Edelman acquires Brazilian brand marketing firm Significa

September 13, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

PR agency Edelman has acquired Significa, the Brazilian brand marketing firm specialising in helping companies build their brands by engaging with their stakeholders through causes and content, an approach referred to as “Brand Attitude.”

Together the merged firm, Edelman Significa, will become one of the largest PR firms in Brazil. Edelman Significa will be comprised of more than 100 professionals in two offices with expertise in Corporate, Consumer, Healthcare, Technology, Digital, Public Affairs, CSR and integrated brand communications. Significa clients include Natura, Itau, Votorantim, Pao de Acucar, Gol, Claro, EDP, Fiat, Petrobras and Whirlpool. Edelman’s clients in Brazil include Air France, Boeing, Iberostar, GE and Samsung. 

As a result of the acquisition, Yacoff Sarkovas, CEO of Significa, will become CEO of Edelman Significa Group Brazil, reporting to Gail Becker, Chair, Canada and Latin America, Edelman.  Ronald Mincheff will remain President of Edelman Significa, Sao Paulo office, which grew organically by 17% in fiscal year 2010.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The acquisition of Significa means that we operate the largest wholly-owned business of any of the global PR firms in Brazil and can ensure the highest quality of client service in one the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing markets,” said Richard Edelman, CEO & president, Edelman. “It’s a perfect match because we will leverage Significa’s track record of building consumer brands to help build Brazilian companies across the world through Edelman’s global network.”

In addition to establishing Significa, Sarkovas has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, having started his first company, Informa Som, when he was 19.  Sarkovas was also a founding member and vice-president of AMPRO, a Brazilian promotional marketing association, and a founding member of La Red, the Network of Cultural Promoters of Latin America and The Caribbean. He is currently on the board of Ashoka, a global NGO of social entrepreneurs.

Significa creates intellectual capital including the annual Com:Atitude that produces surveys and seminars about brand attitude in Brazil, attended by more than 4,000 communication professionals to date.  In 2010, the program became a web portal supported by Significa: www.comatitude.com.br.  Significa also has a second business unit named Arbora, that works exclusively for NGO’s, helping to improve its whole value chain. Both Com:Atitude and Arbora are now being integrated with Edelman.

USA, New York, NY

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WatchIt Technologies begins negotiations with two green companies

September 13, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

WatchIt Technologies has begun negotiations with two separate companies for possible acquisition. Both companies are in the fuel savings arena.

The first company under consideration is an established company that utilizes a patented technology to significantly decrease the fuel consumption of motorized vehicles. It also has the added benefit of reducing carbon outputs into the environment.

The second company under consideration is an established GPS (Global Positioning System) business with several years of experience in both hardware and software and is currently producing revenue. According to the company, it is considered a “green technology” because it assists fleet managers in reducing fuel consumption and at the same time aids in reducing the carbon output of the vehicles by providing data that enables the managers and drivers to reduce idle time and reduction in miles driven.

“Although technically very different, there is a synergy between the two technologies,” according to Brian Riley, President of WatchIt Technologies. “Being able to remotely monitor the performance of any fuel saving technology as can be done with a GPS device will add additional credibility to the reported performance results. In the future it may also allow for the general public to watch in ‘real time’ a vehicle’s performance providing complete transparency of the process.”

USA, Arden, NC

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Alterian acquires social media analytics firm Intrepid

September 11, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Alterian (LSE: ALN) has acquired Intrepid, an international market research and social media analytics consultancy. The price paid was for $11 million according to some reports.

Intrepid is a consulting business with a heavy focus on providing insights using social media data, enabling social media to be integrated as a core element of mainstream marketing.  The company has around 40 staff, and offices in Seattle and London as well as a rapidly growing social media analytics team in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Intrepid is a long standing user of Alterian’s social media monitoring and analytics product, Alterian SM2.

The acquisition of Intrepid allows Alterian to expand its support for clients and partners in the area of social media  marketing. Alterian has seen growing demand from brands and partners for packaged social media solutions that include best practices, services and software, delivering benefit even where the partner or brand does not have the in-house staff to use the software and generate insights directly.

Alterian CEO, David Eldridge, commented: “With the explosion of social media, many brands are well aware of the need to harness this exciting new channel as a key and integral part of their marketing mix.  However, a large proportion do not yet have the necessary in-house skills to use social media analytics to best effect.  The addition of Intrepid into the Alterian portfolio gives our partners and customers access to an extremely talented group of people with a deep track record in social media analytics and market research,” said Eldridge. “It also strengthens our leadership position in social marketing, one of our fastest-growing areas of the business, as we help marketers address new channels and build engaging dialogues with their customers.”

John Song, founder and CEO of Intrepid, added: “We believe this acquisition will have a positive effect on all of Alterian’s current business lines and will accelerate our ability to help organizations that know they must move quickly to integrate social marketing into their customer engagement activities, but may not have the necessary resources and methodologies to do so. Our vision and our company culture align perfectly with Alterian, and we are excited to become part of this fast-growing company.

UK, London

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David Montgomery forced out as chief executive of Mecom after pressure from shareholders

September 10, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Reuters are reporting that David Montgomery is being forced out as chief executive of Mecom after pressure from shareholders fed up with ongoing high debt levels and falling sales. Under Montgomery, Mecom made several acquisitions that it was later forced to sell, piling up debt in the process. Last May, investors participated in an emergency £140 million-pound rights issue to avert a debt crisis.

The announcement on the Mecom website reads:

David Montgomery, CEO, today announces his planned retirement from Mecom Group.

Mr Montgomery, the founder of the Group that has grown into one of Europe’s leading newspaper and content businesses, enjoys the complete confidence of the Board.

Nevertheless, following pressure from certain shareholders, he has decided to leave at the time of the Group’s pre-close trading statement next January.

In the meantime Mr Montgomery will continue to implement the Group’s existing strategy together with his team who all enjoy the absolute support and active encouragement of the Board.

Mr Montgomery said: ‘The business has weathered the recession well and is transforming into a broader content business with accelerating on-line revenues. This transformation process will continue for the rest of this year and beyond given the commitment and energy of all Mecom management and staff.’  

UK, London

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The Board will conduct a search process to find the person best qualified to succeed Mr Montgomery.

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Glam Media acquires German men’s online media company Fantastic Zero

September 10, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Glam Media Germany, has acquired Fantastic Zero, a leading German vertical media company for men online reaching 5.4 million unique users, from Holtzbrinck Digital GmbH and Publigroupe S.A. One year since the launch of the German men’s vertical, Brash.de, Glam Media is focused on expanding the Brash Media brand with the Fantastic Zero sites targeting men in key categories including lifestyle, sports, entertainment, gaming, and autos. Fantastic Zero Founder and CEO Aric Austin has been appointed “the man for men” at Glam Media Germany. Fantastic Zero, based in Berlin and Munich, will be integrated into Glam Media.

“Glam stands for significant reach with a high degree of engagement by women in Germany and around the world,” said Ralf Hirt, CEO of Glam Media Germany and VP International. “With Fantastic Zero and Brash, we can now further expand our reach with male audiences. More than ever, this means marketing solutions that cater to the strong demand from agencies for premium advertising environments that appeal to men and have significant reach at the same time. The team at Fantastic Zero has created a highly successful business model, which we will roll out in other European countries in the future.”

Fantastic Zero was established in August 2007 as the first vertical for men in Germany. The company has more than 50 partner sites including Cineastentreff, Comicgate, Gamenews, and Sport2 engage with men online. Categories across Fantastic Zero include movies, entertainment, comics, technology, hardware, and gaming.

“Glam Media is the logical next step in our development and simply a perfect fit,” said Aric Austin, founder and CEO of Fantastic Zero. “Together we will provide the vertical market with new ideas and innovations through Glam Media’s next generation technologies.”

“After the successful growth and startup work under the leadership of Holtzbrinck eLab, the deal with Glam Media will enable the next stage of expansion for Fantastic Zero,” said Markus Schunk, CFO of Digital and Managing Director of Holtzbrinck eLab.  “Congratulations to Aric Austin for his excellent management and building the company—together with Glam, Fantastic Zero will create a leader targeting male audiences.”

“After reaching number one for women, Glam Media is expanding to target men with the acquisition of Fantastic Zero,” said Dr. Marcel Reichart, Managing Director, DLD Media and DLD Ventures, and Member, Glam Media Board of Directors. “Glam Media now has even broader reach for its innovative technology and digital marketing solutions.”

Glam has an outstanding position in delivering efficient and effective solutions to brands and agencies in today’s complex digital advertising marketplace. Just a few weeks ago, Glam Media Germany launched the social media real-time application Tinker that connects both Twitter and Facebook audiences with more than 1,500 sites in the Glam and Brash verticals. In addition, Glam Media Germany recently launched GlamAdapt, the first alternative ad serving platform to DoubleClick, enabling brands to make a greater impact online.

Germany, Munich

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Amazon buys online music retailer Amie Street

September 8, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Amazon.com Inc., seeking to expand its position in the music download market against rivals like Apple Inc.’s iTunes Store, has purchased online music retailer Amie Street for an undisclosed amount.

In an e-mail to users Wednesday, Amie Street said it has found “a great home” for its site AmieStreet.com with Amazon. The Seattle-based online retailer first invested in the site nearly four years ago, Amie Street said.

Amie Street, which is based in Long Island City, N.Y., was founded in 2006. Unlike online music stores like Amazon MP3 and the iTunes Store, the site has allowed users to buy songs that start off free and become increasingly expensive as they rise in popularity.

The e-mail said that starting Sept. 22, site visitors will be forwarded to Amazon.com Web pages, and the AmieStreet.com service will be shut down. Users have until that date to spend any credit they have with the site or download any songs they’ve already purchased.

On Wednesday afternoon, the site was unavailable for use, with visitors greeted by a note informing them that it was “down for maintenance.”

The e-mail said that going forward, Amie Street will focus on developing Songza.com, which is an Internet radio service that lets people build playlists with friends.

USA, San Francisco, CA

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Power-Save Energy Company is to acquire Vica Energy

September 8, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

According to an SEC filing, Power-Save Energy Company is to acquire Vica Energy. The details of the 8K that was filed today with the SEC reads:

“On August 18, 2010, we entered into a Letter of Intent with Vica Energy, Ltd. (hereinafter “Vica”), an Alberta corporation pursuant to which the Company agreed to acquire all of the assets of Vica.  We are currently underway in the due diligence period requested under the Letter of Intent and we will prepare the Asset Purchase Agreement and anticipate a closing date by the end of September. The Company, concurrently with reviewing the due diligence material, is preparing a Solicitation of Proxies, pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and will hold a special shareholder meeting as soon as practicable thereafter.

The Asset Purchase Agreement will contain the customary terms and conditions for a transaction of this type, including representations, warranties and covenants, as well as provisions describing the consideration, the process of exchanging the consideration and the effect of the Acquisition Agreement.”

About Power-Save Energy Co.

Power-Save Energy Company (http://www.power-save.com) is a marketing and manufacturing company focused on becoming the premier retailer of renewable energy and energy savings products in the United States. The company is dedicated to the mass-market sale of energy savings products and now renewable energy products direct to the homeowner and small business. The company not only provides both quality tested and certified products direct to the consumer, but also provides them at prices affordable to everyone.

USA, San Luis Obispousa, CA

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BlackBerry maker RIM acquires DataViz in a deal worth $50m in cash

September 8, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Crackberry is reporting that BlackBerry maker RIM has acquired DataViz in a deal worth $50m in cash.

Rim’s statement reads, “RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the transaction was not material to RIM in the context of RIM’s financial results.” Most news sources are reporting that the deal is thought to be worth $50 million dollars in cash.

DataViz is best known for its mobile Office suite, Documents To Go. Other products include wireless Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync client and RoadSync.

Canada, Ontario & USA, Milford, CT

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Metropolis acquires Packaging News and AV magazine, along with Motoringjobs.com from Haymarket

September 6, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Haymarket Media has completed the sale of two specialist business-to-business titles and a jobs website to the Metropolis International Group. The titles are Packaging News, AV (which covers the professional market for audio-visual products), and the website Motoringjobs.com

All editorial and sales staff who work on the titles will be moving to Metropolis’ Croydon office.

Kevin Costello, chief executive of Haymarket Media, said: “The sale of these titles is part of our move to concentrate on our core markets. I’m delighted they are moving to an up-and-coming publisher like Metropolis, where I know they will find a good home and they will continue to flourish.”

Jonathan Mills, chief executive of Metropolis, said: “We are very pleased to have acquired Packaging News, AV and Motoringjobs.com from Haymarket. This is our third acquisition in 2010 and these excellent, long standing businesses will form an important part of our growing Business Media Division.”

UK, London

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Emap has acquired The Energy Event

September 6, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Emap has acquired The Energy Event and its related magazines from Eamonn Brennan and Neil Western of Western Business Media.

From 2011, The Energy Event will run alongside the Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition (RWM) in halls 17-20 at the NEC.

Whilst the two shows will be marketed separately and each will retain their own identities and focus, the move of the Energy Event to the NEC next door to RWM will allow the event to benefit from the improved layout and facilities of purpose built exhibition halls as well as the relevant cross over audience from RWM.

“RWM and the Energy Event are a natural fit for co location. There is a growing appetite for waste-to-energy conversion as way of dealing with two major issues at once – waste management and sustainable energy. By bringing the waste and sustainable energy sectors together in this way we can help satisfy that appetite,” said Gerry Sherwood, RWM’s Event Director.

Eamonn Brennan will remain involved as a consultant and Steve Swaine and Tim McManan Smith will take up key roles on the project team.

“It is great news for the market that Emap has acquired the Energy Event. They are the natural purchaser and have a reputation for delivering events that are the focal point of the markets they serve. Their focus and resource will enable the event to move to the next stage in its development at the NEC. I will be working closely with the MD’s Alison Jackson and Paul Dunne and ED Gerry Sherwood to ensure a smooth transition” said Eamonn Brennan

MD Alison Jackson commented “We are delighted to welcome Eamonn, Steve and Tim to Emap. We have admired this event from afar after visiting several times. It is a quality, industry led event with great content and an essential diary date for anyone in the sector. Emap’s marketing and operational resource will ensure the event becomes even more important for decision makers in the energy sector as it develops in conjunction with market needs going forward”

UK, London

Posted in B2B Services, Conference/Exhibitions/Events, Content Media, Energy & Environmental Services, Publishers, ~Europe. Leave a Comment »
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