Marketing technology company MediaMath has announced the purchase of UK-based social advertising platform Upcast for an undisclosed sum.

Upcast’s relationships with Facebook through its Preferred Marketing Developer programme and Twitter’s similar partnership are behind the purchase, with MediaMath chief operating officer Ari Buchalter identifying social media as an area of growth.

“Our mission is to empower marketers with the tools to unify marketing efforts across all digital channels, and we felt it was critical to expand on our existing social offering with the acquisition of a leading platform in the space,” Buchalter explained.

MediaMath does have some of its own social solutions and, according to Buchalter, Upcast will eventually be integrated with its flagship marketing platform TerminalOne.

Social’s increased standing
Similar acquisitions and comments would suggest that social has gone from an afterthought in marketers’ omnichannel plans to being an integral part of campaign strategy, a fact not lost on Patrick Dawson, one of Upcast’s managing partners.

“As social channels expand their advertising capabilities, marketers and brands will require the right technology partner that is capable of developing robust and differentiating features with great speed and agility,” he said.

Through Upcast, marketers have almost complete ownership of their media on social channels. The platform can be used to create, manage and optimise campaigns while keeping tabs on performance.

Besides the UK, Upcast has offices in Singapore, Dublin Warsaw and Berlin that will complement MediaMath’s own New York operation.

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