Recent updates
What are the most recent developments in the interactive world since April 07?
Date
Event
Oct. 05, 2007
MSN France launches the new Microsoft ad-network: Drive PM. Included in the aQauntive package deal (with Atlas and
Avenue A | Razorfish), DrivePM exists in the USA, the UK and Australia and will be also launched soon in Spain, Italy and Germany.
Oct. 04, 2007 Carat Australia interactive director Shane CROMBIE is joining Universal McCann China, which also named Sunil
JARYAL as head of insights and research.
Oct. 03, 2007 Tom POYNTER (VP Publicis Modem London) and Sebastian DREYFUS (head of interactive at Publicis Dialog) are
teaming up as joint managing directors of Publicis Modem London.
Oct. 03, 2007 Continuing its expansion plan for a global search engine marketing solution iProspect made its first move into the
Asia-Pacific region and opened a new office in Australia.
Sept. 28, 2007 Zed Digital will roll out a dedicated search unit. Zed Search will be launched initially in key markets China, India,
Singapore and Australia, will consist of more than 20 specialised SEM professionals, and back-end support staff.
Sept. 25, 2007 Google acquires certain assets and technology of Zingku, a mobile social networking company.
Sept. 24, 2007 DDB France launches Tribal DDB. Jerôme DUCHAMPS leaves Rapp Collins co-pres to head a team of 20 specialists.
Sept. 21, 2007 WPP Group has purchased a 20% stake in OOT, a small Italian digital and interactive agency.
Sept. 20, 2007 Dentsu India and internet advertising service provider, Connecturf are setting up Clickstreamers in India (JV interactive
agency).
Sept. 18, 2007 i-level Media Group Appoints Kevin SOONG as Vice-President, Sales and Marketing. He will personally lead the
company's business development initiatives in China with major accounts and media-buying agencies
Sept. 18, 2007 Andy BERNDT (Ogilvy New York Co-President) goes to Google and will head a new global unit offering creative
consultation (collaborating with marketers, agencies and entertainment companies).
Sept. 17, 2007 AOL launches integrated ad network. Platform A will incorporate AOL-owned companies Adtech, Advertising.com,
Lighteningcast, Tacoda and Third Screen media.
Sept. 13, 2007 Havas and the Chalhoub Group announce a venture and expansion in the Middle-East. Over the coming months, Media
Contacts and EURO RSCG 4D will be launched in the region.
Sept. 13, 2007 Media Contacts director Shalabh PANDEY has left to a newly created regional role within ZenithOptimedia. He will report
to ZenithSingapore chief executive Harpreet SINGH and Zed Digital international CEO Frederic JOSEPH.
Sept. 12, 2007 PGM acquired Wcube (French independent digital agency). Wcube will become Publicis Modem France. Wcube's present
co-presidents Xavier GURY and Thierry VANDEWALLE, will report to Philippe LENTSCHENER, Publicis France CEO.
Sept. 10, 2007 Mitchell Communication Group has bought the digital creative agency Visual Jazz based in Melbourne, Australia.
Sept. 10, 2007 WPP has purchased the Los Angeles independent interactive agencies Schematic.
Sept. 06, 2007 Publicis Groupe has acquired European mobile marketing company Phonevalley, which will become its mobile marketing
arm of Publicis Groupe Media.
Sept. 05, 2007 Yahoo! agreed to acquire closely held online-advertising company BlueLithium.
Aug. 29, 2007 Lagardere Active broadcast unit agreed to acquire French online marketing group Nextedia (300 staff).
Aug. 22, 2007 Colleen DECOURCY has resigned as CEO at WPP Group's JWT to assume the new global position of chief digital officer
at Omnicom's TBWA.
Aug. 22, 2007 AKQA has acquired of a US-based search engine marketing company SearchRev.
Aug. 21, 2007 Google acquires stake in China based social networking site Tianya.cn
Aug. 21, 2007
United.
Aug. 16, 2007
GroupM has launched GroupM Search in Australia.The new division, which will handle natural, or unpaid, search engine optimisation and paid search engine marketing for the four WPP media agencies, is led by Susan ZABETI and will have eight staff members.
Aug. 15, 2007 Publicis Groupe's futures practice Denuo has added former Yahoo exec Todd KRIEGER as senior vice president. He
reports to Denuo CEO and chief innovation officer Rishad TOBACCOWALA
Aug. 13, 2007 Microsoft has completed its acquisition of aQuantive and created a new advertiser and publisher solutions unit, which will
contain aQuantive, DrivePM and Avenue A/Razorfish.
Aug. 07, 2007 Quebecor Media said it won't proceed with its June 1 bid to buy out the minority shareholders of Nurun Inc.
Aug. 02, 2007 Aegis Group announces that it has signed agreements to acquire the consolidated Ion Global network from CDC
Corporation.
July 31, 2007 Publicis Groupe has acquired China-based independent interactive marketing network Communication Central Group
(CCG), which will be rebranded Digitas Greater China.
July 30, 2007 iCrossing has acquired Web development agency Proxicom,following last week’s announcement that Goldman Sachs and
Oak Investment Partners led a $62 million investment in iCrossing.
July 28, 2007 OgilvyOne, New York, has hired Anthony ROMANO as a senior partner and client service director.
July 27, 2007 The Search Works, UK's search engine optimisation company has been acquired by TradeDoubler.
July 27, 2007 Aegis Group's Carat merges Carat USA with digital unit Carat Fusion. Sarah FAY will run the merged entity as CEO.
She retains the chief executive title and oversight of Isobar.
July 26, 2007 Microsoft agreed to acquire AdECN, an ad exchange company (real-time auction marketplace for buying and selling
display advertising).
July 25, 2007 Avenue A | Razorfish has announced that Clark KOKICH has been promoted to CEO.
July 24, 2007 G2 Appoints Nirvik SINGH as new CEO and Regional Director, Asia Pacific. Mr. Singh will report to Joe CELIA, G2
Worldwide's Chairman & CEO.
July 24, 2007 Omnilab Media, an independent media company in Australia and New Zealand, acquired display ad network Websend.
July 22, 2007 AOL acquired the online behavioural targeting advertising network Tacoda for $275 million.
July 20, 2007 OMD has named Scott HAGEDORN U.S. director of OMD Digital (replaces Sean FINNEGAN, now CEO of OMG
Digital). He will report to Page THOMPSON, CEO of OMD North America.
July 19, 2007 The Australian digital marketing conglomerate BlueFreeway acquired 51% of Spectrum Communications Group.
July 19, 2007 Ricardo POMERANZ has been named Global Chief Digital Officer, a new position within Rapp Collins Worldwide,
reporting directly to Gary VON KENNEL, Global CEO.
July 16, 2007 Omnicom Media Group is rolling its digital expertise into one unit, OMG Digital. Sean FINNEGAN has been appointed
CEO of the new group, reporting to Daryl SIMM, chairman and CEO of Omnicom Media Group.
July 16, 2007 ValueClick pays up to $352m to buy MeziMedia, a closely held company that operates comparison shopping Web sites.
July 16, 2007 Interpublic Group has formed Ansible, a dedicated mobile marketing agency, in a joint venture with Velti, a leading mobile
technology provider.
Recent updates
What are the most recent developments in the interactive world since April 07?
Date
Event
July 11, 2007 Aegis Media has hired News International’s David BULMAN to take on the newly-created digital role of chief information
officer. Chantal RESTIVO-ALESSI joins Aegis Group as head of strategy and corporate development.
July 09, 2007 R/GA has appointed Craig PATTON as London managing director, European business development.
July 05, 2007 Cossette Communication Group acquired 65.4% of Dare Digital, an interactive marketing agency based in London (UK).
July 05, 2007 G2 Worldwide has purchased interactive agency Refinery (site design, search marketing and analytics).
July 05, 2007 MindShare Interaction has recruited Norm JOHNSTON, Digitas London president, to be its joint chief executive for
EMEA.
July 04, 2007 Tequila\Hong Kong has named Club Med Asia-Pacific’s former e-business and CRM manager Nathalie GAVEAU
interactive business director.
July 03, 2007 Buongiorno has agreed to acquire a majority stake in iTouch Ventures Limited, a South African mobile marketing agency.
June 29, 2007 Posterscope USA has launched a digital media specialist unit: Hyperspace, which focuses on digital out-of-home media.
June 28, 2007 DNA is to rebrand as Avenue A | Razorfish as part of a move to align the worldwide capabilities of the organization.
June 28, 2007 Diffiniti Japan duo Keith PINNEY and Andrew WILCOX have been appointed managing director and creative services
director respectively of GroupM Interaction Japan’s Specialist Unit.
June 27, 2007 GroupM has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Interactive Television, an Indian out-of-home marketing agency.
June 25, 2007 aQuantive Appoints Two New Vice Presidents: Tom WOODS VP of business planning and analysis; and Tom PHILLIPS
VP of communications.
June 25, 2007 Aegis acquired the assets and contracts of the ad-serving business of Bluestreak. Isobar is to create Aegis Media’s new
digital data platform.
June 22, 2007 Reprise Media, a search engine marketing agency, announced it has been tapped to manage Microsoft Corp.’s search
marketing campaigns across several business units.
June 22, 2007 WPP bought a 100% stake in independent Asian digital agency Blue Interactive (+ search engine subsidiary Demand).
June 22, 2007 Aegis Media expands US event marketing offer with acquisition of Vivid Marketing
June 21, 2007 Linda HOLLIDAY, co-founder and long-time president of the former Medical Broadcasting Company (now Digitas
Health), has left the agency.
June 20, 2007 WPP Grey Group acquired 51% of Star Echo, a marketing services agency in China.
June 18, 2007 Greg VERDINO, VP, director of emerging channels at Digitas, has left the agency to take a new position at crayon, a
startup digital/new media marketing firm.
June 18, 2007 Fred RUBIN, director of both iDeutsch and directDeutsch in New York, is heading to JWT to assume the new position of
managing director of integrated business solutions.
June 14, 2007 The UK mobile marketing company Marvellous Mobile has been acquired by Aegis.
June 14, 2007 Digitas agreed to acquire French Web agency Business Interactif for approximately $182 million. This will lead to the
creation of Digitas France.
June 12, 2007 Initiative has appointed MEC UK’s head of digital Pete MITCHELL to the newly created role of regional interactive
strategy director.
June 11, 2007 Ogilvy has agreed to buy a 70 % stake in Lee & Jang, a digital marketing agency in South Korea. It will become part of
OgilvyOne Korea.
June 07, 2007 Alan RUTHERFORD, Unilever vice-president of global media is leaving to join Publicis Groupe-owned Digitas Global as
chief executive. He will oversee the digital network's international expansion.
June 07, 2007 BlueFreeway is continuing its acquisitions, spending $6.1m on buying: Viva9 and BlueArc Group.
June 05, 2007 Q Ltd (Interactive advertising group) has forked out more than $1.3m to buy online marketing agency Freestyle Media.
June 04, 2007 BatesAsia 141 (WPP below-the-line agency) recruited John LAMBIE to grow the agency's digital and new media business.
June 02, 2007 Google acquired Feedburner, in order to distribute both media and advertising to blogs and social network site users.
May 21, 2007 WPP acquired the entire issued share capital of the South African independent full-service digital agency: Aqua Online.
May 19, 2007 Microsoft bought US digital marketing and technology services company aQuantive in a deal worth $6 billion.
May 15, 2007 Aegis Group signed an agreement to acquire TriggerCommunications Consulting in South Africa. Trigger will become
part of Isobar.
May 14, 2007 LBI International AB, acquired Creative Digital Group (Atlanta, GA, USA).
May 14, 2007 DoubleClick changed its logo and rebranded to position itself as the ‘nerve center of digital marketing’.
May 14, 2007 Young & Rubicam is creating an in-house interactive unit (still unnamed) with about 250 agency employees currently
working in interactive.
May 10, 2007 Optimedia USA has named Andrea KERR REDNISS as senior vice president, managing director. She will oversee the
digital responsibilities for Newcast, the agency's digital and national broadcast integration unit.
May 04, 2007 Wunderman, has acquired 100% of the issued share capital of These Days NV, ("These Days") an interactive marketing
agency in Belgium.
May 04, 2007 iProspect / Isobar (SEM) has opened offices in Norway and Denmark. iProspect Sweden recruited Patrik GAMRYD as
new CEO.
May 03, 2007 Publicis Groupe has launched a new global digital arm under the banner Publicis Modem, which merges Modem Media
and Publicis Dialog agencies.
May 01, 2007 Digitas launched Prodigious: a production company to handle the creation of banner ads, e-mails and parts of Web sites
for Publicis Groupe shops and other agencies.
April 30, 2007 Yahoo! paid $680m for the rest of the internet advertising company Right Media, in which it bought a 20% stake in 2006.
April 30, 2007 Agency.com announced that Chan SUH (Chairman), will reassume the role of CEO and that David EASTMAN,
agency.com's current CEO, will take on the new role of President-International.
April 24, 2007
Australian digital and interactive marketing services company BlueFreeway has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the assets of US analytics company, SageMetrics. BlueFreeway also announced plans to acquire three local digital design agencies: Digicon (Brisbane), JSA Digital (Melbourne) and Business Corporation (Perth).
April 23, 2007
Universal McCann hired former Organic executive Quentin GEORGE as its new director of digital strategy. In his new role, GEORGE will help set the digital agenda for the IPG media shop, together with the digital leads in all geographic regions reporting to him.
April 23, 2007 Search engine marketing firm iProspect announced that as part of its global brand expansion, its Isobar sister search
agency formerly known as NTB has re-branded as iProspect Spain.
Recent updates
What are the most recent developments in the interactive world since April 07?
Date
Event
April 20, 2007 ZenithOptimedia announced the launch of its digital unit, Zed Digital, in India. Vineet MATHUR, is the senior
vice-president of Zed Digital.
April 18, 2007 Isobar will rollout search engine marketing platform iProspect, in order to create a better cohesion for its digital offer
across the Asia-Pacific region.
April 17, 2007 Carat Fusion has named Randy SCHWARTZ as its new director of search engine marketing. SCHWARTZ was working
at Reprise Media.
April 16, 2007
R/GA added a media buying function and hired Joy LIN, formerly of Agency.com, to fill the newly created role of media director. LIN will report to Ken O'DONNELL, group media director and head of the media buying team. R/GA expects to grow its media team, now just four people, over time.
April 13, 2007 Google reached an agreement with private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, JMI Equity and management to buy
DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in cash, the largest acquisition yet made by the Internet giant.
April 13, 2007 VML announced that Craig BRAASCH was the company's new Chief Operating Officer.
April 11, 2007 Group M, the umbrella unit that oversees WPP media networks MindShare, Mediaedge:cia, MediaCom and Maxus, said it
will create a search-engine-marketing specialty by elevating Outrider into Group M from its position in Mediaedge:cia.
April 11, 2007 Interpublic announced that it has agreed to acquire Reprise Media, the largest independent SEM firm (USA).
April 11, 2007 iCrossing announced the opening of an office in London. The office will be the center of European operations for the
company and will be led by Larry K.H. JENKINS, managing director, Europe.
April 05, 2007 LBI International AB acquired a 51% ownership share in Vizualize Technologies, an Indian technology development and
support company. LBi has worked with Vizualize for over three years.
April 04, 2007
Doubleclick announced that it is setting up a Nasdaq-like exchange for the buying and selling of digital advertisements. The advertising exchange will bring Web publishers and advertising buyers together on a Web site where they can participate in auctions for ad space.
April 04, 2007
imc2 created a Search Marketing Trademark Protection solution to address companies' increasing need to protect their trademarked names in online paid search listings. imc2's Search Marketing Trademark Protection protects marketers' trademarked names from being improperly used within the ad text of a paid search engine result on Google™ and Yahoo!®.
April 04, 2007 Digitas said it will absorb Medical Broadcasting Corp. (acquired in January 2006), forming a new division: Digitas Health.
David KRAMER, CEO of MBC, will lead Digitas Health and report to Laura LANG, president of Digitas.
April 03, 2007 Agency.com announced the appointment of Jonathon ASHTON to SEO Director in Chicago office and the promotion of
Scott REYNOLDS to SEO Director in San Francisco office. Lastly Mat ZUCKER is moving to Agency.com as ECD.
April 03, 2007
MediaCom is creating a new business unit, called Word of Mouth, to provide clients with opportunities to get their brands talked about. MediaCom will partner with BzzAgent, a company based in Boston, US, which will house the online platform where consumers will register to become conversation leaders.
April 01, 2007 Focus Media, China's largest out-of-home multi-platform life-style media company, announced that it has completed its
acquisition of Allyes Information Technology Company, the largest internet advertising service company in China. SUBJECT TO REVISION
