Crossing Cultures: Ervin, Marketing Works align for minority pitches.
Ervin Marketing Creative Communications, Inc., St. Louis, has joined forces with local minority shop Marketing Works to pitch business to companies owned by minorities or looking to influence multi-cultural markets.
The new alliance, dubbed Brand Synergy, formalizes a 10-year relationship between Ervin and Marketing Works, says Ervin Marketing chief creative officer Sallie Ervin. The two agencies will continue operating separately, but combine their resources under the new banner to pursue national and local multi-cultural assignments. They recently teamed to pitch Missouri’s African American Tourism board and PricewaterhouseCoopers’ diversity recruitment tour of college campuses.
“We feel this alliance can provide us with a strong competitive advantage. Companies need to recognize the affluence and influence of [minority populations],” says Ervin.
Ervin posted revenues of $2.5 million on billings of $3.8 million in 1998 to place 63rd on the promo 100. Clients include Hallmark and Ford Motor Co. Marketing Works, which was founded by Debra Smith-Shurn, has billings of $2 million-plus from such clients as St. Louis Community College and the Missouri Lottery.
