Interpublic Group's Current Marketing Gets Real

CHICAGO, Oct. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Current Marketing, an Interpublic Group agency, is rebranding to shine the spotlight on its unique focus on marketing for real lives, with a fresh perspective on how people today consume media and respond to content. A proprietary insight approach coined "Realistics" and a strategic partnership with influencer platform TapInfluence will drive public relations, influencer marketing, digital and social work that is authentic and impactful for clients including Allstate, The Clorox Company, Club Med and Samsung.

"As we thought about the future of our industry and our agency, we came to the conclusion that marketers need to tell brand stories that better reflect and connect with people's stories," said Current founder and president, Virginia Devlin. "Aspirational and idealized marketing isn't resonating. Lumping people together through segmentation and demographics is at odds with the new norms of authenticity and self-expression. Today people live lives, not lifestyles."

Previously Current Lifestyle Marketing, the rebrand includes a new name, logo design and "Marketing for real lives." tagline, as well as an anthem video and website featuring real life images and stories shared by Current employees. Even business cards reflect real lives, as each team member selected a personal photo to be the hero of the design, allowing them to connect a personal story with their professional career.

The priority of reaching people in real ways is reiterated by new research that shows most Americans think marketers are missing the mark when it comes to delivering valuable and relevant content in ads, infographics, social feeds and more. In fact, most people say marketers don't understand them (61%), while more than half don't think marketing reflects real life – especially women (61%), young adults (60%) and older adults (70%). The research also found that when marketing does mirror real life, it works – so said most women (54%), even more moms (60%) and young adults (63%).¹

With marketers saying they will increase influencer marketing spending by nearly 60 percent² in the coming year, Current's partnership with TapInfluence and its network of more than 30,000 digital influencers will benefit clients. The agency will leverage the platform's influencer marketplace to help brands tell real stories through content ideation, creation and distribution, with advanced analytics to measure coverage and conversation.

Devlin launched Current as a public relations agency in 2006 with a single client and a strong passion for connecting brands and people. Today Current is a multi-million dollar integrated marketing agency that has prospered thanks to its ability to stay ahead of industry trends, form long-term client partnerships, and recruit and retain exceptional people.

¹Impulse Research conducted the online survey in August 2015 with a random sample of 1,010 men and women 18+ from a proprietary panel carefully selected to match US population demographics. The overall sampling error rate for the study is +/- 3% at the 95% rate of confidence.

² Zefr and YouTube enterprise research; MediaPost 9/30/15

ABOUT CURRENT
Launched in 2006, Current is owned by The Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) with offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. At Current, we believe in real lives over lifestyles. We create genuine connections between brands and people, which help change behavior and move brands forward. Our proprietary approach uncovers truths about people that reflect how they really live and behave. We translate those insights into public relations, digital and social media campaigns that people are drawn to, support and share because they represent them in genuine, authentic ways. See life the way we do at www.talktocurrent.com.

CONTACT:  Alexis Valenti, 312-929-0504, [email protected]

Video - http://youtu.be/8jeayiQ72LY

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151013/276509-INFO

SOURCE Current Marketing