Buy and Launch for Social Media Firm Brand Networks

Social media marketing and advertising solutions firm Brand Networks is to acquire cross-network social ad and collaboration platform SHIFT for $50m in cash and stock; and is launching RelevanceRank, a proprietary measurement and prediction technology for social media content.

SHIFT's solutions bring together social media data, advertising and marketing teams helping clients to automate workflow, activate data and easily execute advertising campaigns. The company is based in Los Angeles, with additional offices in Chicago, New York and London. Brand Networks, which paid $35m for social media ad management and analytics firm Optimal in 2013, says the latest buy will give it an expanded global footprint, with more than 250 employees in 12 offices worldwide. SHIFT CEO James Borow becomes Brand Networks' Chief Product Officer.

Jamie Tedford, Founder and CEO of Brand Networks says marketers' new challenge is 'to unlock the power of data to achieve true relevance - getting to the right person with the right content, at the right time, on the right device', and adds: 'Beginning today, marketers can now use a single platform to break down the walls between disparate teams, data silos, and content types to deliver relevant content across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn'. Borow says the two companies have 'nearly identical DNA' and enthuses: 'Our combined platform provides the world's leading brands with comprehensive marketing technology to deliver the most relevant brand content across all aspects of social.'

RelevanceRank seeks to optimise social media marketing across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn 'at every stage of the process', factoring in differences between the platforms to bring out the most relevant content for each, delivering anaylsis in real time for rapid revenue-generating action.

Brand Networks is headquartered in Boston with offices in San Francisco, Rochester and Sydney, Aus, as well as all four cities where SHIFT has locations. Web site: www.bn.co .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.