What Force Marketing does

Force Marketing is a privately held, Atlanta-based digital marketing technology company founded in 2006 by John Fitzpatrick. The company provides full lifecycle marketing solutions for the automotive retail industry, serving franchised dealerships, large dealer groups, and automotive OEMs. Force Marketing's customer base spans more than 1,200 dealer rooftops, including four of the top five U.S. automotive groups (Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Penske Automotive, Lithia Motors, Sonic Automotive), and is distributed through ten OEM certified partner programs covering Porsche, Audi, BMW MINI, INFINITI, Jaguar Land Rover, KIA, Mazda, Stellantis, GM Canada, and Subaru. The company operates a fully remote organization of 115 team members across 21 states, with additional offices in New York City and Houston (GSM brand headquarters).

The company's technology backbone is Audience IQ, an automotive-specific Customer Data Platform that integrates first-party DMS/CRM data with 30+ third-party partners including Experian, Polk (IHS Markit), Oracle, Blackbook, Autocheck, and Amazon. The product portfolio is organized across three sub-brands: Force Marketing (paid social, paid search, display retargeting, and SEO services), WeDrive Auto (customer acquisition and lifecycle programs including Recapture, Equity+, Social Surge, Cadence, Omni-Connect, and Inside Lane), and GSM (fixed operations retention through the ATOM platform, added via acquisition in January 2021). Core offerings include DRIVE, a dynamic streaming video platform that distributes OEM-compliant video ads across Peacock, NBC, Amazon Garage, Hulu, Roku, Sling TV, and other CTV/OTT endpoints, as well as Recapture (lost shopper identification and remarketing), Conquest Connect (vehicle acquisition), and ATOM (fixed ops retention).

Force Marketing operates on a subscription-based revenue model with quote-based enterprise pricing, generating revenue through monthly service fees, OEM co-op advertising programs, and per-dealer program subscriptions. Distribution is driven by direct enterprise field sales, OEM certified partner programs, and active presence at industry events such as NADA, J.D. Power Auto Summit, Automotive Forum New York, CBT Auto Leadership Summit, and NCM Fixed Ops Summit. The company reports 25% year-over-year revenue growth sustained over three years and a 95% client retention rate. No external funding rounds have been disclosed; ownership remains concentrated with founding leadership.

Name

Force Marketing

Legal name

Force Marketing

Website

https://forcemktg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Atlanta-based Force Marketing provides full lifecycle digital marketing solutions for automotive retail, serving 1,200+ dealer rooftops and major OEM partners via its proprietary Audience IQ data platform and WeDrive Auto and GSM sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Marketing Technology

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

Marketing Automation & Lifecycle/Drip Campaign Management (MPAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Automotive digital marketing
• Connected TV advertising
• Customer data platform
• Dealer marketing services
• Fixed ops marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing-as-a-Service for Dealerships: Force Marketing provides a full lifecycle digital marketing engine serving automotive dealerships and OEM partners. Revenue is generated through service fees for marketing technology solutions including streaming media, digital advertising, fixed ops marketing, and data services. Services are delivered across sales and service departments with measurable ROI.
2. OEM Certified Programs: Certified marketing partner programs for OEMs including Porsche, Audi, BMW MINI, INFINITI, Jaguar Land Rover, KIA, Mazda, Stellantis, GM Canada, and Subaru. Revenue derived from co-op advertising fees and per-dealer program subscriptions.
3. GSM Fixed Ops Services: Acquired GSM provides fixed ops marketing solutions for parts and service departments, including lifecycle service retention programs, maintenance reminders, and recovery communications. Revenue from per-campaign and subscription fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Force Marketing provides a full lifecycle digital marketing technology engine for automotive dealerships and OEMs, powered by the proprietary Audience IQ customer data platform. Its product portfolio spans DRIVE streaming video, Recapture lost shopper identification, Conquest Connect vehicle acquisition, and ATOM fixed ops retention, delivered through three sub-brands: Force Marketing, WeDrive Auto, and GSM. The company serves 1,500+ dealer rooftops and is certified by major OEMs including Porsche, Audi, BMW MINI, INFINITI, Jaguar Land Rover, KIA, Mazda, Stellantis, GM Canada, and Subaru.

Product overview

Force Marketing is a data-driven marketing technology company providing full lifecycle digital marketing solutions for the automotive industry. The company's unified platform is powered by Audience IQ, a customer data platform integrating DMS/CRM data with 30+ data partners including Experian, Polk, Oracle, Blackbook, and Autocheck. The product portfolio comprises three sub-brands: Force Marketing (digital advertising services), WeDrive Auto (customer acquisition and lifecycle programs), and GSM (fixed operations retention). Core products include DRIVE (dynamic streaming video), Recapture (lost shopper identification), Conquest Connect (vehicle acquisition), and ATOM (fixed ops retention). The company serves 1,500+ dealerships and multiple OEM partners including Porsche, Audi, BMW, INFINITI, Jaguar Land Rover, KIA, Mazda, Stellantis, GM Canada, and Subaru. The 4A strategy framework (Audience, Attention, Automation, Attribution) guides campaign execution across streaming video/audio, paid social, paid search, display retargeting, and SEO channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WeDrive Auto: Creating Customers For Life through a Personalized Experience. Audience platform providing custom audience creation, campaign delivery, and ROI tracking across all channels. Programs include Recapture, Equity+, Social Surge, Cadence, Omni-Connect, and Inside Lane.
• GSM
• DRIVE
• Audience IQ
• ATOM
• Conquest Connect

Products and services

• Audience IQ Centralized customer data platform (CDP) aggregating DMS and CRM data with 30+ data partner integrations to create unified customer profiles for custom audience creation, campaign targeting, and ROI tracking across all channels.
• DRIVE Award-winning dynamic streaming video platform that generates personalized video ads based on actual dealer inventory and VINs, delivered OEM-compliant across CTV, OTT, streaming audio including Peacock, NBC, Amazon Garage, Hulu, Roku, and Sling TV.
• Recapture Lost shopper identification and re-engagement solution using anonymous shopper identification, data hygiene, AI-powered exit intent technology, and direct marketing automation. Converts anonymous website visitors into identified buyers.
• Conquest Connect Vehicle acquisition and omni-channel marketing solution leveraging Force's proprietary CDP with data from Amazon, Experian, Oracle, and more. Turns untapped audiences into active buyers through data-driven targeting.
• ATOM Fixed operations retention and lifecycle marketing solution delivering personalized email, direct mail, SMS, social, and BDC marketing. Uses defection signals from DMS and VIN history to trigger personalized outreach for service department retention.
• Equity+ Industry's first 100% inbound automated equity mining tool delivering personalized messages to core DMS audiences including positive equity, expiring lease, lost customers, and service-only segments.
• Social Surge Social media lead generation program generating 300-600 leads per month from social media through Facebook Messenger, responsive Facebook ads, and AI chatbots with BDC team appointment scheduling into CRM.
• Cadence Interactive conquest email campaigns that double-opt in automotive purchase intenders with custom, mobile-responsive creative powered by technology identifying ready-to-buy prospects at scale.
• Omni-Connect Omni-channel marketing connecting custom curated audiences to dealer inventory using 34+ data integrations to summarize dealership market potential and track engagement.
• Inside Lane Fixed operations omni-channel marketing program targeting active, lost, and captive vehicle owners through email, direct mail, and mobile marketing with personalized micro-sites for data capture.
• Paid Social Social media advertising service delivering engagement and sales opportunities for car dealerships through Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms.
• Paid Search Google Search advertising capturing demand by serving ads when valuable keywords are searched, delivering targeted visibility to in-market car shoppers.
• Display & Retargeting Google Display Network advertising maximizing impressions through static or dynamic ad content with retargeting capabilities for website visitors.
• SEO Search engine optimization optimizing website content and developing localized custom content to drive organic traffic for dealerships.
• AI Search Visibility Readout Tool enabling dealers to understand AI search presence across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and AI-powered search by analyzing mentions, citations, answer-ready content, and technical signals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% client retention rate and 25% year-over-year growth sustained over three years
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

AI capability14 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting, key and certified oem.

• automotiveMastermindcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 February 2025Force Marketing is an official data partner of automotiveMastermind's, integrating advanced BPS (Behavior Prediction Scores) and segmentation data with Audience IQ CDP. Partnership enables dealers to reach high-value prospects across paid search, Meta, display, online video, CTV, and streaming audio. Pilot results showed 59% reduction in cost per conversion and 70% higher CTR on Google media.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Premier Partner (top 3% of agencies nationwide) providing access to exclusive tools, beta programs, dedicated strategic support, and data-driven insights. Delivers advanced marketing campaigns across Google Ads, YouTube, and Google's advertising ecosystem.
• AmazoncoreTechnology or IntegrationAmazon advertising partner providing access to Amazon Garage, Prime Ads, and programmatic advertising capabilities for automotive dealership marketing campaigns.
• MicrosoftsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital marketing partner providing access to Microsoft Advertising network and Bing search capabilities.
• OraclesupportingTechnology or IntegrationData integration partner for Audience IQ CDP providing automotive data and analytics capabilities.
• Trade DesksupportingTechnology or IntegrationProgrammatic advertising platform partner for automated media buying and audience targeting.
• Gulf States ToyotakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSM's long-standing partnership with Gulf States Toyota (155 dealership locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana) continued after acquisition. One of world's largest Toyota distributors.
• TikTokcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTikTok automotive marketing partnership. CEO John Fitzpatrick appeared on-stage with TikTok Head of Automotive Tsega Worku at NADA 2026. Partnership includes TikTok Automotive Inventory Ads and 1:1 ad match offer for dealers.
• Audicertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAudi Certified Marketing Partner offering 12+ OEM-approved marketing solutions for Audi dealerships.
• Porschecertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPorsche certified marketing partner providing compliant marketing solutions for Porsche dealerships.
• BMW MINIcertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBMW MINI certified marketing partner providing OEM-approved marketing programs.
• INFINITIcertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorINFINITI certified marketing partner offering 9+ INFINITI-approved marketing solutions.
• Jaguar Land Rovercertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJaguar Land Rover certified marketing partner offering 10+ approved marketing solutions.
• KIAcertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKIA certified marketing partner providing compliant marketing solutions.
• Mazdacertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMazda certified digital marketing vendor offering 12+ Mazda-approved marketing solutions.
• Stellantiscertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStellantis certified marketing partner providing OEM-approved advertising strategies.
• GM Canadacertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized provider for GM Canada CSSR Choice Program, supporting GM dealerships in Customer Sales & Service Retention marketing initiatives.
• Subarucertified oemChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSubaru certified marketing partner providing OEM-compliant advertising programs.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• VinSolutions (Cox Automotive): Dealer CRM, marketing automation, and equity-mining suite owned by Cox Automotive. Bundles CRM + lifecycle marketing (similar in concept to ATOM and Equity+) into a much larger enterprise platform with broader dealer relationships.
• Cars.com: Public automotive marketplace and parent of Dealer Inspire. Competes for dealer marketing dollars across marketplace listings, websites, and digital advertising, with significantly larger scale and capital.
• Google Marketing Platform (Google Ads): Horizontal ad-tech stack underpinning much of Force Marketing's paid search, display, and video buying. As a partner (Premier status) it also represents a competitive platform risk if Google deepens automotive-specific features natively.
• Autotrader (Cox Automotive): Major automotive marketplace and dealer marketing platform owned by Cox Automotive. Overlaps with Force Marketing in dealer marketing services, lead generation, and inventory merchandising at the national level.

Direct peers

• Digital Air Strike: Automotive digital marketing and reputation management platform serving dealerships and dealer groups with similar omni-channel, lifecycle, and social engagement products. Most directly comparable mid-sized competitor in the auto vertical.
• LotLinx: Automotive AI-driven inventory marketing platform for dealerships, specializing in VIN-level targeting and dynamic digital merchandising. Direct overlap with DRIVE's dynamic, VIN-level video and Audience IQ's conquest audience logic.
• Dealer Inspire: Dealer website, digital advertising, and CRM platform owned by Cars.com. Competes with Force Marketing across paid search, paid social, SEO, and dealer website experiences for enterprise dealer-group accounts.
• automotiveMastermind: Behavioral prediction and customer engagement platform for automotive dealers and OEMs. Both a partner (BPS integration with Audience IQ) and a competitor for dealer predictive targeting and lifecycle retention budgets.
• PureCars (Pure Auto Media): Automotive-specific marketing platform focused on dealer digital advertising, inventory marketing, and audience targeting. Closely competes with Audience IQ, Conquest Connect, and DRIVE for OEM co-op and dealer-group budgets.
• Adpearance (Aquarium by Adpearance): Digital marketing agency with deep automotive vertical focus offering paid search, paid social, SEO, and OTT/CTV. Comparable mid-sized agency competing for OEM co-op and dealer-group mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forcemarketing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/forcemarketing
• Facebookfacebook.com/Forcemktg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/force-marketing
• Instagraminstagram.com/forcemarketing

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Force Marketing