EyeWonder, Inc., Acquires German-Based Interactive Digital Advertising Firm Vendi Interactive
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EyeWonder's purchase of vendi coincides with the opening of its new London office and the expansion of its Dublin operation
ATLANTA, Sept. 25 -- EyeWonder, Inc., interactive digital advertising's fastest growing innovator, today announced it has acquired Cologne, Germany-based vendi interactive, one of the country's leading digital interactive advertising firms and vendor of online-streaming-spots. EyeWonder also announced the expansion of its existing UK and Ireland presence. Both moves support EyeWonder's rapidly growing footprint on Europe's interactive digital advertising industry.
About The vendi interactive Acquisition
Through the acquisition, vendi interactive will change its name to EyeWonder and retain the entirety of its client base, which includes agencies such as GroupM and a host of global, Fortune Global 500 brands. The company will provide expanded rich media and other interactive digital offerings in Germany, which will serve as a base for further expansion throughout continental Europe. In conjunction with the purchase, Ken Gitzen, vendi interactive's co-founder, will stay on as EyeWonder's managing director for Germany.
"EyeWonder is committed to serving as the technological bridge between the key stakeholders in the global interactive digital advertising arena -- including publishers, agencies, brands and media buyers -- and their online audiences. Our acquisition of vendi interactive enables us to fortify that role in Europe, where online advertising spend is expected to eclipse $7.5 billion this year," said John Vincent, CEO, EyeWonder. "Under Ken's guidance, our German office will have unmatched capabilities that can power new levels of creative campaign development, streamline campaign management and deliver measurable, richer results for our European clients."
Over the next 12 months, eMarketer predicts that the European Union's five largest countries -- France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK -- will experience 25 percent growth in ad spend and estimates that Internet users will reach the 136 million mark.
"EyeWonder's innovative solutions, matched to vendi's proven record of service, arrive at the right time for the European market. Our combined offerings will raise the bar for creative capabilities in interactive digital advertising while leading the migration of television online by making it easier than ever for European publishers to fuel monetization of content that leads to incremental growth," said Ken Gitzen, managing director for Germany, EyeWonder.
EyeWonder Opens New London Office and Increases Dublin Workforce
The UK and Ireland are also burgeoning EyeWonder markets. This year alone, eMarketer estimates that online advertisers will spend nearly $150 per user in the UK. This amount is expected to increase by more than 30 percent over the next three years. Accordingly, EyeWonder has opened a new London office and it has doubled its Dublin office's staff, adding campaign, traffic and production managers. Additionally, EyeWonder has named Barry Bedford its managing director of the UK and Ireland. Bedford was previously the managing director of EyeWonder's Dublin office. Prior to joining EyeWonder in 2006, Bedford served as managing director of McConnells Multimedia, the new media wing of McConnells Advertising, Ireland's largest advertising and marketing communications firm.
EyeWonder's Overall Growth
Since 2005, EyeWonder has grown at a rate double that of the United States' online advertising industry. The company's products and services have become a favorite of the nation's major agencies and Fortune 1000 advertisers. Its AdWonder(TM) Flash Component -- a rich media and video ad authoring tool -- has been embraced by eight of the top ten U.S. interactive agencies. EyeWonder has responded to this record demand by increasing its staff by more than 450 percent and opening seven new domestic and international offices since 2005.
About EyeWonder, Inc.
EyeWonder, Inc., is interactive digital advertising's fastest-growing innovator, empowering brands and advertisers to leverage the industry's most comprehensive creative capabilities for online campaigns that are proven to deliver richer results. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company's pioneering technology enables advertisers and agencies to focus their time and energy on producing the strongest interactive ad campaigns that reach across more of today's top browsers and operating systems while eliminating inefficiencies that limit creativity and slow workflow processes. Moreover, EyeWonder delivers results. A 2006 Dynamic Logic study found that the EyeWonder-powered campaigns generate a 65 percent increase in aided brand awareness and a 34 percent increase in message association, and that EyeWonder leads all other top rich media providers in generating increased lift in three out of four core brand metrics.
EyeWonder services the world's top agencies and brands, and its rich media and video ad products are accepted by more than a thousand online publishers, including Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN. For more information on Richer Media and Richer Results, please visit www.eyewonder.com/.
Source: EyeWonder, Inc.
Web site: http://www.eyewonder.com/
