Category: News

BETHESDA, MD AND LONDON – January 2, 2025 – Marketbridge, a leading integrated growth consulting and marketing firm, today announced the acquisition of April Six, a specialist agency with operations in the UK and the US. This strategic addition unites two complementary organizations to deliver seamless, end-to-end marketing growth solutions for B2B and B2C clients worldwide.

Modern businesses must invest in integrated solutions to drive growth and maintain a competitive edge. The acquisition of April Six aligns with Marketbridge’s commitment to addressing the evolving needs of growth-focused organizations. As businesses navigate complex market dynamics, the combined expertise of Marketbridge and April Six will empower clients to transition seamlessly from strategy to execution, ensuring impactful and measurable results. Together, they will offer comprehensive, data-driven strategies that optimize marketing spend, enhance brand and accelerate revenue growth.

April Six’s proven track record in delivering innovative marketing solutions bolsters Marketbridge’s robust portfolio of services, which includes go-to-market consulting, marketing and communications, marketing science, and technology solutions. This addition expands Marketbridge’s global footprint and strengthens its ability to serve a diverse range of clients across technology, financial services, healthcare, industrial, and consumer sectors.

“We are thrilled to welcome April Six into the Marketbridge family. This marks a significant step in our mission to eliminate fragmentation in sales and marketing efforts and provide our clients with integrated, high-velocity growth solutions,” said John Shomaker. CEO, Marketbridge. “Together, we will continue to rewrite the rules of sales, marketing, and digital engagement to help global brands reinvent growth.”

“For organizations at the cutting edge of innovation, there can be a disconnect between business strategy and marketing execution, especially when there are multiple partners at play,” said Fiona Shepherd, Founder and CEO, April 6. “We’re excited to join Marketbridge and move to a model that brings business consultancy together with marketing execution, to make our client partnerships even more powerful. With so much shifting in the communications sector, we felt that now is the right time for a new journey for our business and, as part of the Marketbridge platform, we aim to help define the standards for the new dynamics between clients and agencies.”

About Marketbridge
Marketbridge is a leading integrated growth consulting and marketing services firm that accelerates performance from strategy through execution. With a team of 310 professionals across global locations including Boston, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, London and Canada, Marketbridge partners with over 150 clients worldwide, including Amazon Web Services, AMD, MetLife, Elevance, Flex and CERN.

For more information, visit marketbridge.com.

About April Six
April Six is a global marketing agency specializing in the technology and science sectors. With a focus on delivering impactful marketing strategies and creative solutions, April Six helps clients achieve their growth objectives.

For more information, visit aprilsix.com.

BETHESDA, MD – ( October 29, 2024) – Marketbridge today announced 16 wins across two awards programs, including five MUSE Creative Awards and 11 TITAN Business Awards. The accolades recognize Marketbridge’s groundbreaking marketing campaigns for global brands, including Chevron Lubricants and Graebel.  

“We’re thrilled to see our clients and the Marketbridge agency team recognized for their innovation and creativity in B2B marketing,” says Richard Hill, Managing Director, Marketing and Growth for the Marketing Services Group at Marketbridge. “These winning campaigns all have something in common. They’re bold, took chances, and challenged B2B marketing norms. We’re proud to have such great clients that trust us every day to help build their brands, drive demand and reinvent growth.”

The MUSE Awards is not merely a celebration of talent; it stands as a testament to the limitless innovation and vision that propel the creative and design industries forward. The TITAN Business Awards was created with a singular goal: to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of organizations and entrepreneurs on the global stage. By giving recognition to both small enterprises and large corporations alike, the Awards are committed to fostering inclusivity and equal opportunity for all, whether they are well-established brands or emerging start-ups. Thousands of award submissions were received in 2024 from around the globe.

Select accolades across the two award programs for Marketbridge and clients include:

• MUSE Creative Awards
  • Gold Award for its Chevron Delo Expert Video Series (Chevron Lubricants – Social Media and Video, B2B categories)
  • Silver Awards for Integrated Marketing for its “No Compromise” campaign (Chevron Lubricants – Integrated Marketing and Direct Mail categories)
  • Silver Award for Integrated Marketing for its “Often Imitated, Never Duplicated” campaign for Graebel.
• TITAN Business Awards
  • Platinum Award for Marketing for its “No Compromise” campaign (Chevron Lubricants: Oil & Gas Marketing and Account-based Marketing Campaign categories)
  • Gold Award for Marketing for its “No Compromise” campaign (Chevron Lubricants: Best Integrated Marketing, Business to Business Marketing, and Energy Marketing categories)
  • Gold Award for Marketing for its “Often Imitated, Never Duplicated” campaign (Graebel: Business to Business Marketing and Best Account-based Marketing Campaign categories)
  • Gold Award for Marketing for its Chevron Delo Expert Video (Chevron Lubricants: Oil & Gas Marketing and Best Video Marketing Campaign categories)
  • Silver Award for Marketing for its Chevron Delo Expert Video (Chevron Lubricants: Business to Business Marketing and Best Social Media Marketing Campaign categories)

“We’ve been on a journey to experiment with ABM. Working on this campaign with the Marketbridge team has validated how powerful account-based can be as a GTM motion, when done right,” said Tasha Johnson, VP, Global Marketing at Graebel. “It was a really big deal for us, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with what we’ve achieved together.”

“This campaign showed us how different a strategically targeted ABM program is from a traditional media play,” said Walt M. Collier, Americas Brand Manager for Delo engine oils and ancillary products, a Chevron brand. “In addition to delivering on objectives, it provided learnings we can use in future campaigns, including optimizing MarTech and tracking to help our sales force capitalize on momentum and connect with engaged prospects.” 

Launched in September 2024 combining five best-in-category firms, Marketbridge integrates the capabilities of a strategic growth consultancy and a marketing agency, accelerating performance with zero signal loss from strategy through execution. It is a unique marketing consultancy offering integrated, end-to-end growth services, including strategy consulting, marketing and communications, data science, analytics, and technology solutions that enable some of the world’s most ambitious brands to reinvent growth.  

“Innovation is the heartbeat of progress,” said Thomas Brandt, spokesperson for the International Awards Associate (IAA), the organizer of both awards programs. “The MUSE Awards recognize those who break new ground, challenge norms, and set new standards in their fields. The TITAN Awards honor those who set new standards in the global marketplace. This year’s winners exemplify the spirit of pushing the boundaries and daring to lead.”  

To learn more about and see Marketbridge’s award-winning work with Chevron Lubricants, please click here or here.

To learn more about and see Marketbridge’s award-winning work with Graebel, please click here. 

About Marketbridge

Marketbridge brings together the capabilities of a strategic growth consultancy and a marketing and communications agency to accelerate performance with zero signal loss from strategy through execution. Our interdisciplinary team of 260 consultants, data scientists, technologists, marketers, creatives, and communications experts is attuned to the needs of ambitious growth leaders and uniquely equipped to deliver what’s needed now and next. We offer strategy consulting, marketing and communications services and data science analytics, and technology solutions with a focus on strategic integrity, measured efficacy, and speed to impact. Marketbridge supports Fortune 50 through high-growth and challenger brands in financial services, healthcare, and technology, including MetLife, Microsoft, Guidehouse, Chevron, and Flex. Reinvent growth at marketbridge.com.  

About International Awards Associate (IAA)

Established in 2015, the International Awards Associate (IAA) is a global organization that is dedicated to recognizing professional excellence and outstanding achievements in various industries. As the organizer of a wide range of prestigious award programs such as the MUSE Creative Awards, MUSE Design Awards, Vega Digital Awards, NYX Awards, NYX Game Awards, TITAN Business Awards, TITAN Property Awards, London Design Awards, NY Product Design Awards, French Design Awards, and many more, IAA aims to honor, promote and encourage professional excellence, from industry to industry, internationally and domestically, through award platforms that are industry-appropriate.

Website: thetitanawards.com

Facebook: titanbusinessawards

Twitter: titanawards

Instagram: thetitanawards

Media Partner: Muse.World

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BETHESDA, MD — (October 1, 2024) — A new independent survey revealed that Generative AI is revolutionizing sales and marketing across technology companies by enabling highly personalized customer interactions, automating complex processes, and providing deep data-driven insights. Furthermore, this AI disruption will enable them to pursue impressive new business models and market growth opportunities that were not available previously. 

“The Impact of AI on Go-to-Market Strategies, Programs, and Investments” report from Marketbridge, a strategic marketing consultancy, surveyed C-Suite technology leaders and go-to-market decision makers across sales, marketing, strategy, and customer success functions from major hardware, software, networking, and security organizations in North America. The survey respondents answered several key questions including:

• Where they expect the greatest AI disruptions will occur across sales, marketing, and strategy
• How soon they expect new AI-driven go-to-market models to emerge
• Where AI adoption will open up opportunities to create new value
• Which Sales, Marketing, and Strategy jobs-to-be-done need to be redesigned the most
• How they plan to apply AI to elevate customer experience and optimize pipeline creation

Key survey findings highlight a new era in AI-driven go-to-market strategies, programs, and investments for technology organizations:

• Greatest AI Disruptions to Sales and Marketing:
  • 57% of C-Suite executives believe that AI will disrupt how they structure their organization to capitalize on new opportunities while 53% state it will impact how they innovate their product portfolio mix to meet customer needs and 58% relay it will change how they explore new business model opportunities.
• Large Tech Companies Concerned About AI Startups:
  • 66% of respondents from technology companies with over $1B in revenue expressed concerns about threats from nimble startups and emerging leaders planning to unveil new Gen AI solutions.
• AI Delivers Immediate Value in Sales and Marketing:
  • 52% will use AI to deploy marketing and sales resources more cost-effectively to capture market opportunities.
  • 52% will use AI to position solutions in a more personalized and relevant way at scale to best align with buyer needs.
  • 46% see the greatest value creation coming from analyzing vast amounts of data to optimize performance and return on go-to-market investment.
• AI To Transform Customer Experience:
  • 60% will use AI to customize customer interactions while 56% will create new marketing content and assets and 54% will develop differentiated messaging.

“Sales and marketing leaders from technology companies of all sizes must embrace AI as a catalyst not just for product innovation but go-to-market innovation as well. The changes already underway to the competitive landscape, commercial workflows, and employee skillsets are substantial and permanent, justifying such transformation,” said Mike Kelleher, Managing Director, Technology Vertical Lead at Marketbridge. “AI will enable leaders to unleash powerful new business models, boost customer experience, streamline sales and marketing processes, and deliver unparalleled value to their customers. Now is the time for technology leaders to invest in AI-driven go-to-market strategies or risk becoming eclipsed by more aggressive, forward-thinking competitors.”

Why This Matters

In addition to the survey findings, the Marketbridge report also provides six strategic recommendations to help technology leaders capitalize on the AI go-to-market revolution, including:

• Identify Emerging AI Growth Segments
  • Every go-to-market leader must identify and prioritize areas that can create the next one billion dollars in growth as they look to unlock new revenue streams.
• Reimagine AI-Enabled Jobs to be Done
  • Identify high potential jobs across marketing, sales, and strategy that are primed for AI disruption. From there, redesign new AI-enabled workflows and unlock AI efficiencies to enable greater go-to-market success.
• Recognize Changing Buyer Needs
  • AI options are transforming buyer expectations and preferences. Therefore, empirical tracking of shifting wants and needs is essential to guiding adjustments in customer targeting, promotion timing, sales offers, and support tactics.
• Position Next Generation Solutions Uniquely
  • Crisp, clear positioning of AI solutions is critical right now. CMOs must craft stronger messaging to outshine nimble competitors while CROs must equip direct sales and partners with impactful AI-infused value propositions.
• Reinvent Routes to Market Where Needed
  • Sales leaders must reassess their mix of direct and indirect sales channels to reoptimize customer coverage as customers may have new expectations on how they want to engage with vendors and purchase solutions.
• Activate High Performing Motions
  • New AI strategies unlock value only with effective activation.  Marketing and sales leaders must co-create and execute unified demand generation campaigns, account-based marketing programs, and tactical sales plays to build and convert new pipelines.

To access “The Impact of AI On Go-to-Market Strategies, Programs and Investments” report, visit https://marketbridge.com/resource/the-impact-of-ai/.

About Marketbridge

Marketbridge brings together the capabilities of a strategic growth consultancy and a marketing and communications agency to accelerate performance with zero signal loss from strategy through execution. Our interdisciplinary team of 260 consultants, data scientists, technologists, marketers, creatives, and communications experts is attuned to the needs of ambitious growth leaders and uniquely equipped to deliver what’s needed now and next. We offer strategy consulting, marketing and communications services and data science analytics, and technology solutions with a focus on strategic integrity, measured efficacy, and speed to impact. Marketbridge supports Fortune 50 through high-growth and challenger brands in financial services, healthcare, and technology, including MetLife, Microsoft, Guidehouse, Chevron, and Flex. Reinvent growth at marketbridge.com.

For decades, the formula for growth was known and predictable. Sales meant “suits” giving presentations in boardrooms, and marketing—at least B2B marketing—comprised the occasional industry expo, advertising sponsorship and product collateral. Customers bought. Companies grew. Industries hummed.

Then the internet broke everything.

Products and technologies proliferated at warp speed, competition hit a fever pitch and reaching new markets demanded distribution partners, call centers and channels, channels, channels. And Marketing? It splintered into hundreds of outlets, becoming a “Where’s Waldo?” of how to spot and win over customers.

For businesses, the greatest impact of the web wasn’t ecommerce but that it put buyers in charge. Brands no longer orchestrated the buying journey and adding another campaign or another “sales guy” no longer ensured higher revenue or healthy margins.

What we’re left with is a scattershot approach—or at least that’s what it can look like from the outside. Marketing and Sales teams have 10X’d if not 100X’d the number of programs, channels, technologies and offers they employ just to keep pace. Not to mention the hodgepodge of specialist strategy, research, digital, PR and marketing partners needed to do it.

In the quest for evermore, brands have lost a meaningful connection to customers. And with that, they’ve lost the recipe for sustainable growth. 

Paradoxically, we have access to more data, intelligence and inputs than ever before, yet we’ve never been more disconnected. Growth leaders struggle to determine what’s working, where to spend the next dollar and how to make strides with audiences that matter. 

Marketbridge is the answer to the age of disconnection. 

Five leading professional services organizations—COMM, fama PR, Intelisent, MarketBridge and Quarry—have come together to form an integrated growth consulting and marketing firm. Part consultancy, part agency, Marketbridge brings together 250+ consultants, data scientists, technologists, marketers, creatives and communications experts, all dedicated to helping ambitious growth leaders in complex B2B and B2C markets reinvent how they go to and grow in the market. 

We’re one best-in-class team comprising a diverse range of capabilities and experiences. And we’re 100% focused on helping organizations grow faster and more profitably. Net result? Accelerated performance—with zero signal loss from strategy through execution.

Because we believe that growth—real, sustainable and meaningful growth—starts with an ethos of connectedness.

In how brands empower their audiences to find, learn from and work with them.
In how product, marketing and sales teams truly align to create customer value.
In how revenue leaders connect the dots across the entire GTM system, finding insights before others, crystalizing where to grow next.  

On behalf of our senior leadership and our wildly talented team, welcome to Marketbridge. Let’s reinvent growth together.

John Shomaker
Chief Executive Officer