Google acquires social media marketing start-up Wildfire

Internet search giant Google Inc yesterday said it has acquired marketing start-up Wildfire – a move aimed at expanding further into social media.

Though the two companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, All Things Digital said that Google paid about $250 million plus performance incentives.

Founded in 2008 by Victoria Ransom and Alain Chuard, Redwood City, California-based Wildfire helps businesses manage their brands through pages, apps, tweets, videos, sponsorships, advertisements, promotions across several social websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin and others.

It helps businesses to be in touch with their costumers and find out whether their marketing campaigns were effective or not.

Wildfire has around 16,000 clients, including Spotify, PepsiCo, Cisco Systems, Virgin, Amazon, Cirque du Soleil, Gilt Group and Unilever.

''With Wildfire, we're looking forward to creating new opportunities for our clients to engage with people across all social services,'' Jason Miller, a Google product management director said on the company's blog post.