Scout Sports and Entertainment Forms Strategic Alliance with The Connect Group

Partnership Provides Agency's Clients With Unparalleled Expertise, Knowledge And Access Within Culinary Space

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May 05, 2015, 08:07 ET

NEW YORK, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Media, the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world, is pleased to announce that its Scout Sports and Entertainment practice has aligned with The Connect Group, a multi-dimensional culinary and lifestyle agency, effective immediately. The alliance is supported by valuable insights gleaned by Horizon Media's Finger on the Pulse study into the emerging "foodie" culture, which finds that people are 50% more likely to consider themselves heavily interested in cooking and restaurants versus sports.

"We look forward to providing our clients with a new avenue to reach their audiences," said Michael A. Neuman, Managing Partner of Scout Sports and Entertainment. "The Connect Group has unmatched expertise in food-focused marketing outreach, and I am excited to tap into this knowledge source as we plan and activate campaigns for blue-chip brands."

The strategic alliance between Scout Sports and Entertainment and The Connect Group will inform Scout's media planning and activation with unparalleled expertise in the food and beverage space. The Connect Group will work with Scout to navigate prospects in the culinary category and leverage new offerings in the space on behalf of clients.

"I'm thrilled to partner with Scout Sports and Entertainment," said Lonny Sweet, CEO of The Connect Group. "As the food and drink space continues to evolve into one of the more powerful marketing platforms, having a partner like Scout with its vast experience, supported by the resources of Horizon Media, undoubtedly allows The Connect Group's offerings to reach a wider audience and further highlight the opportunities within the food and drink industry for marketers. The culinary world is bursting with untapped opportunities for brands, and this partnership will allow Scout to offer their existing and prospective clients a pathway into the explosive food and drink culture."

Horizon Media's latest Finger on the Pulse Survey, which taps into the agency's proprietary online research community, comprised of 3,000 people reflective of the U.S. population— discovered that while passion for sports skews male, food maintains a broad appeal across age groups and gender.

Additionally, the study finds that food is more likely to spark a conversation, driving heavy interest in culinary topics such as cooking and culinary establishments. Results show that during any given week, people are more likely to discuss restaurants (56%) than music (42%), or even movies (46%).

Event-goers want culinary elements to elevate the experiences they partake in. Tied for number one on the list, 54% of those surveyed said that they would be excited to attend an event featuring food prepared by a renowned chef tied with seeing a concert with their favorite music act. 7 out of 10 surveyed also said they were more likely to attend an event solely because of high quality food items available.

The Finger on the Pulse survey also finds that Millennials and Hispanics show a high passion and interest level in the culinary space. When asked to rank their passion levels compared to sports, music and TV shows, more than 72% of Millennials and 81% of Hispanics ranked cooking food as something they had an above average interest in, compared to 49% (Millennials) and 59% Hispanics for college or professional sports.

Finger on the Pulse empowers the agency to connect directly with 3,000 consumers, diving beneath the surface of beliefs and behaviors to uncover critical insights.

About The Connect Group
Founded in 2008 by Lonny Sweet, The Connect Group is a lifestyle agency providing a single source entree into the culinary, beverage, and hospitality worlds for brands, talent and media. Services include talent representation, corporate consulting, event management and licensing with a specific focus on the food & drink platform. www.theconnectgrp.com.

About Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media, Inc.
Scout is the sports, entertainment, wellness and event marketing division of Horizon Media Inc., the largest privately owned media services firm in the world. Horizon was chosen as 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek/Brandweek/Mediaweek as well as by AdAge and as one of the world's ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. Chief Marketer and Promo has named Scout one of the top marketing promotional agencies in the U.S. the last two years.

Scout offers a full range of marketing capabilities, including sponsorship consulting, research, negotiation, strategy, partnership acquisition, activation and endorsements. Other disciplines include production, execution, as well as measurement, metrics and analytics across all verticals of our service offerings

The division is led by Michael A. Neuman, a recognized leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, event marketing and marketing partnerships. For more information, please visit www.horizonmedia.com.

About Horizon Media
Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world's ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry's leading trade association.

The company's mission is "To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere." By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.2 billion and over 1000 employees.

The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

Contact
Horizon Media
Kaya Lobaczewski
(212) 220-2102
[email protected]

The Connect Group
Lonny Sweet
617.905.5711
[email protected]

SOURCE Horizon Media