At CP, we are always asking “why?” We’re fascinated and ever curious about customer mood and mindset. Here’s a few observations and constructive fodder for discussion from our anthropology and strategic planning teams from this past quarter.

1. #Girlhood
The power of women in economic revival.

Observation: The #girlhood cultural movement is in full swing, evidenced by a surge of trends in feminine self-expression. 

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour grossed over $1 billion. Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour impacted inflation in two countries. Barbie became the biggest movie of the year. The Women’s World Cup set new records in ticket sales and TV viewership.

What brands can do: Focus on empowering women to embrace and celebrate their individuality and unique experiences while emphasizing joy, creativity, and authenticity.

Sources: Fortune, Forbes & Variety

2. On Strike
The renaissance of labor movements.

Observation: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA initiated strikes for equitable pay. This is historic as it is the first time both have simultaneously gone on strike since 1960. 

The newly established Creators Guild of America characterizes itself as a “professional service organization” for digital content creators, extending benefits that are akin to those in unions.

What brands can do: Prioritize making their employees, and subsequently their customers, feel valued. Align themselves with workers’ rights by actively supporting fair compensation and ethical practices.

Sources: Vulture & TechCrunch

3. “Hype” it Up
“Hype” business model.

Observation: Streetwear is a major disruptor in modern retail, and its success is rooted in hype. The “hype” business model involves creating brand buzz through high-profile “drops,” and then leveraging that hype to sell ordinary products. MSCHF’s 2023 “Big Red Boots,” which sold out in seconds and ranked fourth on List’s list of most desired products, exemplify this strategy.

What brands can do: Borrow strategies from streetwear’s playbook to achieve similar success. Adopt limited “drops,” utilize irony, and create scarcity.

Sources: MSCHF & Courier Media

4. Transparency is Sexy
Advancing sustainability through clarity.

Observation: Allbirds revealed the design of its zero-carbon shoe, the “M0.0NSHOT.” Also released is an open source toolkit that outlines their process, including its materials and manufacturing.

In the 2023 Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index, the luxury segment exhibited the most substantial improvements, with Gucci, Armani, Miu Miu, and Prada leading the way.

What brands can do: Investing in sustainable materials and production to reduce carbon footprints and publicizing footprint data for each product will demonstrate a proven commitment to climate action.

Sources: Retail Dive & Vogue

5. It’s Getting Hot in Here
European travel on the rise.

Observation: Popular European destinations proved their dominance, with a total of 11.7 million Americans traveling to Europe in 2023. International cruise bookings have also gone up 44% around European river routes.

June to August was the planet’s warmest period ever recorded. Because of rising summer temperatures, more people are seeking out cooler destinations like Denmark, France and the United Kingdom.

What brands can do: Climate-conscious messaging can work to reflect the changing priorities of consumers as our environment changes.

Sources: Forbes, CNN & ABC

6. High Value Travel
People want to maximize their time and money.

Observation: The fallout from Covid continues to be far reaching. People are rethinking what they want from travel, making authentic and immersive experiences central to a sense of ‘value’.

This might involve heading into the great outdoors for a wellness-focused retreat, indulging in adventure therapy, taking a package trip with strangers, or going on an old-fashioned tour with a range of exclusive perks.

What brands can do: Tap into the sentiments, the motivations behind them and leverage these themes in messaging. Positioning themselves as the facilitators or gatekeepers of these experiences.

Sources: Expedia & Deloitte

All good things expire. Look out for more reports coming soon.

Thanks to our friends from Soccer Unity Project, Connelly Partners has been highlighted in the Boston Business Journal’s “Good News Tuesday” segment. The feature recognizes good deeds that make communities stronger.

Soccer Unity Project reimagines the power of soccer to build community, connect people from diverse backgrounds, and promote equity in youth play. The program annually serves 1,200 youth players and 750 adult players across Greater Boston.

The relationship began with a donation of office space in 2020, which has allowed Soccer Unity Project to host skill-building training, end-of-season gatherings, and more. It ensures the organization has a consistent meeting location, building familiarity among constituents and removing the financial stressor of rental space, which can be difficult for nonprofits. CP has also been a charitable workplace neighbor by offering industry expertise and promotional assets.

This is just one example of how corporate and nonprofit partnerships can work together for the community.  

Learn more about the partnership here.

Image source

Home delivery service, MyMilkman.ie, has launched a new campaign highlighting the benefits of having a range of fresh products delivered to your door, including milk, cheese, juice, yogurt and eggs.

Created by Zoo Digital, part of Connelly Partners, it follows on from MyMilkman.ie’s 2022 campaign “For less Ugh and More Ahhh.” It has heightened the drama of these everyday pain points, as each video was framed as a mini TV drama with episodes focused on relatable and humorous ways people run out of the essentials, whilst showcasing the wide variety of products MyMilkman has to offer.

The campaign photography has received international creative industry acknowledgment. Three still photos were recently selected by industry-renowned publication, Lürzer’s Archive and are set to be published in its next publication.

Learn more about the campaign here.

We’re excited to announce that our work for Boston Pride for the People has been shortlisted in the Communication Arts Typography Competition’s advertising category. 

The Competition celebrates the best use of typography as the primary visual element in design and advertising, as well as new typeface designs, calligraphy and hand lettering. Winners receive the Award of Excellence, one of the most coveted awards in the industry, and are published in the publication’s Typography Annual.

Read more about the competition.

Abby Peterson, Associate Creative Director

There are plenty of sayings about routine being the enemy of creativity – like that exact quote from Isaac Asimov – but what about the routine you fall into and don’t even realize you’re in? That has to be the worst creative killer of all.

The CP Abroad experience was an incredible way for me to break from my routine and rethink the way I think as a creative.

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” – William Feather

When I’m traveling, I’m the type of person who wants to make the most out of every second I spend somewhere. I’m making Google Docs with all of my plans, researching restaurants and pinning them to maps, planning excursions I would never attempt to fit into my schedule at home.

I find a parallel with my creative expression – I want to plan and control it, execute exactly what I have in my mind. But when I’m actually doing it, I find myself exploring and am always surprised by where I end up. 

The benefit to the CP Abroad experience, for me, was embracing my type-A planning persona, while also living and working like a normal human being. I completely changed the way I’m used to working at home so that I could maximize my time exploring new places and leaving myself the opportunity to be surprised and spontaneous. 

“Surprised!” Painting by Henri Rousseau, National Gallery of London; Copenhagen; Amsterdam

I took in as much art, architecture and history as I could. I visited 5 countries – Scotland, Ireland, England, the Netherlands and Denmark, each different in their personality and culture.

I went all over Ireland and drank in its history. I drove to Northern Ireland and learned from locals there the fascinating (recent) history of the Belfast troubles. I went west to the Dingle Peninsula and saw great surf, forts from the 6th century and held a baby lamb. I drove from Galway to the harbor and took a ferry to the remote Aran Island Inisheer and hiked along the tops of the Cliffs of Moher. 

I did things I never would have thought about at home – like flying a falcon on the rocky shores of Ireland. Or drive on the left side under a rainbow on narrow country roads. Or get a spontaneous tattoo I based loosely off my favorite branding from my favorite Irish Stout…

International travel has a way of engaging the senses in unique ways, from tasting unfamiliar foods to seeing breathtaking landscapes to hearing different music and foreign languages. I found myself constantly inspired, and reinvigorated creatively.

“A person who does the same things each day will not grow, change, or learn as much as a person who constantly seeks out new experiences.” – Karen Salmansohn

Before I left for Ireland, I often found myself asking, “how did I ever do everything I did in one day before Covid?” I had a routine to provide stability and structure but left myself open to new experiences to continue growing, learning, and finding creative inspiration in life. (I was also younger and didn’t have a dog to take care of, but that’s beside the point…) It’s made me come home with a fresh perspective on my life and my own city – I want to experience it and be inspired every day, in ways I never have been before.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde

Cliffs of Moher

 

 

 

This year, businesses and individuals alike have embraced artificial intelligence with unprecedented enthusiasm and adoption rates. Generative AI has become more accessible with the rise of programs like ChatGPT, leading to more widescale adoption. 

However, this has also brought forward the inherent tensions that come along with an increasingly AI-driven world. Questions have been raised about the need for regulation around AI in film and television, and similar concerns apply to the ad industry, for both the people doing the creative work and the brands they’re doing it for.

In this month’s Amp spotlight, AdAge polled industry leaders on how this technology can be regulated as we move into an increasingly AI-driven advertising landscape. Chief Strategy Officer, Scott Madden, shares how humans play a pivotal role in evolving AI tools toward greater DE&I. 

Read the full story here.

Image source 

Courtney Marlow, Senior PR, Social Media & Influencer Marketing Manager
Sam Coons, Copywriter
Will Maslach, Paid Social Manager

Members from our Creative, Media, and Social teams spent a day at TikTok immersing themselves in all things content strategy and execution— getting them excited about the breadth of possibilities when it comes to tapping creators and ideating social-first content for the platform. For marketers across industries who are looking to “win” on the platform, here are three key tips to keep in mind. 

Empower Influencers to Do What They Do Best

Whether you are trying to sell clothing, shoes, makeup, food, home decor, financial services, medical resources, etc., influencers have the ability to help humanize the brand and connect with consumers on a more personal level. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that the true “magic” happens when you let influencers do what they do best—create. Think of it as arming them with the “recipe”—including “ingredients” like brand tone, messaging points, key CTAs, etc.—and letting them chef it up in the kitchen. Knowing that we need to strive for less “ad-like” content in order to break through on TikTok, we need to encourage influencers to ideate concepts that bring their personality to the forefront, tap into relatability, and utilize engaging/trending formats to grasp users’ attention. 

Reengineer the Creative Process 

When ideating social-first content, you may naturally start by tossing around outside-of-the-box ideas, taking inspiration from pop culture, creatively incorporating a product, etc.—but oftentimes, the creative process can and should be re-engineered. One aspect of this entails keeping a pulse on what’s trending on TikTok—what are people talking about, adding to their grocery carts, whipping up at home, etc.? Consumer behavior and preferences on the platform can serve as great inspiration and TikTok has made so many features and tools available in their Creative Center to help you stay on top of these trends, plan out new creative, write scripts, and compare your thoughts to other top trending advertisements in their ads library! 

Secondly, you can use your results and engagements to fuel what your next round of content should look like. Creators or brands will often take a deep look through their comments to answer “what do the people want next?” And it WORKS! You can even consider linking one user’s comment in your next video as a way to show users that you pay attention to them, and that their ideas are valid—garnering inspiration from your actual followers/consumers can be a game changer. 

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Integrated Creative Thinking

No matter what area of marketing you specialize in, everyone has every business learning what works on TikTok—because when it comes to reaching younger audiences, TikTok is the barometer for their culture, trends, and needs. Breaking through the noise on the platform is challenging, which is why internal and external collaboration is so key. Before kicking off your next influencer campaign or launching a new social strategy, integrate your creative thinking process and look for ways to evolve. Consider garnering insights by talking to influencers, too—after all, they may know your audience better than you. Overall, let diverse perspectives complement each other and bring stronger creative to the forefront. The industry calls this “integration,” but if we’ve learned one thing from TikTok, it’s that simply talking to each other in an authentic manner will likely lead to a bigger impression than you ever thought possible.

Mary McMahon, Group Strategy Director

“I want to go home to Dublin, but I don’t want to leave Boston.” This was the conundrum of my 5-year-old daughter as our time in Boston on the CP Abroad Program came to a close. After a month of hot American summer, immersing ourselves in everything Boston has to offer, I pretty much felt the same! 

As a company that truly believes in integration, Connelly Partners offers all employees the opportunity to live and work from one of its office locations in Dublin, Boston, or Vancouver. During this time, you work side by side with colleagues from that office, who you usually only ever see on screens. At the same time, you are able to completely immerse yourself in the culture and explore everything these cities have to offer. 

My role at CP has allowed me to visit our Boston office a number of times over the past few years, but this opportunity to spend an extended period of time there made it possible for my family to come along too. I worked from the office in Boston’s South End, which is HUGE and always takes a bit of navigation to find my way around. 

While I work with some Boston clients already and have met many of my colleagues virtually, there’s nothing like meeting in person. I learned how invaluable face-to-face meetings are for building relationships and fostering creativity. While in Boston, I noticed that the stop-start “no you go, no you go” nature of conversations on Zoom was replaced with free-flowing comradery and ideas, leading to even more focused and productive conversations. 

After office hours, I dusted off my old rugby trainers, donned a baseball cap, and joined the company softball team on the field for games. It was a fun way to meet more of my CP Boston colleagues and immerse myself more in the company culture. 

Outside of work, I found that Boston had so much to offer me and my family – every evening, we explored the city and beyond. Some highlights include seeing the Red Sox play at Fenway Park, visiting the New England Aquarium, and even a trip to New York City. The general buzz and energy of the Italian North End we were staying in is an atmosphere that I’ll always remember. And how could I forget the roof deck on the condo?

Connelly Partners’ work for 123.ie has been shortlisted for the 2023 Effie Awards Ireland in the Finance and Insurance category. According to IAPI, this year’s awards have attracted a diverse range of submissions and those shortlisted have demonstrated their ability to leverage creativity and strategic thinking to achieve impactful results for their clients. The awards serve as a platform to recognize the creativity and innovation behind these campaigns as well as their measurable impact on business objectives.

Recipients of the award will be announced on October 20, 2023. 

Check out the full list of nominees. 

Additional coverage:
Business Plus: IAPI Announces Shortlist for Effie Awards Ireland 2023
Marketing.ie: IAPI Announces Effie Awards Shortlist

In an article for Ad World, Steve Connelly shares his thoughts on integration within the advertising industry. He explains that having various skill sets under one roof doesn’t guarantee integration if those skills don’t effectively collaborate. True integration is built on familiarity, relationships, and respect and requires working together as one machine versus a collection of pieces. 

While achieving this level of integration demands time, money, and genuine curiosity, it ultimately leads to better problem-solving, teamwork, and client outcomes. Steve emphasizes that meaningful relationships and collaboration, driven by respect and openness to differing viewpoints, are the essence of effective integration in advertising.

Check out the full article here.