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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
Oh, stock footage.
Some of it is just so… strange.
We used this to our advantage when creating this new national TV campaign for CreditCards.com. The unconventional footage of a birthday clown, equestrian and magician not only serve to grab viewers’ attention, but also help us position the brand as the experts on all things credit cards.
We hope you enjoy these spots as much as we enjoyed searching through ridiculously random stock clips. (If that’s even possible.)
CreditCards.com – Clown from DiMassimo Goldstein on Vimeo.
CreditCards.com – Equestrian from DiMassimo Goldstein on Vimeo.
CreditCards.com – Magician from DiMassimo Goldstein on Vimeo.
-Trevor Hickey, Senior Copywriter & Erica Grau, Art Director
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Team DIGO | 03/17/2016 | in
Betterment is our sixth Inspiring Action Brand of the Week. Past winners have been Shinola, Bonobos, Everlane, Casper and ThePointsGuy.
Investing Made Better
Make a quick visit to Betterment’s mission page and you’re greeted with the following:
“We created a company. It changed an industry.”
It’s a bold and direct statement chock-full of pride. And guess what? It should be.
Why? Because here’s the thing: it’s the absolute and undeniable truth, and if wealth managers everywhere haven’t realized this yet, they will very, very soon. The financial investment industry is on the cusp of a revolution, and Betterment Is leading that charge.
Similar to the way AirBnB wedged its way to the top of the hospitality landscape, or how Uber flipped the script on transportation, Betterment is using smarter technology to outduel its competitors.
And like AirBnB and Uber, Betterment isn’t your cute little trendy start-up competing for its fifteen minutes of Silicon Valley sunshine. It’s an absolute force. Based in New York City, Betterment has the mecca of finance grasped in its hands, and it’s not loosening its grip anytime soon.
Through its simple, yet beautiful user-friendly design, Betterment is snatching customers at a rapid pace. It’s the largest, fastest-growing automated investing service out there, and grew it’s AUM (assets under management) from 1.1 billion to 3.5 billion in this past year alone.
That type of uncanny, jaw-dropping growth is the reason financial managers and wealth advisors should be shaking in their boots. Betterment isn’t just influencing behaviors, it’s redirecting them. They’re puppeteering a shift in culture, one where managing your wealth can be as easy as scrolling through your iPhone. And while the suits on Wall Street can kick back in their leather chairs for the time-being, they may not want to get too comfortable. Betterment is knocking on their door, and if their influence continues to grow at the staggering pace it is, that door won’t just be opened, it will be blown off the hinges.
But don’t get it twisted, Betterment wasn’t created to put financial advisors out of work or to lead an assault on an industry riddled with corruption.
It was created for you. It was created for me. It was created so that normal everyday people had a better option. With Betterment, it’s always been about the customer.
It all started with an inspiring idea – an inspiring idea that CEO Jon Stein then put to action.
“Friends and family asked me, ‘What should I do with my money?’ There were no good answers – so I set out to build one.”
So why Betterment?
Because managing your finances is hard, and they make it easy. It sounds so simplistic, but simplicity is Betterment’s favorite instrument, and they play it better than anyone else. It’s what sets them apart from imitators and its why Quartz dubbed them “The Apple Of Finance”. Stated eloquently in their mission statement, they “built an experience that replaces confusion with delight and uncertainty with control”.
Let’s face it. Finance is confusing. It’s a textbook of complex acronyms that only get more complex when expanded to their true meaning. It’s daunting and causes headaches.
Yet, it’s absolutely necessary. It cannot be ignored, and up until just a few years ago, there was no alternative.
Betterment uses an algorithm that implements financial advice that is widely agreed upon. That means no in-person counseling. No conflict of interest. It’s all executed online. It’s quite literally a well-oiled machine.
“You’re trusting somebody, but why? Especially when you can do the same thing with a massively scalable platform like ours” says Stein.
It also means that it’s cheaper for you and me. It’s not nearly as expensive as the typical cost of a traditional financial advisor, which leaves both you and me with more money to invest. Without the overhead of traditional brick and mortar establishments, they can afford to charge less for its services, which again, means more money for you and me.
Their customers include everyone from the old to the young and from the rich to the poor. Their approach to managing money is fundamentally democratic.
However, Betterment has established quite the kinship with millennials. This should come as no surprise, seeing as the tech-savvy generation would be the most likely to trust a website over a human advisor. And then, of course, you have the beautiful and unprecedented luxury of accessibility. How many young professionals in their mid-twenties do you know who have financial advisors?
Now they all can – on their laptop or in their pocket, on the subway or at the ball game. It’s a simpler, more painless way to save and earn a lot more over time. It’s also simpler, more painless way to start today.
That’s why Betterment is our Inspiring Action Brand of the Week.
-James Nieman, Integrated Marketing Manager
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Team DIGO | 03/10/2016 | in
Ah, mid-March. Spring is in the air, Q1 is nearly over, and it’s time – once again – for the Technorati masses to make their annual pilgrimage to Austin, Texas, for SXSW!
This is my fifth year attending South By (as it’s lovingly called by the locals), and I’m here to share some of the hard-earned lessons I’ve picked up over the years:
Make Sure You Attend the Keynotes
Although the networking and creative ideation are arguably the best parts of SXSW, make sure you attend the keynotes, if nothing else. They tend to feature the biggest, most impactful names in their respective industries, and will likely inspire you with their passion and insight.
Be Discerning with Your Swag
You’re going to pick up a lot of branded knickknacks this week, especially at the trade show. After having finally thrown out a handful of branded key chains from SXSW 2011, though, I can tell you that it’s important to really consider whether or not you really need that extra koozie or coaster you’re being handed. In other words, only take the swag you’ll actually use – like earphones, pens, and spare phone chargers.
It’s OK to Go Offline
It’s easy to get swept up in the interactive madness, but it’s OK to disconnect from your phone every once in a while…especially when listening to the speakers. That’s the only way to ensure you’re actually being present and soaking everything in.
If It Sounds Awesome, the Wait Will Be 4+ Hours
Of course you want to see that free Snoop Dogg concert, go to the Mashable House to meet Grumpy Cat, and make your own 3D-printed Oreos! Those activities sound like a ton of fun! However, everyone else at the festival agrees with your excitement, and started lining up about two hours ago. So if you have your heart set on attending a specific, high-profile event, get there early and be ready to wait.
Bring Spare Chargers and a Cord Splitter
The ABCs of SXSW = “Always Be Charging.” Chances are, after all of the tweeting, Instagramming, and Snapchatting you’ll be doing, your battery will run out around 2pm. In order to avoid being tethered – literally – to the wall during the speakers’ keynotes, bring a few spare chargers with you to last throughout the day. As a backup, it’s a good idea to bring a cord splitter or a surge protector (worst-case scenario) so you can approach an occupied outlet with a creative way to get in on the charging-your-device action.
–Rebecca Weiser, Media Director, Proove Accountable Media
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Team DIGO | 03/09/2016 | in
You’ve seen it on our T-shirts. You’ve seen it on our Twitter. Chances are you’ve probably read it about a dozen or so times here on our blog:
Inspiring Action 
We say this so often because we truly believe in it. It’s something that we strive for each and everyday. How can we inspire action in ourselves? In each other? With our clients and throughout the world? Asking these questions can only have a positive impact.
Inspiring Action is about helping people lead better lives. It’s about forming more and more empowering habits. It’s a term we use for business, but it can be applied to almost anything in life.
As an agency, we help influence consumer habits. And when we leave the office, that influence may change but it certainly doesn’t stop. We still have influence on our family, friends and peers. We have influence at the dinner table. We have influence when we’re on vacation at the beach. It’s a tremendous responsibility.
Inspiring Action is all about taking that responsibility and using it to inspire better decisions, and then watching those decisions come to fruition. It’s about realizing that you have the power to impact others’ lives and then choosing to do so in a positive manner.
So when it came time to change the mural on our office chalkboard, the one that stands tall at the core of our workspace, it was a no-brainer. We’re so immersed in this Inspiring Action persona and so eager to share it with the world that we wanted it stamped front and center for all visitors to see.
We tapped Q Choi, our brilliant (note the emphasis on brilliant) senior motion graphic designer to put this inspiration into action. And so, for three long days Q worked hard at the center of our office, putting his famed attention to detail on display for all who passed by. Seventy-two hours later, the mural had sprung to life.
“As a Motion Graphic Designer, almost all of my work is done on a keyboard, monitor or tablet, but I still love to work with my hands.” (You can view Q’s work on his website here)
“I studied our theme and drew the initial sketch in a small notebook. I’m really happy with how it turned out”
Inspiring Action from Q on Vimeo.
It’s now the first thing you see once you’ve passed our lobby. Whether you’re going to the printer or leaving a meeting, it’s right there, grand and bold, reminding us all why we chose to work here.
And that’s to Inspire Action.
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Team DIGO | 03/04/2016 | in
Especially at the beginning of relationships, while you are earning the trust and the admiration that will smooth the inevitable bumps down the road. While you are figuring everything out, and laying the groundwork for success. Get on more planes. Provide more options. Ask more questions. See the factory, meet the workers, go to the research, talk to the sales force, get a demonstration, sample the product, talk to a board member, brainstorm with the client. Over communicate. Over collaborate. Over deliver. Time and energy invested in relationships pays us back in better work, business and results. Oh, yeah, and better relationships too.
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 | 02/26/2016 | in
Shinola is our fifth Inspiring Action Brand of the Week. Past winners have been Bonobos, Everlane, Casper and ThePointsGuy.
Jeep. Budweiser. Levis. John Deere. Shinola.
Shinola?
Yes, Shinola. The next great American brand.
The Detroit-based luxury lifestyle brand, founded five years ago, has positioned itself as the general of an army of entrepreneurs and artists all trying to march the Motor City back to its former glory.
Jobs.
Sure, Shinola handcrafts beautiful watches, bicycles, and leather bags, but its greatest creation is undoubtedly the jobs that come with them. The fact that it’s in Detroit, a city known just as much for its storied manufacturing past as the decades of decay that followed, really helps tie the bow on a beautifully –packaged brand backstory. Not unbeknownst to founder Tom Kartsotis, the carefully selected location of their headquarters and factory have successfully added to the “Americana” lore that circulates the brand.
Shinola understands the importance of origin. Dissimilar to nearly all of its competitors, Shinola’s products are pre-dominantly manufactured in America (a small minority of the components are sourced overseas). The product of that decision has been hundreds of jobs, many of them to former auto
In a recent New York Times article, Kartsotis was quoted saying “We’re not a watch company. This company really started as a job creation vehicle.” That mission has proven successful, and with big plans on the horizon for 2016, it seems as if that vehicle is only picking up speed.
Shinola knows what their devotees love about themselves, which is one of our Ten Signs of an Inspiring Action Company. Americans are patriotic. It’s in our wiring. Whether it’s watching July 4th fireworks, or suddenly becoming a huge soccer fan when the United States is in the World Cup, we love to root for the home team. Shinola represents that team, and they aren’t shy about it, either. Their tagline proudly states “Where American Is Made.”
Massive in size, Shinola’s first factory is a far cry from the decrepit factories of yesteryear. Nestled inside the renowned Argonaut building, the factory boasts 30,000 renovated square feet of clean, state-of-the-art equipment. The building is a former laboratory for General Motors.
It’s not just the work space that gives the factory its world-class reputation. Shinola brought in the best Swiss watch builders in the world to train their people, and absorbed the cost. Additionally, Shinola pays hourly workers at least $3 more than the $8.50 minimum wage, a figure that is unrivaled by the majority of its competitors.
So go home and throw on whatever
Feeling inspired? Want to learn more about Shinola? We’ve got you covered. Check out our full length case study here.
-James Nieman, Integrated Marketing Manager
