L.A.-based company purchases The Acquisition Agency
When he launched The Acquisition Agency in September 2010, Jason Sikora deliberately chose the name as a kind of homage to Los Angeles-based search marketing specialists The Search Agency.
The link between the two companies has now been cemented by The Search Agency’s recent acquisition of Sikora’s company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sikora’s history with The Search Agency and its CEO David M. Hughes—a Toronto native—dates back several years. As the former vice-president of marketing for Points.com and chief marketing officer/VP of customer acquisition for online dating site Lavalife, Sikora frequently hired The Search Agency to run his search campaigns.
So when it came to launching The Acquisition Agency—a company specializing in web and mobile-based customer acquisition—Sikora, whose LinkedIn profile describes him as a “customer acquisition geek,” already had a template in mind.
“I admired The Search Agency name and that brand and how specific and clear it was—which is always a key in driving good customer acquisition campaigns,” said Sikora. “It was very streamlined, focused, easy to understand and led people through what the service offering is. Quite honestly, I ripped [the name] off from David.”
A global independent agency specializing in what it describes as “high-tech and high-touch” search marketing strategies, The Search Agency currently employs about 200 people at its four U.S. offices and international offices in London, Sydney and Bangalore.
The Acquisition Agency will now operate under The Search Agency brand, with its six-person Toronto office serving as the company’s Canadian headquarters. Sikora will remain with the company as managing director.
Hughes said that The Acquisition Agency complements his business’ existing services—which include paid search, SEO, landing page optimization, display media, social media and comparison-shopping management—with what he characterized as “very deep expertise” in affiliate management. The intention is to have Sikora’s team lead affiliate management for The Search Agency on a worldwide basis, said Hughes.
“We think we can grow that business exceptionally quickly,” said Hughes.
Several other factors contributed to the deal for The Acquisition Agency, said Hughes: the strong Canadian economy; Canadians’ familiarity and comfort with the internet; and a desire by U.S.-based clients to break into Canada.
The Acquisition Agency’s Canadian clients include Under Armour and DealFind..
