Contact Sarah
Email sarah@sarahdoody.com
Phone: 212-380-3798
Over the last 8 years, Sarah Doody has worked with Fortune 500 companies, successful start ups, and world-class non-profit organizations to help them use design as a means for creating unique brand identities, engaging consumer experiences, and compelling product and service offerings - all of which are rooted in a commitment to innovative ideas, powerful creativity, and emotionally connective experiences.
LinkedIn Gets $1 billion valuation
LA Times - June 18, 2008
Linkedin received $53 million in venture capital funding – valuing the company at more than $1 billion. This investment is one of the richest valuations since Facebook’s $15 billion valuation in 2007. LinkedIn boasts more than 23 million members in 150 countries. The company says it could generate as much as $100 million in revenue this year from premium subscriptions, job listings, and advertisers.
Do people really equal profits?
USA Today - May 12, 2008
Great article in USA Today about the challenge for social networks to turn users into profiles. With online ad spending is predicted to be a $50 billion market this year – advertisers are looking for the best avenues for investment. However, the standing challenge is that no social network to date has been able to perfect a system that is has proven success and metrics. David Carlick, a partner at Vantage Point Venture Partners enforced this need – “There needs to be an Adwords for (social networks).”
Valleywag - May 11, 2008
Current social networks have used the Google model of advertiser do-it-yourself media buying options which has lead many to ponder the future or need for sales teams at social networks. However, at Ad:tech, an interactive advertising and technology conference – one thing was clear – media buyers are screaming for social networks to educate them on how to spend more money to reach audiences who are moving away from traditional media and spending more time on digital interactive experiences.
I suspect the underlying challenge lies in the idea that perhaps many of the social networks are still trying to figure out exactly how to monetize the masses – the people are there – now how to create profit . . .
Appealing To The Application Economy
AdWeek - May 5, 2008
With the rise of advertising spending on social networks and the nearly unbelievable valuations on companies such as Slide that develop applications for Facebook and other sites, David Armano presents three ideas for creating engaging experiences that add value to an individual’s life rather than entertain and clutter.
Usefulness, utility, ubiquity – application design should be purposed to insert a brand into an individual’s life – fostering a lifelong marriage with the brand – a relationship that can emerging as a partner – a friend that helps the customer along their journey – making life a little easier, exciting, and maybe even entertaining.
Proclivity - Behavioral Targeting
Fast Company - May 2008
After working for online retailers such as Bluefly and JCrew, Sheldon Gilbert realized that with regards to the information that users leave behind with each click many companies, “throw this data out, or only use 1% of it.” Gilbert’s company, Proclivity, developed a software that decodes the desires of consumers through strategic behavioral click analysis and targeting. Barney’s is a key client and has seen overwhelming increases in response to their new consumer communications strategies.
Small Social Networks Get Big Marketing Influx
Brandweek - April 28, 2008
In 2008, ad spending on social networking websites is predicted to top $1.6 billion according to eMarketer. What’s more interesting is that much of that ad spending will be infused into smaller, emerging social networks.
Its simple – relevance trumps size. The larger social networks lack something the the smaller ones have – focus. Because of the segmentation that the smaller sites have – they can offer marketers unique campaign opportunities.
The challenge for marketers is that you can’t advertise – you have to participate in the community. The idea is that social networks should be treated as a new medium – and not a method.
Proctor & Gamble Gets Into The Record Label Business
Advertising Age - April 11, 2008
Island Def Jam Music Group and Jermaine Dupri have partnered with Proctor & Gamble’s TAG Body Spray Deodorant to create a Hip Hop music label. The partnership was prompted by declining sales and technological advancements – and will provide existing and upcoming artists with the full support of marketing campaigns built around the TAG brand.
Inc. Magazine - March 2008
A great interview with Evan Williams, creator of popular micro-blogging site Twitter, about hyperconnectedness and how bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes it is a feature within a product that can truly be the winner in the marketplace. Williams says, of innovation and product definition, “The default thing we do is ask how we can add something to make it better. Instead, we should say, What can we take away to create something new?”
Ask.com - And Then There Were Three
SF Chronicle - March 4, 2008
Ask.com is pulling out of the battle for search and is now going to focus on a smaller niche market of married women who are seeking tools to organize their lives. Now the only large players in search are Google, MSN, and Yahoo.
MySpace Agrees to Youth Protections
New York Times - January 14, 2008
MySpace already make the profiles of of 14 and 15 years olds automatically private. Now, MySpace is set to classify all profiles of users 18 and younger as private. Other social networking websites are being pressured to following with similar privacy models.
The purpose of this move is to help protecting teenagers and children using its site from sexual predators. The decision comes eight months after the attorneys general from eight states charged that the site had not done enough to block sexual predators from the service and had failed to cooperate with the authorities.
Contribue - January 2008
Great article on the top 10 technology innovators who are using the Internet to help foster education, empowerment, and advocacy for major global causes that affect us today.
Fast Company - December 2007
Interview with Maurice Levy, CEO of Publicis, on how he is turning the company into the industry’s premier digital marketing group – to invent the blueprint for the agency of the future.
The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life
New York Times - October 14, 2007
There is a fundamental shift in advertising. Companies like Nike want to find a way to enhance the experience and services, rather than looking for a way to interrupt people from getting where they want to go. Nike aims to provide services that help people get where they want to go most efficiently.
A Way to Find Your Corner of the Internet Sky
New York Times - October 7, 2007
Excellent New York Times article about the emergence of web discover – or search without a query. People want to stumble upon content that is relevant to them – and there are a lot of companies hoping to let them do just this.
Fast Company - September 2007
How Jason Calacanis’ new people-powered search engine Mahalo will give Google a run for its money.
Calancanis’ company (Mahalo is Thank You in Hawaiian) is positioned as a human powered search engine – building out prefab responses to the most popular search terms. Since the engine will only shoot for the top 15,000 search terms to skim the surface, it is really just a search engine for people who don’t like to search.
Tony Sapeth
Tony Spaeth of Identityworks provides an objective discussion of the much debated logo for the London 2012 Olympics. I couldn’t agree more with Tony’s thoughts.
“Like the graffiti that inspired it, it’s pure attitude, designed to intrude and degrade . . . it has energy, and the visual system (including font, palette and forms) could well be better than the mark. Yet Brand Olympics feels at risk.”
Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet
New York Times - May 22, 2007
New York Times article on Ray Anderson – a model of creative thinking about sustainable business practices.
Fast Company - May 2007
Fast Company has a great article on the importance of authenticity to a brand in the May 2007 issue.
Wired - March 2007
The See Through CEO – A great article from Wired magazine about transparency in business.
About
Sarah is a marketing and creative strategist who specializes in the intersection of business, design, communication, and experience. She is known for her intimate understanding of culture, communication, and technology and their collective influencing power on society.
Sarah is the Director of Product Development at Saber Seven, a communications company based in New York City. Sarah is also a partner at the TLM Agency, a multidisciplinary marketing services company.
Contact
New York, NY
Phone: 212-380-3798
Fax: 504-262-9979