San Diego, California, March 20, 2018 – Search Optics®, a leading global digital marketing provider with expertise in the automotive industry, today announced it has secured a new round of private equity funding to fuel continued worldwide expansion and strengthen U.S. operations. Financial terms of the funding, which also included management as co-investors, were not disclosed.
Celebrating 20 years in business in 2018, Search Optics boasts a client base of 3,000 customers worldwide and maintains 13 offices in North America, APAC, EMEA and LATAM. According to Search Optics CEO David Ponn, the funding will enable the company to expand service to global clients in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Panama and deepen support for strategic client initiatives in the U.S.
“Over the past two decades, Search Optics has established a global reach unlike any other automotive digital marketing firm, with support today for 43 OEM programs across the globe, along with 25 leading Asian, European and domestic brands,” said Ponn. “As we celebrate our remarkable 20-year milestone, we’re very proud of our longevity and accomplishments, and pleased to earn our investors’ continued confidence as we build upon our success.”
The company’s flagship technology offerings include the Blueprint Platform®, a truly responsive website solution built for all screen sizes, and UPTRACS®, a reporting platform that measures digital campaign effectiveness in real-time to improve ROI. Available in multiple currencies and languages including Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, two versions of French and six versions of English, both platforms have been globalised to optimize the way Search Optics serves brands worldwide.
“Using these platforms, our talented team continues to focus on creating a synergistic, unified brand presence for our clients, who represent the biggest names in the automotive business,” said Ponn. “We’re very excited to further extend our global business reach and add new depth and resources to our worldwide operations.”
The new round of funding follows a year in which Search Optics accelerated its international growth. In November, the company announced new expansion in the APAC region, following strong business development across Australia and New Zealand. It also bolstered its success in North America and Europe, launching new digital marketing campaigns for a variety of customers.