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So far thecovertcode has created 75 blog entries.

Episode 29 – Featured Guest Jennifer Schielke

By |2024-09-11T16:14:45+00:00September 12th, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, we explore the topic of leadership with Jennifer Shielke, co-founder and CEO of Summit Group Solutions.

Meet Jennifer Schielke

Jennifer Shielke is the co-founder and CEO of Summit Group Solutions, a company that focuses on IT staffing and recruiting. With over 30 years of business leadership experience, Jennifer has played a pivotal role in establishing Summit Group Solutions as a trusted B2B partner, recognized by Inc. as a Power Partner in 2023 for its exceptional service and impact on business growth. Her leadership is rooted in integrity, empathy, and a commitment to continuous improvement, making her a well-respected figure in the staffing industry. Additionally, Jennifer is the author of Leading for Impact: The CEO’s Guide to Influencing with Integrity, where she shares her insights on leadership, emphasizing values-based decision-making and the importance of strong relationships in business

Episode 28 – Featured Guest Todd Robertson

By |2024-09-05T20:04:21+00:00September 5th, 2024|Podcasts|

In this episode of The Covert Code podcast, we sit down with Todd Robertson, CEO of Hyperspective, to explore how to create content that truly inspires change.

Todd Robertson HeadshotMeet Todd Robertson

Todd Robertson is the CEO of Hyperspective, a full-service creative and digital agency known for innovative solutions that bridge technology and storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, Todd has led teams in crafting immersive experiences, interactive media, and compelling digital content that drive brand engagement. His expertise lies in blending creativity with emerging technologies, making Hyperspective a leader in delivering cutting-edge, strategic campaigns across diverse industries. Todd’s passion for innovation continues to push the boundaries of digital transformation, setting new standards for excellence in the creative world.

Episode 27 – Featured Guest Sarah Dandashy

By |2024-08-27T19:32:14+00:00August 30th, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on the Covert Code Podcast, the topic is “meeting and exceeding customer expectations,” and I’m thrilled to have Sarah Dandashy.

Sarah DandashySarah Dandashy

Sarah Dandashy is a verified TV travel expert, best-selling author, and keynote speaker with over 18 years of hospitality experience. She started as a luxury hotel concierge, creating the popular brand “Ask A Concierge,” and now shares travel insights with over 250,000 followers. Transitioning from her concierge role, Sarah collaborates with top brands and is a trusted travel authority on networks like ABC, CBS, and FOX. Her expertise has been featured in major publications, and she hosts “The Creators” podcast and co-hosts “Good Morning, Hospitality” on LinkedIn Live. Her #1 best-selling book, “Hospitality From Within,” and her ongoing work continue to inspire travelers worldwide.

Episode 26 – Featured Guest Pat Monick

By |2024-08-23T19:12:52+00:00August 23rd, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on the Covert Code Podcast, the topic is “women in business,” and my special guest is Pat Monick, Principle of 4Front Branding and VP of Covert Communication.

Pat MonickMeet Pat Monick

Pat Monick, Principal of 4Front Branding/Monick Brand Comm LLC and VP of Covert Communication, has over 30 years of experience in marketing, specializing in account management, strategic planning, media, and public relations. Starting her career in fashion and textile design, Pat transitioned to marketing, eventually serving as Senior VP at Laird Christianson Advertising, where she helped grow the company into Honolulu’s largest marketing communications firm. Pat has worked across various industries, including construction, real estate, retail, hospitality, healthcare, insurance, solar energy, and book promotion. She is recognized as a past-president of the American Advertising Federation – Hawaii and was named Ad Woman of the Year in 2009. Pat excels in brand development, creative production, and managing websites and social media.

Episode 25 – Featured Guest Bjorn Arnold

By |2024-08-16T18:10:48+00:00August 16th, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on The Covert Code, the topic is “emerging technology and innovation,” and I’m excited to introduce Bjorn Arnold, one of the co-founders of Data Motion.

Bjorn ArnoldMeet Bjorn Arnold

Bjorn Arnold is one of the co-founders of Data Motion, Sweden’s pioneering 3D animation company. Bjorn’s career has been a testament to the power of technology in transforming industries, particularly in marketing. From the early days of Autodesk 3D Studio, Bjorn has been at the cutting edge, helping to revolutionize the way companies present their products to the world. Now retired, Bjorn joins us from his family’s century-old country house in Sweden to share his incredible journey and insights into the future of technology.

Episode 24 – Featured Guest John Pitre

By |2024-08-09T17:19:27+00:00August 9th, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on TheCovertCode the topic is “innovation, technology and design” and I’m pleased to introduce John Pitre President & Founder of Natural Power Concepts (NPC).

Headshot of Jphn PitreMeet John Pitre

John Pitre, born in 1942 and educated at the Art Students League in New York, is a renowned Master of Fantasy and Surrealism with over 40 years of influence. His art, known for its visionary commentary on issues like overpopulation, nuclear war, and ecological decline, includes the widely popular piece “Restrictions,” which sold an estimated seven million copies. Beyond his artwork, Pitre holds numerous patents, pioneering in fields such as ocean exploration, aviation, and fitness equipment design, including the award-winning ROM machine. His work, including the innovative Genesis Paint, transcends visual art, offering profound philosophical insights into humanity’s purpose as stewards of the planet. Many are deeply inspired by the ethereal vision of this modern-day DaVinci.

Buyer Beware: When to Pump the Brakes on Your Digital Marketing

By |2024-08-09T17:19:27+00:00August 2nd, 2024|Forbes Articles|

If you spend time on the beach in Hawaii, you’ll see surfers “carving”—rebalancing to change direction quickly as a way to navigate a wave successfully.

It’s a maneuver that many business owners need to make when it comes to digital marketing. In order to succeed in an evolving digital landscape, you must have the confidence to pivot when the numbers aren’t adding up.

If you rely on your advertising agency to protect you from spending too much and achieving too little, you need to know that online advertising has no third-party oversight. That’s right, there is no way to prove, using an unbiased entity, that your ad or impression ever ran. That’s why picking the right partners and asking the right questions are critical.

The good news is that it’s easy to spot potential problems by asking questions and having the confidence to press pause on a marketing campaign that isn’t delivering.

Here are three warning signs that it might be time to pump the brakes:

  1. Your advertising agency asks for a bigger budget. Regardless of your digital spend, any paid advertising should have a measurable result. Never agree to spend more before you have confidence in your paid service to the onsite conversion rate. Before agreeing to a bigger budget, ask about changing creative, landing pages, promotions, or trying a different approach to driving the paid search (such as testing Outbrain Native ads instead of Google Display).
  2. Your advertising agency says your campaign will take 90-120 days to work. When you hear this, it’s time to pause everything. Media companies that use lists to target users will say that it takes this long to match the data, create the audience pool, and serve enough ads to optimize the campaign. The truth is that most of those users who they might have been able to “match” with online may no longer need your specific product or service. Think about when you purchase a product and continue seeing ads. It’s ludicrous to attribute one impression shown to a customer with a site visit that was influenced by that marketing in any time frame over 24 hours (view-through) or 30 days if the ad was clicked on.
  3. Your advertising agency says that they can’t determine if the ads ran or were clicked on by a human. There are trusted media partners like Quantcast, StackAdapt, Criteo, and Outbrain that will allow third-party pixels to run inside of your ads to prove they were viewed and to show the percentage of viewability, which matters when the user scrolls down the page (if they scrolled fast, they might have only seen your ad for a few seconds, meaning it was viewed at 50% rather than 100%). Bots can be blocked from paid search campaigns using third-party software like ClickCease. Tools like platform IVT (invalid traffic) reporting can confirm the validity of engagement.

I don’t believe that agencies and media partners deliberately participate in a grand scheme to hurt business owners. Instead, it’s the result of a total lack of expert knowledge that has trickled down and tarnished the industry.

Digital marketing didn’t become a dark art by itself; it has become that way from years of rapid and untamed growth. The good news is that there are tools and resources that can help business owners take back control by learning the fundamentals of how media is bought, sold, and consumed online.

Riding the waves of digital media begins by recognizing when it’s time to smoothly change directions, carving like a pro.

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Episode 23 – Featured Guest David Pang

By |2024-08-16T18:11:25+00:00August 2nd, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on TheCovertCode the topic is “niche industries” and I’m pleased to introduce David Pang Owner of Ilio Products, maker of Malama Eco products Paina Products, Kanana Pet Supplies and Teeth Treats.

David Pang Head ShotMeet David Pang

David H. Pang is a partner with Hawaii-based ‘Ilio Products, maker of Malama Eco Products, and Teeth Treat™. A pet industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, Pang began his career with a Hawaii pet food and supplies distributor, starting in the warehouse and working his way up to become director of sales. Following this Pang founded his own distribution company supplying pet products to Asia from the United States and to the United States from Asia. In 2004, Pang partnered with the largest vet distributor in Taiwan to open a series of four super pet stores, Pet’s World, which offers a full range of retail, live pets, grooming, vet hospital services and boarding. After returning to Hawaii, Dave opened Pet Spot Ward at Ward Warehouse in 2007, later giving it to his assistant manager in 2010 to focus on ‘Ilio Products.

Pang studied marketing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and is a 1988 graduate of Kaimuki High School. He has 3 sons DJ, Kailoa and Kawika.

Episode 22 – Featured Guest Tracy Sierra

By |2024-08-09T17:19:27+00:00July 26th, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on TheCovertCode the topic is “storytelling” and I’m pleased to introduce Tracy Sierra, author of the best selling thriller Nightwatching, a Fallon Book Club Pick winner.

Tracy Sierra HeadshotMeet Tracy Sierra

Tracy Sierra was born and raised in the Colorado mountains. She is an attorney who currently lives in New England in an antique colonial-era home complete with its own secret room. When not writing, she spends time with her husband and two children. Nightwatching is her debut novel.

Episode 21 – Featured Guest Toby Tamaye

By |2024-08-09T17:19:27+00:00July 18th, 2024|Podcasts|

This week on TheCovertCode the topic is “social media influencers” and I’m pleased to introduce Toby Tamaye, President of AT Marketing LLC.

Toby Tamaye, President of AT Marketing LLC, standing outdoors with a cityscape of modern high-rise buildings in the background, smiling and wearing a suit.Meet Toby Tamaye

Toby Tamaye is the President of AT Marketing LLC, a leading PR marketing firm specializing in the Asian travel market. With a strong focus on the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese markets, Toby has built a stellar reputation for delivering targeted and effective marketing solutions. Over the years, he has transitioned into an influential figure in the Hawaii Food Scene, leveraging his expertise to help clients navigate the complex world of social media and influencer marketing. Known for his innovative strategies and deep understanding of niche markets, Toby has successfully guided numerous clients in establishing a robust presence in the ever-evolving social media landscape. His work has not only elevated brands but also set new standards in PR marketing for the Asian travel market.

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