GRAVITY MEDIA EARNS 2013 MOSAIC AWARD FOR BEST ‘MULTIETHNIC ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN’
New York, NY (Sept. 24, 2013) – The American Advertising Federation (AAF) has announced Gravity Media as a recipient of the organization’s 12th Annual Mosaic Awards. Gravity Media, a full-service multicultural advertising agency, is this year’s winner in the Multiethnic Advertising Campaign category.
The winning campaign titled “Hum Hain Bollywood (We Are Bollywood)” was submitted on behalf of the agency’s work for their client, Dish Networks, Inc. “Hum Hain Bollywood” was a cultural-specific campaign that showcased DISH ® as the premium source of South Asian television programming. The fully integrated, multi-lingual campaign featured visuals and references from iconic Bollywood movies that represent classic South Asian entertainment, including films such as Sharaabi, Dirty Picture and Agneepath.
“It is an honor to be recognized as a distinguished leader in the multicultural landscape,” said Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media. “Our knowledge of the cultures and traditions celebrated by a wide range of important cultural groups allows us to create unique, one of a kind campaigns that contribute to maximizing our clients ROI.”
Since 2011, Gravity has been the agency of record for DISH within the South Asian market. The satellite provider chose Gravity Media for their cultural understanding and their innovative approach to reaching the consumer. Through the execution of powerful, intuitive campaigns, they claimed the new tagline “DISH, the Home of South Asian TV Entertainment.”
The Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards recognizes those companies and individuals who have demonstrated an understanding of the value of inclusion within the advertising industry as it relates to talent, messaging, buying habits and media consumption. Gravity Media proudly joins past Mosaic Award recipients in this category which include Lopez Negrete, UniWorld Group, Inc. and Burrell Communications Group.
"We are proud to honor Gravity Media as the 2013 Mosaic Award recipient in the Multicultural Advertising Campaign category,” said Connie Frazier, COO of AAF. “The judges felt that Gravity Media’s work on behalf of their client, Dish Network, Inc., truly exemplified and embodied the meaning of effective multicultural advertising."
In addition to receiving a Mosaic Award, Gravity was recently recognized by Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. ranked at #250.
About Gravity Media
Gravity Media (www.MediaGravity.com) is an award-winning, full-service multicultural advertising agency recognized by Advertising Age and Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing agencies in the country. Gravity Media is a member of Findr Group (www.FindrGroup.com), a group of marketing and communications agencies focused on building integrated campaigns with international perspectives. Clients include: Caesars Entertainment, CenterLight Healthcare, DISH, IDT Corporation, and U.S. Army. Gravity has offices in New York and Los Angeles. More info: www.FindrGroup.com.
Gravity Media takes on new-to-market ‘yogurt’ brand Latta Russian Kefir
New York, NY (August 29, 2013) – Gravity Media is now the official agency of record for Latta Russian Kefir – a premium yogurt-like product that will define a new category of this multibillion dollar market. As part of this undertaking, Gravity Media will help bring Latta to the marketplace and build strong brand presence in grocery stores, initially in the New York City area. Kefir, a traditional Russian food staple, is a specialty type of yogurt that contains multiple types of probiotics and has digestive health benefits, yet is an underdeveloped category. Market education and brand positioning will be key elements in this project and included as part of the public relations, sales and marketing strategies.
“Our vision is to provide a healthy, all-natural, authentic product to the masses. I’ve spent many years perfecting Latta to reflect the high-quality of kefir native to Russia,” says Felix Belferman, Latta’s chief operating officer. “Gravity Media has exceptional knowledge of kefir and the competitive yogurt category and have demonstrated the ability to move Latta into a leading position.”
The kefir producer sets itself apart from other major yogurt brands through their authentic creation process; the kefir is cultured right in the container and the consumer is the first one to experience Latta’s final product. Also, they are one of the very few companies to offer a non-dairy kefir product – a unique line of green teas and coconut drinks. Like the yogurts, the drinks are fermented in the bottles using certified organic ingredients.
“We admire Latta’s integrity of ensuring a superior kefir product rather than capitalizing on mass production,” states Yuriy Boykiv, chief operating officer at Gravity Media. “Our agency is resolute in surpassing their sales goals and changing the landscape of the yogurt category.”
About Gravity Media
Gravity Media (www.MediaGravity.com) is an award-winning, full-service advertising agency recognized by Advertising Age and Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing agencies in the country. Gravity is a member of Findr Group (www.FindrGroup.com), a group of marketing and communications agencies focused on building integrated campaigns with international perspectives. Clients include: Caesars Entertainment, CenterLight Healthcare, DISH, NBA, U.S. Army. Gravity has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
The Agency Post Ranks Gravity Media as one of the Top Three Fastest Growing Agencies in the Country
New York, NY (September 4, 2013) – For the second time in under a month, Gravity Media is recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. The Agency Post’s Agency 100 list captured Gravity as the third quickly rising agency with more than 5,000% growth rate over the last four years. Last month, Inc. 500 recognized Gravity Media for the same impressive achievement.
Just shy of their five year anniversary, Gravity Media was founded in 2009, with one client, a thirty thousand dollar investment and a five member team. Today, the Gravity team is comprised of over 45 employees, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles.
“Our clients are looking for a one-stop-shop to meet all their business needs and our multi-faceted methods allow us to achieve those goals,” stated Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media. “We attribute our success to our unique understanding that the U.S. market is truly a multicultural one.”
Gravity Media’s multicultural mindset enables them to fully integrate brands into various cultures. Additionally, the agency has successfully translated culturally relevant brand messages across multiple disciplines including advertising, communications, public relations, digital and creative.
The Agency Post’s Agency 100 list is co-hosted by Agency Management Roundtable. To celebrate the business of advertising, The Agency Post has showcased 100 agencies in the U.S. which have demonstrated fortitude, strong relationships, great work and strategic ideas. Earlier this year, Advertising Age ranked Gravity Media as one of the top and fastest growing multicultural advertising agencies in the country.
About Gravity Media
Gravity Media (www.MediaGravity.com) is an award-winning, full-service multicultural advertising agency recognized by Advertising Age and Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing agencies in the country. Gravity Media is a member of Findr Group (www.FindrGroup.com), a group of marketing and communications agencies focused on building integrated campaigns with international perspectives. Clients include: Caesars Entertainment, CenterLight Healthcare, DISH, IDT Corporation, and U.S. Army. Gravity has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
New York, NY (August 20, 2013) – Gravity Media is proud to announce Inc. 500’s ranking – listing them as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S., coming in strong at #252. Additionally, the company leads in industry growth as the fastest growing full-service marketing firm, proving to be one of the most innovative and inspiring companies of 2013. From 2009 – 2012, the agency experienced an exponential growth rate of 1,723.5% and reached a lucrative $12.4 million in billings in 2012 – nearly doubling their revenue from 2011 to 2012.
Gravity Media was founded in 2009, with one client, a thirty thousand dollar investment and a five member team. Today, the Gravity team is comprised of over 45 employees, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. Additionally, earlier this year, Advertising Age ranked Gravity Media as one of the top and fastest growing multicultural advertising agencies in the country.
“It is a great honor for us to be a part of the elite in this country,” stated Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media. “Our growth can be attributed to the deep understanding of the diversity of this nation and the international marketplace – knowing how to bring the general and multicultural markets together optimizing ROI for our clients.”
According to Ersi’s 2012 Diversity Index, more than 50% of the U.S. population is comprised of multicultural ethnicities. Gravity not only works on campaigns targeting the domestic-based Asian, African American, Hispanic, European and Middle Eastern demographic, it also focuses on the traditional “general market” for clients as well, merging these markets together.
“To succeed in these markets, you must understand and live the culture and traditions within them,” adds Mr. Boykiv. “Our staff embodies the diversity that truly represents the U.S. today.”
Gravity’s East and West Coast teams consist of people from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds who speak more than 20 languages. The Gravity team hails from all over the U.S. and the world – having deep understandings of the cultures they target on behalf of their clients and the U.S. marketplace.
Some of Gravity’s work includes South Asian marketing for DISH; Caesars Entertainment’s advertising campaigns for the East Asian markets, U.S. Army’s African American, Asian and Middle Eastern outreach along with fully integrated marketing for NY-based CenterLight Healthcare. Most recently, the agency added Latta Russian Kefir to its client roster.
As the premier media outlet for entrepreneurs and business owners, Inc. Magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. It has become one of the most distinguished editorial awards and a celebration of innovation – previous winners include Microsoft, Zappos and Jamba Juice. Companies are ranked according to the percentage growth of their annual revenue over a three-year period, with 2013’s rankings based on 2009 and 2012 revenues.
About Gravity Media
Gravity Media (mediagravity.com) is an award-winning, full-service advertising agency that provides a wide array of solutions, from strategy development to creative to media campaign implementation. Gravity is a member of Findr Group (FindrGroup.com), a group of marketing and communications agencies focused on building integrated campaigns with international perspectives on marketing, digital, creative, communications and public relations. Named by AdAge as one of the fastest growing ad agencies in the U.S. in 2011 and 2012, Gravity won more than 10 awards, including “Best Multicultural Campaign of the Year” by MediaPost, since its inception in 2009. Clients include: American Crew, CenterLight Healthcare, U.S. Army, DISH, Caesars Entertainment, Prudential Financial, NBA, Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism, IDT Telecommunications. Gravity has offices in New York and Los Angeles. More info: www.FindrGroup.com.
Ad Age Ranks Gravity Media as the Fastest Growing Multicultural Ad Agency for Three Years in a Row
For the third consecutive year, Gravity Media has been recognized by Advertising Age as the fastest growing multicultural advertising agency in the U.S. In this short time, Gravity has continuously surmounted its growth year after year, proving to be a force to be reckoned within the industry.
“We are setting our sights even higher for 2013,” stated Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media. “We have the industry’s top talent and the determination to be the best at what we do. We fully intend to top the charts next year.”
Since 2010, Gravity has maintained its position as one of the fastest growing multicultural advertising agencies with outstanding revenue growth. Last year, Gravity saw a 71% growth over 2011. The agency has set high standards for businesses looking to target multicultural and niche markets such as African American, Asian, European, Hispanic and Middle Eastern.
The 69th Annual Agency Report includes rankings of hundreds of advertising, marketing-services and media agencies based on 2012 revenue. Ad Age has a long-standing commitment to recognizing the best advertising agencies across the nation. Through their comprehensive annual evaluation, Ad Age thoroughly examines an agency applicant’s revenue changes and account gains and losses.
About Gravity Media
Gravity Media (mediagravity.com) is an award-winning full service-advertising agency that provides a wide array of solutions, from strategy development to creative to media campaign implementation. Gravity is a member of Findr Group (FindrGroup.com), a group of marketing and communications agencies focused on building integrated campaigns with international perspectives on marketing, digital, creative, communications and public relations. Named by AdAge as one of the fastest growing ad agencies in the U.S. in 2011 and 2012, Gravity won more than 10 awards, including “Best Multicultural Campaign of the Year” by MediaPost, since its inception in 2009. Clients include: American Crew, CenterLight Healthcare, U.S. Army, DISH, Caesars Entertainment, Prudential Financial, NBA, Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism, IDT Telecommunications. Gravity has offices in New York and Los Angeles. More info: www.FindrGroup.com.
What One Can Learn About Culture By Visiting India
When I decided to go to India for a two-week vacation I knew exactly what to expect; hot weather, a great disparity between the wealthy and poor; food that could taste, at first, great then keep you in bed for a week; lots of history, the Taj Mahal, and the list went on and on.
I also did what many people do before going to India – I read a book called Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts, a run-away Australian criminal turned Mumbai-local. Roberts, in 1,000 pages, describes his India experience in such detail that after finishing the book you feel as though you know more about India than any Indian you have ever met. To top that, most of my professional life I spent marketing some type of product or service to Asians, which of course includes Indians. I know Indian holidays, celebrity names, sports heroes, differences between Indian states, traditions, the languages people speak, and I could even say a few words in Hindi.
I prepared for the trip. I asked all of my Indian friends where to go, who to meet and what to avoid. Then, I checked hundreds of popular online sources, including Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor, compared places, created the itinerary that seemed most plausible and booked the trip. I felt like a kid who had done his homework, prepared for an exam and, through diligence in studying, was ready to ace every single question. Hence, going to the exam would be just a formality and opportunity to show off my skills to the unsuspecting professor.
I started asking myself, “Why am I even going to a country I know all about?” Then, came India.
Moving around
Upon arrival, I realized that, unlike in America where people drive cars, Indians drive and ride everything. Anything that can get you from point A to point B is a vehicle and if it can move faster than a human being, an Indian will make it a vehicle. Horses, camels, elephants, donkeys, mopeds, motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, trucks and cars move at the speed of light in various directions. Everything is moving, because it seems that standing still is some sort of sin that no self-respecting Indian wants to commit. Unlike in America, where a wrong move can result in a honk and a finger from a fellow driver, Indian drivers have zero road-rage--a surprise for any Westerner. Yes, I said zero. The only reason they honk (and, trust me, they honk all the time) is to warn a pedestrian or a fellow driver that there is a potential danger. In this insanely fierce battle for every inch of space, I witnessed only one small accident. A small Tata Nano tried to avoid collision with a rickshaw and scratched a Corolla. I was a passenger in a passing car and got super excited to see what happened next. I was so happy that I finally got to, after the two-week craziness that is the Indian roads, see that someone had an accident. I was expecting a great fight to ensue or for angry police officers to arrive on the scene. I thought the owner of Corolla would come out from the car with a big cricket bat and smash a window of the tiny Nano car that looked like a toy car that my one year old daughter would drive. Instead, both drivers came out, checked the damage, smiled and, with no further confrontation, got back into their cars and joined the traffic; honking their way into their respective lanes. I learned that tolerance and respect, for oneself and others, are some of the greatest qualities Indian people hold.
Traffic in Old Delhi.
I stole a rickshaw in Old Delhi.
On a highway from Delhi to Agra.
Conscious Capitalism
After India got their independence from Great Britain in 1947, the country chose to borrow some concepts from the Soviet Union (universal healthcare, free education) and some from the West (free market economy, democratic elections, stock exchange). The country had to somehow make the 1.1 billion people work in harmony and peace while building its own identity. This was not an easy feat in a country with over 1,000 dialects, 14 official languages, and as many religions.
There are no better places to understand how capitalism works in India than to drive a rickshaw to a busy local Kahn market in New Delhi, to visit the overcrowded street of Old Dehlo or by visiting the Dharavi slums of Mumbai. My wife and I took a new, upgraded motor rickshaw in New Delhi to the local Khan market. The only difference between the upgraded rickshaw and a traditional rickshaw is that a traditional rickshaw has a skinny yet muscular guy on foot or a bicycle and a motor rickshaw has the same guy with a small engine, a proud smile and, possibly, a belly. The motor rickshaw is called, “Tuk Tuk” and it costs $1 to get you anywhere you want in New Delhi, but it costs a driver $7,000 to buy one; sort of like a medallion license for cab drivers in New York City. This means that the guy must make at least 7,000 rides before he can even pay off his tiny vehicle. In a country with no easy access to credit, this is a tough task for entrepreneurs, so many of them opt to rent rickshaws instead of buying them. The first thing the driver asked me, “Sir, are you from Obama country?” Surprised, I reply, “Yes”. He goes, “Then, do you mind, sir, kindly paying me in Obama money?” I started laughing and agreed. A few minutes into the ride he proceeds with another question, “Do you know what you drive with me?” I replied, “Of course, it's a Tuk-Tuk”. He said “No, Sir. -This is Indian helicopter”. We continued to laugh and drove through the crazy Delhi traffic to the market. I realized that not only did he have to make a living by getting us from point A to point B, but he also wanted to make sure I was happy and that I came back to drive with him again. He upsold me on anything and everything, taking me to stores where he had struck deals with business owners and charged a commission. . He made that sure I checked out carpets, Kashmir shawls, and anything else that a typical tourist would buy. He was not just a Tuk-Tuk operator, but an Indian businessman on wheels.
We also visited Dharavi, the most notorious slums in Mumbai. We hired a local guide who, despite living in the worst slums in India, managed to study physics in a Mumbai University, run a highly profitable guided tours company and open his own restaurant. He took us to a world we will never forget. Apparently, Bill Gates once took Harvard Business graduates to the same slums to teach them how business is actually done in the most improbable conditions. Dharavi did not disappoint. It is the most incredible place one could visit and learn from. Yes, it stank and had naked dirty kids running through narrow, two-foot wide streets. It had huts, not houses, which looked like they were one wind gust away from falling apart. It was also crammed with a variety of people of at least four religions: Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Jainism, all mixed up in some type of trade and exchange. There were so many people around us moving at such a fast paces that even Manhattanites would be jealous. At some point we realized that we were not dizzy from the smells, sights and sounds of this place, but from the fact that things moved faster than our eyes could process them. “Chalo!” which means, “Let’s Go!” is the motto there. We saw bakeries making N’aan (Indian bread), leather manufacturing factories that killed everything but cows to make all types of leather products for Calvin Klein and Levi’s; smiths that used scraps of steel to make bicycles, shoemakers who collected 10-year old shoes to repurpose and make Nikes out of, hospital workers, rubber producers – all working in perfect synchronicity with efficiency and a smile on their face. Their apartments, usually “studios” with no bathroom but satellite TVs. Each hut costs about $30,000 to buy and there is a huge waiting list to get one. Nobody complains and no one wants to leave the slums. Everyone is an entrepreneur and everyone is proud to be from the Dharavi.
"Indian helicopter" without an engine.
Buying sweets for kids in a local village.
"New Boss" in a local village.
Eyelashes to "scare off evil".
Dharavi slums.
Dharavi entrepreneurs in their travel agency office.
Laundry business in Mumbai.
Food
If, before your India trip, you hated Indian food - after the trip you will like it; if you liked it - you will love it; if you loved it - you will feel like you are in food heaven. Everything just tastes better. We went to a local restaurant in Jaipur called Nero, which I thought would be a good name for a place serving Greek cuisine, but I can assure you that the owner did not suffer from bad branding. Instead we got a menu that consisted of 1,001 items ready to be prepared in less than 5 minutes – Gordon Ramsay would shudder that this many items were on the menu. The waiter approached us and asked my wife, Lilian, "What is to your liking, Madam?" She replied: "I am in-between mutton tikka and goat brain...How does the goat brain dish taste?" Waiter: "Oh Madam, it’s very, very delicious, the dish has onions, rice and spices." Lilian questioned, "What would you recommend - the mutton or goat brain?" The waiter replied, "Madam, I would definitely, most certainly, absolutely go with a goat brain!" Lilian continued, "Sounds good. Is it one of your favorite dishes?" The waiter responded, "Of course no, I am a vegetarian." We realized that not only do they feed you well in India; they make sure you get entertainment out of every meal.
A typical lunch.
Caste System
Indians also inherited habits and traditions of their past rulers. Mongols brought Islam to India six centuries ago, the Portuguese brought Christianity and the Brits brought castes. The caste system defined whether someone had access to better jobs (Brahmins), served in the military (Warriors), traded goods (Business) or provided services to the first three and begged on streets (Untouchables). Despite all the horrors of the past, the caste system to this day has left an unprecedented effect on many Indians. They still secretly follow it. No matter what they tell you or what is written in their constitution, castes live and prosper in a society where religion, color of your skin, sexual orientation, or the language you speak matter less than the caste you come from. It is unbelievable that in a country with such diversity and religious tolerance, something so divisive is still secretly observed.
Arranged Marriages
When an Indian-American friend told me that his parents hooked him up with a nice girl in India, I secretly laughed. It seemed so strange and unthinkable that in the 21st century, a world with match.com, Shaadi.com and Yenta, anyone would need help finding a match. Moreover, one would think in a country where there are at least a half a billion women, a handsome and reasonably wealthy DESI (Indian from America) would have no problem finding a match. But, no, “love marriages [meaning the marriages that result from two people meeting without their parents' help] are far less successful," is a popular belief in India. There is a statistic written in newspapers and often quoted by many Indians that there is an 84% chance that an arranged marriage would work and less than 50% probability that a love marriage would work. “One can not say no to such a statistic, my friend. Math is math, so says the paper,” stated a friend’s aunt who has two kids, both married, both arranged. After asking how many marriages she helped conceive, she proudly said, “More than the amount of hands God Shiva has.” The process consists of professional and personal resume writing, a picture exchange, reference checking, and finally, if there is a match, and if it is an, “auspicious day of the calendar” a meeting is arranged. They meet, get to know one another, and, if stars align, get married to the drum of thousands of guests, who celebrate for a week as the couple patiently stands in the middle of a stage for hours, waiting for the honeymoon to begin. The funny thing is, as I speak to more Indians I realize that arranged marriages actually do work and that the system that we, in the West, find archaic, actually produces higher chances of the marriage surviving for two reasons, social pressure of parents who hooked a couple up in the first place and their willingness to do anything to keep the couple together. It also is a result of the rigorous selection process that the couple goes through before saying “I do.”
Indian wedding we attended: 3,000 people.
Indian wedding we attended: 3,000 people.
A Common Enemy
Indians and Americans have one common enemy – terrorism. In India, the word terrorism is often at times associated with 26/11 (their 9/11) when Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2008 and killed over 170 people. Sensitivity of the topic is clearly visible in a place like the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, which was almost burnt down during the attack. We were lucky to meet many survivors of that day who work in the hotel. During the attack they saved hundreds of lives by barricading guests of the hotel in restaurants on the ground floor and in rooms throughout the hotel. The stories were chilling and reminded me of stories shared by 9/11 survivors. It showcased the true bravery and selflessness of the Indian people. There was one story told to me by the hotel bartender from Harbour Lounge that I will never forget. First, he got me drunk beyond recognition by feeding me with his signature, “well-tested drinks,” and then proclaimed that despite being a bartender, he never drinks. Then he told me a story that during the attack, he barricaded the door of the Harbour Bar, which is located in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Hotel and hid guests on the second floor of the bar. During the attack not only did he manage to save dozens of lives, but he also bravely ran to the first floor a few times to get empty glasses to keep poring drinks to his customers while waiting for the police and special forces to rescue them. The first floor was completely destroyed, but none of the guests of the Harbour Bar were hurt
Famous bartender in Harbour Lounge, Taj Mahal.
Namaste
As our trip came to an end, we learned that India is a country of contrasts and love; love that is often times unconditional, colorful and innocent. We also learned that Indians, despite their drive to succeed in a global economy, will never lose their faith, human dignity and selflessness. It is a country that has been ruled by Moghuls, Persians, French, Portuguese, British and many in between, but it never lost its charm. It absorbed other cultures, like a sponge; processed them, cleansed them from extremism, nurtured and made them coexist in a perfect Nirvana. It is still far from fulfilling its full potential and there are many imperfections in India, but I believe that, one day, it will definitely blossom, like a lotus-the proud national flower of this beautiful country.
Meeting Gregory David Roberts (Shantaram) at Leopold Cafe in Mumbai.
Appendix:
Cities Visited: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Goa, Mumbai
Thanks to everyone who made this an amazing experience:
Prianka Sihota and Divya Puri (The Dehli Way)
Tauseef Siddiqui (Be the Local Travel)
Viran D’Sa (Manager, Experience at the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai)
Sihota Family
Pande Family
and all of the Indian people we met along the way.
Gravity Media (mediagravity.com), one of the fastest growing multicultural agencies, is looking for top talent to join the team as an Account Executive.
An Account Executive should be committed to developing and achieving client objectives and becoming the trusted advisor for our clients' offline and interactive marketing needs. For this particular role, our ideal candidate has multiple years of experience as the client partner to a fortune 500 company. They must have a deep level of marketing knowledge and understanding of production processes and digital marketing. Account Executive will interact directly with the Strategy, Production, Communications, Media and Events and Promotions team and will be required to streamline communications, processes and relay them easily to the client and internal team.
BA from an accredited school; MBA preferred
3-5 years of account management in an interactive or traditional agency
Ideal candidates have some experience on the client side
Proven ability to navigate large client organizations and experience with large brands
Excellent track record of client relationship building
Thorough understanding of marketing production and media processes and ability to assist client with best practices
Understanding of new media techniques including Social Media preferred
Ability to represent and promote Gravity Media in a professional manner and demonstrate value added service to clients
Ability to develop and motivate a team
Superior written and verbal communication skills and outstanding presentation abilities
Ability to manage several projects and/ or accounts at once
Natural leadership, motivational and organizational skills
Candidate must be bilingual. Hispanic language is preferred.
Send your resume, salary requirements and a cover letter to [email protected]
Gravity Media is an award-winning full service advertising agency that provides a wide range of solutions, from strategy development to creative to media campaign implementation.
Job Requirements
or Qualifications
A full-service advertising agency is looking for a Manager, Business Development candidate. This person will function as the senior representative of the agency for new business opportunities. The right candidate will also spend his/her time prospecting new business opportunities, including research, proposal writing, and relationship building. The ideal candidate is passionate about the integration of technology, a conceptual thinker, and has the ability to excite existing and new clients with contemporary traditional and digital thinking. This candidate will also possess a keen interest in social media, new and emerging technologies and world cultures.
REQUIRED SKILL SETS:
Leadership - Act as and be perceived as the leader by client and agency alike. She/he should be viewed as the person in charge of running the business and responsible for developing a sense of collaboration among people who work on the new business pitch.
Client Relationship - Responsibility for management of a positive relationship with prospects at all levels across various disciplines. Candidate should know the client's business so well that client views candidates input as essential to any business decision he/she has to make.
Pursuit of New Opportunities – Believe that nothing is impossible. The candidate will look for opportunities and take advantage of market conditions, agency experience and his/her relationships at all times.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
New Business Development
1. Candidate will act as a Business Development manager to grow agency business in the interactive and multicultural market spaces.
2. Assess and generate new business opportunities
3. Manage and grow strategic agency relationships
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
A minimum of 5 years experience in Account Management and/or New Business Development
Strong business development skills with ability to envision successful marketing campaigns
Bachelors degree in marketing, advertising, economics, business, media, communications or related field
Sound analytical skills, both quantitative and qualitative
Excellent oral, written and strategic skills
Strong interpersonal skills that encourage team cooperation, promote enthusiasm and motivate relationship building and can motivate strategic thinking
Ability to monitor/evaluate marketing environment for brand-building opportunities
Strong attention to detail
Excellent collaborative skills
Knowledge of Spanish or Chinese is a plus, but not required.
Base compensation will vary based on experience. Additional compensation will be determined by new business success.
Each year Findr Group takes a much-needed retreat to a sunny destination to unwind, reconnect, reflect, and prepare for the year ahead. This year’s retreat took place in the stunning coastal town of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and proved to be an unforgettable experience for all parties involved. Even Forbes acknowledged our retreats as exceptional by including us in their Unique Job Perks that Employees Love article. True to Forbes’ reputation—they got it exactly right because we certainly loved this trip!
Welcome to Playa Del Carmen!
Mexican Fueled Smiles.
It may seem that this Mexican vacation would be filled solely with festive drinks, over-indulgent consumption and hours of tanning on the beach but this simply was not entirely true. In reality, the underlying purpose of this retreat was to build stronger relationships between all employees and to reunite our West Coast team with our East Coast team. Not to get sappy on the readers but when we walked away from this retreat something beautiful was created –solid friendships.
Friends =)
Plenty of people find it hard to believe that almost 3 years ago we had 12 people working in a cramped office. Fast forward to now, after being nominated the fastest growing agency 2 years in a row, Findr Group has blossomed into a true tour de force. The bonds that we share as a team, and that were strengthened during this trip, have only solidified our ability to handle anything thrown at us.
This night was filled with plenty of food and wine and we handled it.
Discussing how to handle it.
A few days before we left for Mexico, Yuriy Boykiv, one of the founders, sent us an email asking us to read two Harvard Business School case studies. Now, we don’t know anyone who likes homework so you could imagine our faces when we found out each case was 16 pages long. As we all sat on our 7am flight cramming in these case studies instead of watching The Dark Knight, we began to connect the studies with our own experiences and grew increasingly interested.
High in the air, low on sleep but filled with joy for case studies.
For the next few days we debated these cases and discussed how they should be handled. Through the tried and true debate process we uncovered our strong analytical minds, wit, and personalities. Ultimately, with the subtle guidance from founding partners Yuriy Boykiv, Boris Chernyy, Luba Tolkachyov, and Artur Melentin, we all arrived to solid solutions that rarely differed much from the real-world solutions that actually occurred.
Another activity was to teach the group about the struggles our designers have to deal with on a daily basis. We were split up into 3 groups with each group assigned two creative mentors. The activity was to create a 30 second TV commercial with 20 minutes prep time from conception to execution.
Each team had a different client:
Ashley Madison – (You know, that site that allows married people to have an affair.)
Speedo – (Honestly, some people should never shop here.)
Findr Group – (Simply the best group to work for- EVER.)
All we can say is we certainly felt the pressure and mostly made fools of ourselves. But, we laughed so hard at ourselves that all of the commercials were successes. The laughs and ogling by strangers was also the cherry on top.
We were used to the laughing by that point.
A huge emphasis of the trip also revolved around the senior team’s communication of our growth plans and the expanding roles each individual would need to master to achieve this growth. When you’re growing this quickly, we learned, its important to figure out how to sustain our business so that the foundation doesn’t turn to dust. Even though the gorgeous resort was constantly tempting us to explore, it was extremely hard not to be anxious and excited for our companies’ future.
But, let’s be serious, once the discussions were over we couldn’t resist everything the resort had to offer.
We couldn't resist laughing.
...or cheersing!
We couldn’t resist this poolside corner until after the sun set.
see?
While chowing down some of us weren’t ready for the camera.
Some couldn’t even resist the urge to keep eating.
We also couldn’t resist dressing to impress.
Unfortunately, like all good things, our retreat had to come to an end and many were sad to leave our home in paradise. After a brief black cloud descended on the group we shook it off and arrived to work on Monday ready to take on new responsibility, prepared to be part of a larger engine and excited to make the group even stronger in 2013.
Everyone jumping with joy as they wait to leave.
Like last year’s tradition we once again “borrowed” a pillow sheet from the resort and every person hand signed it to be hung up in the office to remind us of the good times. We leave you with a quote from Erma Bombeck which we think paints the best picture of this “band of characters”:
“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together”[1]
Gravity Media’s “Power Of Your Voice” campaign for the U.S. Army was selected as a finalist in the 2012 OMMA Integrated Online Campaign Awards.
October 24 2012
Gravity Media’s “Power Of Your Voice” campaign for the U.S. Army was selected as a finalist in the Charity/Non-Profit Organizations category of the 2012 OMMA Integrated Online Campaign Awards.
The OMMA Integrated Online Campaign Awards go to multidimensional online marketing campaigns that demonstrate an outstanding usage of online media in the promotion of brands, products, and services. This discipline of awards was added to the OMMA Awards in 2008 to honor brand marketers and their agencies. Through three distinguished award disciplines of Online Advertising Creativity, Integrated Online Campaign, and Web Site Excellence, the OMMA Awards celebrate the industry’s finest talents and campaigns.
As a finalist in the prestigious OMMA Awards, Gravity Media continues to raise the bar, positioning themselves as a leader in online media, marketing, and advertising with brilliant creative and innovative digital capabilities. The purpose of the “Power Of Your Voice” campaign for the U.S. Army, initially deemed “Mission Impossible”, was to recruit Iranian and Afghan Americans who speak Farsi, Dari, and Pashto. The U.S. Army recruitment ads were promoted through key Iranian and Afghan websites. Gravity media surpassed this goal, additionally gaining the trust of the community, changing their perception of the U.S. Army, and establishing long-lasting partnerships with the community. By integrating cultural sensitivity, education, and social media savvy, Gravity Media proved this campaign to be an indisputable success.
Ken Wong Joins Findr Group's Team as Senior Public Affairs Advisor for Triomphant Communications.
Findr Group is proud to announce that Ken Wong has joined Triomphant Communications as Senior Public Affairs Advisor. In this capacity, Triomphant Communications' clients will greatly benefit from his extensive experience, along with his unique and invaluable perspective—especially critical in this day and age. In this role, Ken will provide strategic guidance, insight, and counsel.
Ken brings with him nearly 30 years of experience in Communications and Public Affairs. His work and involvement in both business and government entities include but is not limited to the U.S. Army Philadelphia Community Advisory Board, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Multi-Cultural Affairs Congress. Ken currently serves as Chairman on the Advisory Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In this role, he advises on all issues concerning Leadership and Economic Development for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Prior to joining Triomphant Communications, Ken maintained numerous leadership and executive positions with insights that helped generate key relations with international government entities and leading businesses nationwide. As a former Commissioner on President George W. Bush’s Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Ken was responsible for providing strategic counsel advising on economic strategies and community development. As such, he has a deep understanding of how to incorporate his multicultural perspective to engage audiences and build better relations across all businesses and communities.
Ken’s globally recognized expertise in Communications and Public Affairs will help navigate new markets for our clients. Findr Group—comprised of Triomphant Communications, Gravity Media, and Findr Interactive, is a leading group of marketing and communications firms that generate innovate solutions to keep businesses ahead of the curve and competition. As part of Findr Group, Triomphant Communications is a full-service public relations and communications firm committed to serving its communities and clients with honesty, integrity, and respect.
Gravity Media was invited to present to L’Oreal executives at the L'Oreal USA Excellence in Beauty conference
Gravity Media was invited to present to L’Oreal executives at the L'Oreal USA Excellence in Beauty conference at Asia Society in New York, on July 18, 2012. Larry Moskowitz, Strategist, and Quyenzi Pham, Account Director, delivered a presentation about targeted and connecting with the US Asian consumer through traditional and new media communications.
Among the well-respected group of presenters were Marc Speichert, CMO of L'Oreal USA, Dr. Robert V. Kozinets from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Constantin Sklaventis, Vice President of International Marketing for Kiehl's, Michelle Phan, Lancome Video Makeup Artist, Sage Brennan, Co-Founder of China Luxury Advisors and Frederic Roze, President and CEO of L'Oreal USA.
The event was organized by L’Oreal in collaboration with the Asian Society.
Gravity Media shared their views on a variety of topics including: the importance of Asian media in marketing, identified key players in the marketplace, and discussed a range of tactics. Key trends and insights included:
Top Asian American population by segment with emphasis on Chinese and Asian Indian markets.
Media consumption by audience type
Advantages and disadvantages of in-language messaging in communication.
Media effectiveness and rankings
Top trends in the cosmetics industry and how Asian Americans react to new product lines
Best case studies in the Asian-American marketing
To obtain a copy of the presentation email your credentials to [email protected].
CenterLight Health Systems Taps Gravity Media As Its Advertising Agency
CenterLight Health System has partnered with Gravity Media, Findr Interactive and Triomphant Communications (all members of the Findr Group), to launch a new advertising and communications campaign. The purpose of this union is to inform both general and multicultural markets in the New York region about CenterLight’s superior managed long-term care programs.
Through a series of strategic marketing and communications initiatives, Gravity’s campaign will focus on targeting the general market along with Asian, Russian, Caribbean, African American, and Hispanic demographics. The campaigns will be aimed at fostering relationships within the communities they serve by using key media outlets, healthcare organizations, corporate partners and community leaders. The goal will be to improve awareness of CenterLight’s managed care options, which place the well-being and independence of its members first.
“Gravity Media truly understands the make-up of our city along with the importance of providing information on healthcare options to the various multicultural audiences that live in our great city,” stated Neil Gluckin, Vice President of Marketing for CenterLight.
“We are very happy to be working with CenterLight, a true pioneer and innovator in managed long term care,” said Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media. “We believe that healthcare organizations and marketing firms have a collective responsibility to deliver culturally sensitive communications to the diverse ethnic groups in our country, particularly in urban areas where numerous languages are spoken.”
Since its inception in 1992, CenterLight’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) has become the largest elderly healthcare program in the nation. The program currently has over 12 PACE Centers, along with 28 care facilities that serve the New York Metropolitan region. For more than 90 years, CenterLight Health System, formerly Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, has been caring for New Yorkers in need from all backgrounds and walks of life.
For more information on CenterLight Health System visit www.centerlight.org.
For more information on Findr Group, visit www.FindrGroup.com
Four and Counting: Gravity Media brings home Telly Award for the U.S. Army’s ‘The Power of Words’ TV campaign
Gravity Media receives industry-wide recognition with their fourth Telly Award, continuing the agency’s distinction as a leader in creative and digital capabilities as well as excellence in video production. The Bronze Telly was bestowed for the thirty-second ‘The Power of Words’ creative spot for the U.S. Army. The agency’s other areas of achievement recognized by the Telly’s in the last two years, include copywriting, live events and viral. Local, regional and cable television commercials and programs were all eligible to enter as well as video and film productions. Entries were evaluated on the distinctive and strategic approach of the submitted creative content by a team of judges, who consist of top advertising and production professionals.
“Our work with U.S. Army is another example of Gravity Media’s commitment to delivering the best work to our clients,” says Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media. “The Telly Awards are a highly distinguished honor in our industry so we are very proud of this recognition.”
Gravity has been working alongside the McCann Worldgroup since 2010 supporting their efforts on the U.S. Army recruitment. Through multicultural initiatives, both agencies are responsible for strategy development and execution of a full range of marketing, grassroots and public relations programs.
Our company retreat was a melting pot of cultural backgrounds and the bonding experience was immeasurable and truly unique.
Ya Mon! EveryTING Cris! I PITY THE FOOL WHO MAKES ME WRITE BLOGS! Okay, so I may have gotten a little out of hand there and side tracked as to what exactly it is I’m writing about…
A few months ago while working on a prospect, our now new client CenterLight, I received an email from HR announcing that the entire company was going on a planned company outing to the B-E-A-U-TIFUL Dominican Republic. Needless to say, three passport problems and one resort later we ended up in “SUNNY” Jamaica! (And by “sunny” I really mean rainy; it literally rained five days straight)
Now now, it wasn’t all bad; this was the first time our East Coast team was going to be able to meet the faces associated with the emails of our team out on the West Coast(← What I hear in my head when someone mentions West Coast.) And it was love at first sight. I’m pretty sure everyone was relieved to meet each other because there was this shared feeling of hostility between the NY and LA offices that needed to be resolved. While it wasn’t as grim as the Tupac and Biggie battles, the fact remained—we didn’t bond with ‘the others’ on a personal level, and we didn’t sympathize with them either since they were about 3,000 miles away.This trip completely changed that! Most of you reading this don’t know our team but we’re a rowdy, energetic & youthful bunch of about 28 people—all from different backgrounds with over 30 languages under our belt. When you hear a Polish guy and a Korean girl walk into a bar, you ask yourself, “Is this another bad joke?” Surprisingly, it isn’t. We looked like a private delegation from the U.N. (except much younger and with no translators).
The time wasn’t entirely passed guzzling down alcohol and confessing our new-found love for each other; we were still able to dedicate a couple hours of the day for some “team building” activities, which felt all too similar to couples therapy. The first assignment we tackled was a think-outside-the-box type of task where we figured out how to sell a product we all agreed would be difficult to sell: Women’s Douches. After forty-five minutes of trying to illustrate and describe what the product does and how it works to all of the men in the company, it was time to get down to ‘business’. This exercise was reminiscent of that funny joke you use to break the ice on an awkward first date, but after all was said and done, I learned that EVERYONE has got some “freak” to them. The ideas were nothing short of priceless; Summers Eve, watch out for a proposal in 2012.
With three offices, the essence and life changes as you step into each one. We have Findr Interactive—the creative agency that feels like you’re back in a college dorm with music blasting, party going, and that overall hip feel. Then we have Gravity Media NY, the Vito Corleone of media buying and placing where we pitch for the business, we execute the campaign... FUGGEDABOUTIT. And finally, we have Gravity Media LA, our own curious case of Benjamin Button—we look young but have over fifteen years of experience under our belts.
Oh, that’s right... the trip! An interesting fact everyone came to realize was that we all shared a common denominator. Each of us was solely afraid of one thing and one thing only: failing—the word that constantly tries to stand between the needs of our clients and us. Fortunately, we’ve been successful in evading any formal meetings with this “Failing” and we plan on keeping this track record for good. Actually, this reminds of me of one of my favorite quotes by Benjamin Franklin (that guy on the hundred dollar bill with a mullet), “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Who are these cocky, presumptuous, overachievers?” Well good Sir/Ma’am, our work is our pride and joy; we do not release anything we don’t like. We aim for the best, we perceive ourselves as trendsetters, and we never tell our clients, “JA-MAICAN ME CRAZY!”
Our trip was long awaited. Months of hard work and dedication had finally paid off and it can safely be said the only thing we left behind in Jamaica was miscommunication. It’s relieving to see how what at one point in time haunted us is now nothing more than a thing of the past. Finally, since everyone loves a good ending to a story, I’ll leave you with this quote, “However things may seem, no evil thing is success and no good thing is failure.”
