CROSSMARK Launches BrandMasters

CROSSMARK, a sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, has formed BrandMasters, an experiential marketing agency that will provide turnkey solutions for brands to create meaningful shopper experiences via personal engagement.

Created to meet the rising need among consumer goods brands to effectively influence shoppers on the path to purchase, BrandMasters will offer services addressing all aspects of experiential marketing, from shopper insights to turnkey execution and measurement of programs that range from in-store product sampling to outside events and digital engagement.

“Today, as brands face challenges in connecting with their consumers and shoppers, it’s become more critical than ever for a brand to deliver a message to its target audience that is relevant to them as individuals,” explained Joe Crafton, CEO of Plano, Texas-based CROSSMARK. “People connecting with people is the most powerful means of influence, and BrandMasters connects brands with consumers along the path to purchase through personal engagement in-store and out of the store.”

CROSSMARK will leverage its position as North America’s largest in-store marketing services company by such means as in-store events through its NCiM division and Shopper Events joint venture. Further, the company’s Field Intelligence group is the largest in-store data collection force in North America. There’s also great synergy with Twin Oaks, CROSSMARK’s shopper marketing venture with Southfield, Mich.-based Mars Advertising. BrandMasters’ turnkey national programs for consumer goods brands will execute across all relevant areas where consumers shop and play. Among the services the agency will provide are coordination of retailer-contracted event execution companies such as NCiM and other retailer event agencies.

Ed Hoehn, whose most recent position was VP-client services at Dallas-based Mosaic, has joined BrandMasters as SVP-marketing services. Over 13 years in the agency business, Hoehn has devised experiential solutions for more than 35 brands, including Microsoft, HP, Sony, Sharp and Verizon. In his new role, he’ll guide BrandMasters’ efforts to provide turnkey experiential marketing solutions for consumer goods clients.

“Our approach is uniquely positioned to add value,” noted Hoehn. “We have built a platform on the strengths of CROSSMARK and added experiential marketing expertise. The platform includes proprietary data and analytics, retail expertise, exceptional field talent, and strong relationships with retailers and consumer goods companies. Adding experiential strategy, design and management allows us to build and execute smart programs to drive tangible results for clients.”

Employing more than 34,000 associates at 47 offices throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, CROSSMARK offers expertise in the areas of headquarter sales, retail merchandising, retailer solutions, event marketing, in-store data collection and field intelligence, retail analytics, and retail technology solutions.