• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 23, 2011

Multinational companies taking marketing budgets online now have support from the search and performance marketing agency of ZenithOptimedia, owned by Publicis Groupe. Performics plans to reveal Monday the agency's expansion strategy that serves 14 markets today. The goal will take the service to all 72 countries in which the parent company operates.

Andras Vigh will assume the new role of managing director worldwide, responsible for Performics' overall operations. He serves as regional CEO for CEE, Middle East and Nordics for ZenithOptimedia and will retain part of this role during the transition, reporting to ZenithOptimedia Global CEO Steve King.

When a brand decides to take their search campaign global, most marketers make the assumption they can port a search program running in one country and into another using the same keywords, expectations and goals. Big mistake -- especially when trying to use a campaign from one English-speaking country in another such as the U.S., U.K. or Australia, according to Daina Middleton, Performics CEO.

"They're English words, so marketers think they should work the same in multiple countries," she says. "It's important for brands to work with the local team to understand the nuances of the country's language."

Middleton recalls her days at Hewlett-Packard when "digital camera" performed as the top phrase in the U.S., but "digikin" took the No. 1 spot in the U.K., and "snappy" in Australia. While this provides an example of campaigns in English-speaking countries, when "you take the language leap" marketers will find other nuances.

Global paid-search advertising budgets should grow by more than $15 billion within the next three years, exceeding $46 billion by 2013, according to ZenithOptimedia's Advertising Expenditure Forecasts released in December. The agency estimates companies spent more than $30.5 billion for paid-search budgets last year, but are forecast to exceed $46 billion by 2013.

Today, about 10 Performics U.S.-based clients have search campaigns in more than one country. Several requests for proposals (RFPs) are in the "bucket" ready to go. Companies also continue to expand from Europe and Asia into the U.S. Search campaigns are also a way to test the waters and determine if companies should have a presence in other countries, Middleton says.

Performics, acquired by Publicis Groupe in 2008, which became part of ZenithOptimedia Group in 2010, offers OneSearch, a combination of search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search. The company's approach combines third-party platforms DoubleClick Search, Marin, Kenshoo and others, with technology like BenchTools, Performance Marketing Dashboard and Click2Sales, which aims to drive efficiencies.

Performics' global headquarters remains in Chicago, with international hubs in London, Paris and Singapore.