The BMF Media Group—now, simply BMF—the award-winning global integrated experiential marketing agency, today announced the celebration of its 15th anniversary with a series of significant milestones.
BMF was founded in 2003 with just two employees and two clients: Maverick Records, founded by pop icon Madonna and now owned by Warner Music Group, and Kiehl’s, the leading naturally inspired skincare, body and haircare brand, which is still a client today. In its 15 years, the agency has established and grown its core experiential and entertainment practices; launched a digital practice that specializes in digital media and influencer marketing in 2015; acquired a boutique lifestyle public relations firm, LFB Media Group, in 2018; and created a Research and Analytics division to power intelligent data and analytics innovation across its experientially-driven integrated services in 2018. Today, BMF has more than one hundred employees across five offices.
To commemorate the occasion, BMF reflected upon its explosive growth in pioneering the experiential marketing category. Recent notable highlights include:
Kicks off 2019 with client wins: BMF expanded its global footprint with the opening of its London office in late 2018 and, in just a few months’ time, the agency has generated international business from W Hotels for bold, buzz-building activations throughout the Middle East, as well as Calvin Klein for their global experiential point-of-sale strategy. Other client wins include Samsung SmartThings for multiple projects, including a connected home initiative in partnership with the Internet of Things Consortium, and Colgate for the launch their first Total toothpaste product innovation in 20 years. Beyond the aforementioned, the agency also works with seminal brands like Dell, Marriott, Mastercard, Google, HBO and FX. BMF proudly serves clients across many industries, such as consumer technology, media and entertainment, travel and hospitality, fashion, beauty, retail, and financial services, among others.
“BMF came of age during the digital era. As an agile, fresh and transformational agency, we led experiential marketing through its evolution and meteoric rise,” said Bruce Starr, Co-Founding Partner, BMF. “The complexity of modern marketing will only keep increasing as consumer expectations change in response to new technologies and trends. That said, storytelling is at the heart of every captivating campaign – and what we do best at BMF is ideate immersive ways to convey brand narratives that resonate with the right audiences.”
Unveils agency rebrand: BMF embarked on a brand refresh conducted by Nights & Weekends to usher in the future of its fast-growing collective of cultural engineers. At the center of the rebrand is a refreshed name, logo and tagline, “made to inspire”—all meant to convey modern simplicity, worldly sophistication and a bold confidence. The design principles are also carried throughout BMF’s revamped website, social media channels, and collateral.
“BMF’s mission is to provide the smartest, most creative, and most innovative real-life and digital activations to help our clients realize their goals—anywhere in the world, no matter the challenge. For us to deliver on the promise of our mission, it was critical that the expression of our visual identity—our brand—matches the caliber of our people and the services we provide,” said Ed Starr, Managing Partner, BMF.
Produces high profile fall/winter 2018 campaigns: During the last quarter of 2018, BMF created numerous high impact and multi-dimensional brand experiences that enabled clients to stand out and drive results. Among them were:
- the launch of Bravo’s original limited event series “Dirty John,” based on the popular podcast and starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana, with an immersive premiere party in Los Angeles;
- the production of three unique events for Under Armourto launch the brand’s new HOVR Infinite running shoe that included wellness treatments for runners timed to the TCS New York City Marathon, a three-day press trip to the brand’s footwear innovation facility in Portland, and a happy hour run event during The Running Event, the premiere conference for running specialty retailers, in Austin;
- an interactive multi-sensory pop-up whereby Marriott’s Tribute Portfoliobrand partnered with Pantone to reveal the 2019 Pantone Color of the Year, Living Coral, at “The Pantone Pantry by Tribute Portfolio” during Miami Art Week;
- an exclusive Miami Art Week gathering hosted byArtsy, a web marketplace for art, photography and design, in collaboration with Prospect NY, to celebrate the launch of Misha Kahn’s new interactive art installations;
- and a star-studded private VIP opening dinner and after party for curators and collectors at The Confidante hosted byLove Watts, a social curator of emerging and established artists, and Montauk hot spot The Surf Lodge, which returned for its fifth consecutive year to celebrate Art Basel.
“The ability for experiential to transcend both analog and digital realms is elevating its importance as a top brand marketer priority. We’re excited about the new possibilities that the future will have in further reshaping brand experiences—especially when it comes to personalization, relevancy, and authenticity,” said Brian Feit, Co-Founding Partner, BMF. “Our success can be credited to our employees and our clients, whose trust and collaboration have allowed us to trail blaze, push envelopes, and grow.”
Scores industry accolades: BMF was awarded the BizBash 2018 Event Style Awards winner for Best Use of Event Technology: Marriott Marquis Chicago Hotel Opening; Best Influencer Event: Barclaycard + Uber Visa ‘Road to Rewards’ Media Event; and Best Staging and Set Design: Mastercard Grammy House 2018. The agency’s founding partners were among BizBash’s Most Influential People in Events list. The agency consistently ranked on Event Marketer’s Top 100 Event Agency IT List for three consecutive years:2018, 2017 and 2016.