• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, December 12, 2006

Seeking to further position itself as a full service digital agency, iCrossing has hired three industry veterans with close ties to Madison Avenue.

As iCrossing's new managing director, Ian Baer--most recently chief strategic officer for TBWA's Tequila--will oversee all client accounts, delivery and operations for the New York office. Christopher Marquardt--formerly head of client services at Omnicom's Organic--joins iCrossing as executive vice president of client services, and will be responsible for growing existing client relationships. Lastly, as iCrossing's business development director, Lance Williams--coming over from Omnicom's Agency.com--will be responsible for driving new business out of New York.

While search will remain at the core of iCrossing's mission, the new hires help the company branch out beyond the world of search engine optimization, said company founder and CEO Jeffrey Herzog.

"This new talent speaks to the different type of agency we're creating," said Herzog. "We're in the process of hiring the best-known creatives and the best business development people to become a full service agency with search at the center of everything."

iCrossing will continue to develop its relationships with partner agencies better known for creative and Web site development, added Don Scales, iCrossing's president and chief operating officer.

"We're still working with many interactive agencies," said Scales. "But now, we're capable of developing a Web site ourselves, which gives us the opportunity to incorporate search from the very beginning."

iCrossing's move beyond search makes sense, and represents a maturing search marketing business, according to Forrester analyst Charlene Li.

"It's a really smart move on their part," said Li. "They're tapping into a great need to coordinate search and display, and landing pages for clients."

Do search marketing companies, now setting their sites on Web site design, represent a new threat to the larger digital shops? "I don't think so," said Li. She added that companies like iCrossing can offer specialized services centered on search campaigns. "A perfect niche opportunity for iCrossing would be to design a microsite for a client and a search-based marketing campaign to go behind it."

Baer will report to Scales, while Marquardt will report to Baer. Williams, meanwhile, will report to Marlin Jackson, iCrossing's vice president of business development in New York.

iCrossing, founded in 1998, has added more than 100 employees over the last year to support a range of areas, including creative, technology, media, account management and project management.

The company, according to Scales, is also seeking to grow through acquisitions. Earlier this month, iCrossing added to its paid search capabilities with the acquisition of Newgate. Financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

Newgate not only gives iCrossing a presence in San Francisco--where Newgate is based--but also a number of tier-one retail-focused clients, including Gap, Lego, and Williams-Sonoma.