Project: WorldWide Acquires Social Marketing Firm Affinitive

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. and NEW YORK, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Indicating the continued strength of content-driven brand marketing, Project: WorldWide today announced the acquisition of Affinitive, a word-of-mouth and social media agency and Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) that handles consumer assignments for brands such as Random House, E.&J. Gallo Winery, Major League Soccer and Ubisoft. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York City, Affinitive provides social business solutions combining innovative consumer engagement strategies with proprietary technology, real-time monitoring and integration with clients' existing enterprise systems to create a seamless platform for creating and executing integrated brand programs.

Over the course of a decade and more than 200 campaigns, Affinitive has created and managed online brand communities, customer insight/advisory panels, loyalty/rewards programs, social and mobile applications, digital promotions and much more. As a founding member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, the group is recognized as an industry pioneer and a leader within the industry's ongoing efforts to evolve social media marketing practices and standards.

"Affinitive is a natural fit for Project in that we share the same belief about how brands must adapt to spark two-way dialogue and actively participate in customer-driven conversations," said Robert G. Vallee Jr., Chairman & CEO of Project: WorldWide. "Brands today seek to engage through more meaningful stories and experiences, and Affinitive will help advance our mission to do just that."

"Project is built on a foundation of engagement, and they understand that social media is the fabric that ties everything together - from online and offline consumer behavior and experiences to the marketing, loyalty, CRM and research functions of any organization," said Bob Troia, Affinitive's founder and CEO. "Affinitive shares that vision, and by joining the Project: WorldWide family, we can now provide fully integrated, best-of-breed social business solutions for our customers on a global scale."

Affinitive's creative, technology and strategy teams put brand personality and a customer-centric approach to work on client campaigns, rather than focus on technology for its own sake. This philosophy has allowed Affinitive the freedom and flexibility to create ideas that work across multiple channels even as new social media platforms rise to shake the status quo on a seemingly regular basis.

"The rapid pace of innovation in the social media marketing sphere sometimes distracts clients from the real revolution happening in terms of what online and mobile mediums make possible for really powerful consumer engagement," said Warren Ackerman, EVP of Affinitive. "It's been a wonderful journey helping clients see the real opportunity, and now with a platform like Project behind us, it's exciting to imagine what we can do for clients who share our same vision."

In joining Project: WorldWide, Affinitive is teaming up with a diverse roster of highly collaborative, award-winning agencies including experience marketing agency George P. Johnson, G7 Entertainment Marketing, interactive marketing shop JUXT Interactive, multimedia production content company Spinifex, creative ideas agency Partners + Napier and 3D marketing production shop Raumtechnik.

About Project: WorldWide (project.com)

Project: WorldWide is a privately owned, independent and global network of specialized agencies that gives marketers access to big ideas and the ability to deliver those ideas across multiple channels in a seamless, integrated fashion. Project: WorldWide agencies include George P. Johnson, Partners + Napier, JUXT Interactive, G7 Entertainment Marketing, The Spinifex Group and Raumtechnik.  Project: WorldWide agencies enable marketers to use engagement as means to improve marketing results and generate greater ROI through more targeted, relevant and meaningful brand experiences that create, deepen and accelerate profitable relationships. For more information, please visit http://www.project.com.

About Affinitive (beaffinitive.com)

Affinitive is a word-of-mouth and social marketing solutions pioneer. Since 2002, Affinitive's solutions have allowed brands to engage and inspire consumers, cultivating brand advocacy through meaningful and deep engagement. Affinitive has developed more than 200 innovative marketing programs that have engaged millions of consumers across industry sectors, including consumer goods, luxury, wine/spirits, retail, sports/fitness, automotive and entertainment. Headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco, Affinitive is a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer and a founding member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. For more information, please visit http://www.beaffinitive.com.

SOURCE Project: WorldWide