Date: October 18, 2006

Market leader buys market leader

Arcus Interactive Group acquires majority share in search marketing company, Arcanian Consulting.

Hungary’s largest independent interactive agency, Arcus Interactive Group acquired majority ownership in leading Hungarian search marketing company, Arcanian Consulting. Arcus, estabilished by Mirai Interactive and red-stars one year ago, has now expanded its professional competencies to the most dynamically expanding Web 2.0 phenomenon: search marketing. Arcanian revenues in 2006 grew five times over 2005 revenues resulting in total sales of approx. 100 Million HUF (approx. USD 0.47 million). Arcanian is Hungary’s first and only agency dedicated to professional search marketing services. Financial details of the transaction are not public.

Besides expanding its professional search competence, Arcus Interactive Group is launching Arcus Tech, a new division focusing on interactive technology development and integration. In line with the growth of its business across all business lines, Arcus has also expanded its staff in numbers for Q4 2006.

Pioneering the search marketing field in Hungary since 2002, Arcanian Consulting was the first Hungarian company to offer specialized search marketing services in an agency framework. As the largest provider in its field, Arcanian today has approx. 20% of the the local search market. Arcanian revenues grew five times in 2006 over 2005 resulting in estimated year-end sales of above 100 Million HUF in 2006. Arcanian offers several search marketing solutions, among them are the two largest local and regional search advertising systems, Google and ETARGET.

"We handle about one-fifth of the 4-500 Million HUF total search spending in Hungary, at present we have 40 campaigns running simultaneously" – said Arcanian Consulting CEO, László Fazakas. "As members of Arcus Interactive Group we will be able to serve the rapidly expanding search market more dynamically" – added the Google Adwords Expert qualified manager.

"Arcanian’s specialized services as part of Arcus Interactive Group clearly benefits our present and future clients, providing them significant competitive advantage over their competitors" – said Péter Szilágyi, CEO of Arcus Interactive Group Zrt. "Uniquely in the Central-East European region Arcus is able to provide integrated interactive marketing services which organically now includes search marketing as well."

During the first half of 2006, Arcus Interactive Group has estabilished a new division focusing on interactive technology developments named Arcus Tech.

Arcus Tech builds on the Arcus Group knowledge and experience delivering special interactive technology developments. Arcus Tech is focused on the management of continuous, intensive, multilateral information flow: it maximizes business efficiency of interactive communications by harmonizing the new applications with all existent IT systems and solutions. Arcus Tech delivers web based portals, intranet and extranet systems, CRM systems and other custom applications.

Involving new competencies and the expanding market environment made staff expansion necessary at the members of Arcus Interactive Group.

The unified management of Arcus (estabilished at the end of 2005 by Mirai Interactive and red-stars) has carried out the necessary structural changes – resulting from the merger – by Q4 2006. These changes brought along expansion both in the management and the production team. At the end of 2006, Arcus Interactive Group (now formed by Mirai Interactive, red-stars and Arcanian Consulting) provides the services of more than 50 highly skilled experts at all areas of interactive marketing and development.

« BACK