ABOUT US
The TAG model allows brands to source better marketing partners with speed and confidence.
Our experienced team takes pride in helping you achieve your marketing goals.
MEET THE TEAM BEHIND TAG
John Bertino 
FOUNDER, CEO
Primary Consulting Areas:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
- Thought Leadership
- Digital PR
John Bertino
FOUNDER, CEO
Primary Consulting Areas:
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
• Thought Leadership
• Digital PR
John Bertino
FOUNDER, CEO
Primary Consulting Areas:
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
• Thought Leadership
• Digital PR
John’s professional background stems from a decade in the agency space where he consulted with clients on SEO and inbound marketing campaigns. During that time, John watched salespeople and marketing agencies fight to one-up each other and impress prospective clients with industry jargon, flashy proposals, and agency bluster. They didn’t have the clients’ best interests at heart.
John knew there had to be a better way. Enter TAG: the world’s first marketing consultancy with a 100% focus on providing brands unbiased advice and vetted agency recommendations.
These days, John consults with brands on all areas of marketing with a primary concentration in SEO, content marketing, and digital PR. He also teaches at the University of San Diego and works closely with entrepreneurs of all sizes at SCORE. In his free time, John loves to organize large community events through his group the SoCal Marketing Club, one of the west coast’s largest digital marketing clubs.
Tim Martinez
M&A ADVISOR,
BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Primary Consulting Areas:
- Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory
- Strategic Growth Planning
- Capital Raising
- Exit Planning
Tim Martinez
BUSINESS STRATEGIST,
BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Primary Consulting Areas:
• Business Strategy
• Growth Planning
• Capital Raising
• Organizational Restructuring
• Process Improvement
• Exit Planning
Tim is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience as an advisor and business strategist in helping build small-to-mid sized enterprises.
He has founded and exited multiple businesses including a retail operation, marketing firm, and mobile application. His focus is on strategically positioning companies within their respective marketplace for rapid expansion.
Tim has consulted on behalf of major corporations as well as over 240 small-to-mid sized firms. Additionally, he has been a featured speaker at numerous business conferences speaking on topics ranging from market expansion to strategic planning. Tim’s work with early stage companies has helped them secure millions of dollars in seed capital.
In 2006, Tim formed The Inside Man, a strategic consulting firm to bring his years of experience and passion to every client with whom he interacts.
Steven Picanza
SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST
Primary Consulting Areas:
- Branding and Brand Strategy
- Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
- Web and WebApp Development
Steven Picanza
SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST
Primary Consulting Areas:
• Branding and Brand Strategy
• Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
• Web and WebApp Development
Steven Picanza is a brand architect, business strategist, and strategic advisor with a core purpose centered around connecting people, products, and organizations with their ideal audience.
Over the past 15 years, he has gone from gigging musician, to agency owner, to start-up founder while working with amazing brands such as The Art of Shaving, Lacoste, MGM International, Securitas Security Services, CIO Executive Council / IDG International, Madame Tussauds, Pieology, and the Boston and Denver Ski & Snow Expos.
Steven is Founder of the lifestyle brand for the creative entrepreneur “The Creative Hustler” and holds an Executive Board membership position with The San Diego Entertainment & Arts Guild, a non-profit organization he helped found in 2009.
Melissa Rautenberg
SENIOR INBOUND STRATEGIST
Primary Consulting Areas:
- Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
- Organic and Paid Social Media
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Melissa Rautenberg
SENIOR INBOUND STRATEGIST
Primary Consulting Areas:
• Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
• Organic and Paid Social Media
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Analytical by nature, Melissa brings tact and resourcefulness back to digital marketing with her no-BS approach to building scalable and meaningful digital campaigns.
Over the past 7 years, she has honed her skills as a strategic digital strategist and content creator having worked with such brands as CIO Executive Council / IDG, Hilton Hotels, Benchmark Resorts, and the Boston Ski & Snow Expo.
You can find Melissa lighting up rooms from coast to coast with her infectious smile and genuine stance on life as the Co-Host of “The Creative Hustler” podcast.
Maresa Friedman
SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST
Primary Consulting Areas:
- Branding and Brand Strategy
- Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
- Web and WebApp Development
Maresa Friedman
SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST
Primary Consulting Areas:
• Branding and Brand Strategy
• Inbound/Content Marketing and Automation
• Web and WebApp Development
AS SEEN ON
What they're saying about us
What impresses us the most is the time spent in truly understanding who we are as a company and providing us valuable insight that helps us grow. It's not a "cookie cutter" approach to marketing and his advice and guidance has paid dividends for us!
After one discovery meeting they nailed it; introducing us to an agency who not only had the right skill set but a personality that meshes well with ours. It was a great experience and saved us the time and effort of issuing our own REP and having to pitch meetings with agencies who weren't right for us.
The Agency Guide listened to our needs, learned about our organization, and provided a thoughtful analysis of our marketing goals. They suggested the ideal partner for our goals, including a detailed explanation of why they chose them and how they could help. We were impressed by their responsiveness and willingness to help us every step of the way.
Working with TAG has made our work much easier. TAG very quickly sourced an excellent PR specialist for us who did a terrific job. Our experience is that TAG is responsive, responsible, and very professional. We plan on continuing to working with TAG for the foreseeable future.
TAG has been integral in matching us with the right agency that truly understood our needs and valued our business. TAG has been very transparent and helpful throughout the entire process and I would highly recommend them.
TAG made the process of sourcing a reliable agency extremely simple by helping us clearly define project scope and then finding an agency that was perfectly suited to be our partner.
TAG saved us the extensive time and effort it would have taken to source and SEO agency. They took the time to understand exactly what we needed, so they could nail the agency's recommendations the first time around. This saved us hours of research and the hassle of having to vet each agency we came across. If you're looking to hire a new agency, start with TAG - you won't regret it!
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THE COMPANY WE KEEP
