What Influence Marketing does

Influence Marketing (legal entity Influence Retail Services Inc.) is a Canadian integrated marketing services agency founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. The firm operates three interconnected service divisions: Experiential (brand ambassadors, event production, guerrilla marketing, mobile tours, pop-up retail, sponsorship activation), Digital (digital marketing, lead generation, and development including websites, apps, and AR/VR experiences), and Retail (product sampling, field team management, consumer promotions, sales and merchandising, sales assist). The company serves enterprise consumer brands across CPG, beverage, beauty, automotive, consumer electronics, and retail verticals, with a publicly visible client roster that includes L'Oréal Luxe, Red Bull, Porsche Cars Canada, Canadian Tire, Samsung, Levi Strauss & Co., Hisense NA, Moosehead Breweries, Jameson, and SkipTheDishes.

The technology stack includes the proprietary IMDIGITAL digital backend, a custom scheduling software for workforce and budget management, a custom field team management system for payroll and HR across a national field workforce, and the LIVE Intelligence measurement platform that consolidates consumer touchpoints under a Return on Experience (ROE) framework reconciled against traditional media CPMs and impressions. The company also owns the registered Quicksand trademark and methodology for immersive experiential activations, and operates the Nourish sub-brand as a dedicated food-and-beverage experiential platform.

Go-to-market is B2B enterprise sales with direct client engagement, strategic partnerships, and long-term program relationships. Revenue is generated through professional services fees and managed services contracts, with field execution delivered through a network of 9,000+ Quicksand-certified professionals and brand ambassadors deployed across Canadian retail and event environments. The firm claims oversight of more than 60% of national sampling programming in Canada and has delivered 10,000+ activations since founding. In February 2026 the company announced a strategic partnership with U.S.-based 2020 Companies to extend combined retail execution capabilities across North America while operating as independent go-to-market brands.

Name

Influence Marketing

Legal name

Influence Retail Services Inc.

Website

https://influencemarketing.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Influence Marketing is a Canadian integrated marketing services agency founded in 1993 that designs and executes experiential, digital, and retail marketing programs for enterprise consumer brands across Canada using a 9,000+ certified field workforce and proprietary measurement technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Influencer Campaign Operations & Managed Services (BPAFAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Influencer Campaign Strategy & Planning (BPAFAHAC), Influencer Strategy & Campaign Management (MPAAAHAA)

Keywords

• Experiential marketing services
• Retail field marketing
• Brand activation agency
• Digital marketing services
• Product sampling programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mississauga

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Experiential Marketing Services: Design and execution of immersive in-field brand experiences including event production, brand ambassador programs, guerrilla marketing, mobile tours, pop-up retail, and sponsorship activations.
2. Digital Marketing Services: Integrated digital strategies including ecommerce optimization, performance marketing, UX design, paid media, social media strategy, SEO, and development services.
3. Retail Services: In-store consumer engagement, field team management, product sampling, sales and merchandising, consumer promotions, and sales assist programs.
4. Lead Generation and Data Services: First-party data management, lead nurturing programs, consumer insights, and online contests/promotions for data collection and audience engagement.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Influence Marketing is a Canadian integrated marketing services agency that designs, executes, and measures live brand experiences for enterprise consumer-brand clients. Its three core service divisions — Experiential (brand ambassadors, event production, guerrilla marketing, mobile tours, pop-up retail, sponsorship activation), Digital (marketing, lead generation, development including websites, apps, and AR/VR), and Retail (product sampling, field team management, consumer promotions, sales and merchandising, sales assist) — are delivered through a 9,000+ trained professional workforce across Canada, with proprietary Quicksand methodology and LIVE Intelligence measurement platform underpinning campaign execution and ROI reporting.

Product overview

Influence Marketing is a Canadian integrated marketing services agency operating since 1993. The company offers three interconnected service divisions: Experiential Services (in-field brand experiences including Brand Ambassadors, Event Production, Guerilla Marketing, Mobile Tours, Pop-up Retail, and Sponsorship Activation), Digital Services (Digital Marketing, Lead Generation, and Development), and Retail Services (Product Sampling, Field Team Management, Consumer Promotions, Sales and Merchandising, and Sales Assist). The company operates its proprietary Quicksand methodology for creating immersive brand activations and LIVE Intelligence for measuring consumer touchpoints. In 2026, the company announced a partnership with US-based 2020 Companies to expand North American reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nourish: A food-focused experiential marketing initiative that connects brands and fans through creators, transforming food into the heart of experiential marketing across digital, social, and physical touchpoints.

Products and services

• Experiential Services In-field marketing and live brand experiences for enterprise consumer brands, including Brand Ambassadors, Event Production, Guerrilla Marketing, Mobile Tours, Pop-up Retail, and Sponsorship Activation.
• Digital Services Online brand engagement services for enterprise clients, including Digital Marketing, Lead Generation, and Development of websites, mobile apps, and AR/VR experiences.
• Retail Services In-store consumer engagement and retail execution for brands across Canadian retail environments, including Product Sampling, Field Team Management, Consumer Promotions, Sales and Merchandising, and Sales Assist.
• Event Production End-to-end production of experiential events including hospitality events, trade shows, and consumer shows for enterprise brand clients.
• Brand Ambassador Programs Recruitment, training, and deployment of brand ambassadors who represent brands in real-world environments at events and retail locations for enterprise clients.
• Guerrilla Marketing Bold, unconventional marketing campaigns including street marketing and ambush marketing strategies for enterprise consumer brands.
• Mobile Tours Traveling brand experiences with branded vehicles and experiential assets for multi-city activations across Canada.
• Pop-up Retail Temporary transactional retail environments designed to convert foot traffic into revenue for enterprise brand clients.
• Sponsorship Activation Activation services for sports, cultural, and entertainment sponsorships, including sponsorship sales support for brand clients.
• Digital Marketing Integrated digital campaigns for brand clients including eCommerce strategy, first-party data programs, paid media, social media strategy, and SEO.
• Lead Generation Data-driven lead generation for brand clients including first-party data management, lead nurturing programs, online contests, and consumer insights.
• Development Services Digital development services for brand clients including website development, campaign microsites, mobile app development (native/hybrid), platform migrations, and AR/VR creative technology.
• Product Sampling Sampling programs for brand clients including street sampling, retail sampling, and grocery demonstrations to drive product trial.
• Field Team Management Operational management of field teams for brand clients including payroll, HR, retail audits, compliance, and brand education.
• Consumer Promotions Point-of-sale placement and shopper marketing implementation for brand clients to drive consumer action.
• Sales and Merchandising Retail intelligence, outsourced sales teams, outsourced merchandising, and mystery shopping/audit services for brand clients.
• Sales Assist Specialty product sales support, brand and retail partnerships, and store-in-store sales support for brand clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• L'Oréal Luxe: 97.8% shift compliance across 500+ beauty demonstrators
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 2020 CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Major strategic partnership announced February 24, 2026 between Influence Retail Services and 2020 Companies, a U.S.-based outsourced sales and marketing organization. The partnership expands combined capabilities across North America, with 2020 Companies gaining enhanced Canadian presence and Influence gaining access to the U.S. market. Both companies will continue operating independently as standalone go-to-market brands while collaborating to support brands seeking seamless retail execution, sales optimization, and experiential marketing solutions across North America.

Scale indicators25 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mosaic North America: Large North American field marketing and experiential agency operating brand ambassador, sampling, and retail execution programs. Directly comparable in service mix (experiential + retail + digital) and enterprise CPG/beverage client base.
• 2020 Companies: U.S.-based outsourced sales, marketing, and retail services firm and Influence's newly announced strategic partner (Feb 2026). Operates retail execution, brand ambassador, and experiential programs across 600,000+ retail doors — closest operational twin to Influence on the U.S. side.
• Premium Retail Services: U.S.-headquartered retail services and in-store execution agency providing merchandising, product sampling, and field team management. Strong overlap with Influence's Retail Services division and similar enterprise CPG client base.
• Brand Momentum: Canadian experiential, shopper, and promotional marketing agency. Headquartered in Canada and competing for many of the same enterprise CPG/beverage experiential briefs.
• Sensorium: Canadian experiential marketing and event production agency. Competes for the same Canadian enterprise experiential budgets (Porsche, automotive, CPG) as Influence.

Broad incumbents

• Sparks (a George P. Johnson Experience Marketing Agency): Global experiential marketing agency within George P. Johnson, itself owned by IPG. Competes for enterprise brand-experience RFPs with broader geographic reach and integrated event production capabilities.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency (Interpublic Group) delivering experiential, event, and sponsorship activations. Overlaps with Influence's Experiential Services division at the enterprise client level with multi-country scale.
• Momentum Worldwide: IPG-owned experiential, shopper, and promotional marketing agency. Comparable service portfolio (experiential + retail + digital) but with global reach, frequently competing for the same multinational brand-experience budgets.
• Octagon: IPG-owned sports and experiential marketing agency delivering sponsorship activation, event production, and brand experience — directly comparable to Influence's Sponsorship Activation and Event Production sub-services at enterprise scale.
• The Marketing Store: Global promotional and experiential agency with shopper marketing and loyalty capabilities. Overlaps with Influence's Consumer Promotions and field activation services for enterprise CPG and retail clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InfluenceMktng

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Influence Marketing