/  Catherine L. Hughes
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Catherine L. Hughes
                                              Secretary and Corporate Counsel


     Pursuant  to  the   requirements  of  the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  this
Registration  Statement  has been signed below by the  following  persons in the
capacities indicated, on June 26, 2000:



               Signature                                      Title

                   *                                     Financial Leader
-----------------------------------------       (Principal Financial Officer and
(Robert S. Bloom)                                 Principal Accounting Officer)

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(Dr. Ann H. Die)

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(William T. Dillard II)

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(Harry C. Gambill)

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(Rodger S. Kline)

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(Thomas F. (Mack) McLarty, III)

                   *                                      Company Leader
-----------------------------------------          (Principal Executive Officer)
(Charles D. Morgan)

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(Stephen M. Patterson)

                                      -6-
<PAGE>

               Signature                                      Title

                   *                                         Director
-----------------------------------------
(James T. Womble)

*By:  /s/  Catherine L. Hughes
    -----------------------------------------
    (Catherine L. Hughes, Attorney-in-Fact)

                                      -7-
<PAGE>


                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS


Number                                      Exhibit

 5.1            Opinion of Kutak Rock LLP as to the legality of the shares being
                registered (filed herewith).

23.1            Consent of Kutak Rock LLP (included in the opinion in Exhibit
                5.1).

23.2            Consent of KPMG LLP (filed herewith).

24.1            Power of Attorney (filed herewith).

                                      -8-



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