The Super Bowl, an annual launch point for new campaigns and new commercials, will this week mark the launch of a new experiential marketing and consulting agency — Engine Shop.
Formerly called the Miami Marketing Group, an event agency known for Super Bowl parties and other sports/celebrity events, Engine Shop will debut this week with new financial backing from DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment and other new partners.
Among the clients at launch will be AT&T Adworks, DirecTV, ESPN, Fontainebleau Hotel, GMC, Johnson & Johnson, the Miami Dolphins and SoBe, as well as spirit brands Absolut and Wódka Vodka.
In Indianapolis this week, Engine Shop will be staging ESPN’s Next party and DirecTV’s Celebrity Beach Bash.
“The mix of sports, entertainment and celebrities is really a unique offering to corporate America,” said Ed Kiernan, a former GMR Marketing executive who is a partner in the new agency and will carry the title of president. “With the infusion of new partners and venture capital, we’ll be in a position to seek out new talent and to acquire other businesses that we can build into our structure.”
The principals in Engine Shop include Brian Gordon, who will be the agency’s CEO; and Ryan Schinman, chairman of Platinum Rye Entertainment, a broker of celebrity talent for ads and promotions. Gordon and Schinman were partners in the old Miami Marketing Group.
In addition to Kiernan, the partnership group will have Chris Handy, formerly of Agassi Enterprises, serving as COO; and Nick Hines and David Wilson as executive vice presidents.
Gordon said Engine Shop would delve deeper into creating digital, mobile and social media extensions from the agency’s big sports and entertainment events, which include hospitality at the MTV awards, Victoria’s Secret fashion show and the ESPYs. “Simply building an experience or putting on a concert no longer moves the needle,” Gordon said.
Kiernan, whose background was primarily in golf at GMR, described the executive group as “guys who have known each other for years and have always wanted to build a unique agency. We all bring a unique Rolodex to the table from the sports, celebrity and entertainment worlds, and we finally got the timing right.”
Kiernan said the goal is to develop a broad list of consulting clients looking for that mix of nightlife and sports marketing.
“The idea used to be ‘Get people to the event.’ Now it’s more about taking the experience and pushing it out to as many people as possible,” Kiernan said.
