DEG Well-Positioned with Addition of Top Talent, Investments

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- DEG, a digital consultancy, has acquired key talent and obtained investments that will boost the company's ability to grow its services and market presence.

Recently named one of Inc. Magazine's "25 Companies That Are Changing The World" and one of the fastest-growing companies in America, DEG's strategic action has positioned itself to capitalize on future opportunities.

"DEG has been growing steadily for several years, and these new personnel and financing opportunities give us a chance to be more aggressive and sustain this growth into the future," said Neal Sharma, CEO of DEG.

Looking to add depth of experience in the advertising industry, DEG has asked Tom Hansen to serve as a senior advisor to the firm. Hansen has been responsible for award-winning work for a number of nationally recognized clients, including Hallmark, McDonald's, Miller Brewing Company, Frito Lay, Tabasco, American Airlines, Nationwide Insurance, and Discovery Channel.

"DEG is an incredibly dynamic, well-run, high-growth company that is ready to move to the next level," Hansen said. "The combination of digital and technical expertise, data-driven insights, and marketing savvy is unique. It's what the marketing organization of the future will look like, and DEG is primed and ready to set the standard. I'm looking forward to working with the DEG team to accelerate the process."

Hansen's vast experience has included stops at Tracy Locke Dallas, Leo Burnett and Y&R Chicago. Hansen was also the founder of Square One, and the CEO of TM Advertising/McCann Worldgroup in Dallas, as well as Heeling Sports Limited, an international sporting goods company. He was most recently a strategic consultant to several restaurant brand groups, sporting goods companies, and digital analytics and loyalty program providers. Hansen is also developing multi-format content and reality television programming.

In addition to Hansen, DEG hired Geoff Pickering as its Managing Director of Client Services. Most recently with Barkley, a large, independent advertising agency, Pickering takes the reins for all account services and digital strategy for DEG. Pickering has worked with a wide-range of brands over his 25-year career, including Sprint, FedEx, Bayer, 3M and Purina, and brings knowledge and experience across multiple digital disciplines, such as analytics, content strategies, digital paid media, enterprise collaboration and social media.

"In a lot of agencies, digital marketing is still considered something of an afterthought," Pickering said. "But DEG was born digital, and as a result, mature digital strategies are front and center in all of our engagements. That's not something many other agencies can say, much less execute."

In addition to a significant line of financing recently secured from partner UMB Bank, DEG has also received an investment from Salesforce Ventures. DEG is part of the Salesforce Partner Program as a Salesforce Marketing Cloud platinum partner, and will leverage this financing to extend its ability to provide strategic and technical services for the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, as well as expand the depth of digital marketing services it offers to national and international brands.

"We are proud to be a long time Salesforce Marketing Cloud partner, and we're even more excited about what we'll be able to accomplish with Salesforce for years to come," Sharma said.

About DEG
DEG is a full-service digital consultancy creating smart digital marketing, commerce, and collaboration strategies that empower organizations to amplify their competitive advantages and achieve their objectives. DEG's expertise in targeted digital direct marketing, integrated e-commerce, social media, enterprise collaboration, web content management, analytics, paid media, and mobile development drives success for its clients. DEG can be found online at www.DEGdigital.com, and on Twitter at @DEGdigital.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150202/172876

SOURCE DEG

Related Links

http://www.degdigital.com