MDC Partners Acquires Leading Social Commerce Firm Dotbox

NEW YORK, March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MDC Partners announced today that it has acquired a majority interest in dotbox (www.dotbox.com), a New York-based full-service social commerce firm that has a client roster of premium fashion, affordable luxury and mass retail clients.

Founded in 2008 as the first social-commerce-focused firm, dotbox has grown into one of the leading providers of social commerce solutions to retail clients in the United States. The firm provides brands with a full suite of service offerings across strategy, implementation and activation, from classic e-commerce to socially integrated campaigns and full omni-channel retail solutions.

"With dotbox, we see tremendous opportunity to help clients better connect their social marketing activities with their online - and offline - sales performance," said Miles Nadal, Chairman and CEO of MDC Partners.  "This forms the foundation for a full-service e-commerce solution within our network that pairs creative and branding talent with technology and unique insight into the transformation of consumer behavior."

At the heart of dotbox's implementations is its proprietary platform, 4CsX(tm), which combines traditional ecommerce features with leading-edge social tools, advanced content publishing and cross-channel engagement.  As digital channels continue to drive more and more consumer engagement, brands and retailers can now deploy their entire social commerce solution on one platform without the cost and time to integrate multiple systems and vendors.  Dotbox allows the purchase functionality to be moved closer to points of consideration, and the dotbox platform and architecture have been designed from inception to be modularized and cloud-based, making the solution extremely flexible and cost effective, yet secure and scalable.  

"At dotbox, we have a unique focus on building solutions at the crossroads of omni-channel commerce, content rich publishing, community interaction and contextual personalization," said Ashley John Heather, CEO & Co-Founder of dotbox.  "We believe that building a digital commerce ecosystem for the next decade has to involve these four disciplines in an integrated and seamless manner.  That is what consumers expect, and that is what retail brands have to deliver."

"MDC is a perfect strategic and cultural fit for dotbox," said Zo Bjorgvinsson, CMO & Co-Founder of dotbox. "They have a strategic and independent spirit that is perfectly aligned with our own vision.  We have had great success in blending strategic brand building with high impact digital solutions for our clients, and we now have the momentum and appropriate firepower behind us to bring industrial strength to our digital capabilities and solutions."

Dotbox was advised by Progress Partners in the transaction.

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About MDC Partners Inc.
MDC is a Business Transformation Organization that utilizes technology, marketing communications, data analytics, insights and strategic consulting solutions to drive meaningful returns on Marketing and Communications Investments for multinational clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean.

MDC's durable competitive advantage is to Empower the Most Talented Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders to Drive Business Success to new levels of Achievement, for both our Clients and our Shareholders, reinforcing MDC's reputation as "The Place Where Great Talent Lives."

MDC Partners' Class A shares are publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDZ.A".

About dotbox LLC
dotbox is known for the art of the impossible - blending beautiful and socially rich user experience, with powerful and elegant technology, resulting in some of the most innovative social commerce solutions available today.  Our success in introducing new retail concepts to the public and in reinventing mature heritage brands speaks for itself. Although we serve a broad range of clients, our expertise is in merging content and commerce, with a social flair, and an onmi-channel perspective across high fashion, home, beauty and luxury. More and more, the lines between eCommerce and Social Media are blurred. dotbox leverages the new opportunities of this changing landscape to build rich, engaging digital experiences that bring customers closer to the brands they love.  

Clients include 1-800-Flowers, Bebe, Direct Brands, Harry Winston, Jessica Simpson, Laura Geller, Parfums de Coeur, T Anthony, Theodora & Callum, L'Objet, Tourneau, Verdura, Vince Camuto, Vintage & Modern and Wet Seal.

CONTACT: Alexandra Delanghe
VP, Corporate Communications
646-429-1845
[email protected]

SOURCE MDC Partners Inc.