Brushfire Inc.: The New Jersey Direct-Response Independent Now 56 Years On

Edited on July 18, 2026.

Brushfire Inc. is the New Jersey-based direct-response advertising and PR agency founded in 1969 — one of the longest-continuously-operating independent agencies in the U.S. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marketsmith, Inc., Brushfire operates as the direct-response and integrated marketing arm inside the Marketsmith family, servicing clients across consumer products, retail, financial services, healthcare, and public utilities.

Positioning

Brushfire occupies a specific structural niche: direct-response advertising and PR as an integrated discipline rather than two separate categories. The direct-response model — measurable, response-driven, ROI-anchored — combined with earned media and PR represents one of the more durable operating structures inside consumer marketing. Brushfire has been running that combined practice for five decades.

The Marketsmith Acquisition

In 2014, Brushfire was acquired by Marketsmith, Inc., a data-driven direct marketing firm led by CEO Monica C. Smith. Under Smith, Marketsmith had built a track record spanning $200 million-plus in advertising spend management and $1.5 billion in client revenue driven. The acquisition retained all 16 Brushfire employees at the time of close and continued Joan Mueller in her role as Brushfire president through the transition. The combined structure gave Brushfire access to Marketsmith's data and analytics infrastructure while preserving the Brushfire brand and client relationships.

Awards

Post-acquisition, Brushfire captured two Bronze Telly Awards:

Online Commercial category (Bronze): Long-term partnership tribute campaign for Minwax — recognized for the campaign's authenticity in reflecting a decades-long client-agency relationship.

Multi-Market Cable category (Bronze): "X, the Money" campaign — recognized for humor-forward execution across cable-market direct-response television.

Brushfire has also been ranked among the top 10 PR businesses in New York City by industry surveys, on criteria including crisis response speed, senior-talent depth, and integrated PR-plus-SEO capability.

Case Reference

PSEG Long Island: Brushfire's engagement produced a 53-point increase in the utility's J.D. Power score, moving the client from the bottom quartile into the top of the second quartile. In a category where regulated-utility reputation moves slowly, that scale of shift is one of the standout J.D. Power results in the industry.

SHARK brand: 28-percent Q4 revenue increase paired with a 21-percent reduction in marketing expenditure — a joint efficiency and revenue improvement that anchors the direct-response value case Brushfire competes on.

Widex: 4-month "Next Level Rewards" campaign targeting the hearing-aid category. Consumer purchases exceeded initial goals by 95 percent of unit target; audiologist sign-ups exceeded goals by 11.5 percent. Category structure — audiologists as gatekeepers with consumers as end buyers — required a dual-audience program that direct-response combined with earned media was structured to deliver.

Named Clients

Historical and current engagements span consumer packaged goods, retail, utilities, and healthcare. Named clients include The New Jersey Lottery, Remington, Subaru, Thompson's, Minwax, PSEG Long Island, SHARK, and Widex.

Where Brushfire fits in the PR firm landscape

The direct-response marketing category has consolidated substantially over the last decade, with most independent DR agencies acquired by digital-first parents or absorbed into holding-company networks. Brushfire's position inside the Marketsmith family gives it access to data and analytics infrastructure while maintaining the operating identity of a 56-year-old independent brand. The Worldwide Partners network membership provides global reach across 89 countries for clients requiring international campaign coordination.

For the full landscape, see the PR Firms Directory.

Related Coverage

• PR Firms Directory — A–Z, by Specialty, by Region
• Regional & Full-Service Firms
• Leading PR Firms Guide