Ever since Google closed the DoubleClick acquisition, it’s been trying to sell off Performics, a unit of DoubleClick that does search-engine marketing and optimization. The business presented a conflict of interest for Google because its services are aimed at getting better placement on Google’ search results for its clients. Google announced today that it sold the business to France’s Publicis Groupe.
The French advertising giant will absorb the 200 “search marketing specialists” currently working for Performics. It will fold the business into its VivaKi Nerve Center (sounds scary). The purchase price was not disclosed.
Now Google can leave the SEO and SEM to others. It can spare the crumbs.
Didn’t know Gog bought DoubleClick. Not sure if that’s good or bad for the search / advertising space
This must have been very hard to sell. Margins are terrible and work is very manual despite what many claim.
Do you really think this is a hard sell?
According to Jupiter Media, the search market represented an estimated $9.9BN in 2008 and is projected to grow at a 12% compound annual growth rate through 2012. Performics has over 150 search engine marketing (SEM) clients, representing over 200 top global brands.
Publicis has stated that they want 25% of their overall revenue to come from digital by 2012, and this acquisition will help make that a reality. There’s not that many serious search marketing agencies that have the scale necessary to fit in with Publicis, it’s still a very fragmented market, so the Performics acquisition makes sense.
Plus, Google and Publicis have a long-standing cross-functional relationship, including sharing of executives and intellectual property.
Interesting that many smaller, traditional agencies totally eschew search marketing as “too complex” and “not worth it”. I wonder if this acquisition will change some minds in that regard?
I just wrote a post with more commentary and context: “The Truth About Publicis Buying Performics.”
Jason Baer
Convince & Convert - Digital consulting for agencies
http://www.convinceandconvert......eting-blog
I do not know much about double click by whenever I run Search$Destroyer software which remove the trojon and horse from my computer that time I have seen cockies of double click. Is that then double click is something dangerous to my computer.
Nerve center should pick an SE friendly name
/r
http://www.pilotoutlook.com
Performics…. first , google doesn’t need Performics because they have bigger and better things… second, good move
Comments on TC have really deteriorated (should I dare say to near to youtube levels?). The Doubleclick acquisition was huge news over the past year. Mariya, cookies from DC will not harm your computer.
DC’s cookies are not harmful — they are used by publishers to track users and perform certain functions in ad serving, such as frequency capping: this is where the NYTimes can say “I want any given user to be shown this ad for Ford cars at most 5 times within 1 hour.”
Out of paranoia perhaps, “spyware removers” target such cookies.
>> This must have been very hard to sell. Margins are terrible and work is very manual despite what many claim.
Oh, how wrong you are!
You can opt-out of a lot of cookies including Doubleclick here:
http://www.networkadvertising......pt_out.asp
spread the word…not enough consumers know about this.
Mike A., maybe do a post on this.
wondering what kind of acquisition price can it be? Any solid opinions on this one?