CEO and Founder
Deep Focus
Ian Schafer is one of advertising’s most influential voices in interactive marketing and social media. With his hunger for the new, an uncanny ability to interpret change, and an encyclopedic knowledge of all things digital, he thrives in an always-on world. Plus he possesses the rare and often contradictory abilities of being both a visionary and an outstanding business person.
He naturally takes his place at the forefront of the industry—whether among the first to test Google Glass and interpret how it will reshape marketing’s future or discussing trends in social media spending. However, Deep Focus’ work also speaks for itself. Client Pepsi is considered among the top digitally-savvy brands with sociable buzz, while the recent video for Purina’s Dog Goldberg Machine has become a darling of the internet.
Ian Schafer founded Deep Focus (a part of Engine USA) in 2002, following his role as Vice President of the New Media division of Miramax Films. Under Ian’s guidance, Deep Focus has been lauded for its expertise and excellence at using digital media, technology, creative, and communications strategies to create engaging, value-driven experiences that get people talking.
However, he’d characterize it as building a digital agency for the social age: “An age where connections are the new impressions and stories shared between friends are the most powerful marketing tactics.” For Deep Focus, digital is social. And vice versa. “We’ve built an agency that crafts digital, social, mobile and content marketing around authentic social insights from real conversations with real human beings. These insights drive everything we do.”
Named a ‘Media Maven’ by Advertising Age and one of Adweek’s “Young Ones”, Ian has been featured in Wired, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Adweek, Advertising Age, USA Today, New York Magazine, Variety, CNN, Fortune and The Hollywood Reporter. Ian also sits on the executive board of the Social Media Advertising Consortium, and the Global Advisory Board of Global Social Media Week.
An avid technologist, Ian blogs at http://www.ianschafer.com and can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ischafer.