Veteran Brand Marketer Eric Magnuson Joins Full Service Marketing & Promotions Agency Offering Direct Active Consumer Reach
SAN DIEGO, CA - March 1, 2006 - Following a year of high growth, new client wins and several strategic acquisitions, Active Marketing Group (www.ActiveMarketingGroup.com), a division of The Active Network, Inc. and a full service, integrated marketing and consumer promotions agency known for its unique and direct access to active consumers, has recruited veteran brand marketer and former Millsport LLC agency executive Eric Magnuson to lead its nationwide agency operations.
Previously a member of the senior management team at Millsport, a 27-year sports marketing agency and top sponsorship and lifestyle marketing consultancy owned by Omnicom Group, Magnuson joins Active Marketing Group with a 16-year background in all facets of strategic planning, marketing and promotions execution and business development. As Senior Vice President of The Active Network and head of Active Marketing Group, Magnuson will bring his deep expertise creating and executing high-yield marketing programs for major brands such as Visa, E*Trade Financial, Verizon, Nissan North America, and 7-Up to Active Marketing Group's growing portfolio of services.
At Millsport, Magnuson was senior vice president and managing director of the firm, responsible for all Western operations, client services, account teams and business development. Magnuson was credited with driving very steady growth for Millsport during the tough economic climate of 2001 and 2002. Additional career highlights include heading business development efforts as senior vice president for Embark.com, a leading provider of Internet infrastructure solutions to learning institutions. At Embark.com, he identified and secured strategic alliances with brands looking to reach Embark.com's powerful Gen Y audience. Magnuson was also executive director of Pac-10 Properties, a joint venture he helped create between Fox Sports and the Pac-10 collegiate conference. Leveraging the venture's assets, he launched integrated marketing and advertising programs for Fortune 500 companies while successfully driving the strategic direction and growth of this business.
"I'm excited to join an agency that offers a very unique and compelling resource for leading brands and has responded directly to corporate America's need for new and more efficient marketing vehicles to reach its target audience. Active Marketing Group brings a clear, competitive edge to the industry, backed by a talented team that offers deep experience in many areas of marketing and promotional strategy and execution," said Magnuson. "The agency uses a very strategic and consultative approach, working with clients to develop very authentic relationships between brands and active consumers. I believe we're very well-positioned to set new industry standards for client success, agency accountability, client service and marketing innovation."
Active Marketing Group ranked among the top-ten, fastest growing promotions agencies in the nation last year by PROMO Magazine. Continuing this momentum, the agency opened a New York City office to support East Coast clients, and strategically enhanced service through its 2005 acquisitions of Vision Sports & Entertainment Partners and Public Enterprise Group. Vision Sports & Entertainment Partners is a leading youth sports marketer working with major youth sports organizations and serving clients that include SNICKERS® Brand, Kraft Foods and Choice Hotels International, while Public Enterprise Group is a driving force in municipal marketing partnerships with a client base that includes the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York City's Health and Hospitals Corporation, the California State Parks and Beaches, and City of San Antonio, Texas, among others.
As a division of The Active Network, Inc., a technology provider to sports and activity organizers and operators of www.active.com and www.eteamz.com, Active Marketing Group also has access to two direct media channels to reach active consumers. The agency can leverage The Active Network's relationships with thousands of national sports, non-profit and local park and recreation organizations, including Little League Baseball®, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, adding significant value to client programs through a wide variety of customer touch points.
"We're thrilled to welcome Eric to our team," said Dave Alberga, chief executive officer, The Active Network, Inc. "As a brand marketer, Eric brings a wealth of industry experience to Active, including an extremely strong agency background where he oversaw the creation and execution of integrated marketing campaigns for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in the industry. With Eric's unique understanding of the sports and lifestyle marketing space, he will have an immediate impact on the day-to-day operations of Active Marketing Group and will further strengthen the agency's ability to bring additional sponsorship and advertising dollars into the industry."
Active Marketing Group
Active Marketing Group, a full-service, integrated marketing and consumer promotions agency and division of The Active Network, Inc., helps brands develop authentic relationships with active consumers through innovative programs that reach this influential, yet fragmented, demographic. Active Marketing Group's direct access to the active consumer market, through the resources of The Active Network, its unique understanding of consumer behavior and its strategic, consultative approach, set the agency apart. The agency excels at creating high-yield, integrated marketing platforms with a portfolio of services that includes event and mobile marketing; brand sampling; database marketing; peer-to-peer marketing; sponsorship activation; online advertising and Web site services; youth sports marketing; trade marketing; municipal marketing; strategic consultation and more. Active Marketing Group was ranked among the top-ten fastest growing promotions agencies in the nation by PROMO Magazine. Headquartered in San Diego, with offices in Boston, New York and Huntington Beach, Calif., the agency serves a client base that includes Unilever, PepsiCo, Inc, Timex, Kraft Foods Inc. and Choice Hotels International, among others. For more information, visit www.ActiveMarketingGroup.com or call 858-964-3834.
Media Contact:
Shelly Burnside, The Active Network, Inc.
shelly@active.com or 858-964-3813