Beardwood&Co.

Sarah Williams weighs in on the Dew Dude and Mountain Dew's recent evolution along in the Dieline's recent recap... ⛰ 🌲 🥤 “MTN” pushed them into the social media age. This move realigns them toward authenticity, much like Old Spice, and there are similarities in how Mountain Dew wants to recharge brand perception... One factor Mountain Dew will have to contend with is an explosion of innovation in the hydration category." ➡ Link in comments for full story... Beardwood&Co. #branding #redesign #beverage #insights

We're back with the final installment of our "Gen Alpha-bet" series, and this time, we're exploring S to Z of what sets this generation apart. They may be young, but the context of their lives is anything but simple. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’re diving into: 📺 S is for Screens Everywhere  📱 T is for TikTok  📦 U is for Unboxing Videos  🗣️ V is for Voice  💰 W is for Wealth Consciousness  ♻️ X is for eXcess  🎥 Y is for YouTube Creators  👪 Z is for Zillennials Check out the entire post in the comments. #branding #brandingagency #brandstrategy #genalpha

Today is World Mental Health Day. What is your workplace doing to improve your team’s mental health? During the pandemic, our team’s mental health suffered, a lot. In the rapid shift to work-from-home, we felt isolated, anxious and lonely. While we felt privileged to feel safe, there was also resentment about working all the time. So, kudos to our team for instigating the Beardwood&Co. Health & Wellness Action Group. The H&W Action Group surveyed our team, had a candid dialogue, and came up with specific actions, many that we’ve piloted and adopted (and some we’ve rejected as impractical). Here’s what’s working for us: 1️⃣ Ending our week at 1pm on Fridays. (Exception if there’s a client deliverable to go out.) We’ve trialed this through the past two Summers and concluded it works for all year round. None of us are very productive after a demanding week, so let’s just acknowledge that and give people time to start the weekend “early” 2️⃣ Three extra “sick day” time. No questions asked. No doctors note. If you need the time, you take the time. 3️⃣ 1 hour lunch scheduled onto your calendar. Gives you a break from back-to-back meetings. A chance to take the dog for a walk or work out or go to the local sandwich shop. 4️⃣ No expectation to be on call after hours. (Exception if there’s a client deliverable to go out.) Otherwise, do not email or ping your colleagues after hours or on the weekend. 5️⃣ Transparency about our financial health as a company. People worry if you don’t tell them what’s going on. We can’t always deliver certainty, but sharing what we know is reassuring. 6️⃣. Recognition that shit happens. Not everything is within our control. What is in within our control is how we react to bad news. We let our team know when crap hits the fan unexpectedly, and what we will do to make things better. 7️⃣ Work from anywhere. The flexibility to visit family and travel. We benefit from the diversity of where you live and work. You get to live your dreams! 8️⃣ A culture of respect, generosity, and autonomy. Recognition when you’re doing a great job and gratitude to others who help you along the way. Control over how you manage a situation or plan a project. 9️⃣ Quarterly team meetings to get together, celebrate our wins, connect and talk about the future Big thanks to our Health & Wellness team for taking the initiative to generate and share ideas! Please share - What’s been working for you?

As brand marketers, we know the power of getting all key stakeholders in the same room. But what happens once we’re there? The next post in our series, Making Branding Less Painful, tackles this exact challenge. The secret? It’s about carefully creating spaces and roles where collaboration thrives, and every voice matters. We’ll share our tools and tips for making workshops more successful and less painful. 👉 Who you invite (and don’t) matters   👉Use homework to your advantage 👉Close with all of "the feels"    See the full post in the comments on how to turn your next workshop into a success that people actually want to attend and get value from. (3 min read)  Thanks to Courtney Berkery for preparing this prior to parental leave.   We illuminate brand possibilities to amplify growth in the real world. Follow Beardwood&Co. for insights and a conversation on brand-led growth. #brandingagency #workshop #innovation #brandvoice #leadership 

We're back with the next installment of our "Gen Alpha-bet" series, unpacking the J to R of what makes these humans tick. Yes, the ages and stages are the same, but the context is what makes the difference. Here is a quick rundown of what we're diving into:  🐣 J is for Just Kids  🎭 K is for Know Thy Self   📚 L is for Learning Revolution   🧘♀️ M is for Mental Health   🍳 N is for Nutrition   🌐 O is for Online-Offline Blur  🎨 P is for Play   📵 Q is for Quiet Time   😎 R is for Rizz Check out the entire post in the comments. Please keep your eyes peeled for our grand finale: S to Z! Shout out to Taryn Tavella and Olivia Howe for this thinking. #GenAlpha #FutureOfBranding #ConsumerTrends #BrandStrategy #BrandingAgency

Happy Fall Y'all! We know it's October because we've officially reached Peak Pumpkin 🎃🎃🎃! Starbucks sparked the trend with the introduction of Pumpkin Spice Latte in Fall 2003 and it's gone on to become their superstar of seasonal flavors, and inspired shelves like these. But the Food Institute claims the popularity of pumpkin spice is falling like autumn leaves. A recent survey (by Talker Research), showed that 58% of respondents now favor alternative fall flavors over pumpkin, and 45% reported fatigue with the once-beloved spice blend. After two decades of pumpkin spice dominance, Americans are ready for a change. So, which autumn flavors are starting to steal the spotlight? Three fall flavors are giving pumpkin spice a run for its money: Cinnamon 39% of Americans say it's their favorite ❤️ 🍁 Salted Caramel 37% Candy Apple 36% Pumpkin Spice 32% Cinnamon and Salted Caramel have broken out of Fall to become year round faves. And we don't see Pumpkin going away anytime soon, but looks like we'll be seeing Candy Apple on the rise in 2025. How about you? Team Pumpkin or totally over it? Image credit: Christopher Allan #pumpkin #fallflavors #trend

A leader we all want to follow Stephanie Primus. Thank you for 5 brilliant years with Beardwood&Co. ✨

More from Sarah Williams at HOW Design Live today!

WTF is a Brand World and Why You Need One Today at HOW Design Live Our very own Sarah Williams will speak during this afternoon’s session. Joining her will be the extraordinary guest star, Denise D., Creative Director of Hello Products LLC. Get a behind-the-scenes look at building the hello brand world. Hear from this dynamic duo about the benefits of creating a distinctive brand world for all aspects of your marketing mix.  We’ll post highlights of the WTF talk over the coming weeks, so follow us here for more updates.  #brandgrowth #brandworld #brandingagency 

Gen Alpha-bet  Elders make room—Gen Alpha is taking center stage! Our latest blog post kicks off the "Generation Alpha-bet" series, decoding tomorrow's trendsetters from A to I. Born 2010-2024, they are already reshaping the consumer landscape. Quick peek at what's inside: 🎨 A is for Aesthetics 🏆 B is for Brand-Aware 🕺 C is for Club Kids  👶➡️👩💼 D is for Death of the In-Between 🌍 E is for Environmentally-Conscious  🤝 F is for Friendships  🎮 G is for Gamification 🤳 I is for Influencers Want the full scoop on how to connect with Gen Alpha? See the comments for the complete post, and stay tuned for the rest of the Gen Alpha-bet. Shout out to Taryn Tavella and Olivia Howe for this thought leadership series.  Follow Beardwood&Co. for more brand illumination.  #GenAlpha #FutureOfBranding #ConsumerTrends #BrandStrategy #BrandingAgency