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

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

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

Changing customer needs, shifting client expectations, rapidly evolving technology, unforeseen global circumstances and long overdue social awakenings… plain and simple, marketing is not what it “used to be.” The classic marketing mix of product, price, place and promotion - the 4 P’s seared into the memories of those of us who may have majored in marketing and communications back in the day - has become much more nuanced and a whole lot more complex. 

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

Today’s consumers are clamoring for the brands they support to be a part of creating a better, more sustainable future. This is readily apparent when it comes to the beauty industry, which after decades of creating countless enemies and being one of many major contributors to the climate crisis, has undergone a period of serious self-discovery and a very public, consumer-driven transformation journey.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, B Corporation, Climate Change, Branding and Brand Value, Sustainability Marketing, D2C, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Sustainable Brands

An annual quick Google search will tell you that customers are different. They have different priorities, different concerns and higher expectations. Those differences significantly affect the customer journey, or the total sum of experiences that customers go through when interacting with your company and brand. 

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

Last fall we had the opportunity to sit down with Bobby McConnell, the Vice President and Head of Sales and Customer Experience at Gaia Herbs, a leading natural herbs and wellness brand and fellow B Corp. At the time of our conversation, Bobby had just recently joined the Gaia team, where he currently leads both the sales function of the organization and customer experience for both the brand’s brick-and-mortar and e-commerce outlets.

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

To say that a lot is happening in the world to inspire change right now would be an understatement: a call for social justice, an all-out last-ditch effort to gain a sense of normalcy back from the hands of COVID-19, and more momentum than ever before to take action against the effects of climate change and reverse the impact of centuries of environmental damage caused by waste generation, overconsumption, and rampant pollution. 

All around us, we are seeing change happen on a massive scale. But if there’s one thing we know from years of working to trigger individual behavior change, it’s that small choices add up to create impact over time. Choosing to use reusable bags over plastic, switching out a fossil fuel heating system for an electric heat pump, opting to compost instead of trashing food waste, taking the first step to learn about community solar, or even making the effort to purchase clean beauty products over those with potentially harmful and toxic ingredients… all of these choices add up in the long run, even if, at the most individual level, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, B Corporation, Research, Climate Change, Sustainability Marketing, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Climate and Social Justice

In Vermont, nearly 30 percent of residents have experienced food insecurity since the start of the pandemic – up from one in 10 pre-pandemic – but they aren’t seeking public assistance. Many people either don’t know they qualify for help or are struggling to get past the stigma of asking for it. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Creative, Vermont, Media Strategy and Best Practices, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices