Spannerworks sets out on STA journey

5:34am Wednesday 21st March 2007

Digital marketing agency Spannerworks is teaming up with new parent company iCrossing to deliver its first campaign for independent specialist STA Travel.

Spannerworks, in Palace Place, Brighton, was bought by American-based iCrossing for a reported £40 million last month but trades under the same name and management.

At the time chief executive Arjo Ghosh said the lucrative deal would give his company greater global reach and access to more sophisticated technology. That appears to have already been realised in a deal which will see Spannerworks working alongside its Arizona-based parent on a marketing campaign for STA Travel.

The campaign will involve search-engine optimisation for the travel firm to help drive more customers to its website through natural - not pay per click - rankings.

Spannerworks will make sure STA's global website, which caters for more than 450 branches in 85 countries, is primed for search engines like Google and Yahoo.

It will also, working in tandem with iCrossing, carry out regional search-engine optimisation in Britain and the United States, where STA does most of its business.

iCrossing will focus on STA Travel North American requirements, leaving Spannerworks to concentrate on natural search optimisation for the British market.

Mr Ghosh said: "Working with STA Travel has allowed us to utilise the strength of our new offering as an iCrossing company.

"This global reach gives large organisations the ability to access their online audience on a truly worldwide scale."

STA Travel is the world's largest travel organisation for students and young people.

Craig Hepburn, global webmaster of STA Travel, added: "At STA Travel we work with a web-savvy audience that needs to be able to find our information easily.

"Optimising our global online brand is one of our top priorities and Spannerworks offered both the capability and scope to achieve this."

As part of last month's deal Spannerworks, whose clients include HBOS, Virgin and hotel group Best Western, will receive strategic direction from the iCrossing board, which includes former MySpace chairman Richard Rosenblatt.

The company, which was formed by Mr Ghosh ten years ago, is also in the middle of expansion with a new ten-man office opening in London next month.

It is also looking to open an office in Europe and expanding its Brighton headquarters.