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Team DIGO | 08/24/2016 | in
SmartCEO Announces New York’s Top Company Cultures
50 firms to be honored in New York SmartCEO’s Corporate Culture Awards program
New York, NY (Aug. 22, 2016) — New York SmartCEO is pleased to announce the 2016 Corporate Culture Award winners. The Corporate Culture Awards celebrate 50 companies in Greater New York that have successfully championed a positive, productive and performance driven culture, and have worked with their employees to develop successful cultural practices. Winners will be profiled in the November/December issue of SmartCEO magazine and celebrated at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 at 404 NYC.
Please see below for a complete list of winners and for program details. To share in the excitement leading up to the event, follow us @SmartCEO #CorporateCulture.
“The 2016 Corporate Culture Award winners have realized that running a company is more than head count and the bottom line. It’s about creating a place where creativity, energy and ideas are cultivated. Through this they are able to not only enhance performance and sustain their companies’ competitive advantages but also enrich the lives of those they employ and inspire them to make a greater impact on the world,” says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, President of SmartCEO. “We’re honored to celebrate with the leaders of New York’s top company cultures and recognize them for building true performance-driven cultures.”
The Corporate Culture Awards ceremony on Nov. 30, 2016, is an expected sell-out event where the leaders of New York’s top companies will gather to mingle, celebrate and share stories about their collective successes. The event will kick off with a high-energy networking reception, complete with fun activities, including ping-pong, a putting green and a basketball shootout. Accompanying the fun is a video-packed awards ceremony that will honor the leaders of New York’s top company cultures.
2016 Corporate Culture Award Winners
Adore Me, Altrum Group, Benhar Office Interiors, Bombas, Booker Software, Inc. Bounce Exchange, Bright Energy Services, Broadway Technology, Carrot Creative, ChalkDust Consulting, City Winery, Cliff Young Ltd., Convene, Create NYC, Crowdtap, David Feldman Worldwide, DiMassimo Goldstein, Drawbridge, Eastman Cooke Construction, Friedman LLP, Great Eastern Energy, House of Kaizen, IAC Applications, Innerspace Electronics, Inc., Innovid, IRI: Innovative Resources for Independence, J Public Relations, Kaptyn, LeadDog Marketing Group, Levien & Company, Inc., Likeable Media, LivePerson, Mitchell Martin, Inc., Nurture Inc. dba Happy Family Brands, Peloton Cycle, Pure Insurance, RiskVal Financial Solutions, Schaefer Enterprises, Inc., Shark Group, Silverline, SiteCompli, Small Planet Digital, Socialfly LLC, St. Christopher’s, Inc., SUMO Heavy, Tapad, TekScape, tmg-emedia, inc., TPN, Transbeam
About the Corporate Culture Awards
The Corporate Culture Awards program honors companies that foster a creative, collaborative workplace culture to enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage. Smart leaders understand that culture is a company’s greatest asset, driving performance and growth. What’s more, a successful culture is actively and intentionally cultivated and developed. Corporate Culture Awards winners will have championed for a positive, productive culture in their organization, and will have worked with employees to develop successful cultural practices. The final roster of winners will be chosen by an independent committee of local business leaders, profiled in SmartCEO magazine, and celebrated at a high-energy awards event.
About SmartCEO
SmartCEO’s mission is to educate and inspire the business community through its awardwinning magazine, connections at C-level events and access to valuable online resources. SmartCEO’s integrated media platforms reach decision makers in the Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Long Island, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas.
For more information about the 2017 Corporate Culture Awards nomination process and sponsorship opportunities, email Jennifer Ornovitz at jennifer@smartceo.com.
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Team DIGO | 06/02/2016 | in
Last week, we attended the New York Festivals – World’s Best Advertising creative sessions and awards show. Going in, we didn’t know what to expect. Throughout the day, we listened in on four panel discussions and saw an inspiring award show in the evening. By the end of the night, we felt extremely motivated to create work that will positively impact and change the world.
The 4 panels:
Content Disruption with Beth Collins Ellard (AdCouncil), Maya Draisin (WIRED), David Angelo (David & Goliath), and Jennifer Bremner (Unilever)
Is Content Marketing the Only Marketing Left? with Andrew Hanelly (Manifest), Duncan Milne (Imprint), Jacquie Loch (St. Joseph Communications Media Group), and Rachel Jo Silver (Love Stories TV)
Pushing Buttons – and Cultural Boundaries with John Mescall (McCann), Gary Osifchin (Mondelez International), Josy Paul (BBDO India), and Jenna Young (Weber Shandwick)
Beyond Your Portfolio with Raj Ramamurthy (Ogilvy), Jessica Shriftman (Weiden & Kennedy), and Nick Smatt (BBDO)
What We We Learned:
1. Know Yourself: In the first panel, Jennifer Bremner, brand director for Dove Beauty, said “If you know what you stand for, it’s easier to take risks.” If you don’t know who you are, you can’t create anything with real confidence. It’s okay to make mistakes along the way, but strive to always be an authentic brand, agency, or individual.
2. Matching Values: “When an agency and a client understand their core values, and share in these values, genius and magic happen.” – David Angelo, founder of David & Goliath. Agencies and clients who are driven by the same purpose will naturally create awesome work together. If values do not match, relationships will inevitably suffer.
3. The Moment: Not every moment is the right moment. Put your idea out into the world when it makes sense, and has the potential to inspire change. Jessica Shriftman, art director at Wieden & Kennedy, waited for the perfect opportunity to share her creative idea for Father’s Day with the right client at the right time. And Delta thanked her for it. You can watch the finished product HERE.
4. Smart Decisions: Jacquie Loch, vice president of content solutions at St. Joseph Communications Media Group, said, “Don’t feel the need to cover every social channel. Find the ones that work for your brand identity and own them.” Rachel Jo Silver, founder of Love Stories TV, also stressed the importance of brands keying in on social media that fits with who they are and reaches their audience: “Think small when selling on big social media.”
5. Channel Emotion: “Goosebumps good” – David Angelo. Content that stirs an emotion you can’t put into words, but can feel, indicates greatness. Underheard in New York, made by Jessica Shriftman and team, is a perfect example of creating lasting emotions and all the feels.
6. The 70/20/10 Rule: This applies to the usage of advertising budgets. Spend 70% on traditional advertising, 20% on nontraditional advertising, and 10% on experimental advertising. This allows for growth while maintaining stability. The 10% may not work out all the time, but when it does it will certainly pay off. And if an agency believes enough in a new idea, it shouldn’t be afraid to financially pitch in to bring that idea to life.
7. Don’t Be Afraid: “At the core, there is a force of courage in all of us and shame/guilt/fear suppresses it.” – David Angelo. Don’t simply look at numbers. If 20% of people hate your campaign and 20% love it, remember that positive reception almost always outshines negative reception. “Without hate, there’s no love.” – Gary Osifchin, VP, Global Brands and Communication, Biscuits Global Category Team, Mondelez International
8. Live Your Truth: It takes bravery and effort to live your truth. “Staying true to yourself will inevitably alienate people. This creates room for the people that support you for being you.” – Gary Osifchin. See how Gary and his team helped Honey Maid live its truth HERE.
More Inspiring Work We Saw
Touch the Pickle: watch HERE
McWhopper: watch HERE
Love Has No Labels: watch HERE
Today I’m Brave: watch HERE
Winners from the 2016 NYFA awards show HERE
Being in the presence of these great marketing minds reinvigorated our purpose as creatives. We aren’t here just for the sake of making print ads and TV commercials. We are here to change society and impact the world for the better. We are here to inspire action.
– Erica Grau (Art Director), Dan Hickey (Junior Copywriter)
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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 | 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