• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 26, 2010

Canada's Yellow Pages Group on Tuesday unveiled a new digital advertising and marketing unit named Mediative. "Mediative is the next step in YPG's digital growth strategy," Marc Tellier, president and CEO of Yellow Pages Group, said Tuesday. "We now have the products and team to serve advertisers looking for robust and cost-effective digital marketing solutions."

To strengthen its new unit, YPG on Tuesday announced the acquisition of search marketing company Enquiro; retail ad firm Ad Splash Media; and ad rep firm Uptrend Media.

The total purchase price for the acquisitions will approach $60 million, according to YPG, although it declined to break out the cost of each deal. A total amount of $35 million was paid in cash at closing, it said, while the balance will be paid over time, subject to future performance.

YPG said it expects the acquisitions to generate approximately $35 million in annualized revenues.

Also on Tuesday, YPG said it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Acquisio, which gives Mediative access to the company's search, social and display advertising platform. (YPG holds a 24% ownership stake in Acquisio.)

Targeting national agencies and advertisers, Mediative is broken into two distinct divisions: YPG Ad Network and Mediative Performance.

Offering digital media advertising, YPG Ad Network will seek to leverage YPG's existing network of print and online properties including AutoTrader.ca, RedFlagDeals.com, and YellowPages.ca.

Specifically, the YPG Ad Network will provide display advertising and audience targeting across top Canadian online and mobile ad networks, as well as vertical ad products and solutions in the automotive, real estate and retail categories.

Mediative Performance, meanwhile, will offer various targeting services, including search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media marketing, and location-based marketing.

Led by President Patrick Lauzon, Mediative will be comprised of over 150 employees across four Canadian offices in Montreal, Toronto, Kelowna and Vancouver.