TMCnet News
Wikio and PromoDigital Join ForcesMILAN, Mar 19, 2010 (PR Newswire Europe via COMTEX) -- Wikio, a European Communications Group Specializing in Blogs and Social Media, and PromoDigital, the Number One Italian Agency Bringing Together Bloggers and Advertisers, Team up. The Move Helps the Wikio Group Strengthen its Position as the Leading European Force in Social Media and Digital Marketing. Wikio and PromoDigital have joined forces in order to create the leading European site bringing together bloggers and advertisers. The number one agency in Italian buzz marketing has come together with Wikio, the premier European information portal specialising in blogs and social media. The terms of the agreement were unveiled in Milan this week at a press conference at the Bulgari Hotel by Pierre Chappaz, CEO, founder of Kelkoo and Wikio, and Diego Masi and Andrea Febbraio, CEO and Director General of PromoDigital respectively. "With blogs, forums and social networks, the market is increasingly conversational," said Andrea Febbraio, DG of PromoDigital. "That means that companies must learn to listen and communicate effectively, without relying solely on the more well-trodden and unidirectional methods such as standard advertising and PR," he added. "It's a way for brands to grow their notoriety whilst ensuring a good reputation." Now working together, PromoDigital and Wikio will allow brands to plan quality, ethical, buzz campaigns across forums, blogs and social networks. Buzz is such a powerful marketing force that it should be considered as a medium unto itself within the context of a brand's communications campaign. Wikio and PromoDigital's fusion means they are ideally positioned to help brands engage with the blogosphere and online networks. It's also an opportunity for those creating content: those that write a blog, moderate a forum or are part of an online community will be directly implicated in the advertising campaigns of national and even global advertisers, and will thus be able - in an ethical manner - to take part in, and help develop, the communication of products and services. Wikio, with over one million websites indexed, is the number one European service allowing users to follow the news on blogs and media sites. Over 20 million visitors make use of the portal each month, and Wikio's Top Blog rankings have become a primary indicator of influence for bloggers and advertising agencies. Wikio launched in 2006, and in December last year joined forces with Ebuzzing, the premier blog monetization platform, considered the French equivalent of PromoDigital. The two companies have numerous illustrious clients, including Bulgari, Carrefour, The Disney Channel, GM, L'Oreal, Nokia, Renault, Roc, Sony and Toyota. "We are very happy with this move," declared Pierre Chappaz, CEO of the Wikio Group. "This fusion will be profitable for both companies and was based on our desire to continue investing in order to create a market leader in the analysis and monetization of Internet content. Teaming up with PromoDigital is yet another step in that direction and will help us to develop our company and the services we offer." PromoDigital is the premier Italian buzz marketing agency and boasts a unique position in the transalpine market, allowing advertisers to communicate with the blogosphere and make use of the numerous opportunities that exist in social networking. A veritable "automated ticket machine" for everything related to buzz marketing and social media, the firm is located in Milan and Rome and was founded by Diego Masi and Andrea Febbraio in February 2008. Just two years on it is the Italian market leader and watching its revenues and influence grow exponentially. Pierre Chappaz, Wikio Group CEO, founded Kelkoo, the leading European shopping search engine, which was sold to Yahoo! in 2004 for EUR500 million. He then became President of Yahoo! Europe, until he left to set up Wikio. Diego Masi, PromoDigital CEO and an experienced communications professional, is currently President of AssoComunicazione, an association bringing together the largest Italian companies. Andrea Febbraio, PromoDigital DG and word-of-mouth and permission marketing pioneer, is a professor of Digital Communication at several business schools, teaching MBA students from Italy and across the world. PromoDigital and Wikio were advised by Mirabaud Financial Planning S.A. for this operation (Etienne Mouthon). About the Wikio Group: focusing on the blogosphere and social networks, Wikio is a communications group operating in Europe and the USA. Wikio boasts sites in six countries, indexing over one million blogs and media websites; is also the premier European news portal with over 20 million unique visitors each month. Ebuzzing, the advertising arm of the group, is a platform allowing advertisers to take part in the conversations taking place at the heart of the blogosphere and social networks via the diffusion of quality content and videos. Ebuzzing currently counts over 600 advertisers as clients. About PromoDigital: PromoDigital is the premier Italian platform dedicated to online marketing and buzz marketing. A highly qualified agency, PromoDigital boasts a unique position in the Italian blogosphere and social networks. Its various services Buzz Radar, Buzz Attack, Blog Buzz or Buzz Seeding mean it is uniquely placed to offer solutions to all the requirements of modern-day marketing and brand communication. Adrien Plat, Marketing Manager, +33-9-61-66-44-28 Adrien Plat, Marketing Manager, +33-9-61-66-44-28, [email protected] |