Forty-four year-old advertising agency Mullen hasn't let age affect its ability to innovate.
"We're in a constant state of reinvention," said Eric Fulwiler, VP-account director at Mullen, pointing to the firm's roots. "We started in our founder's kitchen … and we've built the agency in partnership with many innovative, entrepreneurial brands."
Monster.com, LendingTree, JetBlue and Google are among the many Mullen has worked with. Come this week, however, three Boston-born ad-tech startups will be added to that roster, but rather to work alongside the agency.
Mullen has teamed up with Workbar to launch WUNDERBAR, a co-working space tailored for emerging ad-tech startups.
"At Workbar, what we're trying to build up is a network of spaces," said Devin Cole, director of business development. Workbar has already opened co-working spaces in Central Square and on the edge of Boston's Financial District. Now, however, it's creating more diversity by partnering with companies like Mullen to create shared office spaces around a specific industry.
Cole noted co-working spaces like WUNDERBAR have the power to connect what feels like Boston's two worlds: that of the bigger, legacy brands and that of the startup community. "This is a way we can contribute to bridging that gap a bit," he explained, adding, "we think it's a great opportunity for a company like Mullen who has an innovative track record to build startup connections and help those startups become more well-rounded."
Fulwiler agreed it was a no-brainer. "It's so simple and obvious for us," he said. "Startups are, by their very nature, the most innovative organizations in any industry, including advertising. They're looking to solve old problems in new, smarter ways. We want to surround ourselves with the most innovative thinkers to help us do the same."
Joining Mullen will be viral video marketing platform ViralGains, managed content distribution platform Reactor Media and Mavrck, formerly known as Splashscore, which helps brands identify and activate their most influential customers at scale.
Mavrck announced its rebranding Wednesday at Techstars Boston Fall 2014 Demo Day, along with a partnership they already have with Mullen and the agency's client, JetBlue. Mavrck is working with the two to give the Demo Day community its chance to win a free roundtrip travel certificate.
Given agencies are a core part of Mavrck's audience, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Chris Wolfel said that, because of WUNDERBAR, the team will be able to get feedback directly from its customers.
"We can sit down next to account strategists and say, 'Hey we're thinking about rolling out these three features. Is that something that's actually valuable to you?'" Wolfel explained.
And that will prove to be invaluable, as Mavrck continues to gain momentum, growing from eight employees to an expected 16.
An added bonus? Mavrck has already run several campaigns with ViralGains. Added Wolfel, "For us, working next to two other Boston-based ad-tech startups, we believe that we will be able to learn and develop side-by-side with them."
Participating startups will be granted six months' of dedicated desk space, as well as those two-way mentorship opportunities Wolfel and Fulwiler mentioned. Added Mullen Account Executive Vish Chandawarkar:
We plan on providing this class and all future WUNDERBAR classes with a clear understanding of how their product offerings align with real, tangible agency and client needs. We want to show them the unique ways a creatively-driven agency combines technology, data and media. And, of course, we’re hoping some exciting, innovative opportunities for our clients emerge out of this, too.
And together, the two groups will continue challenging the advertising industry.
Image via Mullen
