Debranding the Future

By Kelda Rericha | Jun 7, 2016

Since the 90’s consumers have been pushing back on advertising. We’re highly critical of traditional advertising — TV, print and radio — and highly skeptical of other forms of advertising. And for good reason. Coca-Cola sponsoring school events feels eerily similar to the way tobacco companies targeted members of the military during World War II. Free cigarettes! And […]

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Engage, don't broadcast: People hate social media ads

By Natalie O'Grady | Jun 2, 2016

Mallory Benham, a 23-year-old recent graduate, summed up the problem with social media ads in an interview for a recent Harris poll with a quote that’s likely to frustrate many marketing professionals. “I go on social media to see and know what my friends are doing. I don’t want to see ads clutter my news […]

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Your Brand as Art

By Kris Travis | May 18, 2016

Over the weekend, I got to check out the newly remodeled SFMOMA. The remodel is beautiful, as are the numerous exhibits (too many to take in on one visit!). I was really excited to check out the “Typeface Interface” graphic design collection, and it got me thinking about other ways a company can share its brand […]

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Staffing Updates – New Faces at A.wordsmith

By Natalie O'Grady | May 13, 2016

2016 has already been a great year for A.wordsmith. We’ve started work with some amazing new clients and have exciting plans for the second half of the year. We’ve also brought on some new team members who are helping the firm grow with their talents and passion. In April, Marta Betts joined us as a […]

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How are you a thought leader? Answer these 6 questions to find out.

By Kelda Rericha | May 3, 2016

If you are reading this you likely already understand the value of thought leadership products. A thought leadership product is anything – written, video, multi-media – produced to help inform an audience on something you do really well. These products are especially critical for service organizations that rely on the smarts and unique capabilities of […]

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Getting Ripa'd

By Ann Smith | Apr 27, 2016

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past week you’ve most likely know the full story, or at least rumblings, of the Kelly Ripa vs. Michael Strahan vs. Disney-ABC drama.  On Tuesday Kelly returned to the show after taking some time off to digest and deal with the news that not only is […]

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Public Relations in the age of the Internet of Things

By Natalie O'Grady | Mar 17, 2016

When I was finishing my undergraduate degree program several years ago, one of my communications professors introduced the class to something called “The Internet of Things.” He explained that in the not-so-distant future, we’d be living in what basically amounted to the home in that Disney Channel classic movie, Smart House – refrigerators which has […]

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Moodboards: Feeling Your Way Through Brand Discovery

By Kris Travis | Mar 7, 2016

Once relatively exclusive to the fashion design industry, moodboards are everywhere now–design, architecture, politics, education, therapy…basically anywhere one’s brand or identity is a work in progress. I use them a lot in the design work I do, whether for a brand identity project, or to determine the mood of an internal campaign for an already […]

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Dealing with Negative Social Media Comments: You Can't Just Delete

By Natalie O'Grady | Feb 24, 2016

Social media allows brands to connect with their consumers on a pretty cool, personal level. When you set up a social media account and get things rolling, it can also be a nice ego boost. Things have been going well on your company’s Facebook page – people are liking, commenting on, and sharing your posts. […]

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Roundup of Top Posts

By Christy Caplan | Feb 9, 2016

It’s time to look back at our most popular content with this roundup of top posts. Some of these are from last year and some are more recent. Some of these were our most popular posts and others received a large amount of engagement across our social channels so we wanted to post a roundup as […]

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Direct Mail is Not Dead — Especially Among the 18-34 Crowd

By Christine Antles | Feb 9, 2016

Despite its reputation as a waning content marketing tool, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that direct mail is still very relevant. In fact, according to a recent study referenced by the SBA, nearly two-thirds of all consumers reported they had purchased something as a result of direct mail in the past year. Among […]

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Avoid Bad PR with Good Grammar

By A.wordsmith | Feb 4, 2016

There’s no shortage of articles about the enduring importance of good grammar in the modern business world. They illuminate the ways it bestows credibility on the writer, indicates professionalism, and ensures clarity and accuracy. As a grammar nut myself, I couldn’t agree more. But there’s one more thing I’d like to add to that list: bad […]

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