• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 27, 2010

Aegis Media, which includes Carat and digital shop Isobar, saw revenues climb sufficiently through June to prompt parent company CEO Jerry Buhlmann to tout recovery efforts in North America.

"The new management team led by Nigel Morris is making good progress in its turnaround plans," he said on an earnings call Friday.

In the first six months of the year, Carat bulked up its Pfizer business in the U.S. by adding duties for Wyeth, since the two companies merged. It also won new business from Nivea marketer Beiersdorf.

Revenue for North and Latin America was $136.1 million in the first half of 2010, marking a 4.8% increase over the period a year ago.

Globally, Aegis Media -- which also includes out-of-home agency Posterscope -- posted 3.4% organic revenue growth in the first half of 2010, compared to a 9.9% drop in the same period last year.

Total worldwide revenue came in at about $643 million, with one-third of that total from digital operations.

For the parent Aegis Group, overall results were helped by market research firm Synovate posting a profit after a loss in 2009. Organic revenue fell 12.3% in the first six months of 2009.

Buhlmann had headed Aegis Media globally before taking over the CEO post at Aegis Group this spring.