As we discussed in our last EnergyWire, rapid advancements in generative AI are changing the ways we find and create content before our very eyes. It's an exciting time to be a digital citizen—and it can feel like an intimidating time to be a brand or website owner as well. No one knows exactly what the future looks like, but we all know AI is here to stay. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Smart Technology, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Search, SEO, Paid Search

AI is everywhere: from project management tools and grocery shopping apps to world-renowned art museums and personal beauty-care shoppers, and everything in between. Soon, it might become unimaginable to perform our jobs without the assistance of AI tools. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Inspiration, Smart Technology, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, AI, Artificial Intelligence

Walk into any coffee shop in Vermont or visit any ski hill, and you’ll see heads covered in patterns of brightly colored flowers, butterflies, or tiny foxes, paired with neck warmers clad in similarly cheerful patterns pulled up over chilled rosy cheeks.  In 2008, when Corinne Prevot, a crafty high schooler, started making hats for herself and her ski teammates, this explosion of colored patterns on slopes and in towns began. Sixteen years later, Prevot is now the founder behind the growing, beloved Vermont brand Skida. Many things have changed since her first hats, but the delightful patterns remain her signature.

Topics: Innovation, Industry Expert Interviews, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Vermont, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Sustainable Brands, Branding

Across every industry in the U.S., women are typically under-represented in leadership roles and executive positions.

The 2022 World Economic Forum Gender Gap Insight Report found that for every 100 men, only 86 women received management positions. In the digital leadership landscape, for every 100 managers, only 52 were women. The same report estimated closing the gender parity gap would require 132 years. 

And yet, The McKinsey study, Unlocking the Full Potential of Women at Work shows that companies with gender-balanced leadership earn up to 50% higher profits, and 87% of the time, inclusive, mixed-gender teams make better business decisions two times faster, and with 60% better outcomes. Read that again.

Topics: Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Creative, Creative Showcase, Branding, Case Study

Edited for content and clarity by Chris H. Hadgis

In 1987, Stan Day’s invention of the Grip Shift, or the bike gear twist, “changed the world.” Since then, the company now known as SRAM has grown, adapted, and acquired 14 additional brands along the way. 

Soon-to-be former VP of Marketing at SRAM, David Zimberoff (DZ), earned a highly-unique departure gift: he got to select the replacement for his role at SRAM to pursue his dream of designing a low-cost, sustainable, mobility solution for rural communities.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, Industry Expert Interviews, Climate Change, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Company Culture, In the News, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Sustainable Brands

As part of our Industry Expert Interview series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jenny Kalanges, Vice President of Membership at 1% for the Planet. 1% For the Planet is a global organization whose members contribute at least one percent of their annual revenue to environmental causes to protect the planet. The aim of the certification is to offer accountability, prevent greenwashing, and "certify reputable giving."

Topics: B Corporation, Industry Expert Interviews, Climate Change, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Company Culture, In the News, Climate and Social Justice, Sustainable Brands

The MUSE Creative Awards is an international, industry-wide competition for communications professionals. This spring, among 75K of our talented peers from 108 countries, KSV was honored to receive not one, but four MUSE Gold Awards. 

Topics: Energy Efficiency, Climate Change, Content Marketing, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, In the News, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Brand Activations

As TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms grow and evolve, brands have new ways to engage with consumers. 

Yes, the “Instagram/TikTok made me buy it!” trend is real, and it’s certainly not just about ads, which many users have gotten great at ignoring. These days, it’s influencer nudging that often pushes customers to buy. Thanks to the widespread use of these platforms and massive followings, influencers are driving sales. Recent studies show social media users (that is, most people) trust influencer promotions more than celebrity ones. And nearly 50% of social media users say they’ve bought a product after seeing an influencer advertise it.

Topics: Innovation, Social Media Strategy and Best Practices, Content Marketing, Branding and Brand Value, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Brand Activations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the way businesses operate and interact with customers. Brands that invest in AI technology can gain a competitive edge by automating repetitive tasks, improving decision-making, and providing personalized experiences for customers.

Topics: Digital Transformation and User Experience, Content Marketing, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, AI, Artificial Intelligence

Climate change, if you haven’t heard, is real¹.

As advertisers and brands, it falls on us to do what we can to tell the story of a realistic, more sustainable future. We have a duty to do so responsibly and in a way that not only resonates, but drives people to actually change. And yet, one major hurdle still stands in the way: the continued political polarization of the topic. 

Responsible advertising related to climate change must break through this polarization to reach a wide audience, make sustainability a priority for brands, and continue to shift public opinion.

Topics: Clean Energy, Climate Change, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Climate and Social Justice, Sustainable Brands