An Open Letter to my White Colleagues: 3 Ways to Be a Better Ally to People Who Look Like Me

By Amber Luckett | Aug 6, 2020

It’s been a little over a month since I started my role as an Associate at A.wordsmith, and I must say it’s been one heck of a transition. As if starting a new job from home during a deadly pandemic wasn’t enough, I’m also faced with the unchanging reality of being a Black woman in […]

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Social Media’s Reckoning and the Questions Your Brand Should Be Considering

By Natalie O'Grady | Aug 3, 2020

Brands in all industries are facing multiple watershed moments in 2020 – around safety, employee health and wellness, community, business and social justice. A year from now, life will likely be permanently changed in many ways, and brands are attempting to weather the current storm and plan for those changes simultaneously. As brands consider what […]

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7 Tips for a Successful Video Media Interview During COVID-19

By Hailey Rae Swalley | Jun 12, 2020

By now, we’ve all (mostly) adjusted to a routine where most day-to-day work interactions happen on Zoom, Webex and Microsoft Teams. This change has also bled over into how media interviews are being held – while many reporters or producers traditionally would have interviewed sources over the phone or in person, there’s new expectations that […]

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Five Ways to Master Compassionate Internal Communications

By Lisa Hildebrandt | Jun 8, 2020

We’ve all heard the phrase “change is the only constant.” Yet in this era of exponential evolution, change is no longer constant. It’s the variable and ever-accelerating force that compels leaders to redirect visions, stay the course or chart new paths forward. And today, as civic unrest, systemic racial injustice and a global pandemic takes precedence, it […]

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Measuring Humanity: The Value of Qualitative Data

By Kris Travis | May 27, 2020

KPI, ROI, conversion rates, likes, bounces, clicks, followers, page views…the list goes on and on when it comes to the hard data in marketing metrics. As a designer, how something looks and feels has always been most important to me, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t consider whether a design was achieving its marketing […]

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Readying for a Comeback

By Ann Smith | May 26, 2020

This morning I was scrolling through LinkedIn and came to a new post from advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy. They had shared their newest collaboration with Nike – a 90-second spot that transcends advertising and struck me right in the gut. A message of resilience and hope – of comebacks.  Sport is big in our […]

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Furry Friends Keeping Us Sane During Quarantine

By Hannah Braly | May 18, 2020

Though the world around us may feel a little crazy, our furry friends inside continue to bring us joy, snuggles and laughter. Below are the A.wordsmith team’s pets that we love so much!  Lisa Lucy, a 10-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel/Cocker Spaniel Mix. This adorably excitable and sassy little friend of the furry kind bring […]

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How to Get Started with Contributed Articles

By Candace Brady | May 14, 2020

We’re firm believers that thought leadership is a worthwhile investment for brands. It allows you to share your expertise and educate a broader audience while bringing awareness to what you do. One of the key ways we showcase our clients’ thought leadership is through contributed articles, which differ in a number of ways from other […]

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Stay Connected and Well-balanced While Working From Home

By Lexi Foldenauer | May 11, 2020

It can be a balancing act to separate work and home life when the days seem to blend into one and your living room has also become your office. The A.wordsmith team has been working remotely since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has been an adjustment for each of us individually and […]

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Does Your Messaging Need a Refresh?

By Gretchen Hoffman | May 5, 2020

COVID-19 has shown us that conditions can change overnight. While external factors that include your industry, your customer base and your geography (and that of your customers) have dictated the extent to which your business has been affected,  chances are that you’ve among the majority of businesses that have already adjusted at least some of their […]

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Welcome to May

By Ann Smith | May 1, 2020

Hello partners and friends – I hope this finds you all safe and well. While the last two weeks of March felt like an eternity, April has gone surprisingly fast. I am not sure if that’s a sign of adapting to this new unique normal, the reality of homeschooling teenagers, finding a virtual work cadence or […]

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Eight Strategies to Think Creatively in Times of Uncertainty

By Lisa Hildebrandt | Apr 30, 2020

The novel Coronavirus has drastically altered the business landscape and created a heightened appetite for change. Now more than ever, business leaders across industries and geographies are called to fiercely rise to the challenge of uncertainty. They’re emboldened by their managers, peers and the broader business community to charge ahead with relentless optimism, tenacity, determination […]

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