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BIG changes at DOmedia

The past two months have been a whirlwind here at DOmedia central. New people. New office space. New clients. And one big media launch. Hitting the highlights, here’s what’s been going on in our corner of the world…

New DOmedia President – Jeff R. Lamb

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Jeff joined the DOteam as head captain back in June. He has a comprehensive technical background combined with ad agency experience, most recently playing the Chief Technical Officer position for Cincinnati-based Northlich. In addition to being able to talk all of the geek-speak, he is also a strong leader. To be honest, keeping all of us on the same page when everyone is moving at 100 miles an hour isn’t always easy. Needless to say, we’re glad he’s here.

New Office Space > 274 Marconi Blvd. Suite 400

domedia-office-entry.jpg We also moved from our comfy garage/office location on Price Avenue to much larger digs in the Arena District. The extra space means we can continue adding much-needed associates without having to share desk space anymore! The new office area still has a very cool vibe, while giving everyone the tools we need to support the rapid growth DOmedia has been experiencing. Check out more pictures of the space, the folks here at DO and our company bicycles on our Flickr page.

New Space = New People

Now that we have more desks, computers, chairs and the like, we’ve been adding to our staff. Clint Lucas has come on board to manage business development with advertisers and agencies. Matt Warholic left the intern ranks following his graduation from Ohio State University; he is now heading up our account support efforts. Bud Budrejko joined our motley crew as lead web application developer…he pretty much does all the technical stuff the rest of us don’t understand. And most recently, Aaron Szabo jumped at the chance to do all of our interactive design work.

Official Media Launch

Last, but certainly not least, DOmedia officially launched to the media today, issuing this press release this morning. Following months of work to build our database of media listings and improving the user interface, we are finally ready to throw back the curtains and welcome the world to our doorstep. Our timing couldn’t have been better, posting our news just one day after VSS issued their Communications Industry Forecast 2008-2012 which predicts increased spending on alternative media:

Brands are expected to continue shifting budgets from traditional to alternative advertising and marketing vehicles in 2008 and 2009. Spending on alternative media will climb 21 percent to $81.67 billion in 2008, and account for 17.7 percent of total advertising and marketing spending, up from 6.9 percent in 2002.

Obviously we have always believed this industry is poised for substantial growth and all of the numbers to date have certainly supported this prediction, but further confirmation is always nice. Our goal is to make sure we support this growth and continue to ease the pain points for everyone sourcing, buying, selling, executing and measuring an increased number of alternative media campaigns.

Given that all of this has happened in just the past 8 weeks, imagine what the next 8 will bring. Here’s to the future…


The Sky’s the Limit…or not

cloudsx-large.jpgYou may remember us talking about Google advertising on the moon, and then Virgin and Google joining forces to conquer Mars. While those seem to have been elaborate April Fools’ hoaxes, we just ran across another far-fetched advertising opportunity that is, in fact, the real deal.

Remember when you were a kid and you could lay outside looking up at the sky making pictures out of the clouds? Some looked like flowers dancing in the breeze. Others looked like playful dolphins swimming in a vast sea of blue. You get the idea. Well, it seems an Alabama entrepreneur has found a way to customize those cloud shapes into recognizable products and logos. Special effects gurus Francisco Guerra and Brian Glover have parlayed their movie magic talent into the branding world, launching Flogos, “logos that float.” (If you want to see exactly how it works, check out their video on YouTube.”

According to the USA Today article,

“Francisco Guerra, who’s also a former magician, developed a machine that produces tiny bubbles filled with air and a little helium, forms the foam into shapes and pumps them into the sky.

The Walt Disney Co. will use one of the machines next month to send clouds shaped like Mickey Mouse heads into the air at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Guerra said.”

I can see the Targets, Nikes and Apples floating by now. Oh wait, that’s a real cloud.


Google Goes to Mars?

virgle-logo.gifAdvertising on the moon is soooo 12 hours ago! I just ran across the latest Virgin/Google antics on Adrants (a must-read if you’re in the advertising biz) and needed to look into this one further. According to the post, Sir Richard Branson (Virgin) and Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google) have joined forces, forming a new entity, Virgle, whose mission is to colonize Mars.

Apply to become a Virgle pioneer and you could win a coveted slot on a ship to Mars. It will be dangerous. It will be uncomfortable. It will be unnecessarily expensive. “But your enriched descendants will appreciate your sacrifice, which should render worthwhile your choice to spend the rest of your (perhaps radically foreshortened) life in deprivation and uncertainty,” Virgle assures you.

After watching the YouTube video and then checking out the site, I was seriously beginning to think these guys have way too much money and time on their hands…until I read this: it’s all an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke. You have to love mega-billionaires who are still having fun and love a good laugh as much as the rest of us. Of course, if this is the joke, I wonder what that means for moon-side advertising. After all, Gmail was released on April Fool’s Day too…