Endeavor Global Marketing Rebrands as 160over90 to Unify Offerings
President Ed Horne wants to give employees a "rallying cry"
Endeavor Global Marketing, the creative arm of holding company Endeavor, is taking on the name of the Philadelphia-based agency it acquired last year: 160over90.
The move comes as the 800-person company aims to distinguish its offerings from parent company Endeavor and further establish itself as a creative agency.
Endeavor Global Marketing—which will go by 160over90 starting Oct. 29—was formally launched two years ago when talent and entertainment conglomerate WME | IMG changed its name to Endeavor. Endeavor encompasses the portfolio of brands that previously fell under the WME | IMG moniker, including WME, IMG, the Miss Universe Organization, UFC and the Professional Bull Riders organization.
At the time, Endeavor Global Marketing was born to give a name to the existing group of staffers doing work for the likes of Marriott and Visa. Now, its leadership is giving the agency yet another name to clear up confusion and give its employees an internal “rallying cry,” according to Ed Horne, president of the newly minted 160over90.
“We want to make sure that when we go to the marketplace, we’re going with a cohesive message,” Horne said.
Over the past few years, the agency has grown both organically and through a number of acquisitions. Last year, it acquired U.K.-based communications agency Clifford French as well as its namesake agency 160over90, which is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices around the country. Other acquisitions include experiential marketing firms Fusion and IMG Live, PR agency Catalyst, and Los Angeles-based creative agency Red.
Moving forward, all aspects of the agency will operate as 160over90.
“The marketplace is beginning to understand what we are and what we can offer,” Horne explained. “We’ve spent the last couple of years putting those pieces together, and we’re now at the point where we have the ability to be able to integrate all of that under one brand so that externally the marketplace can begin to see us as not just a collection of services and offerings, but one connected group.”
The agency has built up a roster of clients in recent years including AB InBev, Audi, Amazon, ESPN and HSBC, with offerings that include advertising, branding, experiential, sponsorship, partnership, public relations and communications services.
It recently helped integrate Amazon Alexa’s skills into “Under a Rock with Tig Notaro,” a Funny Or Die talk show series that features the comedian attempting to figure out who her celebrity guests are and why they’re famous. Last year, 160over90 helped Chrissy Teigen pull off #CravingsFest, a massive event in New York City that promoted the star’s cookbooks.
Horne said 160over90’s ability to leverage the wider Endeavor network gives it a leg up over other agencies. Through its numerous divisions, Endeavor represents talent, owns and operates events including New York Fashion Week, and sells sponsorships.
According to Horne, this gives 160over90 the ability to help brands tap into the “cultural conversation.” For instance, he said the agency’s recent work for Lightlife, a maker of plant-based meat substitutes, came together via an agent in the network who had been working with the brand on something separate.
Upon realizing that Lightlife was looking for some strategic direction, Lightlife was then connected with 160over90, which created a campaign for the brand starring Hollywood couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. Shepard, who is represented by Endeavor-owned talent agency WME, served as a “co-creator” of the campaign alongside Bell.
“Our unique ability to be able to truly leverage the access and influence that we have across culture is what actually makes us different,” Horne said. “We’re beginning to get to the point where we can do what the traditional ad agencies can do, but they can’t do what we do.”
Horne claims that the many events Endeavor operates and the pool of talent it represents do not present a conflict of interest for clients. He said that 160over90 uses research and analytics to guide client decisions, and argued that the holding company’s connections are “more of an asset than a conflict” for the brands it works with.
“We truly operate as an objective and agnostic organization,” he said.
