PLANO, Texas & CHICAGO -- Crossmark, a leading sales and marketing services company, has announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Marketing Werks, the largest independent consumer-engagement company in the country. The transaction will add out-of-store consumer-engagement expertise to Crossmark's marketing services division and will add to Crossmark's total annual sales approaching nearly $1 billion.
Marketing Werks, founded in 1987 and based in Chicago, creates persuasive, personal, experiential marketing campaigns for such clients as Verizon, Walgreens, Chase and other high-profile branded companies whose sales of goods and services benefit measurably from active consumer engagements. It serves industries including telecommunications, healthcare, consumer packaged goods (CPG), consumer electronics and entertainment. It offers 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.
The company will become part of Crossmark Marketing Services.
"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. Marketing Werks has an outstanding reputation for creating omni-channel campaigns."
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," said Moller. "This acquisition is a natural progression for what we've built over the years."
Jim Rose, president of 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. The companies did not disclose the terms of the transaction. The acquisition will have no impact on the day-to-day operations of either company. They expect the deal to close August 31.
Plano, Texas-based Crossmark's expertise encompasses the areas of headquarter sales, retail merchandising, retailer solutions, in-store events, experiential marketing, shopper marketing, consumer engagement, in-store data collection and field intelligence, retail analytics and retail technology solutions.
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