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Category : Thinking

The Age of the Selfifesto®.

By Tom Christmann,

A lot of our clients here at DiMassimo Goldstein are direct-model. I know. I know. That sounds awful, right? That word — “direct!” — strikes fear in the hearts of us modern marketers. But that’s because many of us are thinking about it from the wrong side. Sure, direct-model brands sell directly to consumers. And they have for hundreds of years. This has led to some of the worst advertising in the history of advertising. The Snuggie. The Clapper. Encyclopedia Brittanica.

But think about direct-model consumers. The ones who keep coming back, that is. They are more apt to feel like they’re part of the brand. Like they’re in a club. Maybe it’s a Dollar Shave Club. Or maybe they’re season ticket holders to a sports team. (Yes, sports teams are direct-model businesses.) Or maybe they’re Tesla drivers. Or BMW drivers.

Direct-model consumers are also more willing to want to be a part of the marketing message. In fact, they take it upon themselves to be a part of it. On YouTube. On Instagram. On Twitter. And, while you can’t script what they say, you can harness them to craft the right message for prospects who might be just like them but haven’t tried your brand yet.

That’s just what we did for Weight Watchers this year. They wanted to celebrate their members losing 15% more weight on the new Beyond The Scale plan. But more importantly, they really wanted people to notice that there was a new Beyond The Scale plan. So we sent out a package to key members. In it was a rough script based on things we’d heard on the internet: How the change to the new plan was scary. And how at first they didn’t like it. And, finally, how it worked. Of course, we didn’t force them to read the script. We also asked them to tell their own weight loss stories. And to tell us what foods they loved the way Oprah famously loved bread.

Were we crazy? We were asking a bunch of non-directors to film themselves using smartphones and webcams. We had no idea what we’d get back. We even asked them to capture footage of themselves doing exercise and cooking healthy foods. This is what production companies call “B-Roll” because it generally goes under voice-over and is used to give the film a wider range of visuals. Were they ready for this?

Of course, we had cast real consumers before. We had made documentaries about them. We had done testimonials. We had even used phone interviews as the voiceover on a campaign with real traders for our Tradestation client. But we had never handed over the whole production to them.

But guess what? It worked.

Weight Watchers – It Worked :30 from DiMassimo Goldstein on Vimeo.

Not only did they know how to frame the shots and do multiple takes (thank you selfie culture), they loved every minute of it. In the end, we had a spot featuring real consumers (some were even famous YouTubers) that actually felt real. We had people sharing and liking the spot because they recognized friends and people they followed on social media. And it literally cost zero dollars to shoot. Zero dollars. Best of all, when we edited it together with music, it truly felt like the celebration of real success we had always wanted.

We started joking that maybe we had created a new genre of ad. But what would we call it? Ladies and gentlemen, DiMassimo Goldstein presents: The Selfifesto®!

So, how are you engaging your customers in your advertising? Let’s chat. Email me at tom@digobrands.com

 

We Will Not Avoid The Boss

An excerpt from the Inspiring Action Manifesto

We will not avoid the boss. We will not seek to set up our own fiefdom inside of the boss’s kingdom.

We will use the boss. If we have a founder still in charge, we will recognize that we are rich. Rich in clarity of vision. Rich is simplicity of organization.

If we but love the vision, everything else is available to us.

Have better ideas in support of that vision. Hatch better plans to realize the vision. Execute with great positive effect on that vision.

And you win.

You have something 99% of workers don’t have. Something priceless. You know who decides. You know where the buck stops.

If we report to the CEO, COO, CMO or similarly senior team member, we will consider this person as potentially the most powerful member of our team.

We will never fail to use this power when we can. We will pull this person in. We will choose radical collaboration rather than cautious avoidance.

Of course, we respect that the boss is busy. We understand that we cannot plunge the boss into a morass if minutia. When the boss declines our invitation, we are gracious and understanding – up to a point.

After that point, we must resell the boss on involvement. There are things only the boss can accomplish, and if those things are crucial to the next level of growth, then they ought to be top priorities. We make it as quick and as direct as it can be, but we pull the boss in to get the obstacle unblocked, the connection made or the problem solved.

We use everything we’ve got to build our brand and business, starting with the boss.

 

Take Our Daughters To Work Day

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.

 

Make Every Day Earth Day

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.

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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:

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Together, we can make every day Earth Day.

 

DiMassimo Goldstein Names Desiree Cortez Partner

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.