IgnitionOne Appoints Former GM Marketer as UK Managing Director Amid Significant Market Growth

LONDON, September 15, 2011 -

UK business wins 14 new clients since global rebrand in April
IgnitionOne‘s integrated online marketing technology gains stronger UK foothold following AdJug acquisition
www.IgnitionOne.com

IgnitionOne, the international digital marketing technology and solutions company, has appointed top General Motors digital marketer, Chris Evans as UK managing director.

Evans’ appointment enables IgnitionOne UK to build on exceptional double-digit revenue growth and a string of new business wins, following the company’s creation from the Netmining and SearchIgnite brand merger in April.

Since then, IgnitionOne has signed 14 new UK brands. These include communications agency, Starcom MediaVest Group; I Spy Marketing, for leading UK careers website, Jobsite; and a major online retailer, through client Unique Digital.

Evans will manage continued growth, helping IgnitionOne expand agency relationships in the UK. He returns to the UK from Zurich, where he utilized IgnitionOne solutions as head of digital and direct marketing at Chevrolet Europe. He was previously responsible for digital and direct operations for GM UK, covering the Vauxhall, Saab, and Chevrolet brands.

Since rebranding, IgnitionOne continues to hire internationally, and has added several new customer service personnel to bolster the UK team. These include a new head of search, account manager and account coordinator, who will join Evans at IgnitionOne UK’s new London premises in Charing Cross Road.

Will Margiloff, CEO, IgnitionOne said: “The fact Chris has worked client side gives him a 360-degree understanding of customer needs and a holistic view of the digital marketing landscape. We’re confident our clients will benefit from his wide expertise. The UK is an important market for IgnitionOne. There’s lots of opportunity here and across Europe.”

Chris Evans said: “As a former client, I have witnessed first-hand IgnitionOne’s success, which comes down to two fundamental things - a unique technology offering and significant investment in customer service. Online advertising is growing fast, so it’s a great time to join the business. A strong precedent has already been set, and I know that with exciting products we have in the pipeline we can keep that growth going.”

Evans takes over from James Yancey, who has been promoted to Vice President of Global Strategy. Yancey launched IgnitionOne’s UK division in January 2009. Under his tenure, the business witnessed substantial growth, with revenue up 70% year-on-year in the first half of 2011.

IgnitionOne has seen rapid European expansion of late, recently opening operations in Paris to complement its offices in London, Brussels and Munich.  

IgnitionOne’s core offering is its Digital Marketing Suite (DMS) - a centralised set of tools and services that boost media and website performance and measure online advertising across search engines, websites, and Facebook.

The news follows IgnitionOne’s announcement last month that it had acquired AdJug, Europe’s largest ad exchange. The acquisition enhances IgnitionOne’s access to premium ad inventory, enabling the two companies to integrate their technologies, providing marketers with a sophisticated solution that simplifies the buying, targeting and measurement of online advertising.

Dave Barton, dave at renegademedia.net +44(0)1452-760147