Our Story
Smirk New Media has been a different kind of digital agency from the start. We put relationships, transparency and strategy at the center of everything we do. Developing digital-first strategies and fostering long-term client relationships has helped our team continue to grow since 2010. Smirk steadily evolved into a full-service provider as our team, expertise and portfolio grew with hundreds of projects completed in digital strategy, social, ads, community management, SEO, web design, and creative services.
Smirk launched as the first independent social media agency in OKC.
2011
2011 is a pivotal year for our start-up. Founder Mike Koehler went from solo consultant to a two-person team when Allie Carrick joined Smirk. In the summer, Smirk rolled out its first brand tagline: “Words on the Web.” On December 14, Smirk partnered with Pops Route 66 for social media management.
MAY 9: Oklahoman Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, is profiled by The New Yorker after winning four Bloggie Awards
DECEMBER: Nielsen declares Facebook the second most visited website in the United States
Smirk moves into its first brick & mortar office in Automobile Alley.
In the spring, Smirk moves into its first brick and mortar office, a basement space in Automobile Alley lovingly referred to as the “Smirk Bunker.” In the summer, Kevin DeShazo becomes Smirk’s first social media strategist.
2013
On March 22, Mike is a featured speaker at OKC’s second annual M3 Marketing Conference. In the fall, Allie is a founding member of the first local professional group for digital marketers, OKC Social.
SEPTEMBER: Facebook launches Ad Analytics and Boosts, allowing pages to target more users and get detailed metrics
NOVEMBER 6: Twitter goes public
Smirk moves into a new office in the Kamp's 1910 building.
2015
On January 15, Mike is a featured speaker at the NCAA National Convention. On April 9, Smirk integrates Slack into daily team communication, ending the world’s longest group text message thread. In November, Smirk expands its service offerings to include SEO and digital advertising services. Smirk also partners with Downtown OKC, Inc., providing social media and consulting services that develop large fan bases for multiple downtown districts.
FEBRUARY 26: Black/Blue, White/Gold Dress
MAY 19: Google adds Tweets to mobile search results
AUGUST 27: Facebooks hits one billion users
Smirk wins the first of six straight awards at the AMA Marketini's.
Smirk wins its first award for best social media and digital campaigns, kicking off a winning streak that continues today. Smirk also integrated Giant Worldwide’s “5 Voices System” into our company culture in May and we haven’t looked back since.
2017
On May 9, Mike and Allie make their business partnership official, announcing new roles: Mike to focus on vision, partnership, and business development and Allie takes over running the day-to-day business, team, and execution. On November 6, Lee Emerson is promoted to Senior Strategist, overseeing premier client projects and Smirk’s content creators. In December, Smirk is an official local partner for the OKC Grow With Google event. With days left in 2017, Smirk finalizes a new partnership with Sonic Drive-In.
MAY 3: Facebook adds reactions
APRIL 20: The IAB reports 2016 was the first time mobile ad spending had overtaken desktop spending, and the first time digital surpassed TV ad spend
SEPTEMBER 26: Twitter increases the tweet character limit to 280
Smirk becomes a full-service digital agency, adding creative services.
On July 1, Smirk becomes a full-service digital agency, adding creative services, including branding, motion design, graphics, and video production. On October 8, Smirk rolls out new branding and an original website experience called “The Smirk Works.”
Become a part of Smirk's 2021 chapter.
