A West Hollywood agency that decided to target smaller clients has racked up some pretty big numbers.
Ciplex, a website design and search engine optimization shop founded in 1999, decided five years ago to stop catering to blue-chip clients and instead concentrate on medium-size businesses. Since then, it has added between 200 and 300 clients to its roster every year.
During 2011, the 45-person agency grew revenue by 33 percent to $4 million.
Founder Ilya Pozin said about half the agency’s customers are in Los Angeles, with a few prominent names including Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Arclight Cinemas and Robb Report.
Pozin said the secret to the agency’s growth is practicing what it preaches on search engines.
“If you go to Google or Yahoo and type in ‘Los Angeles web design’ or a similar phrase, we always appear near the top,” he said. “We never go after business and we never pitch. All our business is inbound from our website.”
Search engine marketing is the best way to deliver the quick sales increases that smaller businesses need, he said. As a result, the agency doesn’t engage in any traditional small-business media such as direct mail, radio or local TV.
“If a client pays us $1,500 per month for SEO, they can make back their investment after three to four months,” Pozin said. “After that, the return on investment really takes off.”
Big Data
Giant concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment has acquired BigChampagne Media Measurement, a company that collects data about consumer behavior in the music sector. Both Live Nation and BigChampagne are based in Beverly Hills.
BigChampagne combines information about radio airplay, music sales, online streams, downloads and social website connections to provide data about music fans to marketers in the entertainment industry. With the acquisition, BigChampagne’s data collection will expand to include concert ticket sales and merchandising information provided by Live Nation. Also, BigChampagne will expand its customer base beyond music into fashion marketers and other consumer brands.
Live Nation plans to retain the BigChampagne leadership. Founder Eric Garland is now general manager of LiveNation.com and co-founder Joe Fleischer is senior vice president of content for the website.
Michael Rapino, Live Nation chief executive, said in a statement that the acquisition “strengthens our commitment to be the leader in artist-to-fan data.”
Generate Acquisition
Generate, a Santa Monica producer of Internet marketing videos, has been acquired by New York-based Alloy Digital, an online video distributor targeting the youth market.
Launched in 2006, Generate has produced videos for major brands including Taco Bell, Ameritrade and Ford Motor Co. Alloy Digital has an ad network of websites targeting the 12-34 age demographic that reaches more than 70 million people each month.
Auto Auction
JMPR Public Relations signed new client Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. just in time to promote its biggest sell-off of the year.
Barrett-Jackson’s annual classic and rare car auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., attracts more than 250,000 visitors and involves the sale of more than $70 million worth of automobiles. This year the event will run Jan. 15 to 22.
While Phoenix-based UP Agency will handle local and regional public relations for the auction, JMPR will focus on national and international automotive media.
Based in Woodland Hills, JMPR specializes in automotive clients, including Bentley Motors, Ducati North America, Galpin Motors and Motor Trend Automotive Group.
Agencies & Accounts
Cerrell Associates has hired Sean Rossall as media relations manager. He previously worked as a political consultant at Fiona Hutton & Associates, and has functioned as media strategist and spokesperson for numerous campaigns. … Murphy O’Brien Public Relations, a Santa Monica agency focused on hospitality marketing, has two new clients: Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Resort and Western Athletic Clubs in San Francisco. … PR agency Regan Group has promoted Julie Thorne Engels to senior vice president of creative and strategy. She joined the company seven years ago and was most recently vice president of marketing. Regan clients include Hallmark Channel, California Pizza Kitchen, Saban Entertainment, Lions Gate and THQ. … Amy Levy Public Relations has signed new clients Itsatwist, a line of women’s fashion accessories; L.A. expressionist painter Maxine Smith; and the Beverly Hills branch of workout studio Cardio Barre. … USamp, an Encino company that recruits online panel groups for market research, has named Justin Wheeler general manager for its SurveyBuilder software product. Wheeler is a former executive at Overture, Yahoo and SpotRunner. … New York-based PR agency MWW Group has hired Scott Samson as vice president in charge of the company’s sustainable energy-clean technology practice in Los Angeles. Samson will grow the practice by seeking new clients in the energy, public utility, technology and municipal government sectors. … PCGCampbell, a PR agency in Torrance, is now the U.S marketing firm for JDR Motorsports, an Australian motocross team. PCGCampbell will secure sponsorships, licensing and endorsement deals for JDR and its riders.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
