Aegis Group's Isobar network, already the largest digital advertising services group in the world, just got bigger. Aegis this morning said it acquired Extenseo, the No. 1 search marketing agency in Belgium from Belgacom Skynet. Aegis did not disclose the purchase price, but Extenseo, which was founded in 1998, has gross assets valued at $2 million. Extenseo will become part of Isobar's already fast-growing search network, and will be re-branded as iProspect, a move that will expand Isobar's iProspect network to a total of 12 countries. Isobar acquired iProspect in 2003. According to a recent report from RECMA, Isobar already is the world's largest interactive ad agency network, with 2,160 employees as of year-end 2006.
Customer Acquisition Network announced that it has acquired Options Media Group (and parent company Options Newsletter), adding e-mail marketing solutions to its roster of performance-based Web advertising services. The move comes on the heels of Customer Acquisition Network's deal to buy New York-based interCLICK, a contextual ad network that touts "real time operational transparency" as its value proposition for advertisers. Hallandale, Fl.-based Options Media Group offers both hosted and software-based e-mail campaign management, optimization and delivery platforms. The firm also provides consultant services (including creative design and content writing), and platform installation and maintenance for clients who prefer to run their e-mail marketing program in-house. Customer Acquisition Network plants to integrate the two new businesses immediately, since the combination of e-mail marketing technology and services and the ad network's reach and targeting abilities allow the company to "build on our vision of offering the first integrated, multichannel network," said co-founder and CEO Michael Matthews. He added that the company would continue to acquire and integrate ad networks, platforms and services to fulfill that mission. Although full financial terms were not disclosed, New York-based Customer Acquisition Network acquired privately owned Options Media Group for a combination of cash and restricted stock, with the deal expected to close in early January 2008.
A flurry of online spending by procrastinators and deal-seekers resulted in a stellar final week of pre-Christmas shopping, according to the latest holiday season e-commerce numbers from comScore. Sales for the first 51 days of the 2007 holiday season--from November 1 through December 21--were up 25% year-over-year. More than $26 billion has been spent online during the season-to-date, marking a 19% gain versus the corresponding days last year. What's more, December 10, dubbed "Green Monday," will reign as heaviest online spending day of the 2007 holiday season with $881 million in sales. By contrast, "Cyber Monday," November 26, which represents the first major spike in online spending activity during the season, ranked as the ninth-heaviest day, with $733 million in sales. "We are continuing to see online spending strength as we get deeper into the season, with the most recent five-day span ending December 21 exhibiting a 25% growth rate versus year ago," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "At this point of the season, the heaviest online spending days are now well behind us," Fulgoni added. "However, with some online retailers offering deliveries before Christmas for orders placed by December 22, and in-store pickup available for orders placed on Christmas Eve, we expect to see above-average growth rates continue through the holiday."
By the end of 2007, travelers will have booked more than 120 million nights in hotels electronically, via either the Web, mobile Web or through a travel agent, according to data from TravelCLICK's quarterly eMonitor report. The Chicago-based, hotelier-focused online marketing company compiled data from the four major digital reservation databases and key Internet sites and found that travelers booked 6% more room nights electronically in Q3 07 than the same quarter last year. Rooms specifically booked via the Web increased by 8% year-over-year, while the average daily rate for those rooms was up by 7%. And hotelier revenue from Internet-booked nights was up by more than 15%. "2007 is on pace to be one of the strongest hotel revenue growth years of this decade," said John Hach, Vice President of eMarketing Products at TravelCLICK. "In the third quarter, the growth in electronic channels exceeded our high-end estimate, and we expect the fourth quarter to show similar results."