McCann Worldwide acquires digital agency Lakestar to heighten SEO offer
McCann Worldwide has announced the acquisition of digital marketing agency Lakestar Media.
The acquisition of the London and Manchester based digital agency, has been undertake to enhance the company’s SEO offering across the UK.
Lakestar was founded in 2007 by its head of sales Demetrious Loizou, while its chief executive Neil McKay joined in 2008, with the company growing to now employ around 50 members of staff.
The company will now be operated and managed by McCann Manchester, and will continue to operate its own client base, while working alongside UK McCann Worldgroup companies with McKay continued to operate from the London base, while new premises in Manchester are sought.
Meanwhile, Sue Little, chief executive of McCann Manchester and Martin Jackson, CFO of McCann Worldgroup UK will both join the Lakestar board to manage its integration.
Little commented: “The completion of this deal significantly enhances our SEO offering and makes our overall integrated digital offering incredibly strong. We’ve been wanting to grow our SEO offering for some time and we’ve been looking for a potential partner for well over a year. I’m delighted to be able to welcome Neil and the Lakestar team into the McCann group of companies and believe the acquisition represents an incredibly exciting opportunity for our clients.
“Lakestar has been tremendously successful in growing its business to date and I believe their expertise coupled with our reach, contacts and clients will enable us to drive strong growth in the future.”
McKay added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our team to be part of a leading marketing communications agency and it will allow us to offer a broader digitally integrated solution to our clients. It gives us the opportunity to work alongside other digital disciplines and for us to align digital strategies with wider marketing communications strategies for our clients. If you embed our strengths with the broader integrated capability of McCann, you have an incredibly strong digital offering which I believe will be of real interest to both current and future clients of both agencies.
Gustavo Martinez, president of McCann Worldgroup Europe, concluded: “The successful conclusion of this acquisition further strengthens an already powerful digital offering from McCann in the UK. By acquiring an SEO specialist of this scale and experience it means our UK operations can offer clients operating nationally and internationally a truly integrated digital solution. We believe this acquisition has the potential to drive further digital growth in the UK and potentially beyond.”
Meanwhile, Keith Hunt, managing partner, Results International, advisers acting on behalf of Lakestar Media: said that independent search marketing businesses of the calibre of Lakestar were 'few and far between'.
" It is no surprise therefore that it has been snapped up by McCann WorldGroup, with strong support from parent company, IPG. Lakestar’s specialist search skills are an excellent complement to McCann’s integrated marketing model, representing an attractive additional value added service to offer to clients.
"The newly combined business will be one of the UK’s leading digitally integrated marketing services groups and provide Lakestar with the support it requires to grow to the next stage."
