SocialVibe secures $20 million funding
Zynga advertising affiliate raises investment from Norwest Venture Partners
SocialVibe, an advertising company which operates online and on mobile, including advertising within Zynga titles, has secured $20 million in funding to expand operations and business reach.
The funding round was largely led by new investor Norwest Venture Partners, whose Jeff Crowe will now join SocialVibe's board, but previous investors Redpoint Ventures, Jafco Ventures and Pinnacle Ventures also participated.
SocialVibe's closest involvement with Zynga was as part of a campaign for Kia, during the time of the American Superbowl. The company presented Kia's ads, in the form of an opt-in interaction in exchange for Zynga virtual currency, to over 100 million players of Zynga games, including Farmville, Mafia Wars and Petville.
During that campaign, players spent an average of three minutes engaging with the ad, with fourteen per cent of customers sharing the ad with Facebook friends.