What We Do
We are a full service media shop providing strategic, planning, buying and measurement services. Our breadth of experience is a rare combination of brand and direct marketing that spans multiple industries and all forms of media. We assign senior people to handle all aspects of your campaign so nothing gets lost in the details.
Regardless of your advertising goals, we have the experience and knowledge to provide the best media solution on time and on budget.
Our Approach
Brand and Direct Marketing are rarely mutually exclusive.
Most full service media shops either focus on building your brand or, on the other end of the spectrum, securing immediate sales; i.e. direct marketing. Most will tell you these are conflicting goals - we disagree. Obviously businesses need sales. They also need brand recognition to sustain sales and create a long-term relationship with their customers. While this seems obvious, most media planning shops execute based on one of these goals only, usually lacking the expertise in the other. At TIA we aim not only to determine a media mix, but a blend of media that reflects your brand AND sales goals. A great example of this strategy executed, is our work with Oreck Canada.
Why We’re Different
We strive to live up to our name. This means we seek an honest and open relationship with our clients and the consumer. Specifically -
- We spend our time working on the task you assigned and meeting and beating goals set. We don't dedicate large amounts of staff, time and effort getting you to spend more. We feel that will happen if the advertising we secure for you works.
- We customize our billing structure for your needs and hold to the lowest number. For example, we might bill you hourly or at a pre-determined flat fee, whichever is less. This way you know what your cost is for the work you're getting - period.
- We don't take just anybody on as a client. There is an implied reputation in our name and we intend to live up to it. This means we seek clients who...
- Make ethical and reasonable claims
- Engage in honest business practice
- Are environmentally friendly
Further, we avoid clients in the tobacco, gambling, or pornography industries.
Management
Clayton Rifkind
Media Director/Founder
Clayton brings over 15 years of senior brand and direct marketing experience to TIA's clients. Prior to starting Truth In Advertising, Clayton was Associate Media Director at Modem Media overseeing the media strategy, buying and planning for several clients including E*TRADE, Hewlett-Packard and Intel. Before Modem Media, Clayton led the media direction and teams for several clients at Agency.com, San Francisco (formerly i-traffic). At Agency.com, Clayton was responsible for the media direction for several branding and direct marketing clients including ConsumerInfo.com (now part of Experian), Fox Entertainment, Sears.com and Wells Fargo. Previous to Agency.com, Clayton oversaw all the media planning, buying and measurement of all online activity for Providian Financials' GetSmart.com. During Clayton's tenure, GetSmart.com was often a top ten internet advertiser. Clayton took GetSmart's search engine budget from approximately $10K a month to over $100K without loosing efficiencies. Clayton began his advertising career at two major branding agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area - Andersen Lembke and Goldberg Moser O'Neill (both now absorbed into IPG). Clients included Kia Motors America, Microsoft and Symantec. Clayton holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
Board of Advisors
The board of advisors spans different industries and functions. The board was selected to provide honest feedback, strategic insights and a fresh perspective to ensure we are staying "true" to our name.
Todd Ahlsten - read bio
Chief Investment Officer
Parnassus Investments
Michael Distefano - read bio
Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President
Korn/Ferry International
Dan Springer - read bio
CEO
Responsys
Todd Ahlsten
Chief Investment Officer
Parnassus Investments
Parnassus Investments is a San Francisco based mutual fund company renowned for strong returns while adhering to socially conscious investment principles. Mr. Ahlsten began his career at Parnassus Investments in 1994 as a research analyst after he was a Parnassus research intern during his senior year at the University of California, Berkeley. He was subsequently promoted to Director of Research in 1998 and in 2001 became Portfolio Manager for the Parnassus Equity Income Fund. He became Chief Investment Officer in 2008. During his 15 year tenure, Mr. Ahlsten successfully grew the Parnassus group of mutual funds from $130 Million in assets to over $2 Billion in assets. Mr. Ahlsten was named to the Barron's Top 100 Fund Manager List for 2003 and 2004. Mr. Ahlsten is also a regular guest financial analyst on CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg Television. Mr. Ahlsten graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration.
Michael Distefano
Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President
Korn/Ferry International
Mr. Distefano is responsible for worldwide branding, advertising, media relations, employee communications and all other aspects of public relations for Korn/Ferry International.
Mr. Distefano brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing to Korn/Ferry. Between 2001 and 2007, he was Vice President, Global Marketing and Communications for Korn/Ferry. Initially, Mr. Distefano was the Chief Marketing Officer of Futurestep, the wholly owned middle-management recruitment subsidiary of Korn/Ferry.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Distefano was Vice President of Acquisition Marketing and New Channel Development at GetSmart.com, acquired by Providian Financial Company in 1999 and now part of LendingTree.com.
There, Mr. Distefano was responsible for Internet advertising and marketing. He was part of the senior management team that successfully led GetSmart.com through its acquisition to Providian Financial in February 1999. Thereafter at Providian, Mr. Distefano oversaw online marketing responsibilities for Providian's credit card offerings in addition to GetSmart.com.
Before joining GetSmart, Mr. Distefano served as Director of Marketing at Benefits Consultants, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD). Mr. Distefano began his marketing career at TIAA-CREF, the international pension-management giant, as a marketing communications specialist.
He is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Professional Services CMO Forum and the CMO Club.
Mr. Distefano earned a B.A. in economics from Bloomsburg University.
Dan Springer
CEO
Responsys
Dan Springer has been the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Responsys since April 2004. Springer has over 20 years of executive leadership and strategic sales and marketing consulting experience, with proven success in interactive marketing, e-commerce and finance. As CEO, Dan is responsible for charting Responsys' strategic direction and extending the company's leadership into new realms of cross-channel marketing. Prior to Responsys, Dan was Managing Director in the San Francisco office of Modem Media where he was responsible for general management of the agency's western United States operations. Dan led the development of the agency's Performance Marketing capability by leveraging database marketing, website analytics and search engine marketing techniques. Prior to Modem Media as the CEO of Telleo, Inc., he refocused the business from online advertising to business partnerships with leading brands like Taco Bell. Previously, Springer was also the Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager for NextCard, where he built the fastest-growing credit card in history by creating one of the Internet's top five advertisers. He started his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and DRI/McGraw-Hill.
Dan holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Occidental College. Dan serves or has served as a board member of public and private companies, including E-LOAN (Banco Popular), ITI, and eGroups (Yahoo!), as well as not-for-profit organizations Shop.org, AdTech, The Randall Museum and The San Francisco Friends School.