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

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

Last week we introduced the topic of pushing past fear to authentically and clearly communicate your brand’s values, discussing the power that fear holds over us and why, in actuality, fear is a liar. This week, we’re continuing the conversation, taking a deep dive into the “how” of pushing past fear to effectively message your brand’s mission.

Topics: B Corporation, Climate Change, Branding and Brand Value, 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

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. 

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

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.  

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

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. 

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

As the coronavirus made itself and its effects known to the world, brands were forced to transform marketing plans, adjust operations and pivot strategies on a dime in order to meet current and potential consumers where they were at in a way that felt authentic and timely. And where they were at was in the midst of a pandemic unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

Topics: Utility Communications, Innovation, Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy, Content Marketing, Creative, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices