Around the Office

Marketsmith Employee Wheel

Our office is a microcosm of the greater NYC metro area – international mixed with local; baby boomers to millennials; aficionados of all types of music from opera and classical to heavy metal, country western, classic rock and alternative new music – all the better if one can sing along to it (in the privacy of one’s car); movie trivia experts and master gamers; skiers and surfers and Wii bowlers. More than half of us live with pets, mostly cats, a few dogs, and one lonely fish. We have studied everything from financial economics, computer technology and statistics to the arcana of religion and philosophy.

While we are a diverse group, we are all committed professionals who live and breathe the Marketsmith mission – to make our clients and ourselves better every day.


Facebook’s IPO: From a Marketsmith employee’s perspective

Currently, numbers regarding its IPO are currently being thrown around, interpreted and disputed, but they all mean only one thing: Facebook is a success story. However, its innovation does not lie in its role as a connection tool – Hi5, Friendster, MySpace and even Google’s step child, Orkut, did that before it was created. Its success lies in its idea and ability to leverage business and keep its free social networking platform alive.

Not too long ago, when people were whining about the changes to Facebook’s look and features, someone on Bloomberg Radio poignantly pointed out that it, like Google, is a unique model and that though they serve the general public, their customers are the businesses. The need of these businesses to advertise products and services on Facebook made up 85% of its $3.79 billion in revenue last year. The $5 billion dollar offering is, in a large part, a confidence in marketers to constantly find ways to employ this medium to reach out to their patrons. Of course, we have all read thousands of articles and know that social media can only work in any significant way if the approach is compelling and engaging one-on-one. And the jury is still out on how much social media affect actual sales.

At Marketsmith, we are working with clients to test various scenarios and we measure outcomes to determine what works and what does not in this very personal channel. Last year, we held sweepstakes on Facebook for one of our high end accessories brands that resulted in a 50% lift in total sales, indicating the high level of engagement between the brand and its fan base. The Marketsmith team recognizes the importance of understanding consumer behavior and translating that knowledge into strategies that build and grow a brand. Such strategies and thinking are what contribute to the success of Facebook for Mark Zuckerberg and the success of our clients across all of their touchpoints. When we combine powerful calibration tools and an omni-channel strategy, the outcome is nothing short of outstanding.

Here is my paean to Marketsmith: We comprise the best of both the high pressure, achievement-oriented attitude of delivering exceptional results with the ability to take a step back, breathe, learn more and shoot three-pointers. We have a conference room in our office that is no less intimidating than the board room in which Donald Trump fires the Apprentice candidates in every season, and a game room in which, during brainstorming sessions, the CEO plays pop-a-shot with whoever is ready to lose. When such is the energy, the results are unique.

Whether you are a business looking to grow or an individual looking to get hired, contact us today to learn more about our team.

This past New Year’s we all shared our 2012 New Year’s Resolutions:
(don’t hold us to these)

  • “To eat healthier and to exercise more”
  • “To save enough money for an apartment, and to get back to 160lbs”
  • “Spend more time with my family, and be healthier”
  • “To get back on track eating healthy after a season of indulging myself”
  • “Play more golf”
  • “Devote more time to the good things in life and less to the bad”
  • “Lose 5-10 pounds”
  • “Keep consistently changing for the positive – take on less schoolwork and try to relax more!”
  • “Be a better Wife, Mother, Sister, Friend and to really appreciate all the good in my life and not take a single day for granted”
  • “Work with extreme discipline and perseverance on my music, and to have devotions every night”
  • “Continue being AWESOME. Research ways to be AWESOME-R.”
  • “Create less paper waste by going completely digital from eBills to online magazines”
  • “Be more personable and exercise on a regular basis”

We all answered the famous “What would you take to a desert island question”
Some of us just want to play and relax

  • “I assume this island has some nice waves. I’d take a surfboard”
  • “Shiners Boch Beer”
  • “A nice hammock to hang between two trees”
  • “Sunscreen”
  • “My Guitar – I cant live without it”

Some of us have survival on the brain

  • “A hatchet: the world’s first multi-tool”
  • “Flint to make some fire. As they say on survivor: ‘fire represents your life’”
  • “Cast-iron skillet – great for cooking and defense”

And some of us cant live without our internet

  • “My iPhone…or iPad”
  • “A computer with the internet”
  • “My Blackberry Torch with a 3G/4G connection so I can get food dropped in”