marlo marketing. fully integrated marketing, public relations, and creative services agency based in Boston, Massachusetts and New York City

From influencer engagement for luxury hotels to website design for restaurants to public relations for iconic beer brands, we cover a lot of ground.

In industry lingo, we’re considered a full-service integrated consumer marketing agency.

In our lingo? We just get sh*t done.

Studio Series: 20th Anniversary Edition

marlo marketing/communications first opened its doors at 276 Newbury Street, with four clients (Starbucks Coffee, Nantucket Wine Festival, Grafton Group, American Seasons) and one employee – Marlo. Over the next two decades, the company gained many more clients and employees – and shed part of its name. Today, known simply as marlo marketing (or just marlo), we’re proud to be considered one of the country’s preeminent hospitality, lifestyle, and cpg agencies.

In addition to our work, being a part of and giving back to our community features prominently in our core values and has always been important to us. Whether donating hundreds of thousands of dollars in pro bono services to Boston area non-profits or giving away thousands of cups of coffee to our Downtown Crossing neighbors on our 15th anniversary, we have had the privilege of becoming inextricably entwined with the city. No matter how much we have evolved over the past 20 years, community remains at our core.

So, in celebration of this milestone anniversary, over the next 12 months we’ll be hosting a wide variety of events open to the public at our Leather District Studio designed to highlight and celebrate all aspects of our 20 years in business – from clients to community to our collective continued evolution of mind, body, and spirit.

Admission fees have been included to cover costs for participating partners, however, all remaining proceeds after expenses will be donated to Zoo New England (unless otherwise specified), a beloved marlo client since 2006.

 

marlo marketing Core Values:

Don’t stop until you’re proud

Relationships matter

The pursuit of knowledge drives success

Direct and honest at all times

Generosity is both a choice and responsibility

Studio Series Naturally New England

October

RAISE A GLASS TO New England food Makers!

Thursday, October 10
5:00 – 8:00
$75 per person – all proceeds benefitting Naturally New England 
Tickets Available: 32/50

Let’s be real. New England is home to some of the baddest OGs in the food maker scene:  Stonyfield, Ben & Jerry’s, Welch’s, and Ocean Spray, to name just a few. Who’s the next big brand to come out of NE? That’s where Naturally New England (NNE) comes in with its mission of supporting the up and comers by providing the education, tools, and resources they need to become the next big thing!

Join us as we partner with NNE to support some of these next gen food companies. Get your wine on while sampling to your hearts content a wide variety of New England food and beverage brands, hearing their founder stories, and expanding your grocery list with brands you’ll actually know in addition to love!

New England-based brands on hand to sample include:
Josephine’s Baking Company
Creme de Liqueur
Jim’s Organic Coffee
TITIN
Maine Gravy
Freedom Fluid
Shuug
Pluck Superfood Seasoning
Fancypants Baking Co.

Studio Series Garrett Harker 2

October

Garrett Harker…Cooks?!?! A Story of a Life in Restaurants

Wednesday, October 16
6:30 – 9:30
$1,000 per person – all proceeds benefitting Wonderfund
Tickets Available: 5/15

Known as Boston’s most hospitable host, it’s a little-known fact that Garrett also loves to cook. A marlo marketing client since 2006, Garrett will go behind the stove tonight for the most intimate of private dinners, preparing a multi-course family-style meal with each course representing one of the restaurants that have shaped his two-plus decade career in hospitality. From being the youngest GM in The Kimpton Group’s history in San Francisco before returning east where he ran and created some of Boston’s most beloved restaurants, including No. 9 Park, B&G Oysters, Island Creek Oyster Bar, Row 34 and, of course, Eastern Standard.

Guests will also enjoy fresh bread and pastries from the new ES Bake Shop, specialty cocktails created by Garrett’s longtime Beverage Director, Jackson Cannon, and a thoughtful selection of paired wines chosen by Garrett himself. This is one dinner party you won’t want to miss!

To make this dinner even more special, all proceeds will go to the Wonderfund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the 53,000 children engaged with the MA Department of Children & Families the opportunities, experiences, and essentials that every child deserves. Special guests Wonderfund CEO Lauren Baker and former MA Governor Charlie Baker will also be in attendance for what promises to be an unforgettable night.

Studio Series Coming Soon

November

We’re not ready to reveal this hot ticket just yet…stay tuned for an event you won’t want to miss!

Studio Series Cookies 2

December

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Sunday, December 8
12:00 – 4:00
$25 per person
includes champagne and cookie swap

In today’s new world of remote and hybrid work, the marlo team is just as effective working from home, setting up shop at a client restaurant, or while traveling on the road. And while we no longer have an office where people come every day, we use our little Leather District studio space to come together as a team when we miss that human connection. Join the marlo team to raise a glass to being grateful for all that we have this holiday season with a cookie swap and champagne party. All guests are asked to bring a holiday cookie that is meaningful to their season for sampling and swapping (assuming any are left over, that is!).

Past Events

Studio Series Jessica Diaz 2

January

Welcoming a New Year with Purpose & Intention

Starting a business, especially at the ripe young age of 32 before having the opportunity to experience the importance of work/life balance and nurturing one’s own soul, has sent Marlo on a wellness journey over the past 20 years to counter the daily demands of entrepreneurship. We’ll start our 12-month studio series on a high note with an interactive talk by Jessica Diaz on Honoring Your Energy for Health & Wellness: A Human Design Workshop.

Human Design blends ancient wisdom with modern science to offer a personalized approach to health and wellness, respecting your unique energetic makeup. Join us to embrace your authentic self, reduce stress-related health issues, and embark on a new year’s journey to lasting health and happiness. Using nothing other than your birth date, birth time, and birthplace, you can:

  • Learn how to get out of your mind and trust the intelligence of your body
  • Embody the strategy intended by your particular Type (1 of 5) in order to live with ease
  • Better understand how to say yes or no to life’s choices
  • Determine what to clear out of your life to make space for the things that are good for you
  • Understand your purpose in life

Learn how to honor yourself by living your authentic design over healthy snacks and beverages. Every attendee will receive a $50 credit toward a personalized reading with Jessica.

Studio Series Wine Chocolate

February

Choose Your Own Adventure: Red Wine + Chocolate Pairing

Bevvies – and wine in particular – have always been a big part of the marlo marketing journey, beginning with one of our OG clients, The Nantucket Wine Festival, a marlo client for 13 years until it sold in 2012. We’ve also worked with a variety of game-changing wine, beer, and spirits brands over the years, not to mention several chocolate clients, and know that few things pair more beautifully (but really, does anything not go with chocolate?!).

Join us for a fun post-Valentine’s sipping event solo, with friends, or with your sweetie where we’ll sample a selection of reds beyond the usual Pinot Noirs and Cabs; think of those varietals you’ve seen on menus but weren’t sure about committing to a glass. Wine expert Jen Scott of the delightful family-owned, downtown Boston neighborhood favorite Georgie’s Wine Shop & Bar has carefully selected a superb series of reds to pair well with a variety of Valrhona Grand Cru chocolate couvertures, offering their own unique composition of complex flavor. Instead of the usual stuffy formal program, you’ll have the freedom to mix and match to your liking, depending on your personal palate preferences. No two adventures will be the same – the only thing we guarantee is that there will be no sweeter way to celebrate the love we have for wine and chocolate!

**This is a 21+ event.

Studio Series Tom Berry Chris Jamison

March

Go Big or Go Home: Tom Berry & Chris Jamison Serve Up Success the COJE Way, For Good

We’ll wrap up the first quarter of our series in a BIG way, with an exclusive private dinner hosted by Tom Berry, Chief Culinary Officer, and Chris Jamison, visionary and founder of COJE Management. Tom has been a client of Marlo’s since he was opening chef at Bambara in 2002 – her public relations work with him predates even the founding of the agency. She made a fateful introduction to Chris Jamison before the legendary Yvonne’s opened in 2015, and the rest is history. Today, Tom is the culinary genius behind the food at Yvonne’s, Lolita, Mariel, RUKA, Caveau, Coquette, Cocorico and the group’s next project, Mr. H, opening Spring 2024 in Boston’s Seaport.

Prepared and served personally by Tom, guests will enjoy a medley of COJE’s greatest culinary hits, along with a small teaser of Mr. H, paired with a special selection of accompanying wines. Chris will be on hand to share his perspective on what inspires Boston’s coolest hospitality group as they continue to innovate into 2024 and beyond. And COJE Beverage Director Ray Tremblay will be behind the marlo bar creating handcrafted cocktails to start and end the evening on a high note.

To make this evening even more special, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm. Located in Andover, MA, they have been helping children and adults find hope and healing through equine-assisted therapies for 40 years. Tom’s 4-year-old daughter, Hazel, who has visual impairment and developmental delays because of a rare genetic disorder, has immensely benefitted from the program she started at 2 years old. The program is incredibly important to Tom and his family, and he’s excited to share more about it (as well as amazing food and wine!) for our March event.

VILLA MEXICO CAFE THE FOOD LENS BRIAN SAMUELS PHOTOGRAPHY JULY 2020 0339 Cropped

April

Villa Mexico Cafe Fundraiser

April means many things: the start of baseball season, the thawing of winter and, in Boston, the beloved Boston Marathon. For many years, the marlo offices were located at 667 Boylston, directly at the Marathon finish line. Our Marathon parties were the stuff of legends (if we do say so ourselves) drawing a wide variety of friends, neighbors, and local notables, and over time, became known for their expansive Mexican spread and frozen marg machine. While we enjoyed many a festive celebration, it goes without saying that the 2013 bombing cast a shadow on an annual tradition for so many. However, during those dark days when we lost access to our office temporarily as the investigation unfolded, we relied upon the kindness of our community to step in and provide solace – and physical space – when we needed it most. Specifically, startup incubator MassChallenge opened up their office in the Seaport to us and for that we will always be grateful. When we moved to bigger digs in Downtown Crossing in 2014, we left our Marathon party behind…and this year are thrilled to resurrect it for one night only to help out a locally based Mexican restaurant that is struggling to survive due to the drastic reduction of foot traffic from office workers downtown.

Also celebrating a milestone anniversary this year, Villa México Café has spent the past 25 years offering authentic, homemade Mexican food in Boston. This family-run business located in the Financial District has added to the rich culinary tapestry of our city for more than two decades and, after reading about their plight in the Boston Business Journal, it was clear to us that they’d be the perfect match for our revived Marathon party Mexican feast.

For this studio series, we’ve also partnered with InnoCrew, whose mission is to empower and support early-stage founders through monthly events, genuine relationship-building, and authentic conversations. In the spirit of supporting the community of entrepreneurs and startups that was there for us in those dark days in 2013, we’re delighted to co-host this event with them. Plus, we hear they’re taco-eating machines!

Join marlo marketing and InnoCrew for an all-you-can-eat taco extravaganza with all proceeds going directly to Villa Mexico. And yes, there will be a frozen marg machine 😉

Jars of Villa Mexico Cafe’s famous salsa will be available to purchase, as well as discounted catering gift cards for a ten-person taco party at $125, normally $150!

**This is a 21+ event.

Studio Series Chinatown

May

Private Tour of Chinatown with Jacqueline Church

Wood Monkey Tour of Boston Chinatown

The office we lost as a result of COVID was in DTX, mere blocks from Boston Chinatown. Today, we’re even closer – literally steps from the iconic Chinatown gate – and we are committed to celebrating the cultural vitality of our neighboring community. During Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month we’ll be offering two educational opportunities around Chinese culture.

marlo marketing officially opened our doors on April 1, 2004 (talk about an April Fool’s Day!), making our Chinese Zodiac sign & element the Wood Monkey. The lucky number for this year is 7, and intelligence, wit, and creativity characterize wood monkeys. Yep, sounds like us!  Boston Chinatown expert Jacqueline Church has created a special Lucky 7 Tour exclusively for marlo marketing that will last approximately an hour and visit 7 shops to try 7 authentic Chinese bites.

Each tour is limited to 7 people at the special marlo rate of $77 each.

Untitled (640 X 176 Px) (14)

June

Things We Love

One of our all-time favorite things in life is summer, so what better way to celebrate and pay homage to some of our other favorite things!?

Join us as we partner with the Foundation to be Named Later (FTBNL), an organization that creates opportunities and a future of possibility for young people in Boston, for a fundraiser that celebrates a wide variety of things we love, like chocolate, wine, supporting good friends, meeting new people, and raising money for worthy causes. Get your wine on while sampling to your hearts content a wide variety of Valrhona chocolate couvertures, each offering their own complex flavor profile. But rest assured, this won’t be a stuffy pairing event; it’s about enjoying the things we love…and if a glass of wine with Valrhona Manjari Madagascar 64% Dark Chocolate is your idea of perfection, we’re here for it!

Wait, there’s one other thing we love… Restaurants. If you do too, you’ll want to bring some extra $$ to enter to win a raffle of $1,000 worth of restaurant gift certificates that will make your summer even more delicious; and the first 10 people to sign up will get a FREE RAFFLE TICKET! This is one summer soirée you won’t want to miss!

Studio Series Narragansett

July

Nasty No More: Narragansett Beer Tasting

Wednesday, July 31
5:30 – 7:30
$65 per person
Tickets Available: 4

Kick back a cold one with CEO/Chief ‘Gansett himself, Mark Hellendrung, a marlo marketing client since 2009. Learn the history of one of New England’s most storied brands – from its days as the one-time Official Beer of the Red Sox to its fall from grace as Nasty ‘Narry, to its triumphant return to glory today as one of the leading craft brewers in the country. Mark will be joined by the indomitable Lee Lord, ‘Gansett’s head brewer, who will walk us through a tasting of ‘Gansett’s craft beers, sharing the stories of each beer as well as her own story as a badass female in a male-dominated brewing world.

While sampling the ‘Gansett lineup, you’ll enjoy a variety of snacks including pretzels from Eastern Standard Provisions.

**This is a 21+ event.