double POSITIVE Marketing Group, Inc.

Post By
Jodi Swartz

March 2012 (Baltimore, MD)—DoublePositive and world-famous golf course architect P.B. Dye will host the 1st Annual P.B. Dye DoublePositive Golf Classic on Friday, April 27, 2012 at PB Dye Golf Club in Ijamsville, MD. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Dominica Orphanage & School, which provides housing and education opportunities for the abandoned and orphaned children of LaUrena, in the Dominican Republic.

“This tournament gives golfers a chance to play golf with P.B. Dye, at his signature course, The PB Dye Golf Club,” DoublePositive Co-Founder and EVP of Sales, Joey Liner, said. “In addition to meeting great people like P.B. and Jean Dye, folks will be helping a great cause, and having a great time as well.”

The event includes a round of golf on the stunning PB Dye Golf Club course, lunch, dinner, open bar, and an impressively stocked silent auction. Golfers will have an opportunity to challenge Dye to a “beat the architect” contest, and get their picture taken with him. Or they may try for a hole-in-one and win a great prize. Roaming the event, and astounding the players with amazing tricks and sleight-of-hand, will be magician Kevin Dawson.

“We hope to be joined by golfers from Maryland and beyond,” P.B. Dye said. “And if they can’t be with us, we hope they’ll consider supporting our mission to transform the lives of Dominican children. We are currently accepting donations of goods or services to our silent auction – a great way to contribute, whether or not you play!”

The Dominica Orphanage & School is a project supported by P.B and Jean Dye, through their charity, International Circle of Friends.

The golf tournament takes place on Friday, April 27, 2012, at PB Dye Golf Club, on 9526 Doctor Perry Road, in Ijamsville, MD. Player entry fee is $250 per golfer.

Those interested in playing, sponsoring, and/or donating items to the silent auction can visit the registration site (http://www.doublepositive.com/pbdye).

About the Dominica Orphanage & School
The Dominica Orphanage provides residential services and coordinates housing for the abandoned and orphaned children of LaUrena, in the Dominican Republic. Because the students excel academically, the school’s innovative instructional techniques are emulated by the public schools of the region.

About DoublePositive Marketing Group
DoublePositive is a leading provider of performance-based online marketing. Founded in 2004 as a Performance-based Online Marketing Network, DoublePositive deploys proprietary technology and data-rich analytics to optimize the entire online marketing funnel, from display (CPM) to search (CPC) to leads/calls (CPA/CPL) to live transfers (CPT). Dialing tens of millions of consumers a year provides DoublePositive with a unique lead-by-lead insight into the effectiveness of marketing/media spend. This insight is coupled with our real-time optimal pricing and bidding in order to deliver our direct response advertisers with new customers at scale and cost targets that are set by the advertiser. Learn more at http://www.doublepositive.com

Post By
Jodi Swartz

WOW!  What a conference.  What a city.  What an exhilarating (and exhausting!) experience.

As a LeadsCon newbie, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I mean, I’ve been to what feels like one million tradeshows, and managed half as many as a marketing director…so I was curious to find out for myself what all the buzz was about.

As my previous posts indicated, LeadsCon West 2012 was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 28 and 29 (with a special buyers only event held on the 27^th).  Vegas is one of the best places to hold tradeshows, so that, by design, is a positive.  The leads ecosystem is forever evolving with new businesses and professionals entering the market all the time, so that’s a positive.  And, since I planned our exhibit (complete with photo booth) and party (with our partner Leads360) I knew those were going to be, if nothing else, fun!  So, positives there, too.

Thus, I came into the show with the following:

• Vegas?  Positive.Evolving industry? Positive.
• Fun booth? Positive.
• Cool parties? Positive.

Seemingly, the basics were covered.  But, what else would make THIS particular LeadsCon stand out?

Well, first, companies in attendance topped 1200 and total attendance topped 2600—a myriad of exhibitors welcomed booth visitors with hospitality and enthusiasm, speakers inspired and challenged audiences, the Mirage excited and delighted (just ask me about my final night’s stay in the penthouse suite),  and the networking was unstoppable.  So unstoppable, in fact, that it stymied my original plan of being a devout LeadsCon student—attending each and every seminar available, soaking up new industry knowledge, every minute completely rapt—graduating with my PhD in “the biz.”  Yeah…not so much.

My team was on FIRE this year!  Booth regulars like Joey Liner, Syed Zaidi, and Brian Ocheltree spent so much time meeting with clients, prospects, and partners that our “while you were out” notebook was nearly full.  At times us DP booth folks were outnumbered by a margin of at least 3:1 by those wanting to chat with us.

DoublePositive/LeadsCon360 party bracelets were so in demand they became near black market items.  And, I was about ready to hang a sandwich board sign on my back that said “To speak with JT Benton, please take a number.”

So, what WAS all the excitement about?  What made this year different?

Well, it started right before the show when we were honored with two LeadsCouncil LEADER™ awards— Best Hot Transfer:Lending and Best Hot Transfer:Technology.

Needless to say, we were thrilled and took that enthusiasm straight to Vegas.

On Monday at 2:30 (the day before the actual show began), the aforementioned Mr. Benton spoke at the first-ever LeadsCon Buyers Summit about performance mobile marketing.  JT, a long standing expert in the field, spoke about why (finally) the time is right for mobile click-to-call, how it impacts marketing and media plans, and strategies for implementing it successfully.  All of this good stuff was promoted well in advance via news releases and blog entries, and a terrific webinar produced by our partners at Ring Revenue.  At the close of the seminar, JT also unveiled DP’s first white paper on the subject.  (SPOILER ALERT: Look out for a webinar in the very near future where you can learn from the master himself and get your own copy of the whitepaper.)

Although I wasn’t able to see it live myself, I would have thought JT was one of the Beatles at the height of their popularity (thus the sandwich board dream).  A big shout out to @LeadsCouncil for their tweet “@DoublePositive JT Benton Doing an amazing job presenting on Mobile Marketing #LeadsCon.”  Thanks guys!

On Tuesday morning, as the team’s official “crazy marketing lady” it was my job to make sure that DoublePositive was ready for the crazy schedules that were ahead of them, that our booth was inviting and fun, and that our head “misfits,” company CEO and EVP, Sean Fenlon and Joey Liner, respectively, were prepped and ready to go for their welcoming address.  Sean and Joey had the priveledge of welcoming the entire conference immediately following the keynote.  The moment was certainly not lost on them as Joey (@joeyliner), so fittingly  tweeted: “This is 1 of those defining moments in life, about to speak to 2500+ in a welcome address for LeadsCon with my partner Sean #DoublePositive.”

Following the welcoming address, it was over to the tradeshow floor where our 10×20 booth was transformed into a comfortable lounge space complete with a photo booth (to capture folks in their tradeshow best)!  We brought our favorite DP website characters with us, we had Viking helmets, sunglasses, and signs promoting Joey for Mayor!

While people shed their inhibitions in the most PG ways possible in photo booth…

…others shed their shoes and kicked up their feet on our couches (including our very own John Nuclo, Stein Kretsinger, and Syed Zaidi—can you feel the love?).

The DoublePositive team was visible on the floor and off Tuesday—most notably with Joey “LeadsCon Mayor” Liner invited to speak during the “Is Lead Gen a Dirty Word?” panel.  He was joined by Jeremy Johnson, Co-Founder and CMO, 2tor, Inc., John Kobs, CEO & Co-Founder, ApartmentList.com, and moderated by Jeff Lawson, CEO & Co-Founder of Twilio. (That’s our guy, second from the left.)

All the while, attendees zoomed from booth to booth making friends and influencing people—and searching for the sacred bracelets for the DoublePositive/LeadsCon360 party later that night at Rhumbar.

So…later that night at Rhumbar…the atmosphere was sumptuous, the drinks were spirited and flowed freely , the staff at the club couldn’t have been more hospitable, the weather was beautiful (albeit a little on the windy side), and everyone relaxed…played some cards,  snapped some shots in the photo booth and all around had a great time.

Thank you to our friends at Leads360 for (once again!) making it a special night, and thank you to Steve Hall for the great photographs (below).

Up early again Wednesday morning…

Day two proved even more exciting as attendees and exhibitors alike knew they had just one final day to meet, greet, and eat.  Our booth was a flurry of folks looking to engage with our team members, learn about our products and services, and snap some shots in our photo booth.

Midway through the afternoon, our very own Rich Dent donned his favorite sombrero and participated in a video interview about the show with VigLink CEO, Oliver Roup.  Go Rich!

After a brief rest and bite to eat, it was off to the LeadsCon VIP after show party at newly opened 1Oak Night Club in the Mirage Hotel and Casino.  Attendees got decked in their show-stopping finest and partied in celebration of another spectacular LeadsCon.  Our team really got into the spirit of the event (thanks again to Steve Hall for the great pic on the left)!

So, let’s review.  Obviously, my expectations were pretty basic and I kept that that way as to not be disappointed:

• Vegas?  Positive.
• Evolving industry? Positive.
• Fun booth? Positive.

What I wasn’t expecting was EVERYTHING ELSE LeadsCon West had to offer.  Although I did not get to attend many seminars (because apparently I was preparing for some kind of cross-country marathon running from one end of the Mirage to the other all day long!) I heard from many teammates, associates, and those through the social networks (just look up #leadscon) how much they learned and enjoyed the material. Personally, I learned a heck of a lot about the industry, how deep my colleagues knowledge is (they fielded questions from every direction!), and how enthusiastic everyone remains about contributing to and shaping the leads ecosystem.    And the networking?  Let’s just say I am happy to have e-copies of all photographs from the booth so I can continue to match names with faces.

Obviously, my expectations were BLOWN AWAY.  We put a lot of work into preparing for LeadsCon, and LeadsCon clearly delivered back so much more.

• Amazing speakers? Positive.
• Super smart people?  Positive.
• Great networking? Positive.

Doing it all again at LeadsCon East? DOUBLE positive.

See y’all in New York City!

Post By
Jodi Swartz

LeadsCon ’12 is just days away!  With more great speakers and topics than we could cover in one – or even two – posts, we welcome you back for Part III of DoublePostive’s “Top Picks.  (If you missed them, check out “Top Picks, Part I” and “Top Picks, Part II”)

As we said previously, speakers and topics make our list solely based on the fact that we are interested in them.  If we left them off, it doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting–just means they are not AS interesting to US.  But as we also said before, feel free to get our attention using the comments below if you think there’s a “don’t miss”session that’s not on our list.

So open your calendar once again, and get ready make note.  Here’s our third and last batch of Top Picks for LeadsCon ‘12, and why we like them:

WEDNESDAY, 9:30-10:00AM
Case Studies Track, “Secrets of Click to Call”

DoublePositive is proud to be partners with Leads360 and RingRevenue.  We’re looking forward to hearing Nick Hedges (President & CEO of Leads360) and Jason Spievak (CEO of RingRevenue) dial up a lot of timely information about mobile advertising.

WEDNESDAY, 11:30AM-12:00PM
Case Studies Track, “Data Driven Lead Purchasing”

Michael Betz, Chief Marketing Officer of Strayer University, is a great client, great thinker and an all-around great guy.  His talk is about taking a multi-dimensional approach to lead buying in the EDU space.  Should be an education!

WEDNESDAY, 2:00PM-2:45PM
Sponsored Workshop, “The Lead Engine in Our Post-PC Future (Presented by: Twilio)”

DoublePositive is a customer and big fan of Jeff Lawson and his company, Twilio.  We’re looking forward to hearing about how new computing interfaces like touch and voice will revolutionize the way the leads industry does business.

WEDNESDAY, 3:00PM-3:45PM
Sponsored Workshop, “Higher Ed Compliance Survey Results: What Are Schools Really Doing? (Presented by: CUnet)”

Presenters Jeff Herz and Steve Smith of CUnet will educate us on how schools are responding to government regulations.  Plus they’ll share emerging best practices, and give tips on how schools can stay ahead of the compliance curve.

So that’s it!  We hope you enjoyed DoublePositive’s Top Picks for LeadsCon ‘12.  We’ll see you in Vegas!

Post By
Jodi Swartz

It’s hard to believe, but LeadsCon ’12 is almost here!  As you know, LeadsCon is the world’s greatest gathering of leaders and innovators in the online lead generation industry.  We will be treated to a slate of dozens of excellent speakers on many great topics again this year.  So how can you attend them all?

Well, you can’t – unless you plan to dash madly back-and-forth every few minutes like some character in a bad TV sitcom.

That’s why, over the next several days, DoublePositive has decided to present to you our Top Picks for this year’s conference.  We assembled our list based on the sessions that we, personally, are most interested in.  It’s not meant to be a judgment of how good they are.  They’re all good!

So open your calendar and get ready to paste in these can’t-miss sessions.  Here’s today’s batch of Top Picks for LeadsCon ‘12, and why we like them:

MONDAY, 3PM
Lead Buyer Summit, “JT Benton on Mobile Marketing & Lead Gen”

Yes, we’re cheering for the home team here, but if you haven’t had a chance to be in the same room with JT, he’s a captivating speaker with a brilliant perspective on what it takes to win in today’s mobile environment.  Cost-per-Lead buyers will learn how Cost-per-Call strategies on the mobile web affect their media plans and drive high quality leads. This first of its kind event is for those whose primary business is the purchase and closing of leads. Registration is required, and the event is invitation only.  Learn more at http://leadscon.com/leadscon-las-vegas-2012/buyers-summit/.

TUESDAY, 9:00-9:45AM
General Sessions, “Michael Norton – The IKEA Effect”

The presenter, Michael Norton, is a behavioral scientist and Associate Professor of Marketing at Harvard Business School.  His work has been covered in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, and his topic, “The IKEA Effect: When Labor Leads to Love,” was featured in Harvard Business Review’s Breakthrough Ideas for 2009.

TUESDAY, 9:45-10:25AM
General Sessions, “LeadsCon Las Vegas ’12: State of Industry”

MUST SEE!  Sharing their view of the State of the Industry are CEOs from the two top publicly-traded companies in the space, Tom Evans of Bankrate and Doug Valenti of Quinstreet.

TUESDAY, 10:30-11:15AM
General Sessions, “Creating the Next Big Thing”

Here’s another high-octane panel.  The Moderator, Tolman Geffs, is Co-President of The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.  Panelists include Patrick Quigley and Josh Armstrong of Vantage Media, Howard Yeh from BrokersWeb and Damien Dovi from BIA Digital Partners.  Get the inside scoop on Vantage’s unexpected and ambitious move to acquire BrokersWeb last year.

TUESDAY, 11:15-11:35AM
General Sessions, “You’re Buying Crap – More Than You Would Ever Know”

This is a short, powerful presentation by customer acquisition strategist John Demayo of zozi.  John is a former Ad.com exec with many friends at DoublePositive.  He’ll distill his 10+ years of weeding out the crap so we can all practice safer lead gen.

Remember, these aren’t the only events at the conference.  They aren’t even the only good ones – just the ones we are most interested in.  Whatever you choose to attend, you’ll be sure to have fun, learn a lot and leave Las Vegas better informed about the leads ecosystem than before you came.

Check back soon for DoublePositive’s Top Picks, Part II.

Post By
Jodi Swartz

DoublePositive Makes Key Hires to Expedite Growth and Broaden Service Offerings

It’s all about the people at DoublePositive Marketing Group, Inc., the undoubted leader in live telephone transfers and online marketing. And now, it’s all about MORE people. The company strengthened its online marketing team recently by making some key executive hires from powerhouses like AOL/Advertising.com and One-to-One Global, as well as others with deep experience in the space.

The recent hires—and their ability to deliver superior performance-based services—broaden the company’s industry reach and position the company to service new customers formerly unable to take advantage of live telephone transfers. Search engine marketing, display advertising, mobile marketing and advertising, and social media advertising round out the company’s online services suite.

Trent Walter, DoublePositive’s new vice president of national sales and former director of regional sales for AOL/Advertising.com, is enthusiastic about the offering. “Our technology is designed for real-time advertising. And, unlike others, our system, by design, aims to satisfy the performance goals of the advertiser, not the publishers or the networks.”
JT Benton, DoublePositive’s new vice president of mobile marketing, adds “we are committed to making a serious impact on the mobile web. Our mobile marketing division has a simple, vital mission: connect advertisers, publishers, and consumers on the mobile web. We will add value to every inquiry.”

Two years ago the company committed to the online marketing space, and soon after hired Paul DiDonno, current vice president at DoublePositive and former strategy manager at AOL/Advertising.com, to manage their flagship education account. Brian Tomasette, current vice president of media products at DoublePositive and former director of product sales and agency partnerships at AOL/Advertising.com, was hired shortly after DiDonno.

“I came to DoublePositive to continue my passion for performance marketing in the education space, and for the people,” says DiDonno. “The (then) small team, everyone passionate about what they did, trusting each other, and everyone working for one goal—we made serious progress in a short amount of time.”

“It was an amazing opportunity to apply my experience and knowledge in online marketing. In the last two years, we have developed technology that surveys the marketplace, scores and optimizes bids based on our client’s performance goals, and then automatically adjusts those bids based on performance. That’s industry leading, and we continue to innovate.”

To support these initiatives, account management, delivery, media analysts, quality assurance, and sales teams are all in place lead by the industry’s most experienced and staffed with dozens of the industry’s brightest.

“We are really excited,” says Tomasette. “We are creating the future of online advertising, and are armed with all of the tools and people to make it something memorable.”