Marlin Network spins out new media agency

Alchemy is the process of taking something ordinary and making it special, which speaks directly to the integrated marketing philosophy behind The Alchemedia Project.

Launched Jan. 1, The Alchemedia Project is a new agency with a novel take on advertising. The approach, which seeks to marry a client's message and medium from the outset, was conceived by 18-year advertising veteran Sheri Austin and Dennis Marlin, CEO and founder of Springfield-based The Marlin Network.

"Typically, agencies are buying or aligning with digital boutiques to provide a full range of media services, and we wanted to create an agency where digital expertise was at the heart of our competency," Austin said. "So we created the Alchemedia Project to be three equal parts: branding strategy, creative services and technology services."

Austin, who left Noble Communications in spring 2008 to start an independent consulting business, is the project's strategic leader. Joining her is creative leader Tim Bade, who was most recently chief marketing officer at Springfield-based Pyramid Food Stores Inc., and technology leader Greg Schutta, vice president of iMarlin, an Internet solutions spin-off. Schutta has been with iMarlin since September 2002, and Austin and Bade briefly worked together at Marlin Co. in the early 1990s.

Marlin said the decision to move forward with the project was driven by clients seeking effective ways to reach their target demographic in the digital marketplace.

"You want your brand to intercept that customer looking to buy something," he said. "Technology can help us put our brands in a place where it's closer to that point of consumption."

And pinpointing those brand-marketing opportunities isn't getting any easier in an "on-demand age," Austin added.

"We understand that today's consumer is in control when it comes to receiving messages," she said. "The consumer is in the driver's seat, and they are clicking and controlling."

The Alchemedia Project, which employs a staff of 16, draws on the talent pool at iMarlin, a "digital boutique" affiliated with The Marlin Network, which posted $44.5 million in annual billings last year, up 7 percent compared to 2007, said Dennis Marlin. Network agencies and their 2008 billings are Marlin Co., $17 million; iMarlin, $6.5 million; FoodIQ, $1 million; and deep, $20 million, the largest of the divisions, according to www.marlinnetwork.com.

The Alchemedia Project recently introduced itself to the world via an online "manifesto" at www.alchemediaproject.com. The 13-paragraph declaration probes the changing face of marketing and extends an invitation to would-be clients.

"For the business seeking to create a living brand in a fragmented media environment, Alchemedia Project delivers ingenious outcomes because it is technologically rooted and driven by a spirit of experimentation," it reads.

Austin said The Alchemedia Project has access to iMarlin's existing clientele, which boasts big-name corporations Procter & Gamble and Land O'Lakes. New clients landed in January include a Chicago-based food manufacturer as well as food retailers in Missouri and Oklahoma, she added, without disclosing the names.

Marlin said the greatest potential for new Alchemedia Project clients lies in the retail consumer goods sector and could expand into related industries, but he acknowledged that the project's unconventional marketing approach isn't for everyone.

"I think what it'll do for us more than anything is appeal to a new client base maybe in some other segments, because some clients are more ready for this than others," he said.

The Alchemedia Project's Web site is under construction and should be unveiled later this quarter, said Austin, adding that its design would reflect the "shared mindset" of the project's management team.

"We intend to walk that talk with our Web site," she said.[[In-content Ad]]