In the distillation process, the mash is where raw ingredients come together for the start of something awesome. Our blog works the same way. We load up the hopper with relevant facts, smart insights and random thoughts, then watch new ideas bubble up.
Mean Girls is back in theaters, and for Associate Creative Director Sara Syrek, back on her mind, too. She revisits her aspirations for admittance into the catty popular girl group and what she’s learned since then about ways people can be an addition, a bonus, a benefit—and ways they can totally deplete and subtract. Be an adder, Sara advises. Learn how.
When it comes to trends, hindsight really is 20/20. Looking back on the past year, our Director of Brand Content Jen Molnar sees five movements that brands should either pay attention to or capitalize on for 2024, happening on our screens, in our climate and beyond.
We’ve worked to design a sponsorship for Owens Corning that “Raises the Roof” inside Allegiant Stadium as part of OCR’s support of the SRS Las Vegas Bowl. Take a peek behind the scenes of the larger-than-life project we took on to paint the town Pink.
Taking risks is hard. It’s even harder when you’re comfortable. It’s why companies with the biggest share of the market so often fail to exercise true market leadership. At one time, they must have been consciously seeking to advance the market by aggressively taking advantage of unusual, growth-oriented opportunities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have become so large. So, what caused them to alter their mindset and actions? Learn more about “the leader’s trap” and how to avoid it.
As marketers, there’s a lot we can do to build a compelling story around a brand or product. But when users can readily and consistently separate your product from the competition, you’ve got something special. Our Director of Brand Content Jen Molnar explains how a Lego sorting session sparked an ah-ha moment on the importance of developing distinctive (and memorable) physical product features.
Shyla Helmintoller had a hunch. But in the web of doctor’s recommendations and referrals (or lack thereof), she had to take getting help for her daughter into her own hands. Our project manager explains how the “get shit done” attitude she brings to her day job helped her navigate advocating for her daughter during her main job: parenthood.
This year’s Interrupt holiday giveback was focused two high-impact organizations serving our community: the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio and Toledo Humane Society. Both depend solely on the support of donations (neither receives tax dollars). If you're looking for a place to donate items or money this year, we think these orgs are worthy of your contributions, too.
The building materials industry is at a unique crossroads: customers want more personalized service than ever before. And AI may lend itself best to the needs of the building materials industry to deliver that. Executive Creative Director and Brand Strategist Anita Holman explores how this game-changing tool could enhance every brand’s ability to develop personalized advice in ways that were never humanly possible before.
Hashtags once felt like a make-or-break element of a social strategy. But with the introduction of SEO search on platforms like Instagram, brand management teams need to rethink their strategy. Your words still count—but how you use them is changing. Learn more about the status of that pound sign (and your caption writing) in this rundown.
Naming a new brand or product is one of the toughest gigs in the world of branding. Here are five tips from our executive creative director and brand strategist, Anita Holman, on things to remember when your company is embarking on a major rebrand or preparing to introduce a new product.
The strength of your “fan following” is also the strength of your brand. And one powerful way to build that loyalty is to allow your customers’ creativity to shine through in your marketing. Associate creative director Erin Kunz explores the brands that shaped her adolescence and how embracing user-generated content helped them build an even stronger identity.
The sandwich generation isn’t just a social problem; it’s an innovation problem, too. At some point in our lives, many of us become filling for the so-called sandwich—caring for our own children and our aging parents at the same time. Or we experience transition, in our jobs, relationships, or health, and need to live with family or friends to bridge the gap. This need for multigenerational housing is in direct opposition to our current priority building single-family, nuclear homes in the U.S. Here’s why one writer believes that needs to change, and why it’s an untapped opportunity for the construction and design industries.
Home ownership is a core part of The American Dream (if not *the* American dream). What does it mean for the construction building materials industry that so many potential buyers are squeezed out of the process? We explore the factors and how these players might best respond to the coming consequences for multifamily building and material costs.
You’ve put in the company’s time. You’ve devoted the company’s money. So naturally, you want to see a high return on investment in your agency. While a lot depends on choosing the right partner, there are seven things you can do to maximize your relationship and get the most out of the branding, marketing and creative work you commission.
A Disney coaster experience was just one test case for our strategic insights manager Stephanie Gries. As a market researcher, she’s logged hundreds of hours in conversation with your potential customers. (And as a mother, even more hours with her own family.) Collectively, all those talks taught her the power of developing more curiosity in both our professional and personal lives—and she says it all starts with one easy-to-ask question.