Since founding this year, Lemon Traffic has managed the ad operations for some for the largest publishers in the UK such as The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, AOL, MSN, Business Week and iVillage.
However, the entirety of the London-based company’s assets have now been acquired by Operative, a major player in the field of ad operation software and services.
“Our long-term expansion strategy requires us to keep up with the growth of the online ad operations market,” said Michael Leo, chief executive of Operative.
“While the growth in the US has been substantial, the growth throughout Europe has been accelerating, necessitating this consolidation and perhaps others to come.”
Entrepreneur Matthew O’Riordan, owner of the Lemon Foundation and founder of e-Consultancy who also established Lemon Traffic, said he was delighted with the deal.
“Operative has become - far and away - the largest company in the ad operations space globally,” he said.
“Its process-driven approach to solving the operational challenges of online advertising created a synergy with Lemon Traffic and we're extremely excited at this opportunity.”
Joni Mallett, who was managing director of Lemon Traffic, has left the merging companies to join Mediarun as its head of traffic.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2006