READY. AIM. ALWAYS ON.

About our company and our team

OUR MISSION

In a world besieged by information, it’s not enough just to have facts and figures. You need to know how to use collected data to zero in on your target, and connect with it in a meaningful, impactful way. It’s what we do best, from midday to midnight.

WHO WE ARE

We are dedicated, experienced & creative media planning and buying professionals with over four decades of planning experience at major global agencies as well as extensive familiarity consulting directly for marketers.

WHAT WE DO

We work with you to identify the key business and consumer insights essential to connect with your prospects in a meaningful, impactful way. We work with you to create customized strategic media plans that generate real results.

HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT

Because we’re a boutique shop, we’re not only nimble, but we also offer the benefit of one-on-one expertise & relationships with Always On’s agency principal & senior staff.

We collaborate with all your marketing partners to develop synergistic creative media solutions.

We work side-by-side with your creative, PR and promotions partners to produce the most holistic and effective Communications Planning.

A Few Case Studies

Our Awesome Team

Martin Thomas

Owner & President

Martin Thomas brings expertise in consumer, government, and trade planning to the team. As the Owner & President of Always On Communications, Martin oversees the media plan development and placement for all clients.Martin began his media career at Foote, Cone & Belding in Los Angeles, working on Mattel, California Milk Advisory Board, MGM Studios, Giorgio Perfume, and the Las Vegas Hilton. In 1993, Martin moved to DMB&B where he strengthened his retail and local market planning skills on Baskin-Robbins and the Australian Tourist Commission. On Baskin-Robbins, he worked with local marketing managers to develop plans for over 75 markets. He managed the media programs for Baskin-Robbins for four years before moving to MediaCom in 1997, where he ran a large group of businesses, including Roman Meal (bread), Hasbro, Pedigree Food for Dogs, Southern California Edison, the Automobile Club of Southern California, and City National Bank.After MediaCom, Martin went to Universal McCann, building a team to handle a wide variety of local, national, and trade-based clients including Zicam Cold Remedy, Sun-Maid Raisins, Bumble Bee Foods, IHOP, Northrop Grumman, and Embraer.He then opened Always On Communications in 2009 to handle the media planning and buying assignment for Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., as well as other clients who seek a media planning agency that will partner with them toward achieving their business goals.Martin’s planning experience includes proficiency in all types of traditional media, as well as digital, guerilla, direct, and in-store media efforts..

Jeanette Igarashi

Director of Media

Jeanette Igarashi began her career in advertising as a Print Coordinator at RPA in 2000. Through her passion, enthusiasm, and the ability to learn quickly, she rapidly proved herself capable of handling more, and became an Assistant Media Planner for American Century and the Getty Center. She gained consumer print, trade, newspaper, radio and out-of-home knowledge through the many complex plans she developed. With that experience, she left RPA to become the sole Media Planner at Parker Stephens Inc., where she handled the Raytheon trade business and supervised a small staff for three years. Upon leaving Parker Stephens, Jeanette indulged her curiosity of working on the client side by moving to Warner Bros. as a Media Analyst in the Domestic Theatrical division. She now has the experience and know-how to develop a successful media plan at the agency level, and also understands and can anticipate a client’s expectations from her tenure as a client.However, Jeanette craved the dynamics of an agency and went back to the agency side, leading the charge at a specialized agency with a niche in newspaper advertising and at Universal McCann. With her experience from Raytheon, Jeanette was the perfect candidate for Media Supervisor on Northrop Grumman. After only a short time, Jeanette again proved herself capable of taking on even more challenges, and was assigned the role of supervising the Matrixx Initiatives and Embraer clients as well as continuing her work on Northrop Grumman.Early in 2010, Jeanette joined Always on Communications, where she became a vital team member. As the Director of Media, Jeanette is personally involved with the development of every media plan from the initial stages all the way through the final presentation. She brings creativity, honesty, dedication and a wealth of experience to each client..

Malinda Vargas

Media Strategist

Malinda Vargas leverages 11+ years of agency experience as a Media Planner and Account Manager to help clients maximize their ROI. Malinda began her advertising career in 1995 at Lois/EJL where she honed her account management skills on a wide variety of clients such as the Beverly Center (shopping center), Center Theatre Group, Royal Palms Hotel, La Quinta Resort, Pacific Park (amusement park), Launch Magazine, and Greenpeace. In 1997, Malinda joined Grey Advertising’s account management team where her efforts were focused on Southern California Edison. It was during this time that Malinda transitioned to media planning and moved to Grey Advertising’s media division, MediaCom, in 1999. At MediaCom, Malinda provided strategic media planning and executed integrated advertising campaigns via consumer and trade print, out-of-home, radio, newspaper, and online planning. Her clients included Southern California Edison, City National Bank, Hasbro, KB Homes, and Roman Meal (bread). Malinda took a hiatus from advertising in 2005 and joined The Walt Disney Company’s International Labor Standards Division where she was involved in Product Sourcing and Compliance. In 2014, Malinda returned to her agency roots as Always On Communications’ Media Strategist. Malinda rounds out the team with her media savvy and understanding of advertiser needs, offering advertisers creative client solutions..

Jeff Ferguson

Digital Media Director

Jeff specializes in internet marketing, including search engine marketing (paid search and SEO), affiliate programs, display, and social media. With over 15 years of online marketing experience, Jeff has led the online marketing efforts for companies such as Hilton Hotels, Kimberly-Clark, InterActiveCorp, Experian, Napster, and Local.com. Jeff has also served as a consultant for renowned clients such as American Airlines, Farmers Insurance, Hilton Hotels, KinderCare, eHarmony, and Toyota. No stranger to the industry speaking circuits throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, Jeff is a regular presenter at Digital Hollywood, Online Marketing Summit (OMS), Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Ad:tech, and Search Engine Strategies (SES), where he also served as a member of the Board of Directors. Additionally, Jeff has volunteered his time for the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) on both the national and regional levels. Jeff and Martin have a long history together, having belonged to the same youth group during their high school and college years, so they form a natural partnership at Always On Communications. Jeff also has the honor of having been selected two years in a row for PPC Hero’s prestigious “Top 25 PPC Experts.”

Robert Lukowiak

Search & Social Media Manager

Originally starting his career as an actor and stand-up comedian, Robert Lukowiak moved into the advertising space, starting at Conversiv, running the search and social campaigns for Fortune 100 companies.  He has continued his marketing development working for agencies such as Gigya, Resolution Media, and Curse, creating search and social campaigns for a variety of industries, including some of the largest video game launches in history.

Oury Tamboura

Media Planner

Oury has 14+ years in media planning and buying. Over the course of her career she has worked for major agencies in both Los Angeles and New York, including ZenithOptimedia and Horizon.  Her experience includes all forms of media with a special emphasis in print planning and buying while at Horizon. Oury’s category experience includes a wide variety of different clients including packaged goods with Nestlé and Snyder Lance; spirits with Crown Imports, Constellation Wines, and Stoli; pharmaceuticals (Gilead); entertainment (STX Fims); and more. She was instrumental in Telemundo’s La Voz Ninos 2013 campaign that helped Horizon be awarded the best Hispanic Print Advertising Campaign in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from California State University in Bakersfield, and before that, attended school in the Ivory Coast, where she is originally from. Oury is also fluent in French.

At Always On Communications we are on it 100%:

%
Have extensive knowledge of our clients’ industries
%
Identify key business and consumer insights
%
Define the ideal target demographics and needs
%
Make strategic plans that generate results