Dentsu Aegis Network’s iProspect becomes the market leader in performance & search marketing in Germany with the acquisition of explido

Dentsu Aegis Network today announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire explido GmbH & Co. KG (“explido”), a high profile and top tier performance agency in Germany. Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. On completion, explido will be integrated into the existing iProspect business and iProspect brand, forming part of Dentsu Aegis Network in Germany.

Founded in 2002, explido has grown significantly since then to become a leading performance and search agency in Germany. With offices in Augsburg, Hamburg and Frankfurt, explido provides a full range of outstanding capabilities in search marketing, affiliate marketing, display advertising, web development and conversion optimisation as well as social media services. Led by the senior management team of Dirk von Burgsdorff, Matthias Riedle and Andreas Rüttinger, the 135 experts at explido provide full-service performance expertise to clients such as Postbank, Gelbe Seiten, Grohe, Messe Frankfurt, Steiff and Brita. As part of the integration process, the combined iProspect business will be managed by a joint board under the leadership of the existing explido management.

Dentsu Aegis Network Germany continues to strengthen its full-service approach with high quality performance capability in iProspect as well as powerful media, creative digital and out of home expertise in Carat, Vizeum, Posterscope, Isobar and mcgarrybowen.

Nigel Morris, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, Americas and EMEA said “Germany is an extremely important market for us and our clients, and is Europe’s economic engine room. With this and the continuous growth in digital and online media spending, there are huge opportunities to drive our innovative, collaborative and integrated approach at Dentsu Aegis Network. “
Explido is a great business which enables us to leverage exciting opportunities for our business in Germany and to further enhance iProspect's position as the leading global performance agency network. The acquisition of explido will extend our services and strengthen business collaboration delivered on a global scale”, added Ben Wood, Global President, iProspect.

Dr. Andreas Bölte, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Germany & Central Europe added “We are delighted to welcome the explido family into our German team, to pursue our mission of providing clients and the market with top-performing service, technology and solutions that generate true business value. The acquisition of explido strengthens our approach and enables us to further enhance our digital profile becoming the No. 1 search and performance agency in Germany.”

Dirk von Burgsdorff, Managing Director explido, added “We are excited to be joining the innovative Dentsu Aegis Network and building the new combined iProspect. Sharing the same vision and strategy as iProspect - to apply data and technology and create smart campaigns for customers in digital marketing, we are confident the new combined iProspect will be the catalyst to further extend our digital media capabilities and to generate the benefits of greater scale in Germany.”

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For further information contact:

Judith Weiand
T: (+49) 611 9788 424
E: judith.weiand@dentsuaegis.com

Kirsten Doddy
T: (+44) 207 070 7751
E: kirsten.doddy@dentsuaegis.com

Notes to Editors:
About Dentsu Aegis Network
As part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is the first truly global communications network for the digital age. Through its seven global network brands Carat, Dentsu, Dentsu media, iProspect, Isobar, Posterscope, and Vizeum – and supported by its growing specialist brands including Amnet, Amplifi, Data2Decisions, mcgarrybowen, Mitchell Communications Group (PR), psLive and 360i – Dentsu Aegis Network aims to be the global network of choice for clients seeking best-in-class expertise and capabilities in brand, media and digital communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 110 countries worldwide with over 23,000 dedicated specialists.

About iProspect

iProspect, part of Dentsu Aegis Network, is a global digital performance agency helping to grow the world’s most sought-after brands, by targeting audiences that are ready to act and find innovative ways to turn intention into action. The company helps many of the world's most successful brands maximise their online marketing ROI through research, paid search, social media strategy, search engine optimisation, display media, comparison shopping engines, conversion optimisation, mobile marketing and attribution. modeling and management, and other digital performance related services. For the second year in a row iProspect was named iMedia’s Best Agency for Performance Marketing and Ad Age’s ‘Best Places to Work’ for three consecutive years. Representing a diverse global footprint, iProspect has 60 offices in 43 countries with 2,000 employees.

About explido

explido is a leading agency for digital sales and marketing. The 135 specialists in Augsburg, Hamburg, and Frankfurt create and realise strategies for international sales and communications for corporations like Postbank, Gelbe Seiten, Grohe, Messe Frankfurt, Steiff and Brita. Explido’s success is the conjunction of creative communication and efficient technology with innovative strategies to sustainable increase the performance, competiveness and awareness of brands. Formore than 10 years the name explido symbolises the highest quality, professionalism and competency in the realisation of client’s targets.
www.explido.de