• MARKETING
    CONNECTING BRANDS TO FANS THROUGH PASSION
    2013 SportsBusiness Journal Award Winner + See More
  • TALENT
    CONNECTING BRANDS TO FANS THROUGH PASSION
    Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry + See More
  • EVENTS
    CONNECTING BRANDS TO FANS THROUGH PASSION
    BMW Championship + See More
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    CONNECTING BRANDS TO FANS THROUGH PASSION
    Allstate Fan Fest + See More
  • RESEARCH
    CONNECTING BRANDS TO FANS THROUGH PASSION
    Mongoose on the Loose at Dew Tour + See More
MARKETING TALENT EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT RESEARCH

  • MARKETING

    Harnessing consumer passion for sports and entertainment to create content marketing programs that drive results.
    + more

  • TALENT

    Representing the commercial, financial and philanthropic endeavors of the world’s top athletes, celebrities and personalities.
    + more

  • EVENTS

    Developing and managing engaging, innovative brand experiences, from grassroots to the global stage.
    + more

  • ENTERTAINMENT

    Bridging commerce and culture through the power of entertainment marketing via music, film, theme parks, fashion, video games and celebrities.
    + more

  • RESEARCH

    Providing consumer insights on why fans are fans and applying a data-driven approach to all stages of the strategic planning process.
    + more

OCTAGON MISSION

We use passion for sports and entertainment to deepen the emotional connections between our clients and their target audience.

Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, lifestyle marketing and talent representation agency of the Interpublic Group. Founded in 1983, we develop innovative marketing strategies to keep our clients one step ahead of the ever-changing consumer and industry landscape.

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AWARDS & RECOGNITION

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We possess a truly global network with 800 full-time employees in 68 offices across 22 countries on six continents.

Explore the map and click to see office locations

Offices Canada United States South America South Africa Asia Australia Europe Middle East Russia

The depth and breadth of our staff and expertise is unmatched in the sports and entertainment marketing world. Within our ranks, Octagon boasts a network of experts who play various leadership roles throughout
our organization.

Click on the individual to learn more

 

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Global Advisory Committee
Talent Senior Management
Global Senior Marketing Management
US Senior Marketing Management
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30

years

in the industry

800

personalities

around the globe

3

billion dollars in

sponsorship spending

managed & influenced

long standing partnerships:
  • Partnership 1

    24yrs

  • Partnership 2

    12yrs

  • Partnership 3

    21yrs

  • Partnership 4

    9yrs

68

offices around the globe

13480

events managed annually

36

events managed daily

100,000

fans in our

"Passion Drivers" database

Octagon History
*Hover is inactive, click timeline to re-active
  • 1985
  • 1990
  • 1995
  • 2000
  • 2005
  • 2012
  •
1983

1983

Octagon predecessor Advantage International is born. Early clients include Ilie Nastase and Moses Malone.

1986-87

1986-87

Represented #1 overall NBA draft picks Brad Daugherty and David Robinson, and 1986 #2 overall pick Len Bias.

1984

1984

Pioneered effective marketing of Olympic athletes, including gold medalist swimmers Rowdy Gaines and Steve Lundquist. Octagon has represented a gold medalist in every Olympics, turning gold into green for athletes.

1988

1988

Partnered with BMW North America—a partnership that continues to present day as the agency’s longest-tenured marketing relationship.

1988

1988

Coined the term “Golden Grand Slam” to honor Steffi Graf, who won all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal—the only time it has ever been done.

1990

1990

Began our global football consulting division starting with Italia ’90. The division has grown with every FIFA World Cup since.

1989

1989

Represented at least one champion from all four Grand Slams and owned, operated and consulted on more WTA and ATP tournaments than any other agency.

1990

1990

Promoted the first $1 million purse LPGA event: The Mazda LPGA Championship.

1992

1992

Began activation for 13 Olympic Games over two decades; activated for unprecedented ten 1996 Olympic Games sponsors.

1996

1996

Founding member of Advantage International serves as the sports consultant on the film Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise.

1997

1997

IPG chooses Advantage International to be its sports and entertainment platform.

1999

1999

Advantage International is rebranded as Octagon.

2001-02

2001-02

Represented the #1 overall selections in the 2001 and 2002 NFL drafts, quarterbacks Michael Vick and David Carr.

2002

2002

Negotiated sports history’s largest sponsorship deal for NEXTEL to become the title sponsor of what is now NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

2002

2002

Signed Michael Phelps, a promising young swimmer who goes on to become the most decorated Olympian ever.

2005

2005

Launched Octagon Music with clients like global super group IL DIVO.

2006

2006

Created a new sport in Australia—Beach Cricket—as a unique marketing platform for XXXX Gold beer.

2005

2005

Launched Passion Drivers®, a pioneering, proprietary research to understand why fans are fans.

2008

2008

Named “Agency of the Year” by SportsBusiness Journal (USA) and named “Sponsorship Agency of the Year” by Marketing magazine (UK).

2009

2009

Began the annual management of The North Face 100, one of the world’s largest endurance races, by Octagon China.

2009

2009

Created the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, the first bass fishing event to air on network television.

2011

2011

Dominated hockey by representing the #1, # 2 and #3 picks in the NHL draft.

2010

2010

Expanded Los Angeles-based entertainment capabilities by hiring veteran TV packaging executive John Ferriter.

2012

2012

Bolstered global entertainment offering by acquiring London-based strategic/creative music/entertainment firm, FRUKT Communications.

2012

2012

Confirmed six FIFA World Cup consulting clients in Brazil, the most of any one agency in Brazil—and worldwide.

2012

2012

Signed five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

2002

2002

Welcomed Rick Dudley, President and CEO, Octagon Worldwide

In what has become a multibillion-dollar business, Octagon is a leader in sports marketing, talent representation, event management, entertainment marketing, and research—and we’ve been acknowledged time and again as doing it best. Our robust offering of client services includes both traditional and leading edge platforms including experiential marketing, mobile marketing and cause-related marketing. At every turn, we provide our clients the services and solutions they need to drive their businesses and keep their brands thriving in today’s marketplace.

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FEATURED CLIENTS

Connect brands to fans through passion-based marketing

Octagon is a pioneer in full-service sports and entertainment corporate consulting, bringing multiple marketing disciplines and services under one roof to benefit our clients. Our in-house resources offer unmatched efficiency and convenience, and set us apart from traditional and specialized service offerings. Time and again, we connect brands to fans to grow loyalty and attract new business and drive return on investment or what we term, return on objectives.

Click to explore our areas of expertise
Marketing Main Image

MasterCard Priceless Experiences

Octagon was charged with bringing MasterCard’s Priceless brand story to life through sponsorship assets. The resulting “Priceless Experiences” rewards program allows MasterCard cardholders to purchase once-in-a-lifetime experiences that, historically, were only available to B2B customers. Each event is tailored to the passion points of consumers through a variety of culinary, entertainment, sports and cultural sponsorships. These high-end experiences are available to thousands of customers around the world—Sydney, India, Beijing and all U.S. markets—and are managed entirely by Octagon through our global network.

Marketing Case Study 01

Sprint Summer Showdown

Octagon recently created a new “promotional centerpiece” for Sprint’s NASCAR activation, the Sprint Summer Showdown. Leveraging the full power of Miss Sprint Cup and the at-track Sprint Experience, the Sprint Summer Showdown brought the brand’s NASCAR entitlement to life through a first-of-its-kind promotion that saw Sprint offer a $3 MM reward for one lucky driver, charity and fan. The Showdown kicked off ESPN’s summer race window by creating a race within a race. The promotion was the largest in Sprint’s history, generating 730+MM total impressions during the six-week promotional window.

Marketing Case Study 02

AB InBev 2010 FIFA World Cup

Eleven months prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Octagon began work with AB InBev to manage its FIFA relationship among 80+ Budweiser markets and introduce the sponsorship to seven new brands in the AB InBev family. The program far exceeded all expectations, with the revamped Budweiser Man of the Match program generating 390MM impressions, giving consumers from 21 countries the opportunity to hand over the trophy on-field at 64 matches. Public Relations support generated 1.8 billion gross impressions and returned $55 for every $1 of PR investment.

Marketing Case Study 03

Provide comprehensive 360-degree talent representation services

Octagon has a global expertise in athlete, broadcaster and entertainment management. We work with clients at all stages of their careers as we help them negotiate contracts, build their personal brand, secure marketing opportunities and support them to excel both in their chosen profession as well as in the community.

Click to explore our areas of expertise
Talent Landing Video

Arsenio Hall

After encouraging Arsenio Hall to take a chance on NBC’s hit show “Celebrity Apprentice” to revitalize his brand, Octagon set up a new syndicated late-night talk show for Hall through CBS Television Distribution and Tribune. Set to debut in Fall 2013, the show will be aired in 95% of the United States, including all top ten markets. In addition to completing the deal and utilizing our production capability for this project, John Ferriter, managing director of Octagon Entertainment, will serve as an executive producer alongside Hall.

Talent Case Study 1

Michael Phelps

Octagon led the activation of Olympian Michael Phelps’ global partnerships with Subway, Head & Shoulders, Visa, Under Armour, Speedo, Omega, Hilton, Topps, 505 Games and Master Spas before, during and after the games. Over the course of the Olympics Phelps gained  over 1MM Twitter followers (the most of any athlete during the Summer Games) and entered global partnerships with Louis Vuitton and Sol Republic. We also manage the Michael Phelps Foundation IM Program to teach water-safety courses to more than 3,000 children. As a result of this charitable work, Phelps won the Humanitarian Award at the 2012 American Fashion Image Awards.

Talent Case Study 2

Mark Webber

On behalf of Red Bull F1 car driver Mark Webber, Octagon manages The Mark Webber Foundation, his commercial partnerships (Swisse, Qantas, Pan Macmillan, Rexaona), licensing, events, schedule management and merchandise design. In 2009, we took over the management of the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge, Mark’s major annual fundraiser. In its first two years under Octagon’s leadership, the event delivered its greatest return ever to the Mark Webber Foundation and featured the largest field of athletes ever assembled for the Challenge, including many of the world’s top athletes.

Talent Case Study 3

Engage fans through dynamic and immersive event marketing experiences

Octagon activates over 13,000 events per year across the globe…that’s more than 36 events a day! From global grassroots mobile marketing events like The North Face 100 in China, to innovative experiential marketing programs like Course of the Force and traditional sporting events like the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, we use successful event management to engage fans and deliver results.

Click to explore our areas of expertise
Events Landing Video

The North Face 100

In 2009, The North Face challenged Octagon to develop the first ever endurance running event in mainland China. Octagon responded by creating and bringing to life The North Face 100®, the largest event in The North Face 100 Asia Series. Everything from course design to sponsorship sales and promotion is handled by Octagon. Over the years, Octagon has raised the reputation of the event and increased participation by nearly 300%--from 2,845 participants in 2009 to 8,095 in 2012, with runners coming from over 35 countries.

Events Case Study 1

SAS Championship

Octagon developed, manages and executes the SAS Championship, one of the top events on the Champions Tour. Through flawless implementation and execution, Octagon delivers strategic solutions, including an interactive pro-am pairings party, on-course pro-am experiences and weeklong first-class hospitality for SAS. Octagon also uses the event to highlights SAS’s youth education charity focus by bringing attention to the different organizations that benefit from tournament proceeds.

Events Case Study 2

Targa Tasmania

Octagon is responsible for event management, PR, marketing and sponsorship sales for Targa Tasmania, an event that provides owners of sports cars and GTs the unique opportunity to drive the cars the way they were designed to be driven, on some of the most exciting and challenging tarmac roads in the world. Octagon has increased participation at this annual event by 38% and media exposure by over 50% since 1999. The event has been inducted into the Tasmanian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame because of its positive economic and cultural impact.

Events Case Study 3

Deliver global entertainment marketing expertise with proven results

Octagon connects brands to fans with uncharted access to the global entertainment industry. We marry industry expertise with an analytics-driven approach to understand consumers' passions for music, movies, theme parks, fashion, video games and celebrities around the world. We represent world-class celebrities such as Piers Morgan and Nancy O’Dell, and production studios like White Cherry Entertainment.

Click to explore our areas of expertise
Marketing Landing Video

MasterCard GRAMMYS

To support MasterCard’s music strategy and highlight their partnership with the GRAMMY Awards, Octagon developed engaging cardholder programs and “priceless” experiences for their customers to bring them closer to “The Biggest Night in Music” than ever before. Experiences for MasterCard customers included access to The MasterCard Priceless Lounge inside the STAPLES Center, Red Carpet grandstand viewing and the Official GRAMMY after-party. The experiences, supporting “Something for the Fans” promotion and media placements, generated an astonishing 14.5 MM social and 19.1 MM traditional media impressions.

Entertainment Case Study 01

American Airlines Product Placement

By securing and managing a complex exchange of assets between the movie Up in the Air and American Airlines, Octagon helped American Airlines reach business travelers and communicate the benefits of its loyalty programs. In the process, we created the industry standard for media placement and brand integration.  The mutually beneficial partnership won accolades from across the industry, generated 10MM impressions from the U.S. theatrical release and over $11 MM in commercial media value. Additionally, the program was the most successful booking promotion on AA.com all year.

Entertainment Case Study 02

Breath of Life Festival

In 2012, Octagon acquired Australia’s Breath Of Life music and entertainment festival, making it one of the fastest growing regional festivals in the country. Octagon recreated it from the ground up—from talent procurement, event concept and brand creation, to sponsorship, event delivery and marketing. As a result, more than 16,000 people attended the two-day event in 2012 that boasted an unparalleled line-up of who’s who on the international and national music scene. The exposure resulting from the success of the festival generated more than $500K in donations to various organizations, including the Lung Foundation.

Entertainment Case Study 03

Provide actionable insights at all stages of the sponsorship process

Data drives everything we do. When it comes to building brands and engaging consumer passions, Octagon’s data-driven approach sets us apart from our competitors. Our proprietary research tools give our clients a unique understanding of their target consumers’ relationships with sports and entertainment. In addition, our full suite of analytical tools enables us to provide tangible, actionable consumer insights at all stages of the sponsorship planning process - from sponsorship selection to sponsorship measurement.

Click to explore our areas of expertise
Research landing Video

Planning

Octagon Insights & Strategy provides our clients with full-service sponsorship and activation planning support.  From syndicated research analysis to competitive landscaping to contract valuation, Octagon’s proprietary planning tools and dedicated in-house research team help our clients understand their target consumers, identify and quantitatively evaluate activation and sponsorship opportunities and negotiate fair agreements.

Research Case Study 01

Passion Drivers®

Historically, brands, properties and agencies have focused on understanding the who, what, when and where of sports and entertainment consumption.  Octagon’s proprietary Passion Drivers® research answers why fans are fans.  By providing a quantified understanding of why fans are passionate about specific sports and entertainment platforms and properties, Octagon helps its clients create relevant and compelling marketing communications that make emotional connections to target consumers. Passion Drivers® is a global initiative, with a database that includes over 100k passionate fans from 13 countries.

Research Case Study 02

Measurement

The benefits of great planning and concept development can be lost without actionable management and measurement programs.  Based on our clients’ activation or sponsorship objectives, Octagon Insights & Strategy designs custom measurement solutions—including onsite intercept research; recruit and call back studies; brand exposure and media valuation; brand health tracking; and sales data modeling—to measure and manage the return on a sponsorship investment.

Research Case Study 03

 

For Marketing and Octagon Worldwide Media Inquiries: Contact Lance Hill 678-587-4942
For Talent Media Inquiries: Contact Alyssa Romano 703-905-3390

 

For Marketing and Octagon Worldwide Media Inquiries: Contact Lance Hill 678-587-4942
For Talent Media Inquiries: Contact Alyssa Romano 703-905-3390

 

For Marketing and Octagon Worldwide Media Inquiries: Contact Lance Hill 678-587-4942
For Talent Media Inquiries: Contact Alyssa Romano 703-905-3390

Our more than 800 employees around the world enjoy dynamic careers in an environment that reinforces our guiding principles of Passion, Engagement and Results. Our agency is truly global, with offices in 22 countries across six continents, and offering opportunities from internships to full-time positions.

 

CURRENT U.S. OPENINGS & INTERNSHIPS

Search U.S. openings

CURRENT WORLDWIDE OPENINGS

To apply for international openings, contact us

DIVERSITY

The diversity of our employees and service offerings not only provide for a richer work experience, but also enable us to create content and experiences that reach an increasingly diverse fan base. Position vacancies, including internship opportunities, vary from office to office and are subject to availability. It is the policy of Octagon to provide equal opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, gender identity or veteran’s status.

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