• by April 27, 2011

Online marketing firm Halogen Media Group has acquired social media advertising firm YouCast. The latter will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Halogen, with co-founders John Eaton and Jonathan Cohen remaining as president and chairman/chief development officer, respectively.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Marketers and agencies are increasingly looking for solutions that reach influencers, integrate paid and earned media, and do it all at scale," said Halogen CEO Greg Shove. "We've excelled at reaching influencers with premium paid media at Halogen, but the earned media component needed strengthening. YouCast's track record, technology, and team quickly emerged as the perfect fit."

Halogen said that YouCast's clients in recent years have included PepsiCo, General Electric, Turner Entertainment and the NBA.

"John and I have always been passionate about bringing the rigor of paid media analytics to the earned media channel; this merger amplifies our ability to realize this vision," said Cohen.