MARS Advertising and CROSSMARK Create Twin Oaks, A New Integrated Shopper Marketing Venture

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MARS Advertising, with its ranking as the #1 shopper marketing agency for four straight years by The HUB Magazine, and CROSSMARK, a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, have formed a new venture named Twin Oaks.  The new company will leverage the strengths of both leaders in their respective areas of expertise.

Jointly operated by both MARS and CROSSMARK, Twin Oaks will be managed as a separate company and will deliver integrated shopper marketing solutions for both new and existing CROSSMARK consumer goods and retailer clients. Services will address all phases of the shopper marketing discipline, including planning, concept development, retailer sell-in, execution, and measurement and evaluation.  The industry leadership status and reputation of both MARS and CROSSMARK uniquely positions Twin Oaks to become a leading, strategic and fully integrated sales and marketing resource for the industry.

Said MARS CEO Ken Barnett, "We have collaborated with CROSSMARK for many years. We are excited about leveraging our years of experience and knowledge in building this new entity with the team at CROSSMARK. Twins Oaks will dramatically enhance CROSSMARK's already powerful offering to its existing and new clients."

According to CROSSMARK President Joe Crafton, "CROSSMARK has been actively involved in shopper marketing as early as the first GMA study in 2003. We have made significant investments in analytics, data collection, brand activation and shopper events. By creating Twin Oaks with MARS, the market leader in shopper marketing, we will be able to meet all of the shopper marketing needs of our retailer and supplier partners." Crafton was recently appointed Chairperson of the GMA Shopper Marketing Steering Committee.

Crafton added, "At CROSSMARK, our unique strength is a combination of the expertise and strong relationships we have with retailers at the headquarter level along with our #1 position in providing manufacturers and retailers with in-store solutions and exceptional retail execution. MARS is an industry veteran and a shopper marketing pioneer. They have particular expertise in interpreting shopper motivation and insights, and in developing imaginative, innovative and relevant solutions to reach today's ever-so- elusive and media-saturated consumer. Our combined expertise adds up to one very powerful combination."

Steve Devore, former VP/Account Leader at Saatchi & Saatchi X, where he led account teams for Frito-Lay North America and Procter & Gamble, has been hired as Managing Director of Twin Oaks.

For more information on this newly created company, visit http://www.thetwinoaks.com.

Founded in 1972, MARS Advertising, Inc. has been named the No. 1 Shopper Marketing firm in the United States for the past 4 years, according to The HUB Magazine. Working with Fortune 500 companies, MARS and its affiliated companies have more than 500 employees in 11 offices throughout North America and in the U.K. MARS offers full-service integrated marketing solutions, from insights to execution. http://www.marsusa.com

CROSSMARK is a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, providing growth solutions with exceptional service to manufacturers and retailers. For over 100 years, CROSSMARK has helped the most powerful brands in the world achieve their business objectives across a wide range of retail channels. Expertise encompasses the areas of Headquarter Sales, Retail Merchandising, Retailer Solutions, Event Marketing, In-Store Data Collection, Retail Analytics, and Retail Technology Solutions. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, CROSSMARK employs more than 30,000 associates worldwide with 40 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. http://www.crossmark.com

SOURCE MARS Advertising, Inc.