Business Planning with Purpose

Know thy audience—it's a key marketing commandment. And a fast-growing portion of that audience in the United States is Latinos, nearly 20% of the population contributing $3.2 trillion—with a T—to the country’s GDP. Knowing their spending power and inclination towards entrepreneurship, the smartest companies will work to capture this market share by honing a smart strategy. We tell you how.

So, you’re considering a brand makeover. But do you have the right reasons? Identifying the cause for overhauling your go-to-market identity (or at least evolving it) is as important as the quality of the new work you’ll commission. Interrupt creative directors share the four times your company may be due for a rebrand.

Surfing the reams of data available on the internet can feel gnarly. But good decision making depends on having the right information. How do you get it without drowning? Sandy Embrescia-Hridel, our director of strategic insights, has crafted his own method for conquering info overload. He’s distilled it into five easy tips anyone can adopt to stay better informed.

Constant evolution isn’t just a luxury in brand management, it’s a requirement; your brand must align with your target demographic’s changing generations, not vice versa. Here, Interrupt’s Executive Creative Director and Brand Strategist Anita Holman explains how brands can evolve their strategy to capture new consumers entering their target demographic and avoid being overtaken by more agile marketers.

Repeat after us: you are not just a manufacturer of products. And one of the best times to remember that is during your strategic planning sessions. Whether you’re a large, multi-billion-dollar corporation or a small business, the way you approach your strategic planning process is crucial to your success. And one of the most important pieces is identifying your real purpose, beyond the product you make. Read on for three critical questions to consider.

If you’re a manufacturer of American-made goods, you already know the value of the “Made in America” claim has ebbed and flowed over the past few decades. Recently, however, it seems to be making a comeback. Bill Rossiter, agency owner and principal, discusses Morning Consult’s “Made in America” report and shares how you can leverage the power of Made in the USA on your own homegrown products.

Mentorship efforts in many companies can look like rigid and formal programs. While those efforts are important, for a game-changing effect, you need to embed mentorship into your culture and the way your team relates to each other. Here, Agency Principal Bill Rossiter’s reviews the do's and don’ts of effective mentorship.

While businesses nationwide strive for diversity, age remains a largely overlooked aspect. Conversations tend to focus on gender and race, but a team with a wide range of life and work experiences is incredibly powerful. Learn why a multigenerational team is a key differentiator that’s too often overlooked.

So you’re managing a new acquisition. How do you prepare to create one happy family? In our experience guiding c-suite leaders as they navigate the process, we've noticed there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But there are seven critical questions that make the difference between a graceful implementation or a floundering one. Learn how to answer them with confidence and ensure your newly expanded organization can thrive.

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.

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.

In the race to comment on AI, senior copywriter Dan Tischler asks: what does the AI think? His discovery reaffirmed his belief that there isn’t yet a rival for the human imagination when it comes to copy.

This year has brought a tidal wave in the evolution of AI image generators. Chris Graver, our associate creative director, takes them on and learns how to make them work with (rather than against) him in his efforts to fearlessly take on the future.

The International Builders’ Show landed in Las Vegas earlier this month for a three-day spectacle of all things innovative in our industry. We went, we saw, we logged it in the group chat: here are our top six takeaways (plus two bonus ideas to keep an eye on) for 2023 and beyond.

I used to pride myself on powering through a jam-packed 24-hour day with only four hours of sleep and a six-pack of Coke Zeros. Then my health crisis hit. Here’s what I’ve learned about the value of balance—and how I hope it can impact anyone reading who is feeling like they can’t squeeze in any me-time.

An online advertising strategy that’s focused solely on calls to action may be working against your marketing goals in ways you don’t realize. While results matter, you can’t produce them without the right approach. Just like you wouldn’t ask someone to purchase something right when they walk through the doors of a brick and mortar store, your online messaging should take customers on a journey that’s more than transactional.

Change is hard. As number one on Forbes’ “industries ripe to transform” list, the construction industry knows this all too well. But what is the ultimate cost of using centuries-old approaches and methods? Read on as we explore the opportunities for transformation.

How do you mitigate the damage of a downturn on your business, or better yet, turn it into an opportunity to grow? Learn five important things to keep in mind from our principal and founder, Bill Rossiter, as we enter the second half of 2022 and face the distinct possibility of an economic recession.

Many companies are increasingly enamored with their earning numbers, reflecting the cocktail of low supply and high demand that’s taken hold recently in the building materials industry. But what are the consequences to your business when you become too content with the status quo? Read on to understand why this thinking is ultimately dangerous to the bottom line.

Taking the lead in your category involves more than just creating a superior product. It also requires becoming your customer’s go-to authority on the subject, with content, tools or support that show you’re as invested in their project as they are. Learn how we helped MoistureShield composite decking build an outdoor planning resource that does more than deliver a simple sales pitch, earning customer trust and reinforcing their reputation.

Your product has incredible features. But how will people feel because they chose it? We’re talking about the power of emotional versus rational appeals with our executive creative director and brand strategist, Anita Holman, who explains why stirring an emotional connection with your brand is a must-do if you want to stand out.

Your office space could become someone’s home; states like Arizona will experiment with modifying the weather; and the pandemic will continue its’ disruption. These are just some of the ideas and events that lie ahead according to our Director of Strategic Insights Sandy Embrescia-Hridel's 2022 predictions. Read ahead for the 10 trends he believes will impact the building materials industry in the coming months.

The job interview process, like every process where we present ourselves for selection, is vulnerable. And like any environment where we play the role of hopeful candidate—romance, for example, or academics—hearing “no” hurts. How employers deliver that no makes all the difference.

After decades of focusing on new and better products, today’s businesses face a new competitive frontier—shifting from a focus on product innovation to being truly innovative in their approach to finding, hiring and retaining talent. To understand what lies ahead, it’s worth taking a quick look back at the evolution of innovation.

In the wake of a pandemic that transformed our business interactions nearly overnight, many are asking, “What is the future of work?” From changing dress codes to reconfigured office spaces, companies and employees alike are trying to understand which aspects of the pandemic-driven changes will stick, and how to move forward.

Personal mantras are typically words or phrases with a positive intent behind them with the goal of giving yourself some motivation or encouragement. In recent years, practicing a positive mindset has become a part of the self-care routines of millions and there’s a reason why. According to a study, researchers found that when participants read positive statements out loud, they experienced a boost in mood. Keep reading and learn how to give it a try.

Manufacturers cannot approach their sales process with a one-size-fits-all strategy. Especially when selling to architects. Knowing the roles and responsibilities inside the firm provides insight that helps manufacturers know exactly what these professionals need.

We are all doing our best to move through the pandemic. Many processes shifted—from the way we work to the way we eat. As we adjust, we need to remember what matters most—your people. Discover what CEOS, HR leaders, and employees are saying about the coming changes inside our organizations.

The shift away from trade shows has been happening for years, COVID just gave companies a rationalization to make that shift happen even faster.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary leaders and flexible strategies. And where there is chaos or change, there is always opportunity. You can tell a lot about a company and their leadership by observing how they navigate through tough, uncertain, out-of-the-ordinary times.

We need to be more focused and creative in leading the development of workforce solutions. The challenge is to find motivated workers and convince them of a career in construction, offering opportunities for on-the-job training.

In these uncertain times, bold leadership is imperative. Now is the time to invest and advance your company’s position in the market. Your leadership approach will have an direct impact on your business’s future success.

In a rapidly changing digital landscape, businesses must be aware and compliant with new data protection regulations. As regulations evolve, companies need to rethink their marketing approaches to successfully reach key customers.

Coronavirus concerns across the country continue to increase with every reported case, and businesses must have solid leadership and thought out contingency plans to keep their employees safe and effectively maintain their operations.

Success grows out of a smart brand strategy. Effective branding helps your business stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Explore key concepts to consider as you develop and plan for your brand.

Your ultimate goal is to outperform the market and your previous year. Given your channel mix, how will your business be impacted by the potential 1% shift, and what is your plan to leverage it?

Be cognizant of the top three areas where most companies fail to create a more air-tight plan.

NeoCon, hosted annually in Chicago at theMART, provides a massive snapshot of the commercial design industry’s latest innovation. Team Interrupt was there this past June to take in the sights and offer their perspective on the current state and future of the show and the industry.