Dan Ptak
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Info
- passionate marketer, entrepreneurial thinkerMarketing and Advertising | Greater Chicago Area, USSummary
Dan Ptak is a passionate marketer, a proud Chicagoan and believer that small business makes the world go round.
He paid his way through college by creating and selling a custom line of UD apparel (sorry UD), spent his first three years post graduation learning the ins and outs of world class brands @ Millward Brown, and launched an iPhone app in the fall of 2010.
He currently has the best of all worlds at Plan B (thisisplanb.com) and in his spare time, volunteers with Seth, Jon, Val and the technori team (www.technori.com).
Specialties: Marketing Research/Insights Gathering Brand Building Project and Product Management Content Creation Account Management Lean Marketing, Bootstrapping Strategic Business Development Positioning Email Marketing Social Media Strategy and Community Management Web Analytics Moible App Concepting/DevelopmentExperience- May 2012 - PresentStrategic Data Analyst / Account Director / Plan B® [The Agency Alternative]™
- Sept 2011 - May 2012Data Analyst / Account Executive / Plan B® [The Agency Alternative]™
- Sept 2010 - Jul 2011Product Manager / Simply Postcards
-Led a team of developers, designers, interns and college ambassadors at Simply Postcards, a mobile app start up.
-Successfully launched the Simply Postcards app in Oct 2010, reaching #11 in the photography category on iTunes; strong awareness was aided by high profile exposure on gizmodo and other tech, travel and photography blogs.
-Launched a complementary web application that catered to larger postcard runs for invitations, short run marketing campaigns, and wedding/birth announcements.
-Pivoted from primarily a B2C strategy to a balanced B2B and B2C strategy with the creation of the Simply Postcards business solutions package.
-Curator of the Simply Postcards community across various social networks and the monthly Simply Postcards "Best in Show" competition.
-Marketed the app and service at major photography trade shows in the Winter and Spring of 2011. - Feb 2009 - Sept 2010Research Executive / Millward Brown
-Executed quantitative research programs from concept to consultation
-In-market tracked dozens of brands, supplying guidance and advertising ROI on client and competitive brands
-Executed copy tests for over 40 ads using Millward Brown’s custom solution, Link™
-Crafted analysis for copy testing and brand tracking reports, producing recommendations on engagement, communication and motivation for million dollar brands
-Served as primary client contact for over half a dozen brands
-Contributed work to two ‘2009 MB Marketing Forward Awards’ for excellence in research; one which saved our client over $6.4 million by determining optimal reach and frequency for media planning - Jul 2007 - Feb 2009Assistant Research Executive / Millward Brown
-Managed multiple small to medium accounts across several clients of varying industries
-Created and proofed market research questionnaires
-Extensively handled large amounts of primary data
-Developed strategic recommendations and carried them through to presentations and deliverables - May 2006 - Aug 2006Marketing/Sales Intern / Google
-Supported the national sales team for the Google Search Appliance
-Collated and centralized all market and customer data to uncover high-potential industry and company segmentations -Organized and presented data to division executives at company headquarters
-Participated in employee development programs including new hire training and professional presentation workshops - Mar 2005 - Apr 2006Director of Merchandising / Flyer Enterprises
-Coordinated and administered all sales management, purchasing, marketing, vendor negotiations, and R&D for two coffee shops that grossed over $200,000 in fiscal year 2004.
-Managed a purchasing manager and marketing coordinator at each division.
-The Blend and Blend Express are divisions of one of America’s largest student run business, grossing $1.4 million this fiscal year.
Education-
2003 - 2007University of DaytonB.S. in Marketing, Entrepreneurship
Activities: Founder: Dayton Extra, Mu Kappa Tau, 2007 Entrepreneurial Leadership Award, President Entrepreneurship Club, President - Dayton Designs, Consultant: Everest Real Estate, Tutor: Dept. Mathematics, Shift Leader: Artstreet Cafe -
1999 - 2003Benet AcademyBS in General Studies
Additional Information-
Interests:Skiing, marketing, reading business book, spending time with friends, traveling (Spain in '13), chasing down the 5411 empanada food truck, recently attending weddings (every weekend), throwing annual PtakaPalooza shindigs, bags, rooting on the White Sox & lousy Fighting Irish!
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Reading
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Tweets
- Hello summer. (@ Howells & Hood w/ 8 others) http://t.co/dfoFok9gsJ
- Ptak Pre-game. (@ Paradise (1407 Rooftop)) http://t.co/oP714a2ViL
- @tblanx #chicincyhustle you gotta love it!
- The New Rules of B2B Lead Management Every Agency Must Know http://t.co/e630GitH9N
- Happy one year @mrsptak ! @ A Pig In A Fur Coat http://t.co/ER5iD2HwKU
- @espn watchespn app down?
- Carnivale wedding! (at @Carnivale312 w/ 6 others) https://t.co/azRhhwexgp
- RT @mashable: 'National Geographic' Named Best Tablet Magazine of 2013 http://t.co/BYtYZIjcIp
- Go bulls! (at @TwinAnchorsBbq w/ 4 others) http://t.co/jElfC5Yth8
- Coming from a huge @fitbit fan, I love this app. Considering its only a mvp, excited for what's in store! @movesapp http://t.co/9hwS3H8rJB
- This 18-Slide Pitch Just Landed Payment Startup Dwolla $16.5 Million http://t.co/q75IQIAlfP
- This 18-Slide Pitch Just Landed Payment Startup Dwolla $16.5 Million http://t.co/5hW36UMl5v
- @cbaumgarten @crestodina woot woot! Bring some of those nuggets of knowledge back to the agency :)
- Check out "Technori Pitch Chicago, April 2013 - Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase" http://t.co/iSpTYRobl7 via @eventbrite !!!
- Five-star back Hood commits to Notre Dame http://t.co/dFhqdKZ68X
- Not bad for the first run of the season! I just finished a 3.01 mi run with Nike+ Running. http://t.co/uxj1LEeJG9 #nikeplus
- RT @digitalps: Why a 50mm Lens is your new Best Friend - http://t.co/7Dr9gDfQB7
- RT @jasonfried: NATE ROBINSON! http://t.co/f3gTmEi2Pp
- RT @SamsClub: Sam’s Clubs locations are open to all for FREE this weekend! Enjoy free food and samples. http://t.co/TZ0Si4rG8M
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Posts
- Sep 09, 11
- Sep 07, 11
Tribal DDB, Philips Are ‘Obsessed with Sound’
- Aug 24, 11
(Editor's note: Stuart Wall is co-founder and CEO of Signpost. He submitted this story to VentureBeat.) Despite the rocky nature of the stock market these days, it sure seems like a great time to start a company.
- Aug 15, 11
Dick's Sporting Goods has fired up a huge new initiative aiming to help prevent concussions for student-athletes, and it has fittingly chosen former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis to be the face of the campaign, according to the New York Times.
"The Bus" barreled through gigantic NFL defenders for over a decade, which led to numerous concussions, many of which went undiagnosed. It's a chronic problem in sports: the Times says that 85% of concussions nationwide go undiagnosed.
Which is why Dick's launched Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education (PACE), providing baseline concussion tests for more than a million students across the country, spread across more than 3,300 schools.
Of course Dick's stands to gain from all of this positive hype as well, as the back-to-school season begins to rev up.
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- Basically, Everyone On "The View" Got Married This Weekend
- Jul 27, 11
Shared by DVP
As is the case with any new technology, the jury is still out as to whether QR codes are headed for the coveted tipping point in the US. Across the Pacific in Japan, the birth place of the QR code, the 95% smartphone adoption rate has translated into a country blanketed with QR codes on everythin
From CC Hustle - May 11, 11
- Mar 29, 11
Review of typefaces and typography books, with occasional commentary on fonts and typographic design.
- Mar 14, 11
Shared by dvp
Short and to the point - Feb 26, 11
Picture this scenario: you’ve just decided you’re going to start a blog. You may have even purchased your domain and installed WordPress. You write an article talking about your aims for the site or something you think your future audience
- Feb 26, 11
"Marketing is what you do when your product or service sucks..."
- Feb 11, 11
Having spent two weeks in Peru last summer, Jetsetter’s Photo Editor Tyler Wriston, was in familiar territory when making the selection for our Inkaterra Adventure event this week. Absent from those galleries are the images he shot on his trip in and around Cusco — ones we thought were too good not to share.
“Peru is one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world and the people speak to that. I ended up shooting a lot more faces than places as everyone seemed to have a story to tell.”
Though he travels with full camera gear, some of his favorites shots were taken on simple instant camera — a good tool for photographing people on the street. “Instant film seems to break down a barrier with the people you’re shooting because they knows it’s harmless. The shots are always more off the cuff and relaxed.”
Check out his favorite images here:Cusco’s streets give way to countless corridors where local families work and play
A local vendor provides for her young child by selling local produce, picked fresh daily
One of the best ways to break the ice with your subjects is to enter into conversation, and offer a picture for a picture
By offering a quick polaroid, the subject was more than willing to pose for an amazing protrait
A quick instant shot sets the mood for a more composed image
Down the street, a chance encounter with a sleeping construction worker in the midst of Cusco’s famed Coricancha ruins
In the hills of Cusco, just outside the Sacsayhuaman ruins, sharecroppers still clear grassland in order to provide fresh food for their family tables
On the way to Machu Picchu, Urubamba provides a welcome stop for travelers looking for a taste of a slower town, where the locals (no matter the age) are welcoming and warm
The majestic Cordillera Blanca surrounds the Peruvian “Valle Sagrado,” or “Sacred Valley”
Small mercados dot the road from Cusco to Machu Picchu Pueblo; wonderful places for your morning sopa, or authentic craftwork
Machu Picchu Pueblo, though crowded, is a great place for investigating the nuanced culture and lifetstyle of locals
Arriving at the ancient ruins around 7 am, it’s a snap to snag your own Nat Geo-worthy shot of Machu Picchu
A little-experienced but remarkable view of Machu Picchu can be attained by climbing the daunting Huayna Picchu, just beyond the ruins
Don’t forget to grab your own snapshot; a one-of-a-kind artifact to frame or include in your travel journal
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- Jan 27, 11
Here are the top 10 social networks for entrepreneurs. Each helps entrepreneurs succeed by providing them with the guidance and resources to setup their company.
- Jan 27, 11
With businesses and families spread out more and more, we've dug up 60+ sites that will help everyone be on the same page. Business
- Jan 05, 11
Blogging can be fun if you are passionate about your subject but it can be frustrating if the analytics show that you have no traffic to your blog or website. That means that no-one is reading your insights and is appreciating your writing. It is a little lonely. It is like writing a book and it is
- Dec 26, 10
From The Decision to Favre's Indecision, We Rank the 10 Sports Moments That Defined 2010; Isner and Mahut Are Still Playing
- Apr 19, 10Ash and Lightning Above an Icelandic Volcano Why did the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large ash plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly noticeable because it drifted across such well populated areas. The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on March 20, with a second eruption starting under the center of small glacier on April 14. Neither eruption was unusually powerful. The second eruption, however, melted a large amount of glacial ice which then cooled and fragmented lava into gritty glass particles that were carried up with the rising volcanic plume. Pictured above two days ago, lightning bolts illuminate ash pouring out of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
- Jan 05, 10
I’m sick of hearing crap definitions of what a brand is. Especially when they use words like marketplace and sellers, which can often be irrelevant. So here is the Steve Sammartino version:
Brand: A cognitive shortcut from which to make informed decisions.
That’s it. No need to mention selling. Brands don’t have to be sold. No need to mention a market place. Brands don’t just exist in markets – they exist in the total human experience. No need to mention logos, designs, names or symbols – these are part of the cognitive shortcuts. (which could even be a set of directions aboriginal used to locate a reliable waterhole, for which they probably had a name, in far reaching Australia over 1000 years ago). No need to mention products or services – brands can be concepts or ideas (Climate Change). No need to mention differentiation, loyalty or competitive preference – this is part of the informed decisions.
Our job as entrepreneurs is to build something which has meaning, and ultimately become the cognitive shortcut in the space we play in.
Feel free to discuss, agree or throw stones.
