In March of 2006 when I met with Matt and Jamie Roche, CEO & President of Offermatica, we agreed that the market was not ready for OTTO Digital. That didn’t stop us – it inspired us. We had an opportunity to create something groundbreaking and we were confident the market would catch-up to us. How right we were. The result has been the most enjoyable ride of my career.
The early days were spent doing work in exchange for case studies. This thing was new — no one had tried to start a business that married the strategic, creative and technical services around optimization. We had to prove the model. Then in the Fall of 2006 we signed T-Mobile and H&R Block and OTTO Digital got its wings. In the year and a half since, this little thing of ours took off like a rocket.
I leave OTTO having worked with over 40 Clients and a record of success that no agency can touch — 100% of our clients have experienced measurable performance increases in their digital marketing from our services. We’ve worked with the leaders in almost every vertical. Companies like Disney, Microsoft, IBM, Sears, Intuit and many others. Save one, not a single client has stopped optimizing with the Offermatica tool. T-Mobile and H&R Block remain two of our best clients. I’m proud to have the titles of Founder & Chief Strategy Offer, OTTO Digital forever associated with my career.
What I’m most proud of is the team we built at OTTO. There are not many people that know how to do what we do. The group, many of whom I brought in personally, are world-class marketers and technologists. They share a love of testing and the courage to measure their ideas in real-time in front of a live audience. Their place in and their impact on the future of marketing is secure.
As for me, I will continue to follow my vision and passion and be on the front-lines in the strategic battle to provide relevance to people in their online interactions. If you’ve been following this blog you have an idea where I see this future. The tools and technologies to deliver relevance have progressed much faster than the ability for businesses, advertisers and agencies to leverage them effectively. This presents a great opportunity to create a new kind of business – one that provides next-generation optimization services and delivers marketing solutions. I look forward to sharing more details with you soon.
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