Combination Brings New Advertising, Branding, Design Skills to Wine & Spirits Brands and Expands TBL in Another Sector
GREENVILLE, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Benson Marketing Group, a leading wine and spirits marketing agency, has been acquired by — and is now a division of — The Brand Leader (TBL), a brand-first creative agency specializing in advertising, branding, and design. The Benson team, including Jeremy Benson, continues in its role serving top wine and spirits clients in the U.S., Canada, and abroad from its office in New York.
“The Brand Leader’s continued focus on elevating brands through design, advertising, and digital marketing brings our highly skilled team to Benson’s existing roster of clients, in the hopes of elevating their existing brands through a wider advertising acumen,” said Kyle Duford, president and executive creative director. “As a bonus, TBL adds a high-performing team, whose subject matter expertise runs deep, to our 37-person agency,” he added. The Brand Leader’s core verticals include CPG, med- and fin-tech, outdoor, and now, wine and spirits.
The combination of two teams is set to address the many challenges, and opportunities, in the wine and spirits sector. “To win, brands need a ‘wow’ factor—hyper-creative, attention-grabbing ideas that leverage the whole gamut of media. TBL brings that in spades for their clients, and now to ours where needed,” said Jeremy Benson, president, Benson Marketing Group. “It’s an exciting time. Our team now includes in-house videographers, photographers, art directors, developers, copywriters, and digital ad experts who hold certifications from Google, Meta, Shopify, Hubspot, Klaviyo, and more,” he added.
On the acquisition, Founder and CEO of TBL, Geoff Wasserman, added, “Our agency was founded and built on putting people first, and focusing on exceeding client expectations. We found Benson Marketing to be cut from the same cloth, and we couldn’t be more thrilled than to join our two legacy teams together under one banner.”
Benson Marketing Group’s name will continue, and all client-facing professionals are now part of the combined entity. Barney, Inc. provided counsel to Benson Marketing Group in the transaction. Terms were not disclosed.
About The Brand Leader
The Brand Leader is a brand-first creative agency specializing in advertising, brand, & design that connects brands with customers in game-changing ways. Founded in 1998, the agency’s vision is to turn great companies, products, and ideas into unforgettable brands. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, the agency includes professionals in New York, Colorado, Ohio, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Winner of numerous creative awards, The Brand Leader has also been singled out as a ‘Best Place to Work’ by Outside Magazine (2021, 2022), Ad Age (2023), and others.
About Benson Marketing Group
Benson Marketing Group, a division of The Brand Leader, is a leading marketing agency for wine and spirits brands. Founded in 2000, the agency provides Brand Strategy, PR, Digital Marketing, Social Media and Advocacy Marketing services from its core office in New York City. In 2021, Benson was named to the top 10 “Power List” of U.S. wine and spirits marketing agencies by Meininger’s Wine Business Int’l and a top PR agency by Beverage Trade Network.
Contacts
Jeremy Benson, benson@bensonmarketing.com, 917.633.6002, x 2
Richard George, richard@thebrandleader.com, 864.335.9200
