The Martin Agency

The Martin Agency is one of the top American creative advertising agencies. A holding of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Martin is long-known for helping brands "impact culture" in the United States and internationally. The company's chief executive officer is Danny Robinson and its chief creative officer is Jerry Hoak.

History
The Martin Agency was founded as Martin & Woltz in Richmond, Virginia in 1965 by David N. Martin and George Woltz.

The development of the "Virginia is for Lovers" tagline, one of the most recognized taglines in the tourism industry and beyond, launched the trajectory of the agency. Written in 1969 by copywriter Robin McLaughlin, the slogan entered the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame in 2009.

Martin and Woltz divided the firm in 1975 and Martin renamed the company The Martin Agency.

In 1986, Scali, McCabe, Sloves purchased a majority interest in The Martin Agency. Scali, McCabe, Sloves was acquired by Lowe Group in 1993. The Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) bought controlling interest in The Martin Agency in 1994. The Martin Agency was previously under McCann Worldgroup and is currently part of the MullenLowe network at IPG.

The agency’s current client roster (as of February 2024) includes GEICO (since 1995), OREO, Bud Light Seltzer, UPS, Google, Gold Bond, Hanes, Papa Johns, Unilever’s AXE brand, RITZ, DoorDash, CarMax, Hanes, TIAA, Royal Caribbean, Gap Inc.’s Old Navy, Sanofi, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Virginia Tourism, Busch Light, Nerf, Clue, Santander, Donate Life America (pro-bono), Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, Timberland PRO, UScellular, and others.

The Martin Agency and GEICO are credited with pioneering a new way of advertising in the insurance category in the early 1990s, spawning a list of imitators in the category.

Previous agency clients include: Walmart, Buffalo Wild Wings, Discover, NASCAR, Mercedes-Benz, Pizza Hut, Saab, Wrangler, CarFax, Subway, The Learning Channel, the American Cancer Society and others.

In 2009, Adweek named The Martin Agency as its "U.S. Agency of the Year."

In 2020, Adweek again named The Martin Agency as its "U.S. Agency of the Year.". Danny Robinson became the Agency's Chief Creative Officer in this year as well.

In 2021, Adweek named The Martin Agency as its "U.S. Agency of the Year," only the third agency to win the honor in back-to-back years. Ad Age named The Martin Agency #8 on its annual A-List.

In 2023, Ad Age named The Martin Agency as its "Agency of the Year."

Notable campaigns

 * Virginia is for Lovers
 * Nickelodeon "Because We Can"
 * GEICO Cavemen
 * GEICO Hump Day
 * The GEICO Gecko
 * FreeCreditScore.com
 * DoorDash #OpenForDelivery
 * UPS What can brown do for you?
 * GEICO Best Of GEICO
 * Solo Stove "Go Smokeless" with Snoop Dogg

Coinbase Super Bowl ad controversy
In February 2022, former Martin Agency CEO Kristen Cavallo criticized Coinbase CEO Brian Robinson for not acknowledging the role that agencies had played in the creation of its Super Bowl ad.

The incident prompted a wider dialogue within the industry about how agencies are treated.

Awards

 * Adweek U.S. Agency of the Year: 2021, 2020, 2009
 * Ad Age A-List: 2021, 2010, 2009, 2008
 * Fast Company Most Innovative Companies in Advertising: 2023
 * Ad Age Agency of the Year: 2023