Merger between Search Engine Marketing Specialists Will Support Japan’s Largest Advertising Company and Market 24/7 Real Media’s Decide DNA® Technology to Dentsu’s and Other Agencies’ Clients
NEW YORK & TOKYO – 24/7 Real Media, Inc. (“24/7”), the leading digital marketing company, and cyber communications, inc. (“cci”) (4788.T), Japan’s leading media representative company, announced the merger of their subsidiaries DENTSU e-LINK, INC. and K.K. 24-7 Search to form Dentsu Search & Link. Japan’s largest advertising agency Dentsu Inc. (“Dentsu”), currently a shareholder in both subsidiaries, shall remain a shareholder of the newly merged company. Dentsu Search & Link will deliver a full spectrum of search engine marketing (“SEM”) services to the Japanese market. Financial terms were not disclosed.
cci and Dentsu will contribute their extensive Japanese marketing industry knowledge and connections to the venture, and consign to the venture SEM services provided to their clients. 24/7 will license its industry-leading Decide DNA® technology and provide its search engine marketing expertise to Dentsu Search & Link. Takeshi Matsuoka, currently Director and President of KK 24-7 Search, will serve as President and CEO of Dentsu Search & Link.
The merger of DENTSU e-LINK INC. and K.K. 24-7 Search is designed to create a best of breed search engine marketing services’ company in Japan. Dentsu Search & Link will leverage cci’s considerable industry relationships and broad media representative experience in combination with 24/7 Real Media’s industry-leading proprietary search management technology, Decide DNA.
“cci has acquired experience in the SEM field through our subsidiary DENTSU E-LINK. The newly merged company shall play a key role in the SEM field in the Dentsu Group. Dentsu Search & Link shall become a robust and optimum company combined with Dentsu Group’s sales force and experience in the Japanese market and 24/7 Real Media’s most advanced technology,” said Hideyuki Nagasawa, President and CEO of cci. “I am confident that Dentsu Search & Link shall lead the continuously growing new market with high competitiveness.”
“24/7 Real Media looks forward to building a strong relationship with Japan’s leading media representative company cci. cci has embraced digital marketing through its subsidiary DENTSU e-LINK and will continue to lead the Japanese SEM marketplace through its new partnership with 24/7 Real Media. Dentsu Group clients have benefited from cci’s and Dentsu’s progressive view of utilizing technology to provide clients with a competitive advantage,” said David J. Moore, Chairman and Founder of 24/7. “We are confident that the enhanced partnership between cci, Dentsu and 24/7 Real Media will provide even more benefits to cci’s and Dentsu’s clients and help expand 24/7’s technology presence in Japan.”
According to eMarketer*, the Japanese paid search market is on pace to reach approximately 226.5 Billion Yen by 2011. Japan has the second highest number of Internet users after China, and the highest number of broadband Internet users in the Pacific Rim, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Media Outlook 2007.
As the majority owner of Dentsu Search & Link, cci will report consolidated financial results including Dentsu Search & Link. Additional details will be provided during cci’s fourth quarter earnings call in 2009.
*Source: eMarketer; Dentsu, as cited in press release, April 16, 2007
About cyber communications, inc.
cci was established in 1996 in the early period of online advertising market in Japan and has led the market growth as a subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. cci has established the business model whereby, as a media representative, it makes connections between thousands of online media and advertising agencies in Japan. cci describes itself as a total interactive, one-stop marketing service company that provides various services regarding internet advertising such as media planning, ad serving technology, ad creative service and market analysis. For more information, please visit http://www.cci.co.jp/english/.
About 24/7 Real Media, Inc.
24/7 Real Media, Inc. a WPP company, the leading global digital marketing company, empowers advertisers and publishers to engage their target audiences with greater precision, transparency and ROI. Using its award winning ad serving, targeting, tracking and analytics platform, together with its powerful search marketing technology and global network of specialized Web sites, the company has turned the art of reaching audiences across virtually any digital medium into a measurable science. The company is headquartered in New York, with 18 offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, please visit www.247realmedia.com.
24/7 Real Media: The Science of Digital Marketing.
24/7 Real Media is a member of the NAI and adheres to the NAI privacy principles that have been applauded by the FTC. These principles are designed to help ensure Internet user privacy. For more information about online data collection associated with ad serving, including online preference marketing and an opportunity to opt-out of 24/7 Real Media cookies, go to: www.networkadvertising.org.
