Signed, sealed, delivered

by Rob Stokes

So it’s a deal at last. And, although the press have been talking about it for a while, its actually only been signed and sealed today. As we were merely finalising formalities I didn’t feel right talking about it until it was truly complete. Now, I feel its time to air my views.

First of all the deal:
Basically, through its empowerment arm, incuBeta have bought a substantial stake in Quirk eMarketing. I’m not at liberty to reveal how much, but it’s enough to make it extremely worthwhile for them, but not enough for them to take control (Hey, this is still my baby!).  Vinny will also sit on our board and play a major role in the strategic operations of the business. Vinny is a smart guy: he may be slightly mad (like me!) but he has a brain like a whip and understands online marketing to its very core. Having him involved in our business is a privilege and a very exciting one at that!

What does it mean for incuBeta?
They gain a substantial investment into a fast growing eMarketing agency which also perfectly compliments their existing stable of companies. Quirk offers the whole gamut of eMarketing tactics from SEO to email to web analytics. incuBeta’s prior focus has been primarily in the search and affiliate space, so now they have the whole bang shoot at their disposal.

So what does it mean for Quirk?
So many things! Firstly we join forces with one of the most powerful pay-per-click companies on the planet. I have yet to meet a company who knows PPC better than Clicks2Customers. And those who know me will know that’s saying a lot. I know the Quirk team is good, and Frank’s team taught us much of what we know. From everything I’ve heard about Pinstorm they have a high standard and I really admire them as competition. But Giles’ lot have taken it to the next level and one can’t help but respect that.

Now the Quirkstars in the PPC team are looking nervous. Fear not my friends, not only are your jobs safe, but we need you now, more than ever. The secret sauce to Clicks2Customers success is the software that their enormous team of coders has been building, training and refining for years. It’s the campaign manager’s dream. You set the rules, the software plays the game, and it learns! It’s the only way to successfully manage campaigns in the millions and these guys have cracked it. I want the Quirk team to take their experience and use the software to run our clients campaigns.

Speaking of staff, this is another area where this deal will help both companies. Any fair size eMarketing agency will tell you that in this burgeoning market, finding top quality, talented people with eMarketing experience is really tough. We have a flippin incredible team at Quirk but with growth we’ll need more. The problem is that we only choose the best, and unfortunately the good ones are getting harder to come by. incuBeta of course face similar difficulties and we hope that by approaching this challenge together, we will be able to accomplish more, and improve the process. Ultimately both companies strive to be the workplace of choice in our industry.

My third benefit is also team related. Over the years, the incuBeta group has built up a fantastic management team. I’ve met most of them and they really are a great bunch of people, with so much experience and knowledge to offer. So for me getting to work with these guys is my 3rd benefit of the deal. I have no doubt that their influence will shape Quirk into a stronger business.

My fourth benefit is in the UK. Both companies have an established presence here, but in truth there is still so much more we can do to develop ourselves. Once again by working together, things will be easier and more efficient. I had lunch in the West End with Jonathan and Jo yesterday and already the juices are flowing. We are going to do such great things together!

Finally my fifth benefit is very much a South African thing. One of the most pressing issues in South Africa is empowering those who were previously disadvantaged through Apartheid. In order to address this issue effectively, companies are expected to follow the seven pillars of empowerment. One of these pillars is ownership and as part of this deal, Quirk is now substantially more empowered than we were previously. When we combine this with our efforts around other aspects such as empowerment procurement, skills training and enterprise development, we really are doing our bit to uplift this wonderful country, which I will always call home.

All of this brings me to my final and most important point: Our clients… we love you guys. They will end up the real winners here, and that’s the truth of the matter. All these benefits above boil down to one thing: Quirk will be a better, stronger agency, able to offer more. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about. If we do brilliant work and our clients are happy, then they renew their contracts and everyone’s smiling.

Quirk has grown so much over the past 2 years. If I had to be honest I’d say we’ve not always been in a position to get things absolutely perfect at all times. However, the fact that our clients on the whole do like us, and give us more work is testament to the fact that we’re doing something right. But I am a known perfectionist and when our “vision” states that we won’t rest until we are world leaders in the provision of eMarketing products and services - something I wrote many years ago - I meant it! I know we can do more. We can continue to be more innovative. We can offer even better service (yes J9 I know its brilliant already but perfection is an endless pursuit!) We can write better code. We can design more effective sites. We can get better rankings. We can deliver more clicks at a lower CPA. Bottom line is that, as we look at ourselves in the mirror we know there is always something that can be improved. That is what we continually strive for. This deal gives us more resources with which to achieve these dreams and together with our team of fabulous Quirkstars, we’re gonna do it.

Watch out world… here comes Quirk.
 

2006/08/18 | permalink | comments (2) | trackbacks (0)

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