BBDO Interactive this week purchased a 49
percent stake in Israeli Internet and multimedia firm Goldfish and plans to add the company
to its network on interactive ad agencies.
BBDO will spend $3.43 million on the holding, with the option to purchase an
additional 21 percent. After the deal is final, the company will operate
under the name Goldfish Interactive.
BBDO said it chose Goldfish from a group of Israeli companies being
considered, crediting its prominence in the local market, its client
portfolio and its Net experience as factors which pushed the firm to the top
of the list. The Israeli company counts Bezek International, Compaq Computer
Corp., and
Motorola Inc. as some of the big names in its client roster.
Goldfish Interactive will build Internet sites, create business
presentations and marketing strategies, and offer various creative, account
and consulting services. BBDO says that the new company will be the first to
offer a wide range of Net services, and thus have an edge in targeting the
estimated 70 percent of Israeli businesses with Web sites.
Following the acquisition, Goldfish’s staff will more than triple in size,
with 60 employees to be added in the near future.
BBDO Interactive is a subsidiary of global ad agency BBDO.