Messaging Your Mission, Part One: The Why

Posted by Shaina Kaye on March 11, 2021 at 9:45 AM

As a marketing agency we oftentimes experience our clients shying away from risk and being unwilling to put their values front and center despite those values being authentic to their brand.

After all, the fear of uncertainty leads us to seek out security, causing us to make decisions that are risk averse. Fear is a primal, base instinct that is intended to protect us from things as uncertain and heart pounding as the fear of failure.

But fear? For all its power and its hold over us, fear is a liar.

And with all the uprooting and life-altering events, milestones and discussions that occurred in 2020, and the years leading up to it, consumers are clamoring for the brands that they support to clearly take a stand for the causes and beliefs that impact them. The power of doing so has a number of both tangible and intangible positive benefits that vastly outweighs the risks posed by not acting out of fear.

A study from Accenture found that more than half of consumers who are disappointed with a brand’s words or actions (or lack thereof) on a social issue complain about it, with 47% walking away in frustration and 17% not coming back at all.

And the Edelman Trust Barometer recently found that “80% of consumers agree businesses must play a role in addressing societal issues; they want a company to take actions which... improve social conditions and make the world a better place."

This sentiment plays out in the real-world example of Lyft’s Cities Talk Back Campaign, which was brought to life as a follow up to additional actions Lyft took following former President Trump’s immigration ban in 2017, when he announced an immediate block on all refugees, while also denying U.S. entry to citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries.

When Uber failed to offer support in response to protests against the 2017 ban and received further significant negative attention from customers for the CEO’s role as an economic advisor to the former President, Lyft stepped up in a big way, despite the risks and fear of backlash from customers. The company donated $1 million to the ACLU and elevated the voices of those affected by the President’s actions.

The result? Lyft, for the first time ever, surpassed Uber in the Apple App store for downloads as customers deleted their Uber app and downloaded Lyft in droves.

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Topics: Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Climate and Social Justice

Future-Proofing for 2021 Starts with Sustainability

Posted by Shaina Kaye on December 10, 2020 at 11:21 AM

If you’ve lived and worked through 2020, then the phrase “future-proofing” may sound like the biggest oxymoron of them all. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that plans change. Pivots are necessary. And planning for the future can sometimes mean planning to keep your business’s doors open for just one more day. Who has time to future-proof their business for next year when they’re just trying to survive 2020?

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, B Corporation, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Content Marketing, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Creative, D2C, In the News

2020 Thanksgiving Round Up

Posted by Shaina Kaye on November 25, 2020 at 10:17 AM

Happy almost Thanksgiving! As we inch another day closer to a holiday season unlike any other,  the team at KSV can’t help but reflect on all that we have to be grateful for. Even in a year where so much has been turned upside down, we find ourselves finishing each day with gratitude for what has remained the same: inspiring clients, innovative colleagues and a community dedicated to creating a better future. 

As we prepare for a 2020-style Thanksgiving, we’d like to share a few stories bringing us an extra dose of inspiration this week, in the hopes that they do the same for all of you:

Brands Are Using Black Friday Boycotts to Highlight Sustainability Initiatives: Although several brands will spend Black Friday and the weeks after touting promotions and deep discounts, several others are switching things up this year, using the high-profile moment as an opportunity to highlight ongoing sustainability initiatives. For brands like Freitag, this means shining a spotlight on their newly launched bag swap platform, which allows customers to exchange backpacks and messenger bags with other customers as a way to encourage a second-life for a high quality product while also reducing waste.

This is Our Chance to Reclaim Cities From Cars: One positive thing that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic? A more bikeable, walkable and cleaner urban America. Reimagining public spaces has consistently been a part of the conversation around how urban areas rebuild in the wake of the virus. This article takes it a step further, painting a hopeful picture for the future of cities.

25 US Cities Land on CDP ‘A List:’ In spite of both the havoc wrought by the coronavirus and little-to-no support at the federal level, several cities in the US were recognized by the CDP for making progress toward their climate action goals. Progress from cities like Cleveland, OH and San Antonio, TX highlight just how, in the absence of national guidance, impactful and important state and municipal level initiatives toward carbon emissions reductions and the adoption of clean energy technologies can be in ensuring a better, brighter and cleaner future.

Oreo’s Proud Parent ad is a moving, resonant reminder that a loving world, no matter how complicated, starts with a loving home. 

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Content Marketing, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, Creative, D2C, In the News

Three Things to Keep In Mind for the 2020 Holiday Season, Part Three

Posted by Shaina Kaye on November 12, 2020 at 11:50 AM

We kicked off this three-part series a few weeks back, diving into the importance of brands approaching the 2020 holiday season with a clear focus on reality. We then turned our attention to the value of flexibility in brands’ marketing strategies as a way to better serve and support current and future customers in the months ahead.  

This week, we’re concluding the series with one final consideration for brands that are planning, fine-tuning and executing their holiday strategies: incorporating personalization into the holiday shopping experience. 

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, Content Marketing, Branding and Brand Value, Creative, D2C, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

Three Things to Keep In Mind for the 2020 Holiday Season, Part Two

Posted by Shaina Kaye on October 30, 2020 at 10:36 AM

Recently we shared the first post in our three-part series highlighting a few considerations brands of all shapes and sizes should focus on to better serve and support current and future customers in the months ahead.  

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, Content Marketing, Branding and Brand Value, Creative, D2C, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

Three Things to Keep In Mind for the 2020 Holiday Season, Part One.

Posted by Shaina Kaye on October 15, 2020 at 2:48 PM

No matter how blurry the concept of time feels these days, the holiday season is inevitably and speedily approaching. In years prior, the impending holiday season would have meant a ramp up in in-store product promotions, email marketing campaigns and an influx of television advertisements. 

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, Content Marketing, Branding and Brand Value, Creative, D2C, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

Intersectional Environmentalism: What it is and Why it Matters

Posted by Jackie Demers and Abby Goudey on August 27, 2020 at 1:29 PM

The fight for a more sustainable future in the age of the coronavirus and Black Lives Matter has uncovered an important truth: protecting vulnerable communities is critical to taking action against climate change. It's long overdue, but going forward, brands looking to fight for climate change will need to ensure social justice is a component of their climate action plan. 

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Topics: B Corporation, Climate Change, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, In the News, Audience Segmentation, Climate and Social Justice

The “It” Factor: What Successful D2C Companies Can Teach Brands

Posted by Shaina Kaye on August 20, 2020 at 11:38 AM

In the early 2010s, companies like Everlane and Warby Parker paved the way for the first generation of Direct to Consumer (D2C) brands, offering consumers a fully digital brand experience and new companies a relatively easy, innovative and scalable way to sell products and services. A storefront was not necessary, but a strong brand story was. A brick and mortar storefront was no longer an operational requirement for brands - all you needed was an online shop and a creative social media presence.

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, B Corporation, Climate Change, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, D2C, In the News

Introducing a New Program or Product? Don’t Make This Mistake.

Posted by Tucker Wright on May 29, 2020 at 10:59 AM

We talk often about brand awareness. No matter the industry, the product or solution being offered, it’s a simple, omnipresent idea: people cannot buy your products, support your brand or change their behaviors if they are unaware. 

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Innovation, Clean Energy, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, B2B marketing, In the News, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

5 Ways Clean Energy Will Help Define the New Normal

Posted by Shaina Kaye on May 8, 2020 at 11:39 AM

As we mentioned last week, re-imagining a life and a world in the age of coronavirus presents a lot of unanswerable questions, yes, but also several opportunities. One those opportunities is the critical role clean energy and sustainability will play in reviving the economy and helping consumers adjust their behaviors and habits. 

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Innovation, B Corporation, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Content Marketing, Inspiration, Branding and Brand Value, Energy Storage, Sustainability Marketing, Company Culture, Creative, In the News, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Climate and Social Justice