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

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

If one thing is sure about the way people consume content in the digital space, it’s change. BeReal, TikTok, the Metaverse, the Elon-rollercoaster that is now Twitter: New social platforms and new ways to engage and consume content are on the rise.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, B Corporation, Social Media Strategy and Best Practices, Branding and Brand Value, Media Strategy and Best Practices

As 2022 winds down, we’re joining countless others in a moment (or two) of reflection over a year fueled by forward thinking, positive momentum, and growth. 

Topics: Innovation, B Corporation, Climate Change, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Creative, Climate and Social Justice

In 2021, $284 billion was spent on advertising in the United States. That’s a staggering number, representing a lot of power.

Topics: Innovation, B Corporation, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Creative, B2B marketing, Climate and Social Justice

“Ours is a banal sort of apocalypse,” Amanda Hess wrote recently in her New York Times essay “Apocalypse When? Global Warming’s Endless Scroll.”

“From Don’t Look Up to Greta Thunberg videos to doomsaying memes, we are awash in warnings that we are almost out of time. But the climate crisis is outpacing our emotional capacity to describe it.”

Topics: Innovation, B Corporation, Climate Change, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Climate and Social Justice, Sustainable Brands

The American Forest Foundation wins donors. The planet wins trees. KSV wins three shiny new friends: Gold. Gold. And Silver.

Topics: B Corporation, Climate Change, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Creative, In the News, Climate and Social Justice, Creative Showcase, Sustainable Brands

In our previous EnergyWire, we revisited a few Industry Expert Interviews that we’ve had over the past two years. As we wind down yet another year of unexpected twists and turns, we find ourselves reflective and looking at the year ahead, gleaning inspiration and gearing up for whatever comes next in 2022. 

There’s no better way to do that than to revisit a few more interviews with some of the best and brightest leaders at purpose-driven companies in the US and Canada. Check out our final round up of Industry Expert Interviews and let us know: as your organization heads into 2022, what are some of the thoughts, ideas and conversations inspiring you the most? We’d love to hear from you!

Topics: B Corporation, Industry Expert Interviews, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainable Brands

At the start of 2020, KSV kicked off Industry Expert Interviews, a new content marketing series we implemented as a way to hear more from purpose-driven organizations around the country, get inspired and have great conversations with innovative and talented individuals.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, B Corporation, Industry Expert Interviews, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainable Brands

2021 sure has thrown the agency world its fair share of curveballs. But with it came new opportunities. We just had to find the right places to take some swings. Among the most notable: a shift in our staffing approach, and how we’ve been able to leverage the MAGNET Global Network, 40 of the most innovative, independently-owned agencies located around the globe.

For the past four decades, KSV has had two addresses. One in Burlington, VT, the other in New York, NY. Employees either lived in VT or NYC. Or close enough to one of those two places to work from the KSV office located there. Not unlike the rest of the industry, if there was an office you go there and work.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Branding and Brand Value, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices