Auckland-based Publicis shop VivaKi has won Trade Me’s search & performance digital marketing business after a competitive transtasman pitch process.

The incumbent was Australian specialist search agency Downstream (now part of Adobe), and VivaKi was the only NZ agency to be considered.

“Trade Me previously preferred an Australian agency because they were perceived to have more mature search skills,” VivaKi director Alex Radford told Fastline.

In September, VivaKi will begin its work for the core Trade Me marketplace, Trade Me Jobs, Trade Me Motors, Trade Me Property, as well as Travelbug, Treat Me, and Holiday Houses.

“We’re looking forward to working with a NZ-based team that has local knowledge, but can also tap into a global network when it needs to,” said Trade Me marketing manager James Whitaker.

“We’ve been working hard to create a great local team of search marketers to complement the suite of global tools and technologies available to us through the VivaKi network,” said Radford.

“To have been appointed by an iconic Kiwi online business like Trade Me shows we’re doing something right, and underpins VivaKi as a digital leader in New Zealand.”

The VivaKi Search team now numbers 18 people, and services clients in NZ and in Australia, with billings of over $50m a year.