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

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

“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

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

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a marked shift in the average consumer, highlighting health and well-being as a top consideration for consumer purchasing decisions while simultaneously creating a shift in how consumers made those purchases. The growing urgency of the call to act on climate change, coupled with awareness around environmental justice and true commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, also meant that consumers significantly changed how and where they were spending their money. 

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

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