Affinitive’s Social Media Playground

Way back in 2002, I cobbled together some code for an online “street team” platform that allowed record labels and movie studios to create buzz by mobilizing their fans and giving them tools to “get the word out”.

We quickly saw the power of “engaging, empowering, and connecting” consumers and how passion extends far beyond entertainment, into every area of peoples’ lives – their pets, the cars they drive, the video games they play, the clothes they wear, and the beverages they drink.

As marketers, we were also learning first-hand how to foster engagement and advocacy among consumers. Be authentic. Don’t just listen to your customers, but have conversations with them. Give them “insider” access and make them feel special. Educate them. Co-create with them. Cultivate a community. This all seems obvious now, but early on, the idea of giving up control of your brand scared the (pardon my French) crap out of most senior marketers we met with.

Fast-forward to today. Over the past decade, while developing and managing hundreds of programs that have engaged millions of people, we’ve witnessed massive change and evolution within the industry and have seen organizations shift their entire approach to marketing.

While the platforms and buzzwords have changed over the years, our core values have not.  And social media is now the fabric that ties everything together – from online and offline consumer experiences to the marketing, loyalty, CRM, and research functions of any organization.

Social is now serious business. But we have only scratched the surface of what’s possible.

That is why it is with great pleasure and excitement I’m announcing that Affinitive has been acquired by Project: WorldWide, the first independent global agency network built around engagement marketing.

It’s a validation of Affinitive’s original vision and will enable us to deliver fully integrated, best-of-breed social business solutions to our customers on a global scale. It will also allow us to continue to attract and nurture the best and brightest talent in the industry.

Over the past few months I have gotten to know many of the talented folks within Project’s family, and I always come away thinking the same thing – they are such genuinely nice people – from how they treat their employees and clients to their commitment to ethics. It’s greatly reassuring to see that a 1,700-person, global enterprise shares the same fundamental values that we do.

We will be teaming up with a diverse roster of highly collaborative, award-winning agencies including the #1 ranked experience marketing agency in the world, George P. Johnson, The Spinifex Group, Partners + Napier, JUXT Interactive, G7 Entertainment Marketing, and Raumtechnik.

I would like to take a moment to extend big congratulations to everyone on our team for their tremendous work and dedication, and to our awesome clients who have not only believed in us, but have continued to challenge us to innovate.

As for myself, I am not going anywhere! I will remain CEO of Affinitive, and our entire team remains 100% intact. For our clients, things will remain “business as usual”.

While I’m proud of our accomplishments and could spend all day reflecting on the lessons I have learned over the years (I will save that for another time!), I’m even more excited about what the future holds for Affinitive. It’s been an amazing journey, and with the added capabilities and scale of the Project: WorldWide network, the next chapter of our company is going to be an even more amazing one!

- Bob Troia

Project: WorldWide Acquires Social Marketing Firm Affinitive (MarketWatch)

Project Worldwide Acquires New York Social-Media Agency (AdAge)