Ayzenberg Group acquires The Social Method

Move expands social media capabilities for one of the West Coast?s largest indie ad firms, adds proprietary analytics platform powering programs for big entertainment brands

PASADENA, Calif., January 17, 2012 ? Ayzenberg Group today announced that it has acquired The Social Method, one of the fastest growing social media marketing agencies in Southern California.  As part of the deal, The Social Method will merge operations with Ayzenberg, with co-founder Rebecca Markarian and her seasoned staff relocating to the company?s offices in Pasadena.  Ayzenberg also gains ownership of a proprietary toolset enabling real time analytics for social activity monitoring, management and measurement.  Terms of the deal are not disclosed.

?Using social media to drive purchases for our clients is the next big step in social marketing,? said Eric Ayzenberg, Chief Strategist and Chief Creative Officer.  "We now have a team that has been pioneering this methodology for the past several years on our side, and that?s a major opportunity for Ayzenberg and the brands we represent."

 

The Social Method was co-founded in 2009 by Markarian, a social media and public relations veteran who has worked on major brands such as Old Spice, Jaguar, Land Rover and Hilton Hotels.  Focusing on entertainment and video games, the agency set out to make large-scale community development and engagement programs executed with a philosophy of ?one-to-one communication? the cornerstone of its campaigns.  At a time when amassing as large a community as fast as possible was considered a measure of success in social marketing, The Social Method developed methodology designed to engage and turn people into potential customers and advocates.  It also put a priority on measurable results, developing a proprietary toolset that provides deep and timely analysis of social campaigns.  The platform enables practitioners to monitor and manage social network activity in real-time, helping agency clients cull and analyze data that can affect the direction of product development, messaging and marketing programs.

 

?Working closely with Ayzenberg?s social media team over the past year, we believe we?ve set a new bar for measurable social campaigns for entertainment products,? said Markarian, now Director, Social & Emerging Media at Ayzenberg Group.  ?Testament to that effort has been how we?ve collaborated to secure some of the biggest brands as our clients.  The opportunity to join forces and fuse our resources was one that we couldn?t pass up.?

 

?Integrating The Social Method?s team and tools into ours puts our social media capabilities at a level that few others can offer,? said Keith Pape, VP Social, Mobile & Emerging Media at Ayzenberg Group.  ?It?s thrilling to look back and see how the tremendous work we?ve done together was only the beginning and to think of what?s to come as they join our agency.?

 

Founded in 1993 and now one of the largest independent full-service agencies on the West Coast, Ayzenberg has worked on bestselling products for some of the biggest companies targeting the youthful consumer.  The firm is recognized as a creative force in integrated social, mobile and digital programs that are more important than ever in marketing youth lifestyle brands.  With this acquisition, Ayzenberg grows its dedicated social team to more than 35 people and significantly expands capabilities in social media strategy and marketing, including community development and moderation, social content distribution and reputation management for brands.  The firm is expanding this year with the construction of a new wing that adds 5,000 square feet of offices and state-of-the-art video production, editing and computer animation facilities.

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About The Social Method
Based in Tustin, The Social Method is one of the fastest growing social media agencies in Orange County, California.  The agency was founded in 2009 by Rebecca Markarian to focus exclusively on engagement marketing ? helping brands connect with consumers and manage their reputations on social channels.  The Social Method?s point of differentiation is deep understanding and use of measurement tools that enable powerful real-time analytics to help guide business strategy, product development, marketing and sales for its clients.

About Ayzenberg Group

Ayzenberg Group is a full-service brand leadership group that specializes in reaching the most elusive, advertising-adverse target audience in history: the tech-savvy youth of today - the young men and women of ?Generation Now.? One of the ten largest privately held creative agencies on the West Coast, Ayzenberg has created campaigns focused on successfully reaching and motivating tweens, teens and the 18-34 year old demographic since 1993. Services include strategic leadership, creative, media, digital strategy and production. Client experience includes: Activision-Blizzard, Atari Games, Atlus, AT&T, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney, EA Games, Konami, Lucas Arts, Microsoft, Mattel, Namco Bandai, NCSoft, Nexon America, Nokia, Sonos, Sony, THQ, and Warner Bros. For more information, please visit www.ayzenberg.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Meelad Sadat
Ayzenberg Group
meelad@ayzenberg.com
+1 (310) 346-5325