Jose-Guillermo Diaz is the co-founder/director of the Miami Ad School in Punta Cana, located in the Dominican Republic. His career has included work as a communication designer, a marketing agency owner, and a college professor both at Miami Ad School and the University of Miami.

He’s here to talk about his experience in the marketing industry and his current work at the Miami Ad School.

Episode Transcript

Rod Rodriguez:             00:05                Hello and welcome everybody to Inbound Academy. I'm Rogelio Rodriguez. I am filling in today for Jeffrey Lambert. He is back at the office and we're here in beautiful Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo at social media week. So we have a very special guest today. He has a lifetime knowledge and experience that he's going to share with us today. He's really been an essential part to our growth at risen as well. So we find that he's a great partner and we thought that we'd bring you on here, JG, to introduce you to our audience and, and really let them know what you're doing and how you see the future of marketing. So JG, welcome. Welcome to the podcast.

JG Diaz:                        01:01                Thank you for having me. I've been looking forward to this opportunity.

Rod Rodriguez:             01:08                Yes, fantastic. We're happy to have you here. So you know, JG has been a part of the marketing and advertising industry for quite some time and he's been everything from a designer to owning his own agency and then a professor as well as at the university of Miami. So he's here to talk about that experience and his current work at Miami Ad School. So we're gonna start with some questions for you so we can move it along. So where did your journey with dedicating your life to advertising and marketing begin?

JG Diaz:                        01:48                Well, you know, it's like everything in life. It takes like some right turns and new turns and then you end up in a situation that you want to expect it to be. So, and it's not like my life has been like very different, but I started like, you know, as an engineer school in the Dominican Republic, spent two years studying here. And my dad was an engineer at a company here in the Dominican Republic. So I'm the first one, I was supposed to be like the one taking over. I don't play baseball. So that's another disappointment for my dad, man. So I went to art school. So I went here in the Dominican Republic. I went to Parsons in New York. I graduated in New York and I started doing publishing. I entered into like the editorial publishing industry and I loved it.

JG Diaz:                        02:51                Well, when we moved to Miami, there was no industry down there. So a friend of mine, he used to be the creative director in Miami and offered me a job there as an associate creative director. And that's how my love for advertising marketing started. So yeah, that's all right.

Rod Rodriguez:             03:09                Fantastic. So marketing has grown drastically in terms of importance for businesses in the past 30 years. How has the industry changed to meet that demand?

JG Diaz:                        03:22                I think it's changed in way of like, It's still changing and still transforming. We all know by now and the proof of this is how important inbound marketing is for companies. When, when we say that, you know, the consumer has a voice and, and I've seen how brands now are paying attention to their consumers are the ones that like listen they're the ones being more successful. So, so for me that has been the biggest shift. I mean it's nothing that I say, it's something that everybody says. You know, we all know how consumers now with social media and how we see they can get new technology in their hands and become more active when it comes to marketing and accepting the brands that talk to them and reacting to brands that don't talk to them. So for me that has been the biggest shift in the past 30 years.

Rod Rodriguez:             04:31                What do you think is the greatest opportunity for a marketer to stay ahead of the curve?

JG Diaz:                        04:39                The opportunity is one when they listen to the consumer, when their marketing has a purpose and that purpose is connected to today's human. And those are the ones who are, those brands are the ones who are going to be successful.

Rod Rodriguez:             04:57                Fantastic. And where do you see advertising and marketing 10 years from now?

JG Diaz:                        05:05                I don't know Rod. If I knew, I'd be the rich guy in town and I would not be sitting here with you and be on like some Island in Greece, you know? But 10 years from now I have no idea. You know, I can tell you like people are telling you like "it's going to be this" and "it's going to be that" and maybe VR or AR is going to be it, like blah blah blah. But I don't think know, 10 years from now, imagine like 10 years ago. We were sitting here talking about how Instagram years ago and how it would be Facebook 10 years from now. I don't think so. What Will it be now?

Rod Rodriguez:             05:55                Maybe Tik Tok?

JG Diaz:                        05:58                Yeah, maybe, maybe not. Maybe it'll be gone. Like Snapchat. Yeah, everybody thought MySpace was going to be the next thing. So I think if the brand is true with its purpose and how it communicates with the consumer and how they reach consumers on an emotional level - and then use technology to amplify their voice, then we don't care what technology it is because the technology's going to be out there.

Rod Rodriguez:             06:37                Right.

JG Diaz:                        06:39                It will just be a medium to amplify the message. So that's it.

Rod Rodriguez:             06:44                And you're, you're saying be authentic and listen?

JG Diaz:                        06:47                Yes.

Rod Rodriguez:             06:49                Fantastic. I mean, I think that's great to be better prepared for the future that comes to us because everything that you've mentioned, a lot of changes have come in a very short period of time. And as advertising and marketing professionals, we've learned to adapt or we have to adapt. All right. So tell us a little bit about Miami Ad school and what you guys are doing now?

JG Diaz:                        07:13                Oh, we're very excited. We opened the newest school in a network of 15 schools around the world. We opened in Punta Cana just a couple of years ago and we are the hub for central America and the Caribbean. Our vision is to become the epicenter of creativity and innovation for the region. And I think we can get to that point. So we are there. We're happy. We opened with workshops for professionals and for training. But now we have students going through our art direction and design and creative writing program.

Rod Rodriguez:             08:02                Fantastic. Fantastic. Those of you that don't go in the audience you know, JG and I work closely together. We have developed some of those workshops at Miami Ad School. So I know this is an Inbound Academy podcast. That's the title. So we are focused on helping spread the inbound message through these schools really. Because I think what makes the big difference in Miami Ad School that I haven't seen in other educational institutions is the practical application of the knowledge. Right? That's a big piece that's important to us as an agency, as a HubSpot partner, to be able to spread the message, but also help marketers apply these principles that we're constantly talking about.

JG Diaz:                        08:47                And you've been a great partner on this journey. And, and as an instructor of Miami Ad School, our students are getting that practical aspect to the business.

Rod Rodriguez:             09:03                Sure, absolutely. So I'd like to close it up with a little bit of some tips that you have for new marketers, or new members, or new people that want to join in advertising?

JG Diaz:                        09:16                So, go with your gut. I know that we talk a lot about data. It's good to have it, but at the end, you know, it's, it's your human gut feeling that will get you out there. So if you want to be a marketer now or an advertiser, you know, be creative. Put yourself in the shoes of a creator first and then add a label of like a marketer or advertiser or other type, you know, whatever labels we tend to put in the industry to people that care for labels. But, you know, see yourself as a creator, as a global creator. And that's what we do at the school. We teach our students to think globally and to be really ready to have conversations on any aspect of marketing or advertising conversations at a global level.

JG Diaz:                        10:19                So yes, think ideas as the first thing, you know, creativity, and move on from there. And, you know, we are selling our products and services to other humans. We cannot forget that.

Rod Rodriguez:             10:38                Absolutely. Absolutely. So if individuals feel inspired to reach out to you, how do they connect with you?

JG Diaz:                        10:46                Oh, you know, we're very active on Instagram. We're @MASpuntacana. That's our handle for Instagram. And then you can reach out to us on the web at miamiadschoo.do. Not dot com. D O. And I say those are the ways for reaching out to us. And we're there. You can learn about either our programming ,we call it the Core Program, which is for advertising and design. Or if you want us to we can put together a professional training program for your company.

Rod Rodriguez:             11:44                That's fantastic. It sounds like great educational programs. Being an instructor myself I enjoy every workshop that we provide there and it's already amazing the partnerships that you've created through your own school system to meet with corporate partners. How your students come in and to get the experience what they need to be better at their jobs. Thanks for coming today.

JG Diaz:                        12:12                Please. Thank you for having me. Like I said at the beginning, I always look forward to being a part of this podcast. So I'm glad that you were in the Dominican Republic enjoying the weather with us and enjoying social media week.

Rod Rodriguez:             12:30                Yes. Fantastic. All right. Thank you everybody. Once again, thanks for joining us. Thanks for listening. Remember to share our podcast with your friends. We're available on any podcast medium that you can find including Anchor, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can reach us @RizenInbound if you want to connect with us through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn by searching for Rizennbound - all one word. And remember to help us reach new people. Just leave a review on the podcast app of your choice and see you on the next episode. Thanks!