History of Marketingworks

Originally founded as a direct-marketing agency in 1991, MWKS built a highly successful business supporting the official licensed merchandise from Hollywood film and television studios. Simply put, MWKS promoted fan-based merchandise (t-shirts, signed posters, show props, etc) through numerous non-retail outlets. These included many “old school” distribution channels – (such as direct mail, inserts, hangtags, handouts, etc). This success led MWKS to produce and broadcast numerous direct-response television (“DRTV”) for these same clients/products. Soon Fox, Sony, WB, Disney, Paramount, MGM, CBS, and Universal were hiring MWKS.

“COPS: Too Hot for TV” was the most successful single-project created by MWKS during this phase of our history. Millions of television viewers saw the sixty-second television commercials promoting this provocative “What the Censors Would Not Let You See!” DVD series and picked up the phone, or went online, to order. Over $65 million dollars in gross-revenue were generated in less than 6 months from the results. However, the entire entertainment marketing landscape changed after September 11, 2001. The DRTV opportunities available before 9/11 no longer existed. Between 2002-2005 the Company reorganized and turned our focus on consulted to media and technology clients, including Kodak Venture Group and San Ysidro Capital Partners.

In early 2005, MWKS returned to its original roots – as a marketing company – but shifted 100% of our focus towards innovative social media outreach (then known as digital word-of-mouth). This approach includes actionable, measurable and dynamic online community “influencer” strategies. To reach online communities, MWKS deploys teams of highly-trained Brand Ambassadors who connect with people who are “hiving” in groups (tribes) online. Clients quickly saw the benefits of reaching their core-consumers through genuine and open 2-way communications. Maybelline, Toyota, Nickelodeon, Microsoft, Nissan, Hilton, Bahamas Tourism, AARP, NBC, History Channel, L’Oreal, M&M/Mars, Gallo Winery, Radio Disney, BBC America, Discovery Networks, Progressive Insurance, Pantene, Fox and many others use MWKS complete package of services.

In 2008, MWKS added state-of-the-art web-monitoring and crawling technology to our mix of capabilities. These sophisticated “web-chatter” tools provide clients with a way to “listen and learn” what is being said (in blogs, posts, message boards, forums, micro-blogs, video-sharing sites and other engagement channels, across the entire span of the web) before a successful – and precisely targeted – outreach campaign is launched. Today, MWKS is a recognized leader in social media monitoring and activation.

In 2010, we expanded our video syndication capabilities by forming a strategic alliance with Giant Media. As video becomes a fast-growing media channel to engage consumers, the relationship with Giant Media provides MWKS brands and agency partners with a proven method to seed and achieve impressive numbers of “views” with targeted audiences.