• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 28, 2013

GMR Marketing, which specializes in sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing, and SportsMark Management Group, which focuses on sports marketing, as well as event management, revealed plans to merge.

The companies, both members of Diversified Agency Services in Omnicom’s global network, will continue to operate in their own names until the deal is complete. Together, the agencies can capitalize on B2B and B2C capabilities. 

According to the partners, the merger will combine GMR’s digital marketing and consumer engagement capabilities and SportsMark’s global event and corporate hospitality expertise, thereby offering clients more resources for strategy, consulting, digital and creative services, events and sponsorship activation.
 
The companies have already collaborated on a number of high-profile projects in recent years.

Among their more recent joint projects, GMR and SportsMark managed more than 20 sponsor programs at the London 2012 Olympic Games, as well as event-planning, product showcasing and utilizing digital and social platforms for nine clients at the upcoming Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

The two firms have more than 20 offices in 10 nations.
 
GMR is currently based in New Berlin, WI; SportsMark is San Rafael, CA. When the merger is complete, the combined company will be based in Milwaukee.