Vocus Inc., the Nasdaq-listed provider of on-demand software for public relations from the United States, announced that it has acquired privately-held BDL Media Ltd., a provider of on-demand public relations software and services in China.
The deal is valued at US$10 million, and BDL Media is currently based in Beijing. It was founded in 2004 in Hong Kong by China Internet veteran Danny Levinson and Asia media guru Paul Doyle and has quickly become a well respected brand in the Chinese public relations landscape, especially focusing on providing social media monitoring, search engine optimization, and Software-as-a-Service analytics opportunities for Chinese companies. BDL Media's primary sales focus in China is on small and medium hospitality, travel, and financial services companies.
Through BDL Media's key service Xinwengao.com, the company is quickly becoming one of the largest online news release services in China, and via MyRSS.cn, the company is rapidly building one of the most useful Chinese-language digital social media and news monitoring services. The company also partners with dozens of online media publications to give corporate marketers an efficient means to distribute news to journalists and editors in China.
"China is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world with a rapidly emerging PR industry that is estimated to be over USD1 billion and growing in excess of 30% annually," said Vocus chairman and CEO Rick Rudman. "This acquisition provides a launching pad for Vocus to introduce our full suite of products into this large, growing and untapped market."
BDL Media operations and staff will reportedly remain based in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Danny Levinson, the company's CEO, will remain responsible for all operations as Vocus' chief representative and general manager for China; and Paul Doyle will remain focused on sales as the company's president in China.
Vocus, Inc. is a leading provider of on-demand software for public relations management. The company also runs PRWeb.com and is based in Maryland, United States.