We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacob Groth a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jacob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

It takes a lot of tiny habits day in and day out to reach success in any industry, I think that’s why finding something you are passionate about is so important. I’ve had a ton of success in my career, but I’ve met and worked with the most successful people in the world, and there’s a common trait among them all. Obsession. If you work hard and show up, what can go wrong?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I had an untraditional start to my career, I dropped out of high school which put the odds against me from day one! At 18 I decided to go into the oilfield. After working 80 hours a week for close to 3 years I decided enough was enough. I quit my very stable job and used the money I had in my 401k to buy a camera and start a photography business. I had no idea how to work a camera, but off I went. Surprisingly enough, it worked out. Fast forward 10 years, I co-founded and helped run our creative agency, DEATH2DIGITAL. Things outgrew me quickly, we started servicing countries all over the world and bringing on a ton of creatives, Our main industry was music, and we helped the biggest artists cover their tours with our vetted team of photographers and videographers.

Over time we’ve opened up new lanes. Today, we primarily help companies and individuals with viral marketing campaigns and influencer activations!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We keep small accounts, so nobody is overwhelmed and our core value helps make it second nature.
Work with the people you enjoy, and the companies that inspire you. When you are inspired by your clients, you don’t have to force keeping in touch, you genuinely want to grab a bite to eat or hop on a call with them. Which makes things so much easier than the forced lunches or awkward events that nobody wants to be at. Find clients that you can relate to and be yourself with. It cultivates a much more fun and inclusive work environment.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

My favorite marketing story was also one of the riskier and more successful tactics in my career. A popular clothing brand in Los Angeles wanted to reach more clients outside of this market with viral social campaigns. My partner, Courtney, had the idea to “rob the store” and the video went extremely viral, and reached entire new levels for the brand. We reached over 10 million people and even started a trend on Instagram across multiple industries! This really put us on the map for our creative visions and opened the door for more brands to trust the riskier marketing style we love!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.death2digital.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacob_groth/?hl=en

Image Credits

Courtney Ferris
@court_ferris