1. Be Human. Be Real. – What separates Tim Tebow from other Super Star NFL players is his level of awareness about himself and others. Here’s what Rick Reilly had to say about him,

“Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or is dying, or who is injured, flies them and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel…gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff, gets them 30-yard line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and send them off with a basket of gifts.” (Read the full article here: http://es.pn/xDUFOa)

Does your brand have this level of commitment to the community you serve? Your brand is an extension of who you are as a company and its culture, what you do “off the field” carries just as much weight as it does “on the field.”

2. CARE - Absolutely. This deserves its own category. There is NEVER enough “CARE” for brands, big and small. If Tim Tebow has time to visit his fan just before kickoff, brands have no excuse but to do the same before a product launch. However, if product launches are the only time your brand reaches out to the community, well then that’s not really caring, is it? Obsess over questions like, “What ways is my brand extending our CARE to my customers/clients/community?” If you or your brand is not addressing this question, you’re missing a fundamental building block for the future of your community.

3. Be CURRENT - On Tim Tebow’s website (www.timtebow.com), you’ll see strong calls to action. You’ll see relevant social media plug-ins that help his fans connect with him. You’ll see updates of his latest tweets front and center “above the fold.” In the current digital age, there is no excuse for your brand not to have the social tools to connect with your community. First of all, it’s free. Second, it has the potential to substantially increase the size of your community in a short amount of time. This is true for brands of all sizes. In a matter of seconds, a single persons’ opinion about your brand can be amplified to hundreds of people instantly. You/your brand can choose to embrace real time connections with the community, or always be chasing a step behind.

4. Have a PERSONALITY - CBS analyst Shannon Sharpe reported, “The fans love this guy.” (Full article here: http://bit.ly/yLTL3p) His personality is contagious. Tebow’s featured video on his website is two minutes and thirty seconds long. In that time, he has given a snapshot of who he isn’t afraid to be. HIMSELF. There’s nothing worse than a brand without a clear sense of who they are. Not only know your brand, but OWN it. If your brand’s personality is dependent on a marketing strategy, well then that’s an area your brand needs to work on. Ultimately, you need a brand VOICE.

5. EXECUTE - It is not a fluke that Tim Tebow was the first round NFL draft pick for 2010 and the first ever sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. The last minute touchdown, against the Steelers, showed the NFL community that he CAN execute under extreme pressure. If your brand isn’t delivering on its goals, don’t be afraid to drop what you’re doing and re-asses your brand model. In this industry, actions speak louder than words.

6. Have CHARACTER - This is what Tim Tebow has to say after the devastating loss against the Patriots, “Any time you’re getting beat like that; it doesn’t change how you fight. It didn’t matter whether it was the first play or the last play or whether we’re down by 42. … I wanted to be the same player.” (Full article here: http://www.tebowzone.com/) If brands can carry that same attitude even with the most disappointing results, which every brand will inevitably face, it will not only force you to think about the core of your brand but it will also inform the choices your brand makes in the future.

7. Have Original Content - Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past weeks, you’ll know that Tebowing is now an official dictionary term defined as, “to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.” (www.tebowing.com) Dedicated and loyal fans have made “Tebowing” into a trend and has spread across all media channels including a local New York News Channel. You’ll see lots of schwag (T-shirts, hats, cups, etc.) with a Tebowing logo which is instantly recognizable. Does your brand have this kind of influence to the community your brand serves? The real question is, does your brand give fans something great to talk about? Maybe getting your own dictionary word is a reach but we think that serving original content is a good place to start for any brand.

8. Get INVOLVED - The truth of the matter is there is no way your brand can understand your community by sitting on the sidelines and reporting in from the outside. Being involved means active participation in the conversations taking place around your subject matter.

9. Have a MESSAGE- In the world of social media, there is heavy emphasis being placed on specific platforms brands use to deliver the message when the truth is, it’s the MESSAGE that counts. Consider Tim Tebow’s virality across various platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, G+, etc. It wasn’t the platform used, it was the MESSAGE.

10. Be Humble- Despite the historic loss for the Broncos against the Patriots 45-10, there’s one thing that cannot be taken away from Tim Tebow. According to the ESPN Sports Poll, Tim Tebow is now America’s favorite pro athlete but here’s what Tebow had to say in response, “…I hope people see I’m real and genuine. I hope they see that I make a ton of mistakes but that I always get back up and try again.” (Full article here: http://es.pn/wWCdpB) It’s not hard to see why Tebow has over a million fans following him on Twitter. Can your brand be humble enough to admit to mistakes but show willingness to care genuinely about the community? Remember that, in the end, your brand is an extension of who you are as a company and its culture.

In the early days, we had a barter economy; we would trade our resources and/or services to sustain our livelihood. You get half of my cattle and in exchange I get a bag of salt (it was very valuable back then!). It was not only necessary for survival but also for establishing good merchant relationships to garner future transactions. In reality, not much has changed, other than the platforms used. This is because of (you guessed it) technology. Though the word “platform” may be used in various contexts, I would like to make it synonymous with two words (just for now and sake of clarity): Digital space.

Facebook, as you’re probably familiar with this popular social networking platform, occupies the same space. You can connect, share and post all within a click of a mouse. It is a remarkable thing. For most, Facebook has become the single most powerful vehicle we share news and information. In addition, a new social vehicle emerged in 2006 which allows all of the information to be shared in real time. Welcome to Twitter. Everyone can now share a “Tweet” (a 140 character limit) of anything they want the world to know and “Follow” anyone they find relevant to their interest. Just like that, everyone is potentially connected to each other. In this day and age, “The world is at your fingertips.”

In the digital space, everyone gets to create his/her own “brand.” In other words, the traditional days of marketing which, almost always, required a middle-man (the publisher) are now largely over. Anyone can now publish anything anywhere through various publishing platforms in this digital space. Thousands of businesses (corporate brands) have caught on to this and now use social media as part of their overall marketing strategy (a smart move.)

Many businesses now hire “Digital Agencies” to develop marketing strategies to track, measure and increase their corporate brand visibility in the digital space. You might be asking yourself why the “digital space” is so much more in demand than traditional media streams (TV, Newspapers, radio, etc.). There are several reasons: a.) When people are operating in the digital space, they’re actively participating and b.) For the first time, these platforms have made it possible for businesses to directly engage with their consumers and establish relationships with them in the digital space. Now, corporate brands have an opportunity to put a face to the name and do business while being human. (isn’t it also cheaper?)

So what do I do? I work for a Digital Agency.

Each holiday season The JAR Group has been operating, we have celebrated our client’s successes by partnering with a local business to show our appreciation for local entrepreneurs. It is our belief that a culture of success starts with the community that surrounds us. One of The JAR Group’s communities includes Dumbo, a creative tech forward neighborhood. So it’s only appropriate that we partnered with a local gallery to host our holiday party.

Finding the perfect location for your company’s holiday party is sometimes a challenge. The venue needs to be distinct to your office culture, while remaining true to your budget. This year, we met the perfect match with a private dinner party at Spring.

We are proud to be a member of the NY Digital District in Dumbo and choosing to host our office holiday party in the neighborhood was a no-brainer. Spring could not have been more accommodating to our needs. Anna and Steve, the owners of Spring recently started hosting cocktail and dinner events at their beautiful gallery space.

As far as party decorations, we left that in the hands of the experts. Spring set up a long dining table in the center of the gallery that really made our 17 person dinner party seem united. Exceptional designer lights in the shape of upside down lamps hung from the ceiling as we took in the unique artwork that lined the walls. The friendly staff was on hand to provide insight into the art and make sure our wine glasses were never empty.

In addition to its chic art gallery décor and vibes, Spring’s partnership with Chef Heather White is deliciously on point. From working hands-on to create a personal menu, catering to individuals ‘ vegetarian requests, and providing an out-of-this-world pumpkin ricotta tart, the food definitely spoke for itself. Some other menu highlights include fluffy sausage calzone pastry and a seasonal mushroom ravioli in chive butter – all made with fresh ingredients and cooked right on scene!

Here at The JAR Group, we take great pride in creating value for our clients. Similarly, it was such a lovely experience to have our holiday party at Spring, where our satisfaction was their main concern. Thank you Spring gallery! We also thank each of our clients and partners who allowed us to celebrate another successful year.

Happy holidays and we hope to hear from you in 2012.

AJ is a serial entrepreneur and has been a digital marketer for 20 years. Before founding The JAR Group, AJ started 5 companies and currently is an angel investor and advisor for start-up companies. A.J. is on the steering committee for NYU FACES (Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures), a leading not for profit focused on improving the quality of life for those with Epilepsy.

Hide has been at four start-ups before building up a business within a corporation. A serial product developer, Hide developed successful product launches that were competitive advantages in the industry. He helped scale the technology business, and with 8 acquisitions, he was responsible for integration of systems, processes, and the technology team.

Together, with AJ’s agency experience and Hide’s technology and data management experience, they are in the process of developing an online tool to allow businesses to manage their vast amount of data to provide insight to make more informed business decisions.

EOC’s Job$mart Career Hour brings students and executives together to discuss career-related issues and topics and to assist students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of the various industries and organizations. For more information on the Baruch Executives on Campus program, go to blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eoc/.

We thank Baruch’s Executives on Campus for allowing us to be a part of their graduate student programming.

• There has been $4 billion of capital invested in Digital NY companies since 2006.
• While the total number of Digital NY private companies probably is well over 500, we have identified approximately 280 to be included in this report. Companies in our report either have raised at least $5 million of outside capital or are prominent enough in the Digital NY scene to merit inclusion. The digital sectors we focused on are: Content, eCommerce, Marketing, Mobile, and Social.
• There are approximately 120 investors with a focused interest in Digital NY. This includes all stages – Seed, Early Stage, Growth, and Buyout – and includes local firms as well as firms with little or no physical presence in NY.
• There have been five private companies that have raised over $100MM of capital (Tremor Video, ZocDoc, Gilt Groupe, Tumblr, and Everyday Health) and 12 that have raised between $50MM and $100MM.
• There have been eight $100MM sale transactions of private Digital NY companies since January 2008 (Mediamind, Admeld, Huffington Post, Webloyalty, Hotjobs, Register.com, Daily Candy, and Answers.com).

For the full report, go to gridleyco.com/digitalny/

7 years later I have not looked back, and I have no regrets. The key to my success and JAR’s is never stop. Never stop attending conferences, never turn down a drink, never not take a call and never ever turn down a possible opportunity. I have worked in ad ops, developing, account, media, project management, creative and even been the client. After all is said and done I would never want to do anything other than be the best digital agency for my clients. Providing insightful and innovative mediums for their objectives, while strategically placing their creative to perform on historically proven properties & new and exciting mediums.

Digital media’s relationship with technology is a double edged sword. On one side there is complete transparency and accountability with modern technology & tracking. Digital media on the flip side falls under the most scrutiny in comparison to other mediums. Whether it is making sure the foundation is a baseline search budget or Behavioral & Retargeting, Ad exchanges, Social engagement, or a Direct Response program, I will do anything to ensure my media performs to the best of its capabilities.

I ask myself everyday these questions:

How can I make this plan better?
What can I bring to the table the next time?
What else is out there?
Why are we still using this website?
What does this media bring to the table for our client?

I love digital media, not for what it does for me, but what it does for the client and the consumer. I am able to get down in the trenches and work with data and analytics, while also pulling the trigger on large pieces of media business. In the end I am the middle man who finds the target audience and stretches the dollar.

Consequently, I feel blessed to be part of a company like the JAR group. It pushes the envelope just enough while also maintaining its base of current clients to grow organically. And most critically JAR provides clients with strategy, analytics, and the means to execute on messaging that can be digested as education.  I approach every media plan and client with this quote and thought:

“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center. ”
~ Kurt Vonnegut

JAR, Schaaf PartnerCentric, eAccountable, Snow Consulting and NetX at the OPM Party!

Tuesday kicked off the first day of events, with The Expo held outside in the breathtaking Plaza del Sol. The Expo was very worthwhile, having had the chance to speak with many current partners, as well as new publishers and advertisers. We were excited to promote our CJ clients, Paragon Sports, TuneCore, and our newest addition, Gilt City to existing and prospective publishers. The day ended with a beach party networking event, including fresh lei’s and hula dancers.

Cristie and Donna at the JAR Table during the Expo

My parents pushed hard for the biology track. They felt that in order to get a job when I graduated, I needed to major in something that would leave me with quantifiable skills. Then I got back my first intro level bio test. I informed them in short order that I was going to be a theatre major.

Despite taking only two undergraduate math courses (one Pass/Fail, to avoid having to put much time in), within three weeks of starting graduate school I decided to add quantitative methodology as my secondary field of study. And amid theory and language classes, I wound up taking 4 semesters of statistics.

So, how did I come to love statistics after thoroughly giving up on math?

The answer is simple: I love stories. At first glance, math seems intangible. Numbers are abstract until you can find a way to get them to mean something. Once you move the numbers from a data set into a chart or into a table, they become more than numerals – they show patterns of behavior, give insight about how to solve problems, and even present new and exciting mysteries to solve. Statistical analysis makes numbers into narratives.

At school, I was soon able to look at data and sleuth out answers that applied to real world problems. I could look at a data set, clean it, scatter plot it, slice and dice it, and then tell you (with reasonable statistical certainty) that, for example, there is a correlation between successful social movement organizations and malleable organizational structures or diverse funding sources. Or that self-identified cat people are more likely than dog people to skew urban-dwelling, female, and to name George Harrison as their favorite Beatle (guilty). I’ve got the numbers to back it all up.

Then digital advertising found me. The nature of the questions changed, but the end result didn’t. The questions were less about organizational structure or the likelihood of violent conflicts, and more about an advertiser’s return on investment. The questions became:

• What’s working?
• What could be better?
• Could I be spending my advertising dollars more effectively?
• How can I best present this data to my clients?

And, for me, how can I take what I have learned, and use it to inform future decisions?

The beauty of online advertising is that between analytics solutions and highly trackable media, we can tell what’s working and what’s not. Then we adjust accordingly. The end result: campaigns that just work better for clients. Campaigns that meet real needs and tell better stories. And in a world where more effective use of ad dollars not only means more revenue but more satisfaction for the end customer, everyone wins. That’s why I love stats; they help us shape our stories into what we want them to be.

We’re sad to see our interns leave us this summer, but are so grateful for all their hard work and cannot wait to see where their educational journey takes them.

Ireen and Cydney both came to The JAR Group from the Step Up Women’s Network Young Luminaries program, which helps bridge communities of professional women and underserved teen girls through mentorship, networking and advancement. The twosome spent the summer learning the fundamentals of digital marketing and the ins and outs of working at an agency in the trendy digital neighborhood of DUMBO, Brooklyn.

The girls quickly transformed into true “Digital Rockstars.” Between taking company trips to the Mets game and helping the team craft original tweets for our Twitter page, it didn’t take long for the duo to feel at home in the work place. Cydney says, “I really enjoyed completing the digital online marketing webinar. I feel like I learned a lot about a whole new industry.” Ireen realizes she’s learned some handy office skills: “Before this internship, I didn’t know I could use Microsoft Excel as much as I did this summer!”

We had a great experience teaming up with Step Up to help prepare these young women for the professional world and we’re looking forward to future partnerships!

I started off in medicine, following the path my parents chose for me. One year in, I left med school to pursue my true passion - technology.  I joined a start-up internet business for an e-commerce business, CommonMind, as the web developer.  The company went through several acquisitions until the dotcom boom imploded in the 90s.  I saw how technology could create positive change for people and businesses, and that is what consistently drives my passion.

My next step was Premier Research, a business that ran clinical trials for Pharmaceutical companies. For over ten years, I developed products that allowed data to be captured efficiently, managed, and reported; helping bring drugs to market quicker.  Over the same time, Premier Research acquired 8 businesses and I was tasked with the integration of people, culture, processes, and systems.  Each acquisition felt like a start-up, where we had the opportunity to pull the best of each business into a new and better company.  Overall, we cut millions of dollars in operational expenses while increasing the quality of work we delivered, decreased security risks, increased direct client work, and created a collaborative culture.

So how did I end up at JAR?  Simple, the people.  Everyone I met at The JAR Group strives to deliver the best results for clients.  They develop relationships and retain clients because they consistently deliver.  I look forward to representing JAR and applying my personal motto of using technology for positive effects.  Please say hello or find me on Twitter @hideh.