Topics

Uncategorized

Innovation: You’re Thinking About It Wrong, Part II

July 30, 2020 —

Innovation: You’re Thinking About It Wrong, Part II

Let’s Reimagine How to Innovate: A Thought Piece by Robin Goldstein, Part 2 Robin Goldstein has been a part of some great teams learning and thinking about innovation and disruption at companies like Apple, Zoox, multiple startups, and now, the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign. In this continuing series, she offers her accumulated wisdom around how to reimagine innovation, shift your mindset from ‘what and how’ to ‘why and who’, build the right team, and create a future that isn’t simply the past with fewer bugs. This week is the second installment in her feature. Please keep posted each...
Read more >
From Failure to a Future: Bella Banbury on Our Agency’s Plan For Equality and Representation

July 15, 2020 —

From Failure to a Future: Bella Banbury on Our Agency’s Plan For Equality and Representation

A Note From Bella Banbury, Co-Founder, On Equality and Representation. Six weeks ago, following a weekend of protest and unrest in response to the murder of George Floyd in the hands of the police, I facilitated our weekly Monday morning team meeting. I did a terrible job. Aiming to facilitate a meaningful dialogue around what action we should take, I stumbled through the conversation not finding the right words or actions to address our team. The meeting ended, we agreed to make a donation to the BLM movement, and simply proceeded with business as usual. That was a failure. As I look back,...
Read more >
A Black Perspective On Discomfort, Design, and Doing Something

July 7, 2020 —

A Black Perspective On Discomfort, Design, and Doing Something

A Thought Piece from Keyoni Scott, Designer at Emotive Brand. Demanding Change Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, the list goes on and on. The murder of George Floyd has been a trigger for a lot of people to finally stand up and demand change. People are flooding the streets and protesting. Signing petitions and sending emails to government officials. Sparking conversations they used to avoid. Donating money to Black Lives Matter and other impactful groups like Campaign Zero, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU, Black Visions Collective. Racial...
Read more >
Fast Forward Your Narrative: COVID was a catalyst for change. Is your corporate narrative still relevant?

April 2, 2020 —

Fast Forward Your Narrative: COVID was a catalyst for change. Is your corporate narrative still relevant?

COVID was a catalyst for change. Is your corporate narrative still relevant? At the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, companies were scrambling to respond to the moment. But as recognition sets in that these changes are here to stay, we must respond to a new movement: one that moves fast, with feeling, for the future. The landscape of brand, business, and culture has been undeniably transformed. So, we must figure out how to communicate in ways that were empathetic and relevant, contextually aware, human, and sensitive. Given our new normal—a constant state of change—today’s leaders, brand...
Read more >
A Letter From Our CEO

April 1, 2020 —

A Letter From Our CEO

These are the words I shared with our team at our last in-person meeting before we air-hugged our goodbyes until who knows when. Our carefully thought-out plans for 2020 were instantaneously put on hold as COVID-19 took its grip. Like everyone else, we’re now creating plans for the unknown, but our approach to this pandemic is the same approach we’ve always practiced as a business. People first, empathy always. Every decision we make is made through the lens of: what is the right thing to do for our people? Our employees, clients, partners, friends, and families? I believe there has never...
Read more >
Brand Relevance Is The New Differentiation

February 26, 2019 —

Brand Relevance Is The New Differentiation

We believe brands need to stand out, not just by being different, but by being both personally relevant and emotionally important to people. We came across this statement by Elliot Schreiber, Ph.D on his blog “Brand and Reputation” that sums up the key difference between “differentiation” and “relevance”: Relevance is More Important than Differentiation: Business strategists, Marketers and brand managers have been fixated on differentiation. Customers, however, are drawn to relevance – the things that “connect with them emotionally”. As I...
Read more >
On Creating Resonant Digital Brand Experiences Today

September 27, 2018 —

On Creating Resonant Digital Brand Experiences Today

Digital Brand Experiences We asked our design team about their point of view on building resonant digital brand experiences today. Here’s what they said. Historically, brands used to rely heavily on brand marketing and advertising for awareness of their products and services. But in the digital age, many brands are born solely online or as an app. In essence, screen only experience(s). What makes some of these brands good vs. great? Great digital brands are true utilities. Once you get into someone’s life and seamlessly integrate into their every day, that’s when you find success as a...
Read more >
Healthcare Brands: In An Era of Transformation, Where Is Your Value?

September 6, 2018 —

Healthcare Brands: In An Era of Transformation, Where Is Your Value?

Healthcare Brands, A Time of Transformation The healthcare industry is undergoing a massive transformation – and it’s about time! As new players emerge in the market, they expose the cracks buried deep within our bureaucratic medical system. Upstarts shine a light on unmet consumer needs and are sparking a shift in focus from provider to patient. This forces the entire healthcare industry to begin to explore the need for a holistic patient experience instead of a messy set of siloed solutions. If patients focus on value, healthcare brands are wise to follow suit. Just because the...
Read more >
HR and Marketing: Building Your Employer Brand Together

August 21, 2018 —

HR and Marketing: Building Your Employer Brand Together

Finding the Right Fit: HR’s Number One Challenge HR and Marketing? The role of HR has evolved significantly in recent years. Attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent is a high priority for executives, and most companies place this responsibility on HR. According to PwC 18th Annual CEO survey, a full 73% of respondents are concerned about the availability of talent – a 10% increase from 2014. Executives worry that it’s getting harder to recruit and keep the people who are both skilled high-performers and ‘fit’ within their organization’s culture. And without top talent, maintaining a...
Read more >