Internet agency DoubleClick is moving into Asia and Latin America
as part of its worldwide expansion.
The agency will open offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Beijing
this month, closely followed by Sao Paulo and Mexico City.
DoubleClick UK's managing director Andy Mitchell said each office would
have 'a significant head-count' of 15-20 media staff.
The New York-based agency's international rollout has seen it move into
17 countries in less than 18 months. Its global clients include Disney,
Infoseek, CBS and the International Movie Database.
The move is a further indication of DoubleClick's bid to dominate the
internet advertising sector. In July, it bought out its rival
NetGravity.
The pair will merge in a share-swap deal valued at dollars 530 million,
creating a new media giant representing more than 50 per cent of the
world's top publishers.
In June, DoubleClick agreed to acquire the direct marketing company
Abacus Direct, giving it access to purchasing data on 88 million
households. DoubleClick will now be able to combine data about people's
online and offline spending habits.
This was the first time a new-media company had bought an offline
marketing business and has added fuel to the debate about privacy on the
internet.
The developments put DoubleClick in an increasingly strong position.
In the UK, it competes with rivals Real Media, Engage and 24/7. Mitchell
said its web advertising management system, Dart, was rapidly becoming
an industry standard.
'As well as global reach, we can now offer the three pillars of internet
advertising: media, technology and data,' he commented.
