• February 22, 2007

Mergers and acquisitions of online advertising and marketing firms are expected to increase this year, according to a new market survey of senior agency executives by investment bank AdMedia Partners. The most deal activity is expected to be in search marketing, analytics, mobile marketing and buzz/viral/guerrilla marketing, closely followed by online lead generation and database marketing/CRM.

Eighty-seven percent of survey respondents expect to approach or be approached about an acquisition this year, and roughly half of the respondents expect to complete one transaction as a buyer or seller. The report predicts increased merger and acquisition activity by both strategic and financial buyers, with the only concern being the quantity of quality acquisition targets.

The AdMedia Partners report was based on a survey of more than 3,200 advertising and marketing services executives and private equity investors from across the U.S. and abroad. Respondents were made up of companies that operate in a variety of advertising and marketing services sectors.