Social Advertising Leader and Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer Moontoast Introduces Rich Media to Facebook

Lexus Launches Series of Social Rich Media Advertising Campaigns Within Facebook News Feed


NASHVILLE, TN and BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - Jan 23, 2013) - On the heels of announcing $5 million in Series B financing last week, Moontoast, a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD), unveiled its Social Rich Media Ad Platform -- the first platform to enable brands to inject Facebook Page Posts with rich visual, auditory and interactive brand experiences directly within the Facebook news feed, in both desktop and mobile environments. Brands can also use the Moontoast platform to boost these rich media Page Posts into Page Post Ads and Sponsored Stories in the news feed.

Lexus, the leading luxury automotive brand, leveraged the Moontoast platform to launch a series of social rich media ads that engaged Lexus fans and their friends at various points along the unveiling of the 2014 Lexus IS and IS F Sport at this month's North American International Auto Show, one of the largest auto events in the world. These rich media units accomplish meaningful business goals within the news feed, such as capturing consumer lead gen information and generating engagement with the new 2014 Lexus IS and IS F Sport design features.

"Moontoast allows us to create deeper engagements with our audience on Facebook. Lexus is pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the Facebook news feed thanks to Moontoast," said Brian Smith, Lexus' Vice President of Marketing.

"Most engagement on Facebook occurs within the news feed," said Daniel Hightower, Moontoast's Director of Business Development. "Marketers understand this and they are clamoring for more creative elbow room within that space. Moontoast provides that additional space at scale, and social rich media advertising drives deeper brand experiences within the Facebook news feed more than ever before. We are thrilled by our customers' feedback to date."

"With this technology we can offer our Facebook fans an easy way to follow Lexus news," continued Smith. "For the first time, one click on their news feed brought them live to Detroit where we launched our all-new IS sedan. It's a seamless way to connect with them."

Other leading brands that have used the Moontoast Social Rich Media Ad Platform include Intel (http://vimeo.com/51081471) and Nike (http://vimeo.com/47567366), among others.

"Consumers increasingly expect brands to interact with them on their own terms," said Marcus Whitney, Moontoast co-founder and CTO. "In the social context that means the Facebook news feed, where Moontoast's social rich media flourishes."

Moontoast's social rich media ad units work in tandem with the Moontoast Social Analytics Suite, which was built from the ground up to deliver critical insights from the rich media units that help marketers understand and engage with their audiences -- all through the lens of Moontoast's innovative DITE methodology (Discovery, Interaction, Transaction, Endorsement). DITE enables brands to execute social campaigns with rich media experiences that drive consumers along the purchase journey via intelligent targeting on social and mobile. For additional details on the latest version of Moontoast's Social Activation platform, please visit www.moontoast.com/social-rich-media.

Today's announcement underscores continued momentum and follows an exciting year-end for Moontoast. In addition to the company's recent funding and high-profile client wins, the company joined forces with several leading software providers that share their vision of creating the world's best-distributed social advertising and commerce solutions, including ExactTarget, Demandware, Magento, Mercent and PayPal. In June of 2012, Moontoast was also recognized as a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD).

About Moontoast
Moontoast is an innovative social rich media advertising solutions leader that delivers premium rich media experiences and social advertising ROI. The company's Social Activation Platform empowers brands and agencies to maximize their social advertising ROI by distributing interactive and transactional rich media ads that provide premium social experiences, deliver measurable business results, and create actionable consumer insights. Moontoast's innovative DITE methodology (Discovery, Interaction, Transaction, Endorsement) inspires its technology; which enables brands to execute social campaigns, with rich media experiences, that drive consumers along the purchase journey and reaches them through intelligent targeting on social and mobile. Gartner Research has named Moontoast a "Cool Vendor" in Music and eCommerce, and Billboard Magazine called Moontoast a "Top Startup of 2011." For more information, visit www.moontoast.com.

Follow Moontoast
Website: www.moontoast.com/social-rich-media 
Blog: http://www.moontoast.com/blog
Twitter: @moontoast
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/moontoast
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/moontoast-llc

Contact Information:

Press Contact:
Juli Greenwood
Scratch Marketing + Media
617-515-8412