Publicis to buy Performics search marketing unit from Google

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7b9AFC2A66-4901-4E87-8CB1-B93A6DA1CAA9%7d&siteid=yhoof2

Performics, which employs nearly 200 search marketing specialists, helps to improve the performance of advertisers' investments and maximize client campaign effectiveness

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=130168

Performics, the fifth-largest search agency by revenue (2006), according to Ad Age's most recent Search Marketing Fact Pack, will fit within Publicis's recently formed VivaKi Nerve Center division. Performics has two attractive assets, said VivaKi President Curt Hecht. Because it started as a search bid-management platform, it has a culture of building applications and technology. He will use Performics to build tools that can be used across VivaKi, in its search as well as performance marketing.

The second asset is Performics' services business, which has 130 search-marketing clients, including two major Publicis media clients: Hewlett Packard and Verizon. "We'll work through what's the right answer for those clients once this closes," Mr. Hecht said. Publicis media agencies Starcom MediaVest Group, Digitas and Zenith Optimedia all have their own search-engine marketing; Performics will operate as another such group.