Starmark Shines: Earns Gold MarCom Award for FPL’s Experiential Installation
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Starmark has been honored with a prestigious Gold MarCom Award for our outstanding work on the Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) experiential installation at Junior Achievement of South Florida’s JA World.
This coveted award recognizes excellence in marketing and communications, and winning Gold is a testament to the creativity, strategy, and dedication of the entire Starmark team, as well as the visionary partnership with FPL and Junior Achievement of South Florida.
The Award-Winning Experience
The FPL installation, a key component of the JA World “hands-on” learning experience, was designed to be much more than a simple display. It is a fully immersive, experiential environment that captures the vital role FPL plays in the community, providing students with a tangible, interactive understanding of:
Rewarding Pathways: The diverse and exciting career opportunities available within the energy industry.
Energy Generation: How power is created and distributed, including FPL’s commitment to clean, sustainable energy solutions.
Financial Literacy: The importance of budgeting and energy consumption choices.
A Partnership that Powers Learning
Our goal was to create an experience that didn’t just tell students about FPL, but allowed them to feel and interact with the brand’s mission. Receiving the Gold MarCom Award validates our approach in turning complex industry concepts into engaging, memorable lessons for the next generation. We are incredibly proud of the impact this installation is having on the thousands of students who visit JA World each year.
— Jacqui Hartnett, CEO, Starmark
This recognition underscores the successful collaboration between Starmark, FPL, and Junior Achievement of South Florida, demonstrating the power of innovative design to support essential educational programs.
About the MarCom Awards
The MarCom Awards is one of the oldest, largest, and most respected creative competitions in the world. It recognizes the excellence of marketing and communication professionals, with entries judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). The Gold Award is given to entries that demonstrate an outstanding standard of quality and creative achievement.
Sparking New Possibilities: FPL’s Storefront with Junior Achievement of South Florida
Nurturing a healthy pipeline of future talent is essential to an organization’s long-term success — and the Florida Power and Light (FPL) team made strong strides in fueling theirs by immersing 20,000+ eighth graders in hands-on learning fun at Junior Achievement of South Florida’s JA Career Discovery Park.
Powering Future Generations
FPL is the state’s largest power utility, with 5 million customers and 8,000 employees. When a high-profile sponsorship opportunity arose with JA World, enabling FPL to connect students‘ current educational choices to their future economic success, FPL and Starmark were all in!
Junior Achievement of South Florida prepares young people with the knowledge, ability and confidence to navigate career and financial literacy. JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Pavilion is the largest JA experiential learning center in the world and has impacted more than 1.2 million students since its inception in 1959. One of the organization’s flagship programs is JA Career Discovery Park, where 20,000 eighth grade students get to explore careers in “storefronts”. Each of these room-size build outs represents a major South Florida employer or industry.
Igniting Their Interest
JA World offered FPL the ideal setting to illuminate a wide range of dynamic career possibilities — from engineering to marketing to mission-critical drone operations. Our goals: compel students to spend quality time at the installation and open their minds to rewarding energy career paths. Since each student visits all the JA World storefronts, we had limited time to make an impact.
Today’s students, as digital natives, are most at home with visual content and gamified education. Yet, the real world is tactile and dimensional too. So Starmark ideated a strategic blend of both that would stand out from all other flat, static storefronts. Leading-edge digital tech was combined with tangible FPL artifacts, like a rover and transformer, to build a unique, multi-faceted learning experience. Once we developed the strategy and installation elements, we created scale models in VR to test our concepts.
Amping Up Excitement
Our strategy and execution:
Keep it hands-on: transform mundane career information into interactive fun.
Keep it moving: short interactions and multiple stations to hold attention and interest.
Keep it energetic: gaming challenges and team activities that weren’t dry or dull.
Starting Strong
As soon as students approached our space, “Welcome! It’s going to be a high-energy day.” set their expectations. Upon entering, 360 degrees of immersive engagement surrounded them.
Seven High-Energy Installations
Each experience was interactive, engaging and fun, fulfilling our “high-energy” welcome promise.
FPL Command Center With Drone
Our mini version of a real-life FPL Command Center housed six working monitors. These included a power device status map, power grid data readouts, flight traffic, weather, drone operations, and maintenance/repair activity log:
The introductory video outlined their critical mission: a team of three students would work together to solve an urgent power grid issue.
We suspended a working drone and assigned a role to each student on the 3-person team:
Flight operations: ensuring it’s safe to fly the drone
Flight operator: piloting and looking for the grid issue
Repair specialist: documenting/logging the issue to dispatch a maintenance crew
“Future Self” Augmented Reality
Discovery Park wants each child to picture themselves in future careers. We embraced that goal with an augmented reality (AR) station where visitors literally saw themselves in an energy career:
Students step up to two life-sized monitors.
AR tech dresses the user in one of four outfits matched to a role: Environmental Specialist, Data Scientist, Nuclear Technician and Renewable Energy Engineer.
Outfits are displayed in a video loop while displaying fast facts about each career.
Line Worker Photo Opp
Hard hats and neon vests worn in sky-high workplace settings: the traditional FPL line worker is among the company’s most recognized roles. Our photo opp leveraged this popular image:
We invited students to don the line worker gear and pose inside an FPL bucket truck prop.
The roofline backdrop and visual perspective trick makes it seem as if they are 30 feet up.
This photo opp was a HUGE hit with the kids!
Career Profiles
There’s a role for every student’s talent and interest at FPL and to emphasize that, we wrapped pony walls with the message profiles of actual FPL employees:
The core message: “Power your passion. Fuel your dreams.”
Walls showcased diverse careers, from Marketing Specialist to Arborist to Data Scientist, with short descriptions and salary ranges.
Creative or STEM, in office or outdoors, it’s easy to see a bright future for everyone at FPL.
Home Energy Specialist
Hot water heaters, AC, washers, dryers and entertainment systems are a staple in most homes. This hands-on learning activity transformed our eighth graders into home energy experts:
Students flipped switches in a living area vignette to see which appliances drew the most energy. The power meter steadily tracks their progress.
Once all four appliances are set to their optimal settings, users are rewarded with a success animation on the meter.
Follow the Flow of Electricity
We flip a switch and power turns on. But how does it get to our outlets and appliances?
Our “Follow the Flow of Electricity” mural shows students the steps electricity takes: from power plant to service line to the hand hole outside their homes.
They also learn the names and purpose of all the equipment they’ve likely seen every day, without ever realizing what it was for.
“House Of Savings” Energy Usage Simulator
Now students will know why moms and dads nag us to close that fridge door or turn off that light! You’re never too young to learn about saving energy:
We updated the content and visuals of FPL’s “House of Savings” online tool to appeal to eighth-grade audiences.
They see how to optimize energy usage and lower the cost; bonus win for mom and dad!
Powering Workforce Development
Initiatives like JA Career Discovery Park are smart long-term strategies: they seed future pipeline development at early stages, sparking awareness at a formative time when children are just starting to explore their interests and talents. As our young audience matures in the next decade, they will start firming up their career path and even becoming FPL customers.
Kids who are educated, prepared to lead, inspired to learn, develop, think innovatively…that is what will power Florida’s future. Partnering with Starmark this year empowered us to deepen our support for the valuable contribution JA World makes and elevate our own impact to a whole new level.
FPL’s JA Career Discovery Park Storefront was a big success and met all goals set, establishing FPL as a rewarding employer and community partner; introducing the brand to 20,000+ students; and sending each one back home with a new perspective on the rewarding possibilities ahead.
Generative Engine Optimization: Optimizing Content For AI Without Losing SEO
Content creation was once a simple practice: write, edit, submit — and watch the clicks roll in from your website.
Today, content creation is a game of acronyms. Releasing successful content means implementing AI and navigating LLMs to accommodate GEO and preserve SEO. You’re forgiven if that process feels overwhelming. Every acronym represents another moving part, another algorithm to please, and another signal to optimize. What was once a straightforward creative process has become a strategic balancing act between technology, data, and storytelling.
What Is Generative Engine Optimization?
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, is the deliberate optimization of a website to accommodate AI engines. These optimization steps help websites improve their ranking, and frequency of mentions, within AI-generated overviews. These same steps also help brands increase their footprint across some of the world’s most used large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
For virtually every industry, LLM models and Google’s AI search results are already replacing traditional Google search results traffic.
What Are AI Search Results?
Alongside large language models, Google’s AI search results are the other contributing factor behind many brands’ declining organic search numbers. Since Google launched AI-generated summaries at the top of search results in May 2024, these summaries have created a drastic increase in the number of “no-click” searches: when a user enters a query into a search engine and gets the answer directly on the results page, without needing to click through to a website.
With fewer users reaching your website, brands in every industry are seeking answers to the same question: how do I improve my brand’s ranking within AI and LLM results to recover some of that lost traffic?
How Can Brands Optimize Content For GEO and AI Search Results?
Here are a few deliberate GEO strategies we’ve deployed that help brands improve their presence with AI-generated summaries and large language model responses:
Page FAQs: Structured question-and-answer content increases the likelihood of being referenced in AI-generated responses and featured snippets.
More Frequent Crosslinking: Linking pages using clear, intent-matching anchor text helps AI models map topic relationships across the site.
Author Profiles: Including author bios with geographic credentials builds authority and helps language models understand content origin and relevance.
Near Me Variations in Content: Including common phrasing like “dentist near me” or “beach rentals near Amelia Island” helps improve local AI prompt matches.
It’s Time For Your Organic Strategy To Evolve.
We’re entering a particularly challenging, but opportunistic, period of organic search results. New LLM models and AI results create new opportunities for brands to rank well online, even if those brands didn’t previously focus on SEO. At the same time, brands exclusively invested in SEO must now integrate GEO best practices to remain relevant online.
If you’re ready to capture traffic across new audiences reading LLM and AI results, we’re ready to help. Get in touch today for a GEO roadmap that can connect your brand with new online users.
The future is bright at Starmark with an expanded leadership team
Starmark is excited to enter its next era with Jacqui Hartnett stepping into the role of CEO, Katy Gewartowski as President and Partner in the agency and our Founder, Peggy Nordeen, in the role of Chairman of the Starmark Board of Directors.
Jacqui joined Starmark as COO in Florida nearly 20 years ago immediately contributing her expertise in finance, operations, production as well as marketing communications. She helped grow Starmark’s business in tourism, healthcare, business/technology and education on her way to becoming Starmark President in 2010 and a partner in the agency in 2011. Active in community organizations, she was named one of South Florida Business Journals’ Women of Influence in 2021.
Katy took her first position at Starmark in its PR department back in 2001 and quickly embraced the agency’s entrepreneurial spirit — helping to create and grow a custom publishing and loyalty marketing line of business. From there she moved into senior positions in Account Service, ultimately leading the entire client support team where she has played a critical role in both new client acquisition and organic growth. Some significant contributions under her watch include the launch of several award-winning initiatives for clients like Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, Valencia College and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
About our new President, Chairman Peggy Nordeen says, “Katy knows the agency inside and out, and can harness the power of our team’s thinking to generate return for our clients and for us. In her 24 years as a Starmarker she’s been growing long term relationships, building trust and making a business impact.”
The timing of this expansion of the Starmark leadership team coincides with an exciting new partnership – with Starmark now serving as Agency of Record for Visit Florida Keys and Key West. FAU also recently tapped Starmark to lead its digital experience transformation.
We’ve also just marked our 10 year anniversary of becoming an Agile Agency and dramatically grown our performance media practice, along with launching VR projects for Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures, South Florida PBS — and another VR partner we’ll be announcing soon.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be leading this team of amazing people — many of whom I’m proud to say I’ve worked alongside for 10+ years and longer. It’s going to be an exciting new era for all of us with such incredible client partners who let our strategy and creativity shine,” says Katy.
Starmark to serve as Agency of Record for Visit Florida Keys & Key West
Starmark is excited to announce our partnership with the Monroe County Tourism Development Council as Agency of Record for brand and marketing for Visit Florida Keys & Key West. Starmark will be working directly with three other agency partners dedicated to web, PR and social marketing to define a gravity-defying future for the destination. For the full story, read the announcement from the Monroe County TDC.
As a leading agency in destination marketing, we have always greatly admired the Keys brand. To be here today representing such a beautiful, beloved, vastly unique and incredibly fun destination is a challenge and an honor. As we put together our roadmap for 2026 and the future, all we can say is that we look forward to the rest of the world falling in love with the Keys the way we have.
— Katy Gewartowski, VP, Account Service
An exciting first 100 days
The Starmark team has been busy keeping current marketing initiatives in full swing during the agency transition.
And here’s a look at the stats for those first 100 days:
Roadmapped the remainder of the fiscal year and foundations for FY 25/26
Transferred 100TB of assets into a new cloud-based Digital Asset Management (DAM) system
Created cloud-based master marketing calendar to track every effort across every channel in a way that’s transparent for all contributors
Created custom paid media dashboards and a database to track, manage and steward nine current paid media plans with 100% transparency
Secured Q3/Q4 media inventory valued at $8,483,491 and 336,230,340 impressions
Ensured a smooth transition with no disruptions to paid media presence in print, digital and broadcast channels
Beat industry benchmarks for paid media interaction, clicks and cost per visitor
A new chapter in a star-studded story
This partnership with Visit Florida Keys & Key West is a fresh opportunity for Starmark to build on its strong results and award-winning work with long-term clients, like Amelia Island CVB, and its innovation work for clients such as South Florida PBS and Boggy Creek. If you have sky-high marketing goals, and you’re looking for the right partner to help you reach them, check out our tourism portfolio and get in touch.
Time flies when you’re making great work: 10 years of Agile Methodology
July 4, 2025 marks the start of Sprint 260. Those 260 two-week sprints mean it has been ten years since Starmark first adopted Agile Methodology in 2015. That’s 260 cycles of learning and improving how we work with our teammates and clients. In that time, we’ve also celebrated 45 years as an agency, made news as an Agile Agency in the Wall Street Journal and rung in 15 years of publishing eTips. But more importantly, in that time, we’ve completed countless dozens of client roadmaps and tens of thousands of stories — every one a win, big or small.
So, to celebrate this milestone, we asked some partners and friends to share their thoughts about being part of our long-running experiment in working smarter. Here’s what they had to say:
Flexibility to change as the market changes
Our market changes every month. To work with a team that can shift priorities while keeping a big project on track is really important.
— Linda Hall, Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment, Charter Schools USA
Staying aligned throughout a project
We’ve built strong campaigns with Starmark by staying aligned, agile and focused on meaningful results. Trust grows when the process works.
— Allie Vatcher, Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications, Valencia College
Budget clarity on every deliverable
Starmark understands how to manage my marketing and project spend because they break the estimate into deliverables, which allows us to choose what we need with full clarity on the scope and final deliverable.
— Britt Williams, Senior Vice President, Digital Growth and Partnerships, ZYNLO Bank
Continuous improvement
You don’t get to 260 sprints unless the system works. But you don’t get there like this — still strong, still evolving — unless you’re doing it better than almost anyone.
— Jack Skeels, Author, Coach and Co-founder, AgencyAgile
Strategic guidance
A FABULOUS team! Starmark’s strategic approach that always goes above and beyond my expectations. They are an extension of my team, and I trust them implicitly.
— Kyle Fisher, Vice President – Public Relations, Marketing and Creative Services, NSU Florida
Trust and partnership
Working with Starmark feels like an extension of our own team. The collaboration is seamless, communication is clear, and projects move forward efficiently. We truly value the partnership and the people behind the work.
— Betsy Young, Vice President, Marketing, Michigan State University Credit Union
If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, see why and how we’ve been living Agile Methodology over the past decade.
Google Marketing Live 2025 in Under 15 Minutes
At this year’s Google Marketing Live 2025, the search leader is going all-in on AI updates that stand to change how digital ad campaigns are created, placed, optimized and managed. Translation: your team has some exciting new tools in our toolbox.
AI-Powered Ads in Search
Google is integrating ads into AI Overviews and the new AI Mode on Search. These placements aim to present ads as helpful suggestions within AI-generated responses, enhancing user engagement.
The New ‘Power Pack’
A revamped campaign suite combining Performance Max, AI Max for Search, and Demand Gen to maximize reach and performance across Google’s platforms.
AI Max for Search Campaigns
A new campaign type that dynamically crafts and matches ad creatives to search intent using real-time AI.
Smart Bidding Exploration
This feature leverages AI to analyze various signals, predicting conversion likelihood and adjusting bids accordingly, thus uncovering new high-performing queries.
Proactive AI Agents
Google Ads and Analytics will now include intelligent agents that detect issues (like missing tags) and recommend instant fixes.
Creative Tools: Veo & Imagen
Advanced generative AI for video and image creation from simple text prompts — ideal for faster, more efficient ad creative production.
AI-Enhanced Shopping Experiences
New features such as virtual try-ons and live price tracking integrated into Search for richer customer engagement.
More Granular Reporting
Performance Max campaigns now support channel-level insights, offering a clearer view of cross-platform performance.
What This Means for Your Campaigns
As your digital partner, we’ll be incorporating some of these new tools and features into your campaigns to enhance performance, improve efficiency, and stay ahead of the curve. Our goal is to ensure you benefit from the latest advancements in AI-driven advertising.
The ground beneath paid media is shifting…fast. Artificial intelligence isn’t the future anymore; it’s a daily part of how media campaigns are built and optimized. And that’s reshaping how companies connect with their audiences. In paid search, this isn’t just about incremental improvements. It’s a fundamental shift in how we connect with audiences and optimize campaigns. Are you leveraging the power of AI to gain a competitive edge, or are you still relying on yesterday’s tactics?
Why AI is Revolutionizing Targeting
For years, success in paid search relied on meticulous keyword research to connect with the correct audiences. Now, AI has significantly improved this by analyzing extensive datasets, like browsing behavior, purchase history and real-time intent, to identify high-potential audience segments with remarkable accuracy. Google achieves this through sophisticated techniques such as identifying lookalike audiences and utilizing predictive modeling. The result is that your ads reaches a broader audience made of the people most likely to convert – at the optimal moment and with the most relevant message.
The Power of Dynamic Optimization
Thanks to Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), the process of manual A/B testing is now largely automated. Similarly, AI can dynamically tailor ad creative versions – mixing and matching headlines, descriptions, calls-to-action – to match individual user context. Google even offers dynamic ad generation, where AI creates text ads, as well as automating some aspects of image and video creation.
This change enables a level of personalization that was once resource-intensive and hard to execute. Now it’s possible to reliably serve users who have browsed a specific destination or product with highly relevant ads with tailored messaging that acknowledges their interest.
Strategic Foresight Through AI
AI is also becoming crucial for forecasting and planning. By analyzing historical data and market trends, AI algorithms provide invaluable insights into future performance, allowing for proactive budget allocation and strategic adjustments. This moves us from reactive management to a predictive and strategic approach. Translation: more of your budget can go to the highest performing avenues more quickly than ever.
The Core “Why”: Better Results
The integration of AI in paid search isn’t just about speed; it’s about achieving fundamentally better outcomes:
Hyper-Relevant Connections: Delivering the right message at the optimal moment.
Maximized Resource Allocation: Automating tasks to free up strategic thinking time for experts.
Unlocking Growth Potential: Identifying new audiences and conversion paths.
Sustainable Competitive Edge: Early adoption creates a significant advantage.
Increased ROI: AI-Powered Smart Bidding delivers real-time adjustments to bids to maximize conversions and or conversion value.
Make Sure Your Media Strategy Evolves
Businesses that are quick to adapt to the changes can unlock more powerful tools for optimization, targeting, and efficiency. But this technological shift makes the right human expertise even more crucial. Experienced marketers need to provide the right strategic direction, interpret the nuances of AI-provided data and curate the creative elements that power successful campaigns. All this increasing sophistication makes it even more important to work with partners who understand your business goals and have the experience to scale your impact and performance. And, bonus, with the help of AI taking on previously manual tasks, those media experts now have more time for the strategic deep thinking you need.
NSU Ocean: Making Waves at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
When NSU Florida united its extensive work in marine research, conservation and its work to build the blue economy under a new umbrella — NSU Ocean — it saw the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) as the perfect opportunity to debut this new designation. FLIBS delivers an audience of seafarers and marine industry professionals who understand the goals and stakes of protecting our oceans and promoting a thriving marine economy.
To maximize their first-ever participation in FLIBS, NSU teamed up with Starmark to create an experience that would be attention-getting and informative, ultimately encouraging philanthropy and showing the value of a contribution to NSU Ocean.
Differentiating NSU Ocean within a Sea of Exhibitors
The largest in-water boat show in the world, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show annually hosts 1,000+ exhibiting brands, 1,300+ boats on display, and 100,000+ attendees to experience it all. It’s a captive audience of boaters and industry experts, but the biggest benefit to NSU Ocean would come from exhibiting within Superyacht Village, featuring the largest and most luxurious vessels at FLIBS and attracting an audience of high-income individuals who are more likely to make a philanthropic contribution to NSU Ocean.
Even with our NSU Ocean booth strategically positioned near the entrance of Superyacht Village, we knew we would be competing for attention with marine retailers, manufacturers and many other high-profile exhibitors. To differentiate NSU Ocean, we needed to include visual displays with stopping power, offer booth experiences that encouraged visitors to linger, and take advantage of every opportunity to tell our story.
Immersing Attendees in NSU Ocean
A 20’ x 20’ booth sounds enormous — until you realize it can fill up fast. That’s why we combined ideation with reality checks in VR. The team created a virtual booth where we could manipulate the contents of the space quickly and easily to ensure the team’s great ideas would suit the square footage.
Ultimately, the team came up with an overarching theme of taking attendees below the surface, brought to life with a combination of interior design, digital experiences, brand ambassadors, and freebies to wow the crowd. As visitors entered Superyacht Village, they were greeted by a 20’ wall bearing the bold statement, “The next wave of ocean research begins here.”
Inside, from floor to ceiling, Starmark recreated an undersea experience, starting with a realistic “floating” buoy sculpture to lure visitors in, an aqua blue carpet, and a coral reef-themed bar serving signature Shark Bite cocktails and Mako Mocktails, named in honor of NSU’s mascot.
Behind the bar, things got really immersive. A 20’ x 20’ video wall featured looped videos that showcased the four pillars of NSU Ocean in discrete chapters: shark research, coral research, sea turtle conservation, and the blue economy.
High-top tables were equipped with NFC sensors, where guests could place their phone to be taken to a landing page. That page invited them to enter for their chance to win a uniquely NSU Ocean prize, something that transcends price: an invitation to join NSU Ocean scientists on a private shark tagging expedition.
In a League of Their Own
As the home of the Guy Harvey Research Institute, the International Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center, the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, and workforce development for South Florida’s blue economy, NSU Ocean is a convener of scientists, policymakers, specialists and business leaders.
And for their first time at FLIBS, NSU Ocean convened an impressive number of visitors under the tent. During the five-day event, visitors arrived continuously, with 407 people signing up for the grand prize who qualified as potential major donors of $50,000 or more. Best of all, by showcasing the depth of their accomplishments, NSU Ocean was able to forge connections with a significant number of prospective donors.
Now, elements of this display, messaging and video are key parts of the broader NSU Ocean effort to build the support and partnerships that will make even greater efforts possible.
Second Chances Live Here
Greater Fort Lauderdale, best-known for vibrant sunshine and scenery, houses a sobering statistic: one of the largest homeless populations in the United States. When Broward County’s Homelessness Initiative Partnership and Starmark joined forces to successfully tackle one of today’s toughest challenges, it gave residents fresh hope — and a new lease on life.
The challenge
Broward County’s Homelessness Initiative Partnership (HIP), in collaboration with the Broward Partnership, wanted to tackle the homelessness challenge in a different way. By targeting landlords directly, HIP proposed a financially-supported, business-friendly path that could open landlords’ minds and vacant units to help these vulnerable populations. But HIP struggled to capture landlord interest. Broward County was already experiencing high rental demand with far more eager renters than vacancies. Busy landlords weren’t motivated to learn more or participate.
HIP invited Starmark to partner with them to brand, market and launch the initiative in a more compelling way that could boost landlord interest and registrations.
Winning minds and hearts
Nonprofit marketing typically focuses on the heartstrings. This initiative was more nuanced: at its core, it was a business-to-business campaign. The value proposition had to appeal to both head and heart. Landlords needed to know they could earn profitable income on vacant units, while also helping their local community.
Developing brand strategy and platform
Starmark began with in-depth stakeholder interviews and brand development work, which informed brainstorming and preference-testing of a wide variety of names, taglines and supporting brandmarks to see which would resonate best with audiences matching our target.
Audiences chose Project HomeAgain (PHA) as best at capturing the program’s promise: to bring more people back into a safe, stable living environment. The winning tagline shared the agency’s mission: “From Hope To Home — With Your Help” and the winning brandmark depicted the inviting warmth of a home with its welcoming open door.
The right marketing toolbox
Once a strong brand platform was solidified, Starmark developed a Marketing Toolkit that quickly and concisely shared the benefits of the program to busy landlords and RE brokers; business leaders; county commissioners; city mayors; and other key community influencers.
This robust toolkit ensured brand and marketing consistency across all Project HomeAgain staff and partner efforts. Templates included print ads, logo lockups, a brochure, social and website tiles, landing page, emails, e-newsletter and series of eye-grabbing “Fast Facts” tracking results.
Building trust. Dispelling myths.
A series of 16 video clips were shot and edited as part of the campaign, featuring landlords and formerly-homeless PHA clients. These award-winning videos were prominently featured on websites, YouTube, emails, at county meetings and in other channels.
Reassuring Landlords
The satisfaction expressed by landlords like Michael Gordon about his Project HomeAgain experience built credibility and confidence about the program. It reassured potential landlords that PHA was well-established, well-managed and a rewarding business opportunity.
Defying Stereotypes
PHA clients who shared their personal journey on camera defied common stereotypes about the homeless. Starmark’s shoot style, interviewing approach, storytelling and editing humanized residents while showing Project HomeAgain’s positive impact.
Breaking Bread. Boosting Awareness.
Starmark’s next move transformed an existing PHA tradition: the annual landlord appreciation breakfast. The goal: elevate this modest get-together with more impactful show elements, splashier landlord recognition and a wider audience.
Starmark led run of show, revamping the event to feature inspiring keynote speakers; oversized screens with attention-grabbing Fast Facts and evocative footage; and an expanded invitee list that welcomed families and friends of landlords; media representatives and other community influencers; as well as promising prospects, (real estate brokers, property managers and landlords not yet familiar with Project HomeAgain.)
Awarding the coveted Gold Key
As part of the revamped event, Starmark debuted a “Gold Key” awards program that publicly honored landlord milestones like the largest number of Project HomeAgain rental residents and the landlord with the longest program tenure. This not only shared well-deserved accolades: it boosted program visibility and credibility amongst prospective landlords at the event, as well as others who saw coverage of the award winners in post-event communications.
Coverage of the event was prominently featured in social media posts and the Project HomeAgain quarterly e-newsletter, distributed to many throughout the community.
Building on success: campaign extensions
Following the success of Project HomeAgain, Starmark was asked to develop a supplemental campaign: a co-branded effort with United Way of Broward County’s MISSION UNITED Supportive Services For Veteran Families (SSVF), that would focus exclusively on housing for homeless US Veterans.
US Veterans are a disproportionately large percentage of the homeless population, both nationally and here in South Florida. Starmark developed a robust Marketing Toolkit representing both Project HomeAgain and MISSION UNITED SSVF for partners and affiliates seeking Veteran housing support. From ads and brochures to an emotionally-evocative “Veterans Voices” video, Starmark brought the troubling plight of US Veterans to life and how to help through Project HomeAgain.
Life-changing results
“While our team was excited to earn industry awards, it was more gratifying to see what a positive difference we made here in our own backyard,” said Jacqui Hartnett, Starmark President. “Every newly registered landlord saved more families, Veterans and other residents from the streets. Working with Homelessness Initiative Partnership (HIP) and Broward County was a real honor.”
“Working with Starmark was so rewarding, from initial discussions to the extraordinary end result,” said Rebecca S. E. McGuire, Ph. D., VP of Housing at United Way of Broward County. ”Their strategic skills and creativity transformed the program’s awareness and appeal, helping us resonate with landlords, county officials and key influencers. They collaborated closely throughout: there were never any unwelcome surprises. The outcome genuinely exceeded our expectations in every way.”
Why Perfect is the Enemy of Progress in User Experience Design
Perfectionism gets a lot of praise. It sounds like a good thing — high standards, attention to detail, a commitment to excellence. But here’s the catch: chasing perfection can actually hold you back. Companies that obsess over making a product “just right” often end up stuck in limbo, delaying launches, missing market opportunities, and missing out on valuable user feedback.
The better approach? Focus on progress, not perfection. By embracing an iterative mindset where you commit to improving products over time, businesses can release better products, make smarter decisions, and keep their customers happy. Here’s why:
The Pitfalls of Perfectionism
Missed Opportunities & Never-Ending Delays
The digital world moves fast. If you wait too long to launch the “perfect” product, you risk falling behind. Every tweak, every extra feature, every minor refinement can push back your release date. And by the time you finally launch, the market may have moved on, competitors may have swooped in, or user expectations may have shifted.
No Real-World Feedback
You can test your product internally all day, but real users will always interact with it in ways you didn’t expect. If you hold off on launching until everything is “perfect,” you miss out on crucial feedback that could help you improve the experience with the input of the people who will actually use it. Getting a product in front of users sooner means you can make data-driven improvements rather than guessing what they need.
Building Features No One Cares About
Perfectionism often leads to overbuilding — adding features that seem essential to internal stakeholders but don’t actually matter at all to users. Instead of spending time and resources on bells and whistles, it’s smarter to launch with the essentials and let real user behavior guide future updates.
Team Burnout & Decision Paralysis
Constantly refining a product without a clear end point is exhausting. Teams get frustrated, burned out, and stuck in analysis paralysis — too afraid to make a decision in case it’s the wrong one. This slows down progress and stifles innovation.
The Better Way: Embrace Iteration
Instead of aiming for perfection, companies should focus on continuous improvement — a mindset that treats user experience as an evolving process rather than a one-and-done deal.
1. Launch, Learn, Improve
The best way to build a great product? Get it out there. An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) lets you launch with the core essentials, gather real-world feedback, and iterate based on actual user needs. You don’t have to guess. You get to respond to what your audience actually wants.
2. Test with Real Users — Early & Often
Perfection is subjective, and what looks “perfect” internally might not be what users actually need. Running usability tests, A/B testing, and gathering real-world analytics ensures you’re making improvements that actually matter.
3. Get the Basics Right First
Not everything needs to be flawless before launch. What really matters is that users can complete the core tasks smoothly. Additional refinements can come later — based on actual user demand.
4. Embrace Experimentation
Perfectionism often comes from a fear of failure. But in UX, failure isn’t the enemy — it’s a learning opportunity. Teams that embrace testing, iteration, and small risks will ultimately create better experiences.
5. Function Over Flawless Design
Sure, aesthetics matter, but an amazing-looking product that doesn’t function well is useless. Some companies delay launches to make their designs pixel-perfect, but usability should always come first. A great product is one that works beautifully, not just one that looks beautiful.
Done is Better Than Perfect
The truth? Perfection is an illusion, but progress is real — and it’s what leads to truly great user experiences. Businesses that iterate, listen to users, and improve over time will always win over those stuck in endless refinement mode.
So, instead of aiming for perfection, aim for progress. Launch, learn, and keep moving forward — because that’s how the best products (and companies) are built.
Results You Can Take To The Bank
GOALS: Increase the number of opened and funded accounts for ZYNLO Bank, the digital branch of PeoplesBank.
CHALLENGE: Tracking clarity and effectiveness. Media performance measured on a different platform than conversions, creating critical gaps in marketing intel.
Lead acquisition and paid media strategy can transform a company’s bottom line in extraordinary ways — as Nymbus and ZYNLO quickly discovered after partnering with Starmark.
Show Me The Money!
Nymbus is a builder of digital banks: they empower financial institutions of any size to quickly launch a full-service digital bank or migrate to the Nymbus award-winning core, engaging and supporting the full digital customer journey.
Starmark’s partnership with Nymbus began by supporting ZYNLO Bank, one of their clients. ZYNLO, a division of Peoplesbank, is the digital version of the bank’s brick & mortar institution.
ZYNLO was already measuring ad impressions and clicks, but wasn’t able to track from the initial click through to account opening and deposit. Their metrics at the time weren’t revealing what the digital bank’s leadership needed to know. How many of those impressions and clicks led to cash in the bank?
Another big question: WHEN were those conversions happening? Since new ZYNLO bank application submissions were recorded on a separate platform from its ad metrics, the siloed reporting structure left a big data gap. Even when a successful conversion occurred, management wasn’t sure which specific ad effort drove it. This hindered their ability to optimize campaign strategy and spend.
A New Point Of View
Starmark closed these data transparency gaps through several approaches. We implemented Google Analytics 4 conversion tracking, identifying a new application submission whenever a customer entered their address, as well as UTM parameter tracking allowing us to map back funded accounts and balances to the media channel.
Starmark then created a customized dashboard allowing the client to access performance data 24/7 for paid media campaigns, as well as organic search, organic social and email campaigns.
Campaign Breakdown, Cost, Clicks & Conversions
On the media strategy side, Starmark launched campaigns on SEM, Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Programmatic Display. Then added SnapChat and most recently Programmatic CTV. Initial geo markets spanned Texas, California, Florida, then expanded into five additional states.
Results? You Bet Your Bottom Dollar!
Through fine-tuned media strategy and channel tactics, as well as enhanced down the funnel tracking implementation, Starmark reduced ZYNLO customer acquisition costs while boosting new funded accounts and customers.
Starmark has certainly exceeded expectations because we work together as true partners. Applications and new accounts really ramped up. The depth of analytics that we now have has allowed us to set thresholds for success, forecast expectations, and justify incremental spend and geographic expansion.
— Brittny Williams, First VP, Digital Growth, PeoplesBank
Campaign Performance
The Interest Keeps Compounding
Starmark’s track record and rewarding partnerships within the digital banking sector continue to expand, as more banks leverage our expertise in acquisition, media and creative strategies.
It’s been so gratifying to track the substantial gains ZYNLO has enjoyed these past few months — and it’s getting even more exciting, as we build similar wins for all our banking clients.
— Nathalie Dupont, VP, Digital Strategy
If you lead a credit union, bank or financial institution, discover stronger, more profitable media and data strategies you can bank on! Reach out to our Starmark experts now.
