# Mars United Commerce

> Mars United Commerce is the world's largest independent commerce marketing company, founded in 1973 as the first shopper marketing agency. It helps more than 100 of the world's biggest brands sell more - across store shelves, retailer sites, and marketplaces - by pairing strategy, media, content, and retail consultancy with a proprietary technology platform called Marilyn. In September 2024, Publicis Groupe acquired the roughly 1,000-person firm in a reported $600 million deal, folding its commerce expertise into the holding company's global network.

- **Founded:** 1973
- **Headquarters:** Southfield, Michigan, United States
- **Founders:** Marilyn Barnett (Founder)
- **Team size:** ~1,000 employees across 14 global hubs
- **Products:** Strategy & Analytics, Digital Commerce, Content & Experiences, Retail Consultancy, Marilyn
- **Notable:** Widely credited as the first shopper marketing agency, founded in 1973., Grew to the world's largest independent commerce marketing company before its 2024 sale., Built Marilyn, a proprietary commerce marketing technology platform named after its founder.

## Products & services

- **Strategy & Analytics** — Commerce strategy, shopper insights, market analysis, and measurement that inform brand and retailer decisions.
- **Digital Commerce** — Retail media, ecommerce, digital shelf management, and marketplace optimization across Amazon, Walmart, and other platforms.
- **Content & Experiences** — Creative content, brand activation, and shoppable experiences designed to convert shoppers online and in store.
- **Retail Consultancy** — Field-based retail consultancy and customer development, positioned near major retailers to advise on assortment, execution, and growth.
- **Marilyn** — Proprietary commerce marketing technology platform - named after founder Marilyn Barnett - that connects data, media management, ecommerce insights, and measurement, including a Commerce Marketing Mix Model, Amazon Marketing Cloud integration, and the VendorFusion retail media module.

## Achievements

- Widely credited as the first shopper marketing agency, founded in 1973.
- Grew to the world's largest independent commerce marketing company before its 2024 sale.
- Built Marilyn, a proprietary commerce marketing technology platform named after its founder.
- Acquired by Publicis Groupe in September 2024 in a reported $600 million deal.
- Recognized in industry programs including P2PI's OmniShopper Awards and Cannes Lions for commerce work (e.g. SKITTLES, MilkPEP).

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — The Mars Agency rebranded as Mars United Commerce to reflect its full-spectrum commerce marketing positioning.
- **2024-09** — Publicis Groupe acquired Mars United Commerce in a reported ~$600 million deal, keeping the brand and ~1,000-person team intact.
- **2025-06** — Mars United Commerce featured commerce-and-creativity work at Cannes Lions 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://marsunited.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marsunitedcommerce
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/marsunited
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsunitedcommerce/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/themarsagency

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mars-united-commerce
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-16