• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 15, 2020

Eastport Holdings has merged three of its better-known agencies — MARC USA, marketing agency BFG and healthcare-focused BLR | further — into a new agency dubbed 9Rooftops.

Kevin Meany, the founder of BFG, has been tapped to run the merged entity as CEO.

The new agency creates an integrated offering with more than 300 employees across offices in nine cities. It includes Cogniscient Media, launched by MARC in 2018 ,which is now 9Rooftops’ branded full-service media practice. It continues to be led by Dave Buklarewicz.

“9Rooftops is launching at the moment when dramatic changes in business and lifestyles create new opportunities — and pressures — for marketers,” stated Meany. “As we all adapt our way out of this disruption, CMOs need rapid, relevant and sustained brand momentum.” And the new agency has the tools, talent and resources to help them do that, he added.

The company didn’t exactly shout the news from the, uh, rooftops, it acknowledged, noting in a June press release with limited distribution that the three shops “quietly joined operations at the end of the first quarter.” Nothing wrong with a soft launch, I guess. 

Clients include Honest Tea, Qdoba, Barilla, Turner Broadcasting, a number of healthcare systems and state lotteries and Coca-Cola among others.

BFG’s Scott Seymour has been named Chief Creative Officer for the new agency and MARC USA veteran Amy Nixon serves as senior vice president, strategy director. Cary Bynum, former president BLR |further has been named president 9Rooftops Health Group.

9rooftops is the second intra-group agency merger carried out by Eastport this year. In January, it combined Mindstream Media, Southwest Media Group and Digital Addix.