Happylucky

Fifty years after Schoolhouse Rock introduced kids to “I’m Just a Bill,” Washington has crafted a friendly new character to educate state voters on the serious issue of election security. For my latest Digiday story, I spoke with Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs about a $1.8 million marketing campaign to educate voters and bolster trust in voting systems. Thanks also to Ben Hennes, who spoke explained how Happylucky creative agency created the campaign and the aptly named character, “Mark The Ballot." In our interview last week, Hobbs explained the Washington Secretary of State's strategy for communicating with with voters and addressing AI and human misinformation before the 2024 U.S. elections. The issue is also top of mind for other experts — such as Vivian Schiller from Aspen Digital and U.S. Election Assistance Commission Chairman Ben Hovland — who spoke with me about challenges and efforts at the national, state and local level. Here's a link to today's story: https://lnkd.in/eu_y-C2X

New look, same Ukandu! Let us introduce you to our brand new look and website! This new look builds upon previous iterations of Ukandu logos to create a new, dynamic, look and feel. With a fresh new logo and bold new colors this new brand says one thing: ‘the world is yours and we’ll help you see it!’ In Winter of 2025, The Ukandu Loft will open and we’ll have more participants, volunteers, and programs than ever before. As Ukandu grows it is curical we make it as easy as possible for families to sign up for programs, volunteers to get involved, and folks to learn about who we are. As such, we’re excited to announce our new website (ukandu.org) which will provide an easy access point for new and returning Ukandu community members to get plugged into all the work we’re doing and get involved with one of our six year-round programs. Read through to get acquainted with our new brand and then head on over to our new website to see it in action!

Authenticity - buzzword? YES. Vital to your brand? Also YES. Looking forward to engaging in conversation with Kim Malek Morgan Higgins Mark Reader and Kadecia Ber tomorrow during the Yelp Local Business Summit. Tune in - see if I say something smart.

Connections over clicks. IRL over URL. Ben Hennes of Happylucky champions collective effervescence, waving the flag for a new age of marketing and advertising. Muse by Clio shares the rally cry. https://lnkd.in/eGzxmZm5

Celebrating Diversity: Emily Stutzman and Ben Hennes Of Happylucky On How To Build Inclusive… by Authority Magazine. Enjoy!

Brands know there's more room to represent LGBTQ+ communities in their marketing. So why don't they do it? They're afraid. As the Association of National Advertisers shared exclusively with ADWEEK, 82% of marketers believe there’s still significant room for more marketing that includes LGBTQ+ people, but just 55% of brands actively marketed to or included the LGBTQ+ community in their marketing. The survey conducted in August and September 2023, just after the Bud Light and Target boycotts found that brands knew representative ads positively impacted brand perception (97%) and increased brand loyalty (83%). While 93% of marketers think it is important to represent the LGBTQ+ community in their ads—up from 79% in 2021—another 82% think more positively of a company that actively markets to LGBTQ+ consumers (up from 66% three years ago). “The message is clear: There is both a need and an opportunity for deeper inclusion strategies with LGBTQ+ consumers,” said Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA. But brands are deeply afraid of both potential consumer blowback and not finding brand-safe environments for their message (39% each), despite ANA AIMM reporting in October that 77% of consumers would stop buying from brands that back away from promises to diverse groups and causes. “Brands today are making decisions to step away from inclusivity because they’re hearing the message from 11% to 13% of the population, which is very unfortunate,” said Lisette Arsuaga, co-founder of AIMM. ADWEEK spoke with RanaVerse founder Rana Reeves and Happylucky co-owner Emily Stutzman about the current marketing reality and the steps brands could take to build lasting relationships with LGBTQ+ audiences.