Omnicom Group, a major advertising and marketing holding company based in New York, has purchased a majority interest in online ad specialist EVB for an undisclosed amount. The deal highlights the rising importance of online advertising. The acquisition allows San Francisco, CA-based EVB to be included in Omnicoms global advertising group, which comprises DDB Worldwide, BBDO Worldwide, San Francisco, CA-based Goodby, and Silverstein & Partners. Clients include Kelloggs Kashi cereal, Adidas, Wrigley and LeapFrog Enterprises. Omnicoms vision for Internet marketing and its understanding of how EVB works allowed the company to beat other major advertising organizations vying for EVB. Established in 2000, EVB had not been in a hurry for a partnership, but is reaching its peak in terms of what it could accomplish as a stand-alone company. Omnicom considers EVB a pioneer in Internet marketing, with a portfolio of the most appealing brand experiences in the Internet at present. The growth of Internet marketing has been phenomenal, with marketers spending less on traditional advertising such as television and newspapers to expand their online presence. However, Internet has only managed to secure a portion of the overall advertising spending, which is expected to reach almost $300 billion in 2007. Internet marketing spending in 2007, on the other hand, is estimated at around $16 billion.