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Team DIGO | 05/13/2016 | in
The following post is an excerpt from Digital@Speed, authored by digital marketing guru Mark DiMassimo. Visit the official website here to download your free copy today.
Great brands are like great individuals. Authentic. Idiosyncratic. Unique.
But most brands, like most people, fall into bad habits. And the bad habits cost them dearly. To help you avoid them, here are the Seven Habits of Highly Affected people.
1) Trying to be cool. The coolest clients never brief in “cool”. They focus on relevance.
2) Falling into The Aspiration Trap. Usually, you’re not the target audience. Neither is your Hamptons-dwelling agency head. Remember: it’s about the target’s aspirations, not yours.
3) Briefing from the Trend Report. Great brands create trends.
4) Management Fads. Quality is not job one! Professional management has buckets of specialized concepts. They don’t belong in great advertising, even to professional managers.
5) Believing: “You don’t get it because you’re not the target.” Your job is to get it or you shouldn’t be signing off. Period.
6) Wishful Thinking. Advertising can be a tool for leadership. More often it is a reflection of corporate denial. Advertise the target’s wish, not the company’s.
7) Mistake execution for ideas. It’s easy to fall in love with something beautiful, novel, funny, poetic, witty, or profound. Do fall in love. But first make sure there’s a powerful, convincing idea in the middle of all the artistry. If you’re in the right sort of place, your job depends on it.
Most brands have fallen into one or more of these habits. That’s why great brand change agents will always be busy.
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Team DIGO | 05/05/2016 | in
Today is DiMassimo Goldstein’s 20th anniversary, and we’d like to make one thing very clear:
We are 20 years young…not 20 years old.
Why?
Because as an agency, we must always focus on the future. Before we can ever develop an inspiring idea, we first have to identify the alternative future we exist to prevent. It’s our job to build brands. We come to work each day and work collaboratively to help our clients become the leading brands of 2020, and once they get there, we’ll be focused on 2025. Simply put, we’re obsessed with growth, and it’s hard to grow if you’re busy reflecting on the accomplishments of the past.
Besides, we’re youthful in spirit. Our mission, our drive, and our passion for our clients have not grown tired. We’re just as enthusiastic as we were on day one, and that will never change.
Still, we’d be remiss if we failed to acknowledge this day and this milestone. Not because of us, but because of you.
It wouldn’t be possible to be where we are today if it weren’t for the help of so many others along the way. This is our 20th year of saying thank you. Thank you to our incredible clients, both past and present. Thank you to our team members, both past and present, for making each day so exciting. Thank you to the countless others who have joined us on this incredible journey.
It’s been an unbelievable 20 years. Let’s make the next 20 even better.
–The DiMassimo Goldstein Team
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Team DIGO | 04/29/2016 | in
Take a look through our full design showcase here.
The context is the user’s or the audience’s experience. Design in context. Present in context. Evaluate in context. The first rule of design. And remember that everything we do is design.
At DiMassimo Goldstein, we put our values in a document we call “The DIGO Standard.” It doesn’t just hang on the walls and sit on our desks and desktops. We use it every day. People who visit often ask for a copy. Here’s yours, and you didn’t even have to ask.
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Team DIGO | 04/28/2016 | in
For most parents, the day goes like this:
Wake the kids up. Make them breakfast. Send them off to school. Go to work.
But not today. Today is Take Our Daughters to Work Day. Whether you’re a teacher or a lawyer, it’s the one day each year where you can bring your little angel to the office for all to see. It’s your one chance to show off the little princess that’s been seen framed in a picture on your desk for the past 2 years. Now, for the first time, your daughter can see what Daddy and Mommy do everyday. It’s an opportunity that should be taken advantage by everyone, in all professions.
On second thought, maybe not everyone…
This year, we teamed up with incredible director Ted Melfi and production company Brother to make the funniest Take Our Daughters to Work Day ad ever made. How? By encouraging Prison Guards everywhere that the clink is probably not the best place for your 7-year old girl. In fact, it’s SO funny that you may even see it running on Comedy Central’s website. Check out the spot below:
Comedy Central – Prison Guard from DiMassimo Goldstein on Vimeo.
P.S. But seriously Prison Guards, don’t bring your daughters to work today. Please.
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Team DIGO | 04/22/2016 | in
By James Nieman
Here at DiMassimo Goldstein, Earth Day holds a lot of meaning.
Last year, we hosted a party called the “Night of The Living Shred”. We invited a bunch of our friends over to the agency to shine a spotlight on waste in the advertising industry. We asked them to bring over old presentations, unused ads, and any other old paper they had lying around the office so we could recycle them and celebrate the day while collectively helping to support and protect the environment.
Some of the paper went to our paper shredder, where our amazing Art Director Erica Grau took the remains and used them create a mural that a year later still shines brighter than ever. If you haven’t seen it already, the recap video is worth the watch.
So when Earth Day came around this year, we knew we had to Inspire Action again, except this time, we did it internally.
As an agency, we work hard to create empowering habits, not just in our clients and their customers, but in ourselves as well. That’s why throughout our entire office you will see these beautiful flyers reminding us that every day is Earth Day, and that if you truly want to make a difference, you have to turn actions into habits.
These flyers are here to stay, and we’re going to continue to strive towards making this office as environmentally friendly as possible.
But Earth Day is also a celebration, and we couldn’t help but turn the day into some Social Media fun. Check out our DiMassimo Goldstein Snapchat filter below:
Together, we can make every day Earth Day.
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Team DIGO | 04/11/2016 | in
From Intern to Partner, Inspiring Action Agency Names CFO as Fifth Partner
April 11, 2016 (New York, NY) – To support its ongoing growth, NYC-based advertising and brand-building agency DiMassimo Goldstein has announced that Desiree Cortez has been named the agency’s fifth partner. Previously Director of Operations, Cortez will also assume the title of Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Cortez will take on expanded responsibilities in the ongoing development of financial and operational strategy aimed at cementing the agency’s position as the leading partner for life-changing marketers.
Beginning a decade-long career with DiMassimo Goldstein, Cortez joined the DiGo team as an operations intern, quickly securing a full time position as First Impression Manager. Focused on the agency’s finances, facilities, and HR management, Cortez played an integral role in the restructuring of DiMassimo Goldstein’s operations department and fundamental infrastructure. Cortez is credited with the development and growth of DIGO’s internship program and assisting in leadership training material construction. Making her an invaluable asset to DiMassimo Goldstein’s brand-driven growth network, Cortez is recognized in the creation of current systems, policies, and procedures accredited to the agency’s scaled profitably over the past 10 years.
“We’re trying to build something unique in the world, an integrated agency focused on life-changing organizations, and Desiree has been an important part of that for ten years,” said the agency’s chief, Mark DiMassimo. “We have long since been working as partners, and this makes it happily official.”
As Chief Financial Officer, Cortez will take on expanded responsibilities in strategic business planning and will continue to serve as a business partner for clients during key points in their relationship with the agency.
“I am both honored and excited about the opportunity and look forward to playing a leading role in the next 10 years of our agency’s growth,” said Desiree Cortez on her new promotion.
In addition to her new role as Chief Financial Officer, Cortez will join CEO Mark DiMassimo, President Lee Goldstein, Managing Director of Proove, Adam Lutz, and Chief Creative Officer, Tom Christmann in the rank of Partner. Driving the growth and direction of the agency, Cortez will be included in key decision-making about the services the network will build and foster, while maintaining its commitment to inspiring action and direct-economy innovation.
About DiMassimo Goldstein (DIGO Brands):
DiMassimo Goldstein, an Inc 5000 fastest-growing company (2014 and 2015), is a NYC-based independent brand and business-building agency that accelerates value, scale, and impact through inspiring action. The agency serves a rising class of entrepreneurial leaders of innovative companies in the US and beyond who want to chart a path of life-changing growth in an era of overwhelming change. Clients include HelloFresh, Great Minds, TradeStation, Online Trading Academy, Weight Watchers, Affinity Federal Credit Union, Mediacom, National Jewish Health, Sallie Mae and CreditCards.com among others. Proove Accountable Media is DiMassimo Goldstein’s media planning, buying, analytics and optimization arm.
About Desiree Cortez:
Beginning as an operations intern and rising to newly announced Partner and Chief Financial Officer of DiMassimo Goldstein, Desiree Cortez has spent over a decade focused on the financial and operational growth of the agency core initiatives on its charted path to become the leading agency partner for life-changing marketers. Holding previous position titles including, First Impression Manager, Operations Manager, Director of Finance and HR, and Director of Operations, Desiree has proven to be an essential member of the DiMassimo Goldstein team. After choosing to focus on finance, Desiree earned a Master degree in Accounting and Financial Management from Keller Graduate School of Management. Desiree currently splits her time between Chicago and New York City offices.
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Team DIGO | 03/29/2016 | in
The 30th SXSW has come and gone, and it’s hard to believe how much was packed into such a short period of time! Just in case you couldn’t make it down to Austin for the festival this year – or even if you did, and felt too overwhelmed to really soak it all in – here’s my recap of South By’s highlights:
Branded Activation:
Every year, brands flock to Austin to get in front of the 72,000+ attendees, hoping to become a part of their experiences – especially the ones documented on social media. While there were definitely some interesting “brandtivities” this year, the two that stood out to me the most were:
1) United Airlines: For their first time sponsoring SXSW, the airline set up multiple lounges that brought the actual brand experience to the festival by featuring their comfy first-class seats as lounge chairs / recharging stations. The snacks they gave out early in the morning were the same ones they give on early AM flights, in order to showcase the quality of their in-flight service. Finally, they tapped into the SXSW audience’s natural entrepreneurial and tech spirit by inviting them to help improve the United website and app by taking part in their #IdeasFlyHere sweepstakes
2) Casper: Casper also brought their physical brand experience to life by setting up a “napping pod” – as part of their Nap Tour. They added an additional media touchpoint and extended campaign reach by geo-targeting Facebook ads to people in Austin, encouraging them to stop by their “napmobile.”
Virtual Reality:
This was definitely the must-have accessory for every trade show booth this year. Gillette, Las Vegas Tourism, and Samsung all had virtual reality goggles, helping them showcase their brands. The most interesting use of VR, though, was the premiere of the first-ever Virtual Reality Infographic, as debuted by Nowsourcing.
Notable Startups:
As a Media Director, I’m inherently drawn to ideas that focus on efficiency, creative problem-solving, and leveraging materials that you already have. The startups that impressed me the most were the ones that – rather than reinventing the wheel – utilized resources that were already in existence, and currently being wasted:
4) Roadie: This “on-the-way” delivery Network lets you send shipments with people who are already traveling to a destination, and have room in their car for your package.
5) RoomSplit: This startup is like Airbnb, but for hotel rooms. If, for instance, your SXSW lodging is a really expensive hotel room that has two beds, and you’re only one person, you can find a roommate to split the cost for the duration of your stay.
6) DonateTheBars.com: Whenever you take a vertical-video on your cell phone, the resulting clip inevitably has two black bars on each side. This startup allows users to utilize these black bars in vertically filmed videos by donating them to NGO’s. Watch the video below to learn more.
Inspiring Action:
Lots of brands this year included “inspiration” in their messaging:
7) Pepsi: “Over food and drink, new ideas are born. Join us on the journey. NSPIRE.” – At the Mashable house, Pepsi let people create their own uniquely flavored drinks.
8) Qualcomm: “When will you be inspired by what you can’t see?” – Showcasing an Augmented Reality “Museum of Invisible Things” at theMashable House.
9) Mazda: “Find inspiration at every turn. Driving matters” – At the Mazda Recharging Lounge.
New to SXSW:
This year, SXSW debuted “Featured Speaker Meetups,” allowing eager festival-goers to interact with some of the most notable speakers. I took advantage of this new program and got to spend about an hour speaking in a 1-on-10 group with Kevin Kelly – founding executive director of Wired Magazine – about technology, media, and the future. It was extremely informative, and I will definitely be taking advantage of this opportunity again next year!
Overall, this year’s festival was extremely inspiring, invigorating, exciting, and innovating. Can’t wait for next year – hope to see you there!
-Rebecca Weiser, Media Director
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Team DIGO | 03/18/2016 | in
Don’t hold back. There are no bad ideas or dumb questions. Only the ideas you held back and the questions you should have asked but didn’t.
![FullSizeRender[1]](https://digobrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FullSizeRender11.jpg)
At DiMassimo Goldstein, we put our values in a document we call “The DIGO Standard.” It doesn’t just hang on the walls and sit on our desks and desktops. We use it every day. People who visit often ask for a copy. Here’s yours, and you didn’t even have to ask.
![FullSizeRender[1]](http://digobrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FullSizeRender11.jpg)