Marcus Drenth’s commitment for giving back runs deep. He credits his grandparents for fostering his passion. Instead of receiving Christmas gifts, Drenth’s grandparents encouraged their large extended family to volunteer their time at local shelters and community organizations.
Those early lessons stuck with him, guiding his path in life and shaping how he runs his Grand Rapids-based digital marketing agency,
NineTen Media.
“Giving back is at the heart of West Michigan,” Drenth says. “It’s something that was ingrained in me growing up, and I’ve always known I wanted to incorporate that into my work and life. It’s an honor to come alongside organizations that dedicate their work to helping others in our community.”
With that commitment in mind, NineTen Media recently announced that it will offer up to three pro bono projects for local nonprofits in 2025.
“We’ll offer services like web design, managing advertising campaigns, and digital strategy consulting to help these organizations grow and thrive,” he says.
The Calvin College grad hopes these projects will empower nonprofits that might not otherwise have access to such professional services to expand their reach and grow their impact.
“We want to be a part of their success stories,” Drenth says.
Drenth believes this initiative aligns with the core values of West Michigan, a region known for its strong sense of community and commitment to service.
“West Michigan has always been a place where people look out for one another and give back,” he says. “I’ve been lucky enough to grow up here and build my business here, and this is my way of saying thank you and doing my part to support the community.”
Path to entrepreneurship
Drenth’s path to becoming an entrepreneur was paved with a 15-year career in corporate marketing in Grand Rapids.
He spent a decade at HarperCollins Publishers, specifically at Zondervan, where he worked as the brand manager for “The Berenstain Bears” and helped drive digital marketing efforts for a variety of bestselling titles.
Later, he moved on to Bissell, where he worked in the company’s commercial division, helping to build their e-commerce presence.
“At Bissell, I helped grow my business unit’s annual e-commerce revenue from $50,000 to $10 million,” Drenth recalls. “It wasn’t easy. It took several years of hard work, strategic planning, and adapting to a rapidly changing digital landscape. But that experience taught me so much about how to build and scale a brand.”
Despite his corporate success, Drenth felt something was missing. While his work was fulfilling in many ways, he couldn’t shake the desire to pursue something more personal and community-focused. Eventually, he reached a point where he had to decide between continuing on the corporate path or striking out on his own.
“I did what I call the ‘deathbed test,’” Drenth explains. “I asked myself, ‘If I look back on my life, will I regret not going out on my own and trying to build something from scratch?’ I knew I would, so about a year ago, I took the leap.”
On his own
That leap led to the creation of Dood Digital, a boutique digital marketing agency that Drenth originally branded around his beloved miniature golden doodle. But as the business rapidly expanded and evolved, so did its needs.
Dood Digital has since been rebranded to NineTen Media, a full-service agency offering a wide range of services, including web design, digital marketing, and strategic consulting.
“What sets us apart is that we’re flexible and adaptable,” Drenth says. “We build a team around the client’s needs, which allows us to keep costs reasonable while providing exactly what they need to achieve their goals. Whether it’s building a website, launching a digital marketing campaign, or offering consulting services, we can scale up or down as needed.”
This approach has allowed NineTen Media to work with a variety of clients, ranging from medical and dental offices to publishers and food and beverage companies. Over the past year, the agency has collaborated with small and large businesses to launch new websites and improve their digital marketing systems.