MZD Advertising

Now operating as Z Marketing Partners, this agency traces its roots back more than 50 years under the MZD Advertising name and maintains offices in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Los Angeles, California. Its client roster spans national brands, including Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut and Papa John's, alongside regional and local organizations such as the Hoosier Lottery, Indiana State Fair, MCL Restaurant & Bakery, Stir Crazy, Spaghetti Warehouse, Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya, Indiana Black Expo, and Purdue University's Center on Poverty and Health Inequities. The team is small, in the range of one to ten people, working across both markets. The agency's stated approach moves through four stages: brand development, where it collaborates with clients to define brand essence; strategy, involving discovery and ideation to set direction; marketing, applying digital and traditional tactics; and stewardship, monitoring and measuring performance. Documented project work covers branding and design, digital campaigns, marketing strategy and planning, social media campaigns, video production, event planning, public relations and crisis communications, cause marketing, and website development. Past engagements illustrate this range, from restaurant branding and social media campaigns for MCL Restaurant & Bakery and Stir Crazy, to event planning and video for Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya, to public relations and crisis work alongside digital campaigns for Papa John's and Spaghetti Warehouse. The agency describes its offering as centered on communications that help a product, place, or company stand out, tailoring the mix of services to each client's needs rather than applying a fixed package.