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NEXT GENERATION DIGITAL MARKETING
The iCrossing GmbH story
From the establishment of Bertermann Grünig GbR in 1999, to the changing of the company's name to 3GNet GmbH in 2002, until our acquisition by the global digital marketing company, iCrossing, in April 2008, we have continued to improve and widen our core competencies in the online marketing industry. By becoming part of iCrossing Inc., one of the largest global digital marketing companies, (550 employees in 12 offices across the U.S., the U.K. and Germany) iCrossing GmbH is now in a position to develop complex, multi-channel, marketing strategies and act internationally through its various offices.
Our company history:
1999: The first chapter is written inside an office no bigger than 96 square yards in Ledererstraße 23 in Munich. Here, Patrick Bertermann and Oliver Grünig founded the company Bertermann Grünig GbR, laying the cornerstone for one of the first agencies to recognize the potential of search engines. The first search engine optimization projects are launched.
2000: The steady growth of the Internet medium continues to accelerate the development of the agency around Patrick Bertermann and Oliver Grünig. The name “3GNet”, inspired by the combination of UMTS (3G) and 'internet', is founded and registered as the company's brand with the German Patent and Brand Office.
2001: With the continuing development of Google, 3GNet also expands accordingly and the first search engine marketing projects are realized. The team of online marketing specialists – by now numbering five people – is able to establish a firm position within the industry.
2002: The company’s rapid growth makes it necessary to move the agency to bigger headquarters. 3GNet GbR becomes 3GNet GmbH, headquartered at Ledererstraße 10. 3GNet continues to be managed by the founders and remains privately held by both founding members.
2003: 3GNet reacts to the booming e-commerce industry by launching custom shopping portals. At the same time, the agency develops an original synchronized, cross-campaign, tracking tool (TrafficTrack©) that allows precise imaging and analysis of all performance markers – individually customized to suit the customer's needs.
2004: At the beginning of 2004 the next important development for 3GNet takes place with the expansion to the U.K. To meet the ever-growing demand for online marketing, 3GNet Media Management Ltd. is founded in Brighton, U.K. Almost at the same time, the company moves to new headquarters in Munich at Tal Street 11 – and at this time, the company already has grown to 30 employees.
2005: 3GNet now also offers full service in the online performance marketing area, registers the TrafficTrack© tool, developed in-house, as a brand and presents it at the Online-Marketing-Düsseldorf trade fair. As a reaction to the growing number of online marketing agencies, the German digital economy association BVDW develops a recognized search engine marketing certificate. 3GNet is one of the first agencies to receive this certificate. The number of employees has now risen to more than 50 people, and part of the company moves to a second floor at Tal Street 11.
2006: Gottfried Häuserer, decisively involved in the development of the online shop for mobile provider O2, meets Patrick Bertermann and Oliver Grünig, the founders of 3GNet, through business. They put their idea – to fuse their individual areas of competence together and use their new potential for maximum efficiency – into action. Gottfried Häuserer becomes the third manager of 3GNet. The search engine optimization team is dramatically increased to more than 30 editors, and 3GNet joins the marketing associations, eco and SEMPO. The increase in staff (now 65 employees) leads to the occupation of a third floor at Tal Street 11, with various new conference and office rooms, totaling 597 square yards. Additional tools developed in-house (BidTrack©; to analyze paid search offers and placements, and RankTrack©; to analyze search engine positions) are registered as official brands with the German Patent Office.
2007: Together with longstanding customers and partners, 3GNet celebrates its fifth anniversary as a GmbH company. An in-house department for business development is established. This department manages to develop an online advertising medium generator (iCreator©) before the end of the year, and it is registered as a brand. 3GNet participates in several industry events, including the OMD, the Internet World Congress, the Online Marketing Forum and the eCommerce Conference.
2008: 3GNet becomes iCrossing GmbH – NEXT GENERATION DIGITAL MARKETING
The media marketing sector experiences a burst in growth and the company reacts with offering a broad spectrum of services now also offered to international markets. One of the largest and most renowned companies in the industry, iCrossing, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona in the U.S. acquires 3GNet and has 550 employees working in 12 offices worldwide. Thus, both customers of 3GNet and iCrossing can now profit from the synergy available in the fields of technology and social media.
