We have been selected, along with our friends at ZOO Digital, by the V Foundation for Cancer Research to redesign and launch their signature website.

The V Foundation’s mission is to fund game-changing research and all-star scientists to accelerate victory over cancer and save lives. Founded in 1993 by ESPN and legendary coach Jim Valvano, the V Foundation has aggressive growth goals with a target of tripling its fundraising over the next 10 years, increasing the amount it grants to bold, game-changing cancer research. Because of an endowment, 100% of direct donations to the V Foundation go to funding research grants. A more intuitive and functional website and integrated digital strategy are important elements needed to grow relationships with existing donors, reach new audiences, and ultimately reach this goal.

“The V Foundation believes the fight against cancer is a winnable one, and the only way towards advancements over this disease is through research. It is our mission and passion to support integral research efforts, tell stories of victory over cancer, and use our unique and powerful platform within the sports world to invite more people to contribute in a meaningful way,” said Jonathan Karron, V Foundation Chief Marketing Officer. “Our website is critical to our efforts, and the collective Connelly team impressed us with their understanding of our mission, our digital needs and requisite skill sets. We are so excited to see the final product launch later this year.” 

“This is an incredibly important opportunity to make a difference in the world by helping the V Foundation amplify its mission, and we at Connelly Partners are dedicated to helping the lives of those in need whenever we can,” said Steve Connelly. “I remember watching Jimmy V’s speech in real time almost 30 years ago. It made me tear up then and still does to this day. Every person on this planet should watch that speech.” 

Months after his signature speech at The ESPYS, Coach Valvano passed away from cancer. But his now famous line “Don’t Give Up . . . Don’t Ever Give Up!”® and his plea for all of us to laugh, cry and think every day has connected with people for the past 29 years. We will maintain that feeling throughout the rebuild process, ensuring the V Foundation stays true to its roots while evolving through more visual and impactful storytelling, an improved mobile-first user experience, and strong SEO infrastructure and strategy.

Press Coverage:

IAPI

Campaign US

Alyssa Stevens, Director of Public Relations and Social Media

Set in the beautiful South of France, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is one of my favorite industry events to attend. While the Côte d’Azur is certainly a magnificent destination to visit, the speakers, content, and networking opportunities that this conference brings are also unmatched. Due to the pandemic, 2019 was the last time that Cannes Lions was hosted in person and judging by the undeniable energy of attendees and the all-star lineup of speakers, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one who was thrilled to be back!

This year’s visit marked my third time attending Cannes Lions, and as I reflect on all of the sessions and conversations, there are several recurring themes and topics that were woven throughout the conference. As marketers, especially those of us who specialize in the social media and influencer marketing industries, the future is bright. With Web 3 continuing to gain traction, TikTok dominating the social media landscape, and social commerce riding the coattails of ecommerce, I couldn’t be more energized by my experience at Cannes Lions.

While I wish I could have teleported you to the Mediterranean to soak up the knowledge and trends that Cannes Lions imparted, the next best thing is sharing a few of the key takeaways from my time on the Croisette…

Consumers’ expectations for brands are higher than ever before

Consumers are becoming more and more discerning about the brands they want to align themselves with, and as a result, we’re seeing a shift in how brands are approaching innovation. In a “CMOs in the Spotlight” series featuring chief marketing officers from L’Oreal, The Lego Group, and Marriott International, the focus was on how today’s shopper wants quality services/products that also help to change the world and the effect that mindset has on a brand’s internal innovation process. Brand purpose is more important than ever before, but those efforts and innovation have to start within the company before trickling down to the consumer level. Consumers want to feel like they are part of a solution when they invest in a product or service, and in turn, brands are working harder than ever before to use creativity and innovation to drive progress. This shift in the consumer mindset will continue to evolve, so it’s up to marketers to decide what their brand stands for and how that affects their upcoming initiatives and launches. It’s not just about what a brand says they do, it’s about what they actually do and how consumers can get involved with it. 

Influencer 3.0 focuses on “Join Me” vs. “Watch Me”

When influencers first became a thing, it was all about visually pleasing photos and perfectly curated feeds, but as the industry grows and more global brands invest significant budgets towards influencer marketing, we’re beginning to see a shift in both brand and consumer expectations around influencer content. During a session led by content creator @AlexisRen and the VP of Marketing and Communications (Americas) at Burberry, the idea of influencers building a community for a brand vs. just posting photos was a main theme. Influencers are held to a high standard by their followers to share authentic content because their audience craves a story around the products/experience that they post instead of just seeing a nice image. Brands can help influencers build audience trust by truly collaborating with them instead of just renting their ad space and reach. Influencer 3.0 is expected to place a higher emphasis on the “substance equation,” encouraging influencers and brands to create collaborations built around reliability, passion, humility, and vulnerability. These are the type of influencer programs that are expected to best resonate with today’s consumer. 

The customer journey is shortening and social media is leading the way

Brands are realizing that as consumer attention spans shrink, they need to maximize the time they have with shoppers and meet them where they are…and that’s on social media. 81% of shoppers were already using social media to discover brands/research experiences before the pandemic and now the customer journey has been shortened, allowing them to convert directly from social. With social media platforms evolving their shopping capabilities, we will see more brands play in this space and put additional marketing dollars into converting consumers directly from social. In a session led by WARC, the speakers acknowledged that while social commerce is exciting, it also puts a larger onus on the brand to make their social media and influencer collaborations compelling enough to entice consumers to click through to purchase within moments of seeing their product/service. As a consumer, I’ve personally done this and love the ease and instant gratification of the transaction, but as a marketer, I feel the increased pressure to ensure that my clients’ social presence is working as hard as it can to resonate with its target social media audience. 

NFTs may be here to stay

NFTs…a topic that everyone wants to discuss, but one that most people don’t know much about. According to executives from Vayner Media, NFTs are here to stay, and in order for brands to maintain cultural relevance, they need to begin evaluating a strategy. Right now, the majority of consumers are looking to buy NFTs for four main reasons: status, participation, trading, and collecting. But as this matures, it’s anticipated that NFTs will become less about collectibility and more about utility. Brands who want to join the fold as early adopters can mint NFTs that provide utility for consumers. For example, NFTs can offer access to an experience, build upon a brand’s loyalty program, showcase innovation, and give back to philanthropic causes. While only 0.09% of internet users currently have NFTs, it’s expected that this number will increase significantly over the next 12 to 24 months, and as a result, we’ll see price stabilization and the utility aspect of NFTs beating the collectibility. 

President and copywriter, Steve Connelly, spoke with Campaign US on the importance of being a bold leader. In times of uncertainty, this is especially important. The best leaders are not afraid to take risks and make wrong decisions. Connelly leaves this important message, “Make decisions. Follow your gut and your experience. Don’t just stand there paralyzed by the prospect of being wrong.” 

Read the full piece here.

Sr. Partner and Chief Client and Integration Officer, Dana Wantman, recently sat down with AdAge to talk about CP’s new Abroad Program. Unveiled earlier this month, the program allows employees to relocate for up to three months to one of the agency’s three locations. While there, participants will be part of the community. They’ll meet locals and clients and form relationships that would not be possible during a vacation. They will be fully immersed in that country’s culture and bring Connelly Partner offices closer together as a result.

Read the full AdAge interview here.

We’re pleased to announce the promotion of Vaunnie McDermott to Managing Director of Connelly Partners Dublin. In her new role, Vaunnie will have responsibility for all operational and financial decisions for the Dublin office, working in collaboration with sister Irish company ZOO Digital. 

Vaunnie has over 20 years’ experience working as a marketing professional from both an agency perspective and extensive in-house experience with RTÉ and the Irish Examiner. After running her own business for 10 years, she was recruited to Strategem in 2016 to drive new business. Vaunnie has been part of the management team at Connelly Partners Dublin since the Strategem buy out in 2018 and since 2021, has been one of the three-person leadership team which has run the agency. 

Speaking about the appointment, founder and President Steve Connelly: “There have been incredible developments for Connelly Partners Dublin over the last year – the calibre of our clients, the creativity of our work – and Vaunnie has been integral in that success. She so deserves this appointment and frankly, we’re lucky to have her. There’s a great next chapter ahead for our Dublin team.” 

Continuing the integration between the global offices and furthering our client service offering and creative output, this news also sees new roles for Mary McMahon and Ronan Doyle.

Mary McMahon has been named Group Strategy Director for the Connelly Partners global network, which has a presence in Boston and Vancouver as well as Dublin. While she will remain part of the Dublin leadership team overseeing strategy projects, Mary will also be leading strategy for the growing CP Health practice, which will be soon expanding into Europe. 

Ronan Doyle will move to the position of Global Art Director, focusing on senior art direction and major creative projects for clients across both sides of the Atlantic. A new Creative Director will join the Dublin Leadership Team soon.  

This news today builds on recent strong expansion by Connelly Partners, both in Ireland and globally. Since recently joining forces with the award-winning digital agency, ZOO Digital, the Dublin office has just hired seven new people to join the team across copywriting, UX/UI and graphic design disciplines. The combined teams of Connelly Partners and ZOO have also successfully won new American business, working collaboratively with the Boston office which will also be announced soon.

In the coming months, we’ll be furthering our offering to the Irish market by launching a more enhanced media and analytics offering to clients and will be expanding CP Health to Dublin.

Press Coverage:

IAPI

Marketing.ie

Marketing Institute Ireland

Adworld.ie

Yep. That’s right. We’re sending CP employees to live and work around the world – round trip flight, accommodations, coordinate visas and additional PTO included. 

While talk of flexibility, remote work and work from anywhere models are abuzz, we’re doing things a little differently. While we offer flexible work too, we’re also giving employees across all levels of experience the opportunity to live and work out of any one of our three global offices – Boston, Dublin, and Vancouver – for up to three months each year. 

Why you might ask? This new Abroad Program was built to support our culture of curiosity as employees have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture, experience new places and people, and bring those new perspectives back to CP and its clients. Our employees even helped to shape this program. 

In an industry where long nights are mandated and work can be life consuming, we have prioritized having a life outside the office and the importance of work/life balance since opening our doors over 20 years ago. The pandemic was no different – while other agencies and companies caught up, we were an early adopter of the hybrid model, finding balance between remote work and in-person time to create connection and support collaboration and creativity. This new program builds on the flexibility gained from the past two years while further supporting in-person connection across our agency teams globally.

We’re excited to kick things off this summer. Be sure to follow along with our team’s abroad experiences on our blog and social channels.

Additional coverage:
AdAge: Connelly Partners employees can now work from another international office for up to three months
IAPI: Connelly Partners Announces CP Abroad Programme

CP’s team of senior strategists and anthropologists regularly release insights on cultural, economic, and social shifts that can impact our clients. Here are their most recent observations.

1. People still dream, the scale is just getting smaller.

In the U.S., purchase decisions are shifting as people adjust to their shrinking disposable incomes. With inflation at heights unseen in four decades, cost of living has become a major concern. Although costs like driving to work and buying groceries are impacting people most, attitude and behavior changes are the most dramatic when it comes to larger expenditures like home improvement and remodeling. Even with home values soaring today, consumers fear embarking on bigger home projects due to higher cost of materials and a shrinking contractors universe. But we expect homeowners will still aspire to improve their homes, and will reframe those dreams with more scaled-back, practical approaches.

Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, IPSOS

2. A reawakening for ‘accessible luxuries.’

Inflation in Q2 and beyond will affect household finances. People are most concerned about energy and agricultural markets and their associated rising costs. Over the past two decades, luxuries and indulgences have evolved in perception from a human want to a human right, perceived to be reward necessities to counter stress and depression. As such, when it comes to tightening the budget belt, we expect consumers to trim their spending on essentials in order to still afford their ‘new need’ indulgences.

Sources: Mintel, Financial Review, Retail Detail

3. She-flation is real and it’s being felt in a big way.

The recent spikes in goods and services is disproportionately affecting women (referred to as “she-flation”). Women tend to do most of the household purchasing of goods and thus are more often reminded of inflation in their everyday lives. People’s individual experiences with inflation depend on their purchasing habits and gender. But brands can identify customer sentiments like optimism or pessimism based on these factors and, in this case, account for the heightened emotional toll of the “pink tax” women feel right now. Brands should assess who’s most affected by inflation and do something about it.

Sources: NBC News, WNYC, UChicago

4. Treats and rewards as today’s self help. 

People are re-evaluating what is a necessity and what is an indulgence. Many people are turning to treats and indulgences as a form of reward and coping or self-help. COVID and lockdown heightened our consciousness on the importance of mental wellness and self care. A brand who encourages people to put their well-being first and encourages treating one’s self is destined to earn affinity.

Sources: Financial Times, The Baffler, AFR, Financial Times, Happiness By Design, Adobe

5. Standing up for something means defying something else.

Alignment against Russia is one of the most extreme alignments among consumers in recent history. People don’t want companies selling to Russia, buying from Russia or maintaining operations in Russia. Younger generations in particular are contributing to effectively canceling a whole country. People want brands to act on their values in ways that may be risky in the short-term, but represent a commitment to personal and organizational human values and equity. Any imaginative brand can find a way to do something similar to create natural affinity.

Sources: Yale, The Hill, The Atlantic, The New York Times, eMarketer

6. People don’t save for a rainy day when it’s raining.

Lockdown and the pandemic provided the chance for many people to consider what was a priority in the short and longer term. Inflation has now made a lot of our longer term goals seem derailed or unattainable in the present day. Consumers need to be reassured by credible sources that they shouldn’t let go of longer term goals. The economic ebbs and flows are normal and in every environment, there are opportunities to take, and plans to be made or to stick with. Reassurance from a bank to go forth with goals and plans can be very inspiring and reinforce those discovered priorities established during lockdown.

Sources: Fidelity, PR Newswire, CNBC, The New York Times, Forbes, Accenture

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

CP Pride

In recent years, you can tell the start of June by the consistent and ubiquitous appearance of rainbows. 

It is an incredibly positive step that in so many countries, particularly western, there is such a celebratory feeling to Pride. Major brands, both public and private, are now racing to out-rainbow each other and associate themselves with the LGBTQ+ community, the cause – and for some of us cynics, sell a few products where they can during this month-long party and celebration of diversity. 

However, the origins of Pride were anything but a party. The events at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 which were to spark Pride were brutal, bloody and an important reminder to us all that we have many more steps to take for real equality and visibility for all in society.  

Everyone, especially corporate brands, who in recent years have joined ‘the Pride party’, need to consider their support for this important cause with careful authenticity. Because with the Pride party comes the essential element of protest – for further necessary rights of the LGBTQ+ community around the world.

More steps to make

There are many countries who do not recognise their LGBTQ+ communities and many more rights to be given to LGBTQ+ communities in countries where there is at least recognition. 

• 70 countries criminalise same-sex relationships
• The death penalty for same-sex relationships is either ‘allowed’, or evidence of its existence occurs, in 11 of these countries
• In more than half the world, LGBTQ+ people may not be protected from discrimination by workplace law
• Most governments deny trans people the right to legally change their name and gender from those that were assigned to them at birth
• A quarter of the world’s population believes that being LGBTQ+ should be a crime

(Source: Stonewall.org.uk)

Careful authenticity

An integral part of Pride is visibility. And for corporate brands, this is about true visibility and authenticity. 

The fact is that it’s only been in recent years that the wealth of major brands have really associated themselves with the party of Pride. 

The original Pride parades in the 1970s were a form of protest. They had a daring strategy – to walk the streets of major cities declaring support for a minority, and often misunderstood members of our community. Now it is considered ‘safe’ and is a positive association to launch campaigns covered in rainbows and to walk in Pride. However, it’s not just about branding and floats in a parade, as some brands are finding out. 

AT&T, Toyota and Amazon are just three organisations who have been found to be playing both sides in the LGBTQ+ rights according to a recent article in AdWeek.  The Data for Progress and Popular Information have highlighted brands for a level of marketing hypocrisy – building an extensive Pride campaign while also spending more than $1 million on political campaign contributions to state lawmakers responsible for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

In an age in branding, marketing and advertising, where purpose and making a meaningful difference is at the forefront of many brands and consumers’ minds, it’s crucial to go beyond past shortcomings when it comes to supporting each other. For example, just a flag, a temporarily redesigned logo or tweet as support. With transparency at an all time high and consumers more interested and knowledgeable about what’s going on behind closed doors and willingness to bring up past comments and actions, it’s critical that brands not only take a stand and speak up this month, but also genuinely show up in support.

Today, there’s so much to celebrate for what’s been done for LGBTQ+ rights. And yet, with 70 countries not recognising LGBTQ+ rights and over 300 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed by US State lawmakers this year alone, there is so much more to do, and it’s all not going to happen in June every year. 

So for those who are planning their corporate strategies for rainbow coloured campaigns next June, consider extending the colours to an annual campaign, and stretch to the entire annual corporate budget and culture, not just the marketing spend. 

It’s not just about painting rainbows in June.

Image Source

Nora Jerrett, Junior Copywriter

I went to my very first Hatch Awards this week, and it did not disappoint. Hosted by The Ad Club, the Hatch Awards welcome professionals from across New England’s marketing industry to educate, network, and celebrate exceptional work.

During the mile walk from Connelly Partners to the Artists for Humanity venue, I recalled decadent stories from college professors and coworkers about this event. Advertising industry big fish and interns connecting, dominating the dance floor, and receiving recognition all in one night? Let’s just say, as I was crossing the bridge into South Boston, I was excited! As I entered the venue, I was met with a wall of smiling welcomers who quickly ushered my coworkers and I to the main socializing area, where vibrant light fixtures accentuated the modern art displays next to digitally displayed, winning ads. Speaking of awards, the Connelly Partners team achieved some impressive wins!

Titleist is not only the #1 golf ball, it was also our top winner. Our TV spots and print ad earned Silver in the Brands Amplified and Film categories plus three Merit awards in the Film and Print Categories— proving that when you choose to be a winner, you become one.

Our ocean-health campaign in collaboration with sleep.com for Mattress Firm won Bronze in the Work For Good Category. With the context of disposable masks taking 450 years to decompose in the ocean, this campaign urges everyone to do our part and dispose of them properly— so we can all sleep better!

Our TV spot for Kayem won a Merit award in the Film Category, in which we introduced the Kayem Butcher who is finally ready to let the world in on his delicious Kayem Bacon after being the go-to barbecue brand for over 100 years.

And our TV spot for Uno Pizzeria & Grill took home Bronze in the Film Category for a relatable post-pandemic campaign about the simple pleasures we had all been missing.

All in all, the Hatch Awards were exactly what I was expecting while also being a total surprise. Somehow, despite all my anticipation, it hadn’t occurred to me that I’d be with the winners. Between Connelly’s own to the other first timers I met in the bathroom line, the night took a whimsical turn. Watching my peers excitedly interrupt conversations to point out their winning ads like kids at a science museum was all the encouragement this junior copywriter needed to understand what makes the ad world is so fun! From the electric violin performances to the cocktail of different perfumes and mac and cheese bar, the wall-sized screen displaying both the winners and the Celtics game (because Hatch gets it) to the multitude of people from Boston’s top creative agencies, this was a five-senses experience that I’ll never forget.

Congratulations to all the winners this year.

Image provided by The Ad Club.

Connelly Partners Health has been named an “Agency To Watch” on MM+M’s Agency 100 list. In under a year of operation, CP Health is one of only nine agencies to secure a position on this list. Over the past year, CP Health, led by Stephen Piotrowski, has worked with various companies in the health space, including FluidEdge, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Public Health Institute, for which it earned two Bronze Anthem Awards.  

Read more about the CP Health win in MM+M here and the full Agency 100 list here. 

Congratulations to all agencies who have been recognized by MM+M.

Image Source