Detroit-based Marketing Supply Co. has been acquired by Phenomenon, an independent branding and marketing agency in Los Angeles, and renamed Phenomenon Detroit. Terms of the transaction, which was effective Dec. 31, were not disclosed.
MSC purchased and renovated a 3,000-square-foot building in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood at 3106 Bellevue St. in 2019. Plans are to keep this office open in addition to Phenomenon’s other locations in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Marketing Supply Co. founder Shane Bliemaster will serve as managing director of Phenomenon Detroit.
“When I started this journey, the plan was to build a smarter, data-driven growth marketing agency that used a startup mentality to scale high-growth businesses,” says Bliemaster. “Our model was proven by not only MSC’s growth, but also the growth of our clients. We are very excited about having Phenomenon’s strategic and creative capabilities at hand. Their creative capabilities with our data-driven strategies is a game changer.”
Phenomenon is known for its creative work for Pepsi, Intuit, Wilson Sporting Goods, HBO Max, among others. The agency said it acquired Marketing Supply Co. because of its expertise in growth marketing, one of the hottest sectors in the advertising industry as customers increasingly look to online channels for shopping and entertainment.
“During the pandemic, a lot of attachment to traditional media has moved over to digital and performance-driven media,” says Krish Menon, founder and CEO of Phenomenon. “We’re excited to partner with MSC because they have a great track record of driving growth for clients, as well as an exceptionally entrepreneurial founder.”
MSC was established in 2015 and has worked with more than 100 companies across the U.S., including Capital One, Fathead, Pet Supplies Plus, and American Family Insurance. In addition, MSC has managed more than $200 million in digital ad spend, launched and scaled over 50 startups, and fueled more than $100 million in venture capital for its growth partners.
Since the start of the pandemic, MSC reports that it and its clients have seen a 30 percent to 40 percent uptick in growth as brands have consolidated their dollars online, many permanently.
Both Menon and Bliemaster noted that the two companies share a culture of energy, youthful connectedness, and innovation. Projected to triple in size in the next 18 to 24 months, Phenomenon Detroit recently signed three new clients and currently is looking to fill five new positions in Detroit.
