Isobar Acquires iProspect to Create World's Number One Search Engine Marketing Entity

Isobar Acquires iProspect to Create World's Number One Search Engine Marketing Entity

Acquisition Gives Further Momentum to Aegis's Digital Vision

BOSTON, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Isobar, the global full service digital network created earlier this year by U.K. firm Aegis PLC, today announced it has acquired 100% of iProspect, the Original(R) Search Engine Marketing Firm. The news marks Isobar's first acquisition in the U.S. market, and the 7th for Isobar globally in the past six months.

According to a report released by Jupiter Research last month, paid search will continue to outpace the growth of every other area of online advertising, moving from $2.6 billion in 2004, to $5.5 billion in 2009.

"This is a major move in the development of Isobar's global vision," said Nigel Morris, Worldwide President of Isobar. "Our clients now have access to iProspect's world class tools, best practices, and outstanding management team. We believe in their philosophy of how search fits within the context of marketing, and look forward to creating the future of digital marketing together."

"iProspect delivers high impact results to the world's most respected and identifiable brands, from Xerox to John Deere, from Sharp to PeopleSoft," said Fredrick Marckini, CEO and founder of iProspect. "We believe that iProspect and search engine marketing fit hand-in-glove with Isobar's vision of the future of digital marketing. Most importantly, our new place within the Isobar family will give us global reach and a direct affiliation with some of the world's most talented and innovative digital agencies."

"This is a breakthrough moment in our Industry," said Sarah Fay, President of Isobar U.S. "We believe that search engine marketing will become a fundamental part of mainstream marketing. It already represents more than 30% of online advertising spend in the U.S., and is a key driver in our Industry's growth. As Isobar builds its offering in the U.S. market, search engine marketing is a natural key focus for us."

Isobar Takes Leadership Position In Search Engine Marketing

By bringing together the resources of iProspect and Isobar's network of owned agencies including Carat Interactive, Isobar will establish the world's leading search engine marketing operation. Additionally, by extending the iProspect iSEBA(TM) http://www.iprospect.com/ [search advertising] bidding agent across Isobar's network of agencies, iProspect and its technology platform will be building the infrastructure for some of the largest paid search advertising spends in the market.

The recent Jupiter report on the search engine marketing space also revealed that one of the key differentiators among search engine marketing vendors is the strength of their proprietary technologies and tools. iProspect's iSEBA(TM) is widely recognized as the Industry's most sophisticated tool for ppc search advertising, bid management, and campaign tracking and reporting.

Isobar Makes First U.S. Move

Launched in July of 2004, http://www.isobarcommunications.com/ [Isobar] brings a deep specialist capability to parent company, Aegis, as it develops services in the rapidly expanding digital markets. Isobar provides Aegis' 350+ digital clients with a world class search solution through its global network of 36 offices in 24 markets. Isobar's acquisition strategy is to acquire strong companies with strong organic growth that are leaders in their space and to grow a combined entity that delivers substantial value to their clients.

About iProspect

http://www.iprospect.com/ [iProspect](R) is the Original(R) http://www.iprospect.com/ [Search Engine Marketing] Firm. The company helps many of the world's most successful brands maximize their online marketing ROI through natural search engine optimization, paid inclusion management as an Overture OSMX partner, pay per click advertising management via their own patent-pending bid management agent, iSEBA(TM), Web analytics through their own SEM-configured version of WebTrends(TM), and their own website conversion enhancement service. Distinguished as two-time Inc. 500 and Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 fastest growing company in America, iProspect is located in Watertown, Massachusetts and can be contacted at 617-923-7000, or by visiting http://www.iprospect.com/ [www.iprospect.com].

About Isobar

Launched on July 5th, 2004, Isobar provides alignment, integration, coordination and leverage of all digital assets within Aegis on a global, regional and a national basis. Isobar provides clients with a full service digital marketing offering through its global network of 36 offices in 24 markets worldwide. Isobar currently has online billings in excess of $500 million. For more information, please visit: http://www.isobarcommunications.com/ [www.isobarcommunications.com].

CONTACT:
Bronwyn Wormell
Isobar
+1-408-298-2328
bronwyn.wormell@carat.com


Source: Isobar

CONTACT: Bronwyn Wormell, +1-408-298-2328, or bronwyn.wormell@carat.com,
for Isobar

Web site: http://www.iprospect.com/

Web site: http://www.isobarcommunications.com/


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