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Deborah Joan Scarpa admits to an intense interest in
Napoleonic history and says at least a portion of her success can be
attributed to that passion.
Deborah Joan Scarpa
"Each time I read something about Napoleon, I
glean something else about his leadership, his brilliance, his
mind," she said seriously in a recent interview. "And, I
have literally utilized things that he has said to develop management
skills and develop an eclectic feel for what I do. There are many
facets to him that I find interesting."
Scarpa, 41, is president and owner of Coconut
Grove-based DJS Marketing, one of the top boutique advertising
agencies in the country specializing in the luxury market. Her clients
have included fine jewelry manufacturers and retailers, high-end real
estate, top-of-the-line hotels, pricey art galleries and
ultra-expensive automobiles. At the moment, she's concentrating on
jewelry and art.
"In different time periods since I started the
company in 1987, we have handled all of those, if we're not handling
them currently," she said. "Most of what we do is represent
some of the finest retail jewelers around the country and some of the
top jewelry and watch manufacturers around the world."
The DJS account list reads like a who's who in the
world of jewelry, with such names as Cellini, one of the top jewelry
retailers in New York City; Trabert and Hoffer of Chicago; Mozafarian
in San Francisco; and the Italian manufacturer, Picchiotti.
"I thought it important when I started my
business to figure out a market segment and become an expert at
it," she said. "I feel we know how to identify who that
luxury customer is, we know how to speak to them, we know how to look
for them and that's what we do best."
Another DJS client is Craig Drake, the Philadelphia
jewelry manufacturer.
"We work in unison with about 50 of his
retailers," Scarpa said, "We provide him with advertising
materials, catalogues and so on. We have been quite successful at
branding his name in America."
Scarpa believes 'branding' is the key to success in the marketing of
luxury products.
"We feel that we know how to brand products in
the luxury end," she said. "But, leadership is not bestowed,
it's earned. So, branding is a long process and we do that all the
time.
"Most of my clients are very longstanding
clients," she continued. "It's a very loyal business, a
trust business. But, it takes time with careful planning, careful
thinking and we work with our clients a long time."
Scarpa was born in Vineland, New Jersey, just outside
Philadephia. She grew up there and initially attended Temple
University, before graduating Rowen University in 1980. After short
stints with two Philadelphia ad agencies -- Foley-McQueen-Scheinfeld
and Spiro & Associates -- she came to Miami in 1983 to go to work
as advertising director for Commodore Cruise Lines. Barely a year
later, she saw a full-page ad by Mayor's Jewelers announcing a search
for a marketing director.
"I have a natural affinity for that
product," she said with a smile. "So, I thought that would
be a great job and went in for an interview."
Within a week, Mayor's president Irving Getz hired
her, even though she candidly advised him that she planned to own her
own business within five years. It only took three years, and she says
she and Getz were quite a good team and remain friends.
She left Mayor's when an old Philadelphia advertising
industry associate called to tell her she had started a design firm
and urged Scarpa to start an ad agency in Miami.
"So, I started my business in 1987," she
recalled. "Right from day one, I was placing ads in Town and
Country, Vogue and Vanity Fair. I had clients in New York, art
direction out of Philadelphia and I was based in Florida. If someone
were to tell me to do that today, I would say, 'Are you crazy?'"
Today, DJS bills $25-million annually and Scarpa and
her 20 DJS employees handle projects for the Italian Trade Commission,
the Platinum Guild and the World Gold Council, and develop marketing
programs for Wentworth Gallery, a 47-store fine art operation. She's
even stepped into the new e-commerce world, establishing a
relationship with a new online jewelry marketer, Diamond.com.
"Like Napoleon, I'm small, but I think big,"
she said with a diamond-like smile. For more information on DJS
Marketing, please call 305-860-9500.
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