Buddy Media makes its second acquisition

BUDDY MEDIA    ONLINE ADVERTISING     ACQUISITION

Global - Buddy Media has acquired Brighter Option, a London-based Facebook ads API partner which provides social ad management software, for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition allows Buddy Media to be the only company to combine social publishing, applications, analytics, commerce and paid advertising in a unified software suite.

Buddy Media said it had analysed more than 20 Facebook advertising technology partners in a six-month process, concluding that Brighter Option had the most scalable technology, team and business model.

Peter Goodman, CEO and founder of Brighter Option, said the partnership will allow them to provide a comprehensive social marketing software suite, surpassing any available solutions in the market.

"By combining Buddy Media's social enterprise software suite with Brighter Option's deep audience insights and powerful advertising platform, we can bring a complete social marketing solution to the market," Andrew Craven, CTO and co-founder of Brighter Option, added.

This marks Buddy Media's second acquisition in the last twelve months, after it bought social commerce and analytics firm Spinback in May 2011.

Buddy Media has also clinched a deal with 24/7 Real Media, marketing technology company of WPP, to use Brighter Option's social ad management software to power Facebook ads for its clients worldwide.

"Through Buddy Media, marketers can more easily manage and be more effective with their social and digital programmes than with other incomplete solutions on the market," Michael Lazerow (pictured), founder and CEO of Buddy Media, said.

Ken Mandel, managing director for Buddy Media Asia said a strong connection between community engagement and advertising on social networks is a key part of the marketing strategy for brands and advertisers in the Asia Pacific region.

"Buddy Media's acquisition of Brighter Options allows us to provide our customers here with a single-window solution to manage their earned, owned and paid social media communications from a unified social marketing suite."

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