Strobe Promotions, RedStapler and Zezza Network announced on January 14 that they have merged to form Tenthwave, a fully integrated digital marketing agency headquartered in New York.  Lead by former i33 Communications Founder and Chairman Drew Rayman, Tenthwave reunites Rayman with former colleagues Steve Caputo and Rob Kaplan; Brian Hack and Mike Mazar; and Eric Schwamberger, the respective founders of Strobe, RedStapler and Zezza.

Tenthwave will provide digital and social marketing, promotions, web design and development from ideation through implementation for clients including CBS Consumer Products, eBay, Visa, Pepperidge Farm, Jim Beam, Hearst Magazines, and Sports Illustrated, among others.  Drew Rayman and Steve Caputo will serve as the agency’s managing partners with Brian Hack, Eric Schwamberger, Mike Mazar and Rob Kaplan serving as agency partners.

“The ways in which brands communicate and engage with their audiences has changed more in the last five years than it has in the previous twenty. Unfortunately, the traditional advertising and marketing agency model has not experienced quite as rapid of a transformation. Agencies need to think differently and act differently,” said Drew Rayman, managing partner of Tenthwave. “In order for brands to compete in a ‘connected’ marketplace they need innovative strategy and direct access to agency talent that is unburdened by corporate procedure. As a new type of digital agency, Tenthwave provides its clients with cutting edge creativity, ideas and work without excessive process, combined with the stability and operational efficiencies of larger firms.”

Rayman, a proven agency manager and operator, is charged with removing the barriers between Tenthwave’s top talent and its clients by enabling the other agency partners, all of whom built successful boutique agencies on their own, to focus less on the operational elements associated with running a business and focus more on what they love to do the most: developing breakthrough work on behalf of their clients and pushing the industry forward through original thought leadership.

“Tenthwave is the natural evolution of our business,” said Steve Caputo, managing partner of Tenthwave. “Client demand for solid marketing strategy in the social media space has increased dramatically over the past year. Our ability to bring that kind of insight and direction to the table will hasten the learning curve among marketers entering the space, and bring those already engaged to a higher level of involvement with their customers. We offer a truly creative environment where the best and brightest can focus on the work while our experienced support staff tends to the details.”

About Tenthwave

Founded in 2010, Tenthwave is the strategic blend of three award winning digital marketing agencies formerly known as Strobe Promotions, RedStapler and Zezza Network. Headquartered in New York, (with offices in Manhattan, Long Island, Silicon Valley and the Washington D.C. Metro area), Tenthwave provides clients with digital marketing and creative services ranging from web design and development, online promotions and sweepstakes, social media marketing and online brand activation. Lead by managing partners Drew Rayman and Steve Caputo, Tenthwave puts innovation before bureaucracy and provides clients with direct access to creative talent. With its focus of maximizing marketing dollars, Tenthwave refuses to embrace “how it’s done” and rather strives to define “how to do it better.”  For more information, please visit www.tenthwave.com.

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See you next year!

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Our turn-key application can be customized for your
brand in a matter of days. Sound too good to be true?
Our social networking elves put this very promotion
application together in less than a week!

Check it out for yourself on our Facebook page and you could win an iPad!

The old Facebook profiles looked very similar to fan pages, with tabs at the top, a list of friends on the left and a Wall in the center.

Here’s what the new ones look like:

Right off the bat, you can see that Facebook did away with the tabbed navigation on top. Instead, there is now a bio section directly under your name that shows the most basic and important information about you: where you work, where you went to school, where you’re from, your birthday etc. Over the next few days as more people get the new profiles, you will see many of your friends updating this info and you should too. Now, you can also easily edit your profile information right in this box.

Photos also play a big role in the new bio section at the top. The past 5 photos that you have been tagged in will automatically show up here. Don’t worry, you can edit this section as well. Simply roll over an undesired photo & a small gray box with an “X” will appear, click that to remove the photo from your top section. Note that it does not de-tag you from the photo entirely.

You might also notice that I changed my profile picture when I got my new Facebook profile. It’s not just because someone snapped a flattering photo of me this weekend, I did have a logical reason for this. Facebook now features the profile picture in a larger and more prominent space. The low resolution of my old profile picture did not display well in this new environment. Make sure to check your photos when you make the switch, because nothing is worse than a blurry profile pic or embarrassing tagged photo on Facebook.

The other big changes are housed on the left hand side under your profile picture. The first is how you can navigate the pages of your profile. The navigation options, formerly on tabs and in boxes, are now in a vertical list with corresponding icons. Even though the tabs are gone, you can still get to your profile pages other than the Wall (info, photos, etc.).

Underneath the navigation, you’ll see how your relationships are displayed has changed as well. There is an emphasis on family and close friends as you can even choose who is displayed in your friend list. Think of it as a serious upgrade to the MySpace “Top Friends” concept.

This new design is another example of how Facebook has done a great job of constantly evolving its platform to stay ahead of trends and not become stale like some of its predecessors. While this update doesn’t affect brands as much as consumers, it’s a sure sign of more changes to come.

Don’t have the new profile yet? Click here to get it. Then, stop by Strobe’s Facebook page to let us know what you think of the redesign. We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

]]> http://www.strobepromo.com/blog/index.php/2010/12/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-facebook-profiles/feed/ 0 http://www.strobepromo.com/blog/index.php/2010/12/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-facebook-profiles/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrobePromotionsBlog/~3/N_EfPjWX3CM/ http://www.strobepromo.com/blog/index.php/2010/12/01/facebook-changes-promotion-guidelines/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:37:25 +0000 Janet Caputo http://www.strobepromo.com/blog/?p=405 Big news! We received notice from Facebook this week that they have revised their Promotion Guidelines, effective immediately. The guidelines govern how a sweepstakes, instant win game or contest can be run on its platform. The main stipulation in this document, which has not changed, is that a brand must utilize a third party application (like the kind Strobe creates), in order to administer a promotion on Facebook. Brands also cannot use Facebook’s inherent functions or tools as a promotion entry method, ie: liking a page, posting on a wall, commenting, etc. This too, remains unchanged.

So, what’s new?

There have been 2 major changes to the previous policy [excerpted from an email from Facebook]:

1. Facebook no longer requires prior approval to administer a promotion on Facebook.

2. Facebook no longer requires a minimum spend threshold in order to run a promotion or contest on Facebook.

This is great news for marketers because it will cut down both project budgets and timelines. It also opens the door for brands of all sizes to take advantage of the marketing opportunities Facebook promotions have to offer. Brands do, however, still need to abide by the existing guidelines regarding how to administer a promotion on Facebook. While these changes are currently in effect, they have yet to be published on the site; Facebook says they will be updated shortly.

If this news is music to your ears and you can’t wait to run a Facebook promotion of your own (even for this holiday season), contact us! We have a selection of turn-key application solutions (all in accordance with the Facebook Promotion Guidelines) to help you increase and engage your fan base.

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UPDATE: Facebook has published the revisions to the Promotion Guidelines.

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Do you or someone you know want to join the Strobe team? We’re looking for a great Marketing Assistant, read below for more information on the position and how to apply.

Marketing Assistant

Growing Long Island based marketing agency is seeking a well-organized, detail oriented, multi-tasker with excellent verbal and writing skills.  Assist in overall account servicing, consumer communication, implementation of online and offline projects and administrative duties.  Candidate must be proficient with Microsoft Office, knowledgeable in social media and should be comfortable working independently.  College degree and minimum of one year work experience preferably in a promotion, marketing or advertising agency.  Please send resume and salary requirements to: HR@strobepromo.com

Strobe was recently named by Inc. Magazine as one of the most entrepreneurial and fastest-growing companies in America. In 5 years, we have grown to $4.5MM in revenue, earning us a place on the “Inc. 5000,” the annual ranking of top companies in the U.S., spanning all industries, reported by the magazine. Strobe enters the top half of the list, ranked #1683, mainly due to our continued growth, a rate of 168% over the past 3 years. We attribute much of this growth to an increased demand for social media promotions, as well as deepening business with long-standing clients eBay, Visa and Pepperidge Farm. Recent additions to Strobe’s client roster include Campbell Soup Company, NetSpend and Tiny Prints, from the brand side, and Edelman and Imagitas, from the agency side.

“We are very proud to be recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the country,” said Steve Caputo, President of Strobe Promotions. “In today’s challenging economic climate, we have been fortunate to continue to expand our business. We are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our clients and the demands of the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.”

The 2010 Inc. 5000, announced last week, measures revenue growth of privately held companies based in the U.S. from 2006 through 2009. More information about Strobe and its ranking on the list can be found here. The complete list, along with company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found here.

Strobe Promotions is excited to announce the move of our new corporate headquarters! Strobe has been blessed with great clients from day one, when we opened our doors just about five years ago. In that short time, we’ve achieved a level of success that is the catalyst for our move to new and bigger offices. We look forward to continuing to work with our clients to deliver world-class marketing solutions in today’s digital marketing landscape. We realize that much of our success is built on the relationships we’ve cultivated, and we can’t wait to begin this new chapter with you.

Our move is taking place today, July 26, 2010, with uninterrupted service for our clients.

Please address all correspondence to the new mailing address beginning today, July 26, 2010. Please note that our original phone number (516-733-1835) will remain active until October 31, 2010, to minimize confusion. Our email addresses, as well as all online destinations (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), will remain unchanged and will not be affected by the move. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the move, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We would love for you to come see our new place! If you are ever in the area, there is an open invitation for you to come visit us at our new facility.

The curve for social media trends seems to be shorter than in other industries, new apps are popping up daily. SCVNGR is a great example of this; the increasing popularity of FourSquare and other location based social apps led to its creation. According to its website, “SCVNGR is a game about doing challenges as places.” Much like FourSquare, you are able to check in at various locations using the app on your smart phone. However, with SCVNGR checking in is not enough, the experience is more interactive.  With this new app, you can go to your favorite local spots to check-in and once you’re there, you will be prompted to complete different tasks or challenges to gain points. You may have to take a photo at a park, solve a riddle at a museum, scan a QR code at a theater, or do some other kind of adventurous activity. The points you earn for completed challenges are redeemable for bragging rights as well as unlocking badges and other features. Companies can create their own challenges or hunts  as a cheeky way to involve adventurous consumers with their brand.

Recently, the New England Patriots tapped SCVNGR for a promotion to get fans excited about the upcoming football season. They have created their own “Trek” and compiled a list of themed challenges for fans to complete at various locations throughout New England, in order to help Patriot player Vince Wilfork find his “stolen” Super Bowl ring. The campaign has received much press for both the NFL organization and the application itself. Other SCVNGR adopters include major universities (such as Duke University and Princeton), city tourism councils (the City of Rochester and Boston are both users), and several museums throughout the country.

Marketers are just starting to jump on board the location-based social media app train, with good reason. The interactive nature of these applications lend themselves to promotions – put an incentive behind these behaviors and the usage rate will surely soar. FourSquare, Loopt, Gowalla and now SVCNGR are great new platforms to attract, engage and reward consumers and I can’t wait to see what comes next.