2009: AOE media records 111% growth in a crisis year

23. April 2010

The results of the 2010 Internet Agency Rankings published today are unequivocal: the IT and online service provider AOE media once again finds itself among the rising economic stars of German Internet agencies, this time at an impressive 2nd place in the roster of “fastest growing agencies”. In their ranking process, the organizers from the Federal Association for the Digital Economy and their cooperating partners compared last year’s turnover in fees for agencies and service providers in the Internet and multi-media sector. In the combined ranking AOE media took 61st place, a significant jump up from its 130th position the previous year.

For the agency from Wiesbaden, which specializes in the Content Management System TYPO3, e-Commerce und Online Business applications, this 2nd place means something truly extraordinary: a growth of 111% achieved in 2009 … a year of crisis! Beyond this, the company finds itself in the highest category of the rankings: among those fastest growing companies that also turned over more than 2.5 million Euros. In the previous year, 2008, with a growth of 133%, AOE media ranked number 1 among those firms that turned over more than a million Euros. And three years ago they booked an amazing turnover increase of 236%: “that would have been worth a 1st place, if we’d registered for ranking. Unfortunately we missed out on that. But anyway, for us personally this year comes as a hat-trick”, laughs Kian Gould, founder and managing director of AOE media. Such steep growth doesn’t just mean personal success, but also new jobs for the region: the agency has beefed-up its workforce from 10 to 80 employees in the last four years, working in six different locations worldwide.

Staff and quality as factors for success

For Gould, AOE media’s staffing strategy is one of the keys to its success. “We’re not a hire and fire agency. We look carefully for the right people, those who fit best in terms of their qualifications, experience and personality. Thanks to our wide network of staffers and our position as market leader among TYPO3 agencies, we seem to magnetically attract the top developers and can thus do superb work.” Just as important: AOE media was among the first agencies to recognize the potential of TYPO3 in the Open-Source movement, developing significant elements for the international market. Such developments lifted TYPO3 from being simply a Content Management System to a heavyweight Enterprise Solution that meets international industry standards. Such quality is highly attractive to major companies such as Cisco Systems, Hankook Tyres and Deutsche Telekom. What started as a small project has grown its customer base quite naturally over the years: “We’ve grown up with our customers’ projects, reacting flexibly to their needs and thinking in a future-oriented manner”, says Gould.

About the Internet Agency Ranking:
The “BVDW Internet Agency Ranking” serves as a support guide to companies looking for a qualified full-service provider. The ranking, undertaken in cooperation with Hightext-Verlag and the professional publications “Horizont” and “w&v” has been published for the last nine years – prior to 2010 it was known under the name of “New Media Service Ranking”. On the subject of names, AOE media also has news. Since the firm now offers not only the Content Management System TYPO3, but also provides a more general range of Open Source-based web solutions, a refresher to the company’s branding is in order. So in a few weeks the agency will start to do business under a new slogan. The former sub-line, “the TYPO3 company” will be replaced with “the open web company” to reflect this reality.
Further information on the Internet Agency Ranking can be found at: http://www.agenturranking.de

About AOE media:
AOE media is worldwide market leader in TYPO3 Enterprise Web CMS solutions, with an enviable list of major clients throughout Germany, the rest of Europe, North America and Australia. Founded in 1999, AOE was among the first to see the potential of license-free, OpenSource-based Content Management Systems. With a staff that currently numbers over 80 employees in six localities, AOE is an agency with a world-embracing vision and reach. Global names like Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, LSG Sky Chefs and a host of other medium to large businesses entrust their international TYPO3 platforms to AOE media’s skill and experience. With several hundred client references and more than 200 custom-developed TYPO3 Extensions, AOE media can look back on an impressive list of successfully realized TYPO3 projects.