THE JOB
BRAND CHAMPION
BY KAT ARANDA , ’ 17
How Jacques Spitzer made relationships his business .
Jacques Spitzer ’ 08 tells this story all the time : As the final exam for his philosophy course in Marshall College , he and his classmates were tasked to write a five-page paper . The topic ? A Snapple cap the professor had just handed each of them .
“ People were freaking out . They needed to know the context , the rules ,” says Spitzer . “ So many times we ’ re hardwired with the need to be told what to do and how to do it . Or , you can learn how to think critically and roll with it . That ’ s how I see my education : It didn ’ t teach me what to think , it taught me how to think . That ’ s the power of a theoretical degree .”
It ’ s telling that Spitzer recalls this story above all else from his time on campus , and it speaks to the spirit that took him from the newsroom to become the owner of Raindrop Marketing , a branding and advertising company he built from scratch .
“ It was during the height of the recession . Not exactly the best time to start a business ,” Spitzer says . Fresh out of college , he had parlayed his communications degree to become a news and digital reporter for NBC San Diego , yet he found himself drawn more to the station ’ s marketing operations . “ It was 2008 , which seems like another world now . I was the new guy , yet here I was setting up the station ’ s Facebook account . There seemed to be a lot of potential in that space .”
That potential would become Spitzer ’ s expertise , but in the most roundabout of ways . An executive producer at the station ( who would become Spitzer ’ s wife ) introduced him to her personal trainer , who was looking to make more of a name
WHERE IT BEGAN “ Coming back to campus is always inspiring ,” says Jacques Spitzer ’ 08 , founder and chief creative officer of Raindrop Marketing . Photo : Andrew Ruiz ’ 11
for himself . Spitzer took on the project as a one-man operation , ultimately increasing the fitness company ’ s visibility with a small video series , redesigning its website , pitching stories to local news outlets and leveraging social media .
With that first client came a string of referrals , and Spitzer was met with the choice all entrepreneurs have to make . “ By that first year I had burned through nearly all of my savings and was turning a profit , but not enough to live on . I loved the work , and really wanted to pour myself into it .”
One thing was clear : With more clients coming on , Spitzer needed help . He hired a young graphic designer , and then reconnected with fellow Triton , Adam Wagner ’ 10 , who had conversely taken the front door into creative agency work , starting at well-known firms straight out of college . “ Adam brought the structure and strategy to our business , the mindset that really helped Raindrop to grow swiftly ,” Spitzer says . Ultimately the two became business partners , with Spitzer handling the creative side of the house and Wagner overseeing strategy .
42 TRITON | FALL 2017