Travis Garcia

Curious Media officially started doing business in 2004. It wasn’t Randy Jamison's first attempt, but it was his last. 20 years later and we are still at it! In the early years of Curious Media, most of the work we did was for a handful of Boise marketing agencies like Temel aka Zeta Interactive, Oliver Russel, Rizen Creative and Foerstel. These companies mostly relied on Curious Media for our sweet Flash & web development skills. This included a multitude of websites, Flash banners and ad modules (yeah we were responsible for some of those #sorrynotsorry) as well as interactive product demonstrations. It was a great way to cut our teeth in the world of interactive. Through these agencies we had the opportunity to work on projects for HP, Cisco, Juviderm, Citibank and a bunch of Idaho local organizations like The Idaho Potato Commission (#truestereotypes). We collaborated on dozens of projects with some really amazing project managers, creative directors and marketing professionals like: Chris Blakeman Heidi Dean, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSPO Tim Nichols Aubrey Abbott Erika Molchan-Evans Ron Baker Holly Funk Russ Stoddard Heidi Kelly And many more…  We were so thankful for the guidance and trust that we received from these experienced marketing pros. We thought that becoming a full service marketing agency was the ultimate goal of Curious Media. In our free time for fun we would make games, animations and weird little widgets like Mr. Alligator (a random sentence generating alligator) and interactive web experiences like Stinkerdoodle (a massive collaborative online drawing space). But we didn't really think this stuff could ever pay the bills.      In 2008 or 2009 one random meeting at a Flash Forward conference in Seattle would change our trajectory. Randy met Claudia Correa Salhab who was there representing Disney Interactive, the group that managed the website for Disney Channel. Claudia was incredibly kind and always responded and provided encouragement each time Randy reached out with his random interactive side projects. Eventually Claudia would help arrange a meeting that led to our first project for Disney. At this point we rapidly pivoted and started focusing almost exclusively on the children’s interactive media space. Somehow we were now getting paid to produce content that we previously only made for fun. 🤯 This went against everything our parents told us about work and the real world! Including a small collage of some of our early Boise agency work! #throwbackthursday

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Is your Veterinary or pet practice getting the attetion it deserves?

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The Future Of Native Ads In CTV? Check out this Q&A with Travis Hockersmith Group VP of Platform+ VIZIO Ads & Magnite's very own Chris Signore Head of Revenue, AdServing as they discuss. "Magnite has created a workflow that allows us to move faster than our previous solution, providing us with the tools to manage the Tiles inventory in an efficient and optimized manner". http://bit.ly/3KyCAym #magnite #vizioads #native #tiles #ctv #streaming #programmatic

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Unlock the power of direct mail to drive traffic to your SUPERZOO booth! 📬 Excited to share how targeted mailers can captivate potential buyers and boost your booth's visibility. Let's connect to discuss strategies for SUPERZOO! #petindustry #TradeShows #DirectMail #SUPERZOO www.superzoo.org

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Were you there? https://okt.to/UHgChW Last week, Emily Flannery, Meredith Post and Kyle Schutte glimpsed the future of the snacking category—and the shifts coming are tectonic. If you’re a leader in snacking CPG, click through and watch our experts’ take on the consumer behaviors disrupting the space, the brave brands keeping up and how to reorient your business to drive future obsession. Watch it right here: https://okt.to/ZgSGeX #futureofsnacking #snackingcpg #snacksandsweets #CPGtrends

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A technical advantage isn't enough to dominate the market. We started working with a CPG brand 19 months into its life and stayed with it for over six years. We began with brand tracking, which led us to identify the gap between the brand's current performance and its potential. We found the brand had a clear technical advantage over its three larger competitors. By consistently communicating the key benefit within an emotional package, we helped the brand gain trial. This strategy resulted in impressive growth. In Year 5, we emphasized loyalty enhancement, and the results were even greater. Understanding the gap and consistently communicating key benefits can transform a brand’s market position. With MSW Research’s expertise, this CPG brand saw significant growth and increased market share. 📈 #BrandGrowth #MarketResearch #MSWResearch #CaseStudy

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The news from Shopify and Target today that they are teaming up to bring more Shopify vendors into the Target Plus program sounds very exciting, but I think the net effect will be small. Folks are using Shopify so that they can run their own stores and have control over pricing, shipping and the direct relationship with the customer. They are doing this because the market on Amazon and to a lesser extent Walmart gives too much control over the experience to the end retailer. Target's Plus program is just a smaller less, successful version of Amazon and Walmart. So if you really wanted to be successful in etailing using the big marketplaces, then you would go to Amazon, right? And if you wanted to control your destiny then you would avoid Target and Amazon, right? Are there enough Shopify stores that will see value in Target Plus? Time will tell.

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Unlock the power of visibility with San Jose's premier Search Engine Optimization services. Elevate your website's ranking and seize the spotlight in the digital realm. Let's journey together towards online success! #SEO #SanJose #DigitalMarketing

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Did you know you can watch the Yoast #SEOUpatebyYoast replays on our YouTube channel? 📹 If you watch this while on a cardio machine, they say time might go by 3x quicker AND you’ll be updated by the latest #SEO news 👇🏼😉 #digitalmarketing #SEO #Search https://lnkd.in/gYcNJ3Mq

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CPG marketers bring a consumer down a funnel to get a purchase/conversion. A great cannabis marketer brings a Budtender down a funnel to get to the consumer purchase. Many marketers go directly to trial (read: spray and pray samples to any Budtender that will take the free product). By not properly gauging interest and following the steps, you're simply wasting resources with no ability to get to advocacy - which is where they recommend your product to a consumer. High Buds Club

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Oook, let's talk about this Entrata news. Over the last year, their competitors added or increased API fees, causing lots of frustration and pushback. Everyone was begging Entrata to "stay strong". I've even been championing #freethemfdata, hoping to show this industry that there is a majority who believe that everyone wins when we all "play nice in the sandbox". But now Entrata has announced that they, too, are introducing a fee structure for API partners. "Another one bites the dust." Right? I'm not so sure. Here is how I'm thinking about this: 1. API fees are incredibly common across industries. According to a Postman survey last year (link in comments), 72% of respondents said that API's generate more than 10% of their company's revenue (see chart) 🤯 API fees are not a sign of a company being "behind the times". Many of the most innovative companies charge them. And let's not forget >>> 2. We've all complained for YEARS that our industry's APIs are outdated. Improving these API's won't happen without significant investment by the companies who provide them. What are the odds that they would simply eat into their own margins to make that happen? Not to mention >>> 3. Over the last 10 years, operators have steadily added many best-of-breed solutions to their tech stack. I have to imagine that the PMS's are seeing massive increases in API traffic. True, the cost to support this growing demand may not be close to what some are charging for access. But it isn't free, and it's again unreasonable to expect them to just eat all of that cost. They could simply hike up prices on their clients; or they could introduce a new revenue channel: charge the companies who, let's be honest, benefit from these APIs as they build their own businesses. Now, there are two ways to go about the latter >>> 4. They could simply start charging, or increasing, API fees, with no tangible benefit. This doesn't do anyone any good. Even if that revenue were solely allocated to cover the costs, and they weren't profiting (lol), we would still be furious that we can't feel any change other than to our wallets (sound familiar?). But there is a scenario where everyone wins >>> 5. They could invest that added revenue in ways that tangibly improve the partner and/or the client experience, justifying the costs. They could finally start working WITH us to make the changes that we've been asking them to make for years. From what I see, Entrata is already diverging from previous narratives. I don't see their competitors committing to building a "partner ecosystem". I can understand how this feels like a "here we go again". And yes, time will tell whether Entrata is able to deliver on this promise of a partner ecosystem. And I agree that it's frustrating when something that was free to you is all of a sudden no longer free. Personally, I'm going to reserve judgment until the dust settles. Maybe by then, at least some of the MF data will be freed.

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🚀 IT’S FINALLY HERE! 🚀 The latest State of Local Marketing data has arrived, and it’s packed with jaw-dropping insights! Ever wondered why some of your affiliates see a staggering 112% more revenue growth? And how you can help the rest of your local partners catch up? This year’s data reveals the 5 optimizations your program NEEDS to drive results. Don't miss out on these game-changing strategies! 📈🔍 #LocalMarketing #AffiliateMarketing #RevenueGrowth #MarketingInsights #BusinessGrowth

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Now trending in #marketing: Top 🔝 brands are recognizing the benefits of creating their own #IdentityGraphs to curate #CustomAudiences and quickly tailor data-driven marketing campaigns to their specific needs. 💨📈 #PerformanceMarketing https://lnkd.in/g92mkJFX

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Struggling Norfolk Retail Biz? Feeling stuck in the past? Is your online presence a ghost town? Brick and mortar stores can THRIVE in today's market! Here's how a combined CTO / CMO approach can transform your business like it did for Tidewater Safety Shoes. Questions? 📈 How can I leverage data to reach new customers? 🤝 Is my online store user-friendly? ⛓️ Are my marketing efforts disconnected? This FREE case study has the answers! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eyu5KJDi #norfolk #retail #growthhacking #entrepreneur #ecommerce

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Was enjoying this article from Digiday about principal media until this jarring nonsense: "...most inventory sold in barter is either remnant or last-minute inventory..." This old trope-- that barter media is leftovers-- has stubbornly stuck around our industry for decades. It's unresearched and lazy. I cannot speak for other barter enterprises, but I can speak for Active. If the media we purchased via our trading positions with media providers was of lesser quality, our model would crumble. We wouldn't be in business. What self-respecting company would hobble their marketing efforts in exchange for getting rid of some undesirable product? We must be able to execute our clients' precise media plan. That's why we invest our capital in the media marketplace-- to ensure an unrestricted capacity at advantaged pricing. Come on, Digiday. Do your homework. https://lnkd.in/e2jwuZH2

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Struggling CPG brand? Marketers often update packaging as a quick fix. But the ROI is far greater when you take the time to address the strategic problems lurking underneath. https://lnkd.in/gxhsU-Ah #marketing #branding #strategy #cpg #roi #business #results #retailvoodoo #davidlemley🚨 Is your brand struggling? It might be time to rethink your strategy, not just your packaging. 🚨 Discover why a holistic brand strategy is crucial for sustainable growth and long-term success. Our latest insights dive into real-world examples, like Russell Stover, to show how strategic planning can revitalize your brand beyond surface-level fixes. Learn how aligning your brand's core values with market needs can lead to remarkable turnarounds. 👉 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gxhsU-Ah #BrandStrategy #Marketing #RetailVoodoo #Packaging #BusinessGrowth #DavidLemley

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How do you drive incremental value as a marketing leader? Take small opportunities and make them big. In this case -- make it black, make it limited edition, make it METAL. Other grills don't look like this, don't get pitched like this, don't sound like this. Thats the point. #brandmarketing #innovation #productmarketing #advertising #brand https://lnkd.in/eMJcudNu

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