PLANO, Texas & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CROSSMARK, a leading sales and marketing services company, today announced it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Marketing Werks, the largest independent consumer-engagement company in the country. The transaction will add best-in-class out-of-store consumer-engagement expertise to CROSSMARK’s leading marketing services division, and will add to CROSSMARK’s total annual sales approaching nearly $1 billion. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Marketing Werks, founded in 1987 and based in Chicago, creates persuasive, personal, experiential marketing campaigns for such blue-chip clients as Verizon, Walgreens, Chase and other high-profile branded companies whose sales of goods and services benefit measurably from active consumer engagements. Marketing Werks serves many industries, including telecommunications, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, consumer electronics, and entertainment. The company will become part of CROSSMARK Marketing Services – the leading marketing services group in North America.
“This acquisition strengthens our position as the leader in field marketing,” said CROSSMARK CEO Joe Crafton. “As consumers’ behavior continues to evolve, brands are seeking better ways to influence them on their path to purchase.
“We are assembling the best consumer-engagement minds in the world,” Crafton added. “Marketing Werks has an outstanding reputation for creating omni-channel campaigns and delivering value for brand owners. Ultimately, our clients will be the beneficiaries of this addition.”
Scott Moller and Julie Guida, founders and co-CEOs of Marketing Werks, said the two companies will fit together well. “We are inspired by the vision of combining Marketing Werks’ diverse out-of-store capabilities with CROSSMARK’s vast in-store expertise. This acquisition is a natural progression for what we’ve built over the years, and will ultimately make our current and future clients the real winners.”
Jim Rose, President – CROSSMARK Marketing Services, will be responsible for overseeing Marketing Werks, and Guida and Moller will remain on the leadership team along with the company’s other senior leaders to run the day-to-day operations. “The addition of Marketing Werks and its incredible reputation for delivering value to the marketplace will be a great addition to the strength, quality and scale of CROSSMARK,” Rose said. “We look forward to our new colleagues joining the CROSSMARK team.”
The acquisition will have no impact on the day-to-day operations of either company and is expected to close August 31.
About CROSSMARK
For more than 100 years, CROSSMARK has helped the most powerful brands in the world achieve their business objectives. Expertise encompasses the areas of Headquarter Sales, Retail Merchandising, Retailer Solutions, In-Store Events, Experiential Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Consumer Engagement, In-Store Data Collection & Field Intelligence, Retail Analytics, and Retail Technology Solutions. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, CROSSMARK employs more than 34,000 associates worldwide with 47 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.
About Marketing Werks
Marketing Werks is one of the leading consumer engagement firms in North America. Founded in 1987, the privately held company is made up of people experts who create the most persuasive and the most personal marketing possible. Marketing Werks partners with brand owners to develop strategies that encompass the entire eco-system -- from insights to activation. Among the company’s offerings are experiential marketing programs, event marketing, brand ambassadors, sports marketing, pop-up retail events, mobile tours, multi-cultural, digital, social, public relations, creative, and multi-channel analytics.
