Mower (formerly Eric Mower + Associates) is a full-service integrated marketing communications agency that offers consumer and business-to-business marketing and public relations/public affairs.
According the company, about 55% of its work involves B2B marketing, while the rest involves marketing to consumers (B2C). The agency's major clients include FirstEnergy, 84.51°, Carhartt Company Gear, Rhode Island Energy, FedEx, ABB, Prysmian, Northwest Bank, Novant Health and Ford Dealers.[2]
History
Eric Mower joined the three person Silverman Advertising agency in 1968 and in 1975 the company was renamed Silverman & Mower.[3][4] In 1980, the firm became Eric Mower and Associates when Eric Mower purchased the firm.[5]
Mower combined with Levy King & White of Buffalo, N.Y., in 1990 and Blair BBDO of Rochester, N.Y., in 1991. EMA opened its offices in Albany, N.Y.,[6] in 1996 and in Atlanta, Ga., in 1998. EMA combined with Sage Marcom of Syracuse, N.Y. in 2001;[7] and Price McNabb of Charlotte, N.C. in 2004.[8] In 2008, EMA combined with Mark Russell & Associates of Syracuse, N.Y. and Atlanta [5] and with Sawchuck Brown Associates of Albany, N.Y.[9] In addition, EMA combined with Strata-G Communications of Cincinnati, Ohio in 2012[10] and Middleton & Gendron of New York City in 2014.[11] And most recently in October 2015, EMA combined with HB Agency, a Boston-based integrated marketing and public relations agency.[12]
In 2018, during Eric Mower's 50th year with the company, the firm rebranded itself as Mower.[13][14]
In 2019, Doug Kamp was named chief creative officer.[15][16]
In 2021, Stephanie Crockett was named president and COO of the agency.[17] She was appointed chief executive officer in January 2023, at which time Eric Mower became executive chair.[1]
In August 2022, Eric Mower sold 100% ownership of the company to the staff via an employee stock ownership plan.[18][19]
In 2024, Lisa Costa was named chief financial officer.[20]
Operations
Locations and staff
The agency employs 145 people in the following locations: New York City, Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Miami, Charlotte, Cincinnati and Nashville.[21]
In 2023, Ragan Communications named Mower to its Top Places to Work list.[22] In 2023, PRWeek named Mower to its Best Places to Work list.[23] In 2021,[24] 2014 and 2012, Mower was named by Ad Age as one of the 50 "Best Places to Work" in advertising.[25] Mower was also named a "Top Place to Work in PR" five times by PR News,[26] most recently in 2020,[27] and was twice named Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter.[28] The agency's work has been recognized in the Cannes Lion, Clio, One Show, Addy, PRSA Silver Anvil, ACE and B2B Awards.
Finances
In 2022, Mower became an ESOP, one of the few marketing firms in the nation to be 100% employee owned.[29]
New York State Tourism Industry Association "Roam the Empire"
ABB "Adaptive Execution"
Iroquois Healthcare Association "The Caring Gene" [34]
Recent achievements
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) named Mower an Agency of the Year in 2022 (Midsize), and 2023 and 2024 (Large) in its B2 Awards competition, where the agency won awards for clients including the FirstEnergy’s “Drone Zone Safety Game,” Prysmian Group’s “The Prysmian League,” One Hundred Black Men of New York’s “Open Every Door,”[35] New York State Tourism Industry Association's “Roam the Empire,” National Grid's “More Opportunities in More Places,” Iroquois Healthcare Association's “Caring Gene,” ABB's “eMine” and “Adaptive Execution,” and Mower's internal agency rebrand “Making Fierce Friends.”[36]
PRNews named Mower to its 2023 Agency Elite Top 100 ranking.[37] In 2024, the agency was listed in the Chief Marketer 200 for the seventh consecutive year.[38] Mower won the Grand Prix, as well as the ‘Best Response to Change’ category at The Drum Awards for B2B in 2021 with its work for the Iroquois Health Association.[39] The New York State Tourism Industry Association awarded Mower with its first New Yorker Award in 2022 in recognition of the agency's development of the Roam the Empire campaign to aid tourism businesses in their recovery from the pandemic.[40] The Diversity Action Alliance selected Mower's work for One Hundred Black Men of New York as the 2022 Best DEI Advocacy Campaign.[41] Mower also earned both a Gold and Silver Adrian Award for its work in travel and tourism marketing during the 2020 Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards.[42]
Mower was ranked 14th in City & State's 2023 New York Political PR Power 50.[43] The ranking lists the top strategic communications professionals in New York politics and policy. CenterState CEO named Mower a 2023 Business of the Year.[44] The Rochester Business Journal named the agency a 2023 Elevating Women honoree.[45]
Eric Mower was also inducted into the Association of National Advertisers Business-to-Business Marketing Hall of Fame during the 2019 Masters of B2B Marketing Conference in Chicago.[46] The Business Council of New York State presented Eric Mower with the 2022 Corning Award for Excellence.[47]
