Latest Posts

Starmark to sponsor Pubcon SFIMA 2016 Summit

Starmark is proud to announce Title Sponsorship for the upcoming 2016 Pubcon South Florida Interactive Marketing Association (SFIMA) Summit in Fort Lauderdale on February 24 – 25 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. (more…)

Synchronized Lighting for your corporate video or trade show event

Playing with synchronized lighting proved to be a fun project for the Starmark Innovation Lab. Our experiment was to reproduce the types of expensive synchronized lighting systems you see at corporate events and shrink it using a smart phone as the controller and off-the-shelf internet of things light bulbs.

The idea here is not just flashing colored lights to draw attention to your trade show booth, but to synchronize the lighting directly with the video in an effort to immerse visitors into an environment with video and light as the star performers.

To get started we purchased several types of Philips Hue lights, a “standard bulb” that is typically used to replace a normal light bulb; a “bloom” wall washer; and a “strip,” used to encircle TVs or run along edges. These are all available on Amazon and at places like Home Depot so acquiring them was rather simple.

Instead of the expensive hardware controllers you need for large corporate events, we built an iOS app as a controller making it readily accessible to virtually everyone on their phone. The phone is able to “listen” to the audio and send commands to the lights to keep them in sync. Think of this as a unique audio fingerprint that’s smart enough to recognize what is being displayed on the screen.

When it comes to apps, as we have mentioned in the past when developing apps, to be successful an app has to be useful, compelling and attractive enough that people want to download it. Our lighting experiment was conceived as a marketing application and this success factor presented a challenge for us. After a quick brainstorm for a “must have” feature, we decided the best way to demonstrate our app would be to let anyone use it with their favorite movie!

  • Frozen
  • Star Wars IV
  • Rudolph
  • Hunger Games
  • Man of Steel

We also believe that real world demonstrations make it easier to grasp new marketing concepts, and creating a platform that lets users play and experiment can lead to new thinking for these exciting technologies. You can download the Sync My Lights app for iOs and Android. Will someone please pass the popcorn?

7 reasons why your business should enhance its LinkedIn company page

With over 400+ million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the leading professional networking community featuring the largest localized platform to share industry updates, career opportunities and company information. However, many companies are not maximizing its greatest potential. Is your LinkedIn Company page optimized for success? (more…)

Let’s warm up #Snowmaggedon2016 with a whopping dose of Sunny.

For the past few years during the winter months, Starmark has created a mega-wall billboard for Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB in the middle of Times Square — grabbing the attention of freezing New Yorkers with Hello Sunny messaging. This winter, we decided to take this big idea and make it even bigger. (more…)

Advertising Shifts to On-demand TV

The way we view content, including traditional television, is a constant evolution. Watching content on-demand shifts the dynamics and empowers consumers to watch what they want, when they want and literally on any device (television screens, desktop, laptop and mobile) of their choosing. As complex as this is, if advertisers embrace the new paradigm, the results can be pretty darn good. (more…)

Mobile devices leading the ecommerce way

Did you know that mobile devices now account for one third of all ecommerce sales in the U.S. and is expected to reach 40% globally this month? In some countries, specifically Japan and South Korea, more than 50% of eCommerce was generated by mobile transactions, and UK follows close behind at 45%. It’s staggering to think that an evolution of this proportion has occurred in just a few years and everyone wants in on the game. (more…)

Better social conversion tracking is coming

So much has been said about the power of social networks but not nearly enough has been said about the power of social conversions. (more…)

How do you breathe new life into a lackluster brand?

CareerSource Florida is the state’s workforce development powerhouse, working with Florida employers to align their need for talent with the skills of Floridians seeking employment and career development opportunities. (more…)

Virtual Reality Coming Soon for Marketers

For decades, we’ve been drawn to the allure of virtual reality (VR) through movies and gaming but will it ever become something a marketer can take advantage of? (more…)

Five stories for your 2016 marketing roadmap

Reprinted from the South Florida Business Journal.

Marketers are starting to leverage Agile, a tried-and-true planning process methodology used by software companies. Agile methodology allows a cross-disciplinary team to collaborate and express all that they want to accomplish for a program or a project by creating a roadmap of the entire project. They do this by writing short, plain-English descriptions called stories, which are mutually agreed upon by the team and their stakeholders. (more…)

How do we make an already successful business luncheon even more delicious?

In partnership with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Marine Industries Association (MIASF), Starmark supported the 2nd Annual International Marine Hub luncheon, an exclusive invitation-only business event at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) by bringing even more business leaders together for this second year. Speakers included Mark Baker, President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; and Carolyn Plummer, CEO of It’s a 10 Haircare. Hosting the luncheon were Skip Zimbalist III, President and CEO of Show Management; Nicki Grossman, President of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau; Bob Swindell, President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance; and Phil Purcell, Executive Director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. South Florida Business Journal sponsored the event. (more…)