ICrossing Acquires Analytics Firm

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Digital marketing agency iCrossing has acquired Salt Lake City-based Sharp Analytics in a move the firm hopes will bring clients a more comprehensive picture of their marketing programs.

While iCrossing's focus is search marketing, spokesman Dana Mellecker noted Sharp "pulls in all the data of all the activities of online and offline campaigns into a single snapshot view." The channels it supports include search, television, Web display, radio and print.

Sharp Analytics, formed in 2001, will retain its brand and operate as a division of iCrossing. The parent company's teams focusing on analytics and performance insight will merge with Sharp Analytics's existing teams "to create fully integrated business intelligence solutions that bridge the gap between on- and off-line data," said a company statement.

"One of the areas we've seen as lacking in the industry is how people measure the success of their interactive program and compare them to their offline, traditional print media programs," said Mellecker.

Sharp Analytics' headquarters will remain in Salt Lake City, but additional employees will be added in New York, Scottsdale and London. Sharp Analytics Founder Chuck Sharp will become managing director of the Sharp Analytics division and will be responsible for development and marketing of SharpView and its corresponding analytics services. Sharp will report to Rod Lenniger, executive vice president of iCrossing.

iCrossing was created in 1998 and has about 350 employees. The company has offices Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and Brighton, U.K.

The Sharp Analytics purchase is the third iCrossing acquisition in four months. In November, iCrossing bought NewGate Internet, another search marketing company. Then, in February, iCrossing acquired Spannerworks, a U.K.-based search agency.