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One of the best things about our work is that we get to know so many exceptional companies, brands, and products. Here are a few current favorites that everyone should know about! For curious young explorers: Little Passports World Edition Subscription, from $23.95/month Little Passports invites kids to discover the wonders of the world we share. Ignite curiosity, explore new ideas and places, and celebrate cultures with globally inspired experiences, hands-on activities, and stories for kids ages 6-10. Vitamin C helped Little Passports evolve its brand story with fresh voice and tone guidelines and activate the new messaging for the website, customer service scripts, FAQs, and product descriptions. We also created a customized editorial calendar to inspire blog and social content and celebrate global holidays throughout the year. For connoisseurs: Chelan Beauty Washington Organic Apple Sampler Box, $57 Grocery store apples, even the best ones, can't compare to these beauties grown with love by farmer Bill Clark on the Clark family farm in Chelan, Washington. Bill and his wife, Angel, have pioneered organic farming techniques for more than two decades and were among the original growers of Honeycrisp in Washington state. Their daughter Natalie now runs the ecommerce business. This skilled, passionate farm team delivers exceptional quality season after season while taking excellent care of the land and precious natural resources. Fruit this fresh is a beautiful thing! Vitamin C Creative has helped Chelan Beauty bring its special brand story to life with customized brand expression guidelines, voice and tone development, and creative direction on packaging, website, and collateral. For champagne lovers: Mumm Napa 2017 Blanc de Noirs, $50 Mumm Napa's winemaker Tami Lotz is a treasure. She's an exceptional winemaker, a passionate champion of sustainability in the Napa Valley, and a creative, heartfelt communicator. This Blanc de Noirs--"white of blacks" in French--is hand-crafted from the two red grapes traditionally used to make champagne: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It's one of Tami's favorites, and a dazzling choice for your holiday table. Tami says everything in life is better with bubbles, and we wholeheartedly agree. Mumm Napa is Vitamin C's longest-running continuous client. Since 2014 we have had the pleasure of helping this gem of a winery tell its story and activate its brand across a wide range of touchpoints, including staff training materials, tour scripts, signage, menus, and label copy. We have also led research to measure engagement and identify opportunities to evolve its excellent wine club, Club Vivant. For Cabernet lovers: Jack London Dry Farmed Cabernet Sauvignon, $55 You most likely know Jack London as the celebrated author of Call of the Wild, but you may not know that he pioneered eco-friendly wine-making techniques on his ranch on Sonoma Mountain for much of his short life. He thrived on the challenge of growing grapes on the rugged terrain known for its uniquely versatile soils. Kenwood Vineyards has had exclusive rights to produce wines from the historic Jack London Vineyards for more than 40 years, and they continue to experiment with sustainable farming techniques like dry farming that showcase the land's uniquely wild character. Since 2017, Vitamin C has helped Kenwood Vineyards express its brand and bring the spirit and story of Jack London vividly to life across a wide range of consumer-facing touchpoints including wine label copy, tasting menus, and wine club newsletters. For coffee lovers: Riff Cold Brew Box, $29.99 Riff is a fantastically creative, purpose-driven company based in Bend, Oregon. They are dedicated to elevating the craft of cold brew--and maximizing sustainability by upcycling the nutrient-rich cascara pulp surrounding coffee beans into an immunity-boosting energy drink. Vitamin C partnered with Riff on a brand archetype analysis, creative messaging exploration, and brand architecture recommendations for its line of energy drinks. For clean car lovers: Brown Bear Unlimited Wash Club, from $24.99/month There's nothing like a spotless car, and an unlimited car wash membership makes it possible any time you want it. Vitamin C helped develop internal and external messaging (compressing weeks of work into days) to support Vontier's acquisition of DRB Systems, who pioneered the concept of unlimited car wash clubs alongside other tech-forward, consumer-focused innovations. For cardio lovers: Brooks Running Carbonite Collection, $23-$180 Brooks makes some of the absolute best running gear available, and with this awesome line-up of reflective tops, bottoms, outerwear, shoes, and accessories, you can Run Happy AND Run Visible. Win-win! It's been a few years since Vitamin C helped Brooks Running develop its shoe fit finder, but as a longtime runner I will always have a special place in my heart for this iconic Seattle brand. The Ghost and the Glycerin are my go-to running shoes--I always have three or four pairs in rotation. For classic cartoon lovers: Ravensburger Disney Vintage Movie Posters 1000 Piece Puzzle, $32 Ravensburger unquestionably makes the most satisfying jigsaw puzzles, and this design is a particularly fun trip down memory lane. Vitamin C worked closely with Ravensburger's marketing and design leads to create a polished, comprehensive brand book capturing the unique spirit and impressive history of the celebrated puzzle, game, and toy maker. For color lovers: Pantone mug, $18-$30 Choose your favorite hue, or mix and match for a one-of-a-kind set. Pantone is owned by Danaher, another long-time Vitamin C client. Each year Vitamin C helps Danaher develop content showcasing its astonishingly diverse portfolio of brands for the company's shareholder and sustainability reports, in addition to special projects. For college lovers: Premium Academia membership, $99 If you miss having access to your university library and the latest academic scholarship, Academia.edu puts it at your fingertips. Academia's purpose is to expand the reach and impact of all the world's research through a digital-first platform that makes research open and accessible to all, regardless of profession, affiliation, location, or resources. Vitamin C led a strategy tune-up for Academia, synthesizing stakeholder interviews, customer feedback, competitive analysis, and a brand audit into updated brand messaging to engage more deeply with a broader audience. For crossword lovers: NY Times Games subscription, $40 This yearly subscription is well worth it for the fresh, creative daily mini and regular crosswords, as well as the highly addictive Spelling Bee (a masterpiece in outstanding UX, brimming with brand personality). A cherished daily ritual for this word lover. This beloved brand is on Vitamin C's wish list of dream clients! #clientappreciation #brandstorytelling #Ravensburger #MummNapa #BrooksRunning #Riff #KenwoodVineyards #Academia #ChelanBeauty #LittlePassports

How we helped a $1B tech pioneer elevate its brand and claim category leadership to ward off increasing competition, paving the way to a future IPO. Bellevue, WA Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) Focus: B2B, Internal CONTEXT In just 10 years, Icertis had pioneered a new category of enterprise software and grown to an impressive global scale, partnering with many of the world's best-known brands to manage even the most complex contracts with leading-edge technology. The company prided itself on its strong, values-driven culture and had recently achieved "unicorn" status with a fresh round of funding. The landscape was evolving quickly, however, with a number of new competitors and an emerging opportunity to help mid-sized companies evolve their contract processes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the ideal time to sharpen the positioning to fully reflect the founders' expansive vision. Re-establishing Icertis as a premium brand and the clear industry leader would ensure the company could attract the world-class customers, talent, investors, and partners it needed for a new chapter of innovation and growth. Re-establishing Icertis as a premium brand and the clear industry leader would ensure the company could attract the world-class customers, talent, investors, and partners it needed for a new chapter of innovation and growth. VITAMIN C SERVICES Brand Strategy Brand and messaging audit Stakeholder 1:1s with team members and industry analysts Comprehensive competitive analysis Qualitative customer research Articulation of brand purpose, positioning, and pillars Messaging maps Brand Activation Voice, tone, and vocabulary development Detailed brand expression guidelines with activation examples Brand-driven case study format Brand-driven customer testimonial template Customized self-serve training materials Brand Expression Select website copy Brand FAQ and pitch development Messaging maps tailored for key verticals MOMENT OF CLARITY As we dug into the brand audit and stakeholder interviews, we were impressed by the team's deep knowledge of the ins and outs of contracts, but struck by how frequently the messaging was contract-centric instead of customer-centric. Our conversations with customers confirmed our hypothesis that they care far more about their business --responding quickly to change, ensuring compliance with complex global requirements, delivering better service to customers--than about the contracts themselves. Shifting the brand messaging to be customer-centric would position them well to reach a wider range of decision-makers, including C-suite execs, not just contract specialists. Our conversations with customers confirmed our hypothesis that they care far more about their business than about the contracts themselves. During the competitive analysis, it became clear that many contract lifecycle management (CLM) providers were promising "end-to-end solutions" that are actually quite limited in scope and technical capability. This pointed to an opportunity to evolve how we talk about the core offering from contract management, which feels static and limited, to contract intelligence, which is more dynamic and open-ended. As a team, we landed on an exciting new brand positioning centered on contract intelligence as a strategic advantage that helps customers stay out in front, even when faced with rapid change and unexpected challenges. Supported by pillars emphasizing the company's bold vision, unrivaled expertise, and enduring commitment, the new platform clearly differentiates Icertis in an increasingly crowded competitive space, representing a bold evolution from "Why CLM?" to "Why Icertis?" CREATIVE INSPIRATION We learned that the original inspiration for the company's name came from the Latin root cert, which expresses standing behind your work. This aligned beautifully with the theme of trust, which emerged as a clear theme in our conversations with customers and industry analysts. Icertis builds long-term customer relationships based on its values, with trust at the center, and this felt increasingly important to highlight as we discovered how volatile the CLM category had become, with many companies merging, building out questionable "bolt-on" offerings, or even going out of business. This is a high-stakes, multi-year investment that companies need to get right the first time with a partner they can trust. The concept of trust became central to the new brand positioning and vocabulary. The concept of trust became central to the new brand positioning and vocabulary. The new brand platform created a strong foundation for an exciting visual rebrand by Wunderman Thompson. We left the "applied cloud" tagline behind and embraced a dynamic and distinctive new visual identity. CONTENT CLIP COLLABORATORS Wunderman Thompson (logo and visual identity development) HAPPY CLIENT "Thanks so much...for making this process rigorous, timely, and even more important - fun!! The results are awesome!" Monish Darda, CTO #brandstrategy #messaging #brandvoice #brandguidelines #brandactivation #brandstorytelling #B2B #internalcomms #Icertis

How we helped a team of passionate improvement experts clarify their organization's purpose and elevate its brand presence. Seattle, WA Improvement Science Focus: B2B, Internal CONTEXT Several years after its founding by improvement expert Karen Zeribi, Shift (previously Shift-Results) had strong momentum and an impressive roster of clients. As their team expanded, they wanted to strengthen the sense of shared purpose through a clear, more compelling brand story. They were also eager to relaunch their visual identity and website with a higher level of polish, but they needed to focus on clarifying what they do and what makes their approach unique first. They were eager to relaunch their visual identity and website with a higher level of polish, but they needed to focus on clarifying what they do and what makes their approach unique first. VITAMIN C SERVICES Brand Strategy Brand audit; stakeholder 1:1s with all team members Qualitative research with clients and partners and competitive analysis Brand archetype analysis Articulation of brand purpose, positioning, and pillars; high-level messaging maps Brand Activation Name refinement Voice, tone, and vocabulary development Visual identity refresh including logo, colors, and typography; creative direction Brand Expression Customized content catalog and website content development, including brand-driven service description and mini case studies Shift Method and Improvement Methods toolset naming and content development Tailored messaging and email outreach for IM4E program Ongoing brand and content activation MOMENT OF CLARITY When we sat down with the team and spoke to clients and partners, a few clear points of differentiation emerged. Shift's team members were all extremely passionate about accelerating social change in health care, education, and beyond. They wanted their improvement methods to be used to address social inequity, as opposed to simply helping businesses run more efficiently. They were also deeply committed to incorporating voices that aren't typically included in the process, resulting in new insights and ingenious solutions as well as stronger buy-in and sustained impact. We took the team through a collaborative archetype exercise, which resulted in strong alignment around Magician and its emphasis on deep transformation, flow, and win-win outcomes. We found that the team had often described themselves as a catalyst for social change, so we embraced that alternate label and built the new brand strategy around it. The brand purpose--to use improvement methods to accelerate and amplify positive change in the world--and pillars of Shared Commitment, Deeply Inclusive Approach, and Adaptability quickly fell into place. We found that the team had often described themselves as a catalyst for social change, so we embraced that and built the new brand strategy around it. CREATIVE INSPIRATION The name, Shift-Results, had a great story behind it--the "shift" is the point at which a statistically significant positive result is observed--but the hyphenated construction was a bit awkward, and we found that both the team and their collaborators consistently shortened it to Shift. We advised simplifying to Shift in common usage, keeping the original URL intact to minimize cost complexity. The next step was a visual identity refresh, in partnership with frequent Vitamin C collaborator Design Hovie Studios. Hovie evolved the logo and color palette for a fresher, more modern look that expressed the brand's fluidity and adaptability. We evolved the logo and color palette for a fresher, more modern look that expressed the brand's fluidity and adaptability. CONTENT CLIP Improvement science as a field tends to be jargony, but we wanted to keep the language as clear and straightforward as possible to fully express the deeply inclusive aspect of the brand. We also wanted to avoid pulling too strongly into healthcare or education, each of which tends to use its own specific terminology. We wanted to keep the language as clear and straightforward as possible to fully express the deeply inclusive aspect of the brand. We went through a number of iterations to land on just the right wording to express the brand characteristics clearly and succinctly. We also developed a more conversational elevator pitch version to make it easier for the team to explain their world-changing work to those outside of the field. COLLABORATORS Design Hovie Studios (logo and visual identity development) HAPPY CLIENT "Thank you SO MUCH to this team for your hard work in this big project, with so many meticulous steps. I really appreciate the amazing gifts that you bring with creativity, vision, and attention to detail. The brand book has already been so incredibly helpful!" Karen Zeribi, Shift Founder & CEO "Now I feel proud to share our website. I feel like we are in the big leagues now!" Nicole Van Borkulo, Lead Improvement Advisor #brandstrategy #brandpurpose #messaging #brandguidelines #B2B #internalcomms #brandvoice #visualidentity #logodevelopment #brandactivation #magicianarchetype #websitecontent #Shift

Covid-19 has thrown us all for a loop. I've been bumped to the basement while my son tunes into online classes from my office, but I'm busier than ever helping my clients stay nimble in this uncharted territory. Some are dealing with the fallout of closing physical locations or canceling events planned months ago. Others are responding with new content, fine-tuned messaging, and new ways to help their customers. Here's a quick plan for keeping your brand and content in tune with the changing times. 1. Immediately revisit any scheduled posts and outreach. If you schedule anything ahead of time, you need to make changes. Revisit your editorial calendar ASAP. Cancel any planned posts, ads, or emails that feel out of touch and consider reducing frequency overall, given that we're all trying to absorb a huge amount of rapidly changing information. And as you're looking ahead to the next few weeks or even months, of course you don't need to be all coronavirus all the time, but you do need to make adjustments. For example, one of my nonprofit clients, Block by Block, empowers people to design shared community spaces using Minecraft. This week we revisited the editorial calendar and decided to turn the dial up on how Minecraft is being used worldwide for remote learning. For the upcoming UN International Day of Sport, we'll still showcase a project that includes a community soccer field, but we're shifting the focus to highlight how we all can't wait to get back out there to play, watch, and enjoy sports. And we're evolving how we talk about public space in general, since this experience is giving us all a newfound appreciation for our shared parks and gathering places. It's an opportunity to raise awareness around the fact that many people in crowded cities don't enjoy the same access, and Block by Block is using innovative methods to address that inequity worldwide. 2. Adjust your tone. I've seen many brand guidelines that talk about brand "tone of voice," but voice and tone are two distinct things. Your brand voice is how you communicate, authentically and consistently. Your tone is how you adapt that brand voice to a particular situation. There's a time and place to be a little extra, and we all look forward to that time returning, but right now it's important to dial things back with heightened sensitivity and care. 3. Consider what your customers need from you right now as you craft your communication. Yes, your inbox is absolutely flooded with the Covid-19 response plan for every company you've ever purchased from. It's a lot. I've been reflexively deleting nearly all of these, but a few stand out as stellar examples of brand values and customer empathy. Before you take a quick boilerplate approach about shifting to remote work and keeping surfaces clean, think carefully about your customers most need to hear from you right now. My awesome hair stylist, Carter Renee, communicated clearly that her salon is closed for the next few weeks, explained why she's shut down online booking for the time being, and recommended a super helpful product for root touch-ups until she can take appointments again. She invited those who wished to help to purchase an online gift card to be redeemed later, with a link to make it super easy. She did all of this in a way that felt completely genuine and heartfelt, not pushy. In addition to assuring me about safe handling of my weekly grocery boxes, Imperfect Foods gave me a heads up that due to high demand, I might experience limited inventory and delayed deliveries as a result. Communicating this ahead of time builds trust and deepens empathy for what they're going through--we're all in this together! (They also made a quick tweak to their UI to highlight "Pantry Essentials" more prominently. Smart move!) I've worked on a number of these "crisis communications" for my clients over the past week. On the fly, we've navigated things like how to lead with values, whether to mention the fact that websites are still open for online payments (my advice: not now!), clearly communicating added value to solidify existing monthly service clients, and the best way to position a $1 shipping special for sparkling wine (tricky, but possible). 4. Act quickly to create (or adapt) timely, relevant content. If you have an idea for new content that would be especially helpful to your audience right now, get on it. But don't forget to take a spin through your content catalog to look for previously published pieces that you can quickly adapt and circulate. For Vitamin C client Resourceful, who helps impact-focused organizations and their people thrive through flexible remote HR services, we moved quickly to revamp two articles we'd planned to update later in the year that are suddenly perfect for now (see Three Strategies for Keeping Remote Teams Engaged and Supporting Your Team Through a Difficult Downsizing). For Center, we're collaborating on an integrated campaign to showcase how companies can use the company's newly launched expense management solution to get a quick handle on real-time spending, drive accountability for changing budget targets, and immediately save thousands of dollars compared to traditional expense software. We're sharing tips for keeping business on track during economic uncertainty, and we're combing through our content catalog to speed the creation of new content on adjusting expense policies for remote work. 5. Change your offering if you need to. It's always important to be in tune with what your customers really need, but now more than ever. One of the quickest, most on-point responses I've seen is from Seattle's premier special-occasion restaurant, Canlis. They recognized early on that what their customers need now is not fine dining. To keep their staff employed and truly serve their community, they turned on a dime from swanky steaks and impeccable tableside service to breakfast bagels, lunchtime burgers, and family meals available via drive-through in their parking lot. Will such a radical shift damage their brand? Absolutely not--they'll earn local loyalty and goodwill many times over. Similarly, when Pacific Science Center had to close its physical doors, the team quickly rolled out Curiosity at Home, an incredible collection of live-streamed science shows, DIY experiments, and other great resources for remote STEM learning, building on their enduring Be Curious campaign with the new hashtag #CuriosityNeverCloses. They're live-streaming a Science in the City expert panel discussion--Understanding Covid-19. They've done an incredible job of responding quickly while staying true to their guiding principles, including serving as "a community laboratory and living room." PacSci also reached out to donors with an urgent ask for support to keep these innovative online resources up and running, now that they've had to cancel their annual fundraising breakfast. Here's a powerful line from that outreach: "One of the next generation's great virologists is a child in Puget Sound, now. Our future as a society depends upon investing in her, now." (Please consider supporting this amazing (nonprofit) organization that works so hard to expand access to science if you can. Disclaimer: Vitamin C helped PacSci develop "Be Curious," but did not assist with the quick-response efforts described here. I'm a proud member and supporter.) A strong (but flexible) brand framework, clear voice and tone guidelines, and a robust content catalog and editorial calendar make it far easier to stay nimble while staying on brand. If you don't have these time-saving tools in place, it's a great time to get caught up! Please reach out if we can help. #brandstrategy #communication #wordofmouthmarketing #internalcommunications #messaging #B2C

I'm just going to come right out and say it: I have an issue with customer personas as they are typically used. I find that too often, the characterizations are just too broad: age 35-49, mom with 2 kids, shops online, moderate spending power. They describe everybody and nobody at the same time. Who is this universal mom, and what does she care about? Usually, I think, she must be exhausted because practically every consumer brand is trying to reach her, on every channel. I find it far more helpful to focus on actual customers, and to hear their voices as authentically as possible. I like to hear the nuance, the texture, the things they love and feel frustrated by. I especially like to hear how they say things. I find that often they express the core ideas better than anyone else can. When I was at Cranium, before people aired their rants and raves online, we kept a Shine Book. It was this incredible book of letters and photos we had received from our fans. It was so powerful to hear their stories, in their words. We consulted this treasured relic frequently. We read new letters aloud at team meetings and added them to the book. Our brand essence was "play with your brain," and this was played right back to us in the notes we received, like these: "Keeps you laughing, but also makes you think!" Diane M. "[Cranium makes] great family games that stimulate parts of the brain often neglected by board games, yet keep it so fun that kids won't even realize that they are educational." David M. It was so powerful to hear the things we cared so much about--bringing people together and getting them out of their comfort zones (usually through laughter), making sure everybody had a chance to shine, creating localized versions that truly captured the humor and the touchstones of different cultures--reflected back to us in our fans' own words. "On Christmas day my whole family played it and we had a ball! I cannot begin to tell you how much we laughed. It was the most fun we have had in a long time." Jenny E. "We all LOVE Cranium. (and especially love that it is truly a Canadian version--not just an attempt at pretending to be Canadian, like so many other games). I just cannot articulate how much we love Cranium!" Katherine, Canada "Ich habe so viel Spaß mit allen spielen von cranium gehabt. es ist einfach SUPER!!!!!!!!!!!" (You don't even have to read German to get the gist of that one.) As we expanded to games, toys, and books for kids and preschoolers, we talked a lot about helping kids discover talents they didn't know they had, favoring cooperation over fierce competition, and creating experiences that parents would truly enjoy along with their kids. Our Shine Book captured exactly what that looked like. "I haven't laughed so hard with the kids all year! I love that during the game each of my kids got their opportunity to contribute through an activity that they were particularly good at. I can't think of a time when $20 has brought more fun and entertainment to my family." Barbara B. "[Cadoo] has made me realize how smart my kids are. And what a great sense of humor they have! They'll clean their rooms to get to play!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rebecca N. "We all play [Hullabaloo] together! I'm still surprised by new things that it asks us to do each time we play (today we were to grab our toes and walk--we were all giggling!) Thanks for creating such unique games." Becky M. "A must-have for any family looking for ways to pull the gang out of the TV for some real human interaction." J. Lamar "Your games are tops in our home! My 4-year-old never tires of them and I enjoy them, too! I recommend them frequently, not only because they're fun, but also because the instructions are simple, there's educational value, and they encourage positive play rather than fierce competition." Binnie S. "I can't believe what a GREAT game Cariboo is!!! When my son got it for his birthday I wanted to groan because we have so many "board games" that the kids spread all over but don't actually PLAY! Not only does he play the game again and again, but he SHARES it with his sister (4 years old) and friends ... Get this ... without FIGHTING!!!" "No grownups required, but we couldn't help ourselves. The kids were having so much fun [playing Hullabaloo], we occasionally joined in also. Everyone has equal chance to win each round, and I found that the kids were rooting for each other to win rather than trying to win every time themselves." Amy R. We even heard from kids! "Now that we have [Cadoo] we play it every day. When I shout who wants to play CADOO!? And everybody comes and plays including my parents! We go on playing for hours!" Chelsea M. If you do a close read of these kinds of quotes, you can pull out some really interesting textural details that give evidence about what mattered to our fans: Quality time instead of TV time, simple instructions, the right mix of fun and educational value. And also what bothers them: games that get spread out everywhere but not played, that are too competitive or lead to fights, that require parents to let their kids win. When Cranium was acquired by Hasbro, I inquired about receiving our fan mail. It turned out there was no mechanism for that. Customers could report problems and request missing pieces, but there was no channel for praise. Let that sink in for a minute. No channel for praise. So we had to get creative. This was in the early days of Twitter, and I found with some creative keyword searching I could tune back in to our fans. At the time, some brands were exploring how to tweet to their fans, but I found it even more valuable to listen. I started pulling quotes weekly and circulating them to our team so we could stay connected to our Craniacs during the transition. @snash12: Any game that requires you to act out Jacques Cousteau is genius! I love Cranium. @rachel32: My friends and I skipped the second half of the Super Bowl for Cranium. And it was worth it. @brianbarone: Just sharpened a pencil with an apple peeler. Cranium and college sometimes lead to desperate circumstances. Soon after, my colleague Jill and I had the opportunity to guide a refresh of one of Hasbro's signature brands, Trivial Pursuit. This exquisite brand had suffered from many years of trying to make it more inclusive through pop culture references and a general dumbing down of the questions. There was nothing like a Shine Book for Trivial Pursuit, so we used Twitter listening to get tuned in to our customer voice. We kicked off an early team exercise by covering the walls of our off-site conference room with hundreds of quotes like these: @murderpie: I didn't have time to glaze my cupcakes tonight because I was too busy claiming victory at Trivial Pursuit. And then dancing around in joy @TheSenator: The trivial pursuit game with easy questions is for wimps. @Corine_TWD: Having a perfect Sunday afternoon: pub lunch, open fire and Trivial Pursuit with friends. @amorremanet: Today's moral: I may not have a lot of practical or useful skills, but you want me on your side for Trivial Pursuit. @oOS3R4PHOo: Defeated the parents in trivial pursuit. They are awed by my superior intellect. @Dyxie: “It's game night tonight at my friend Steve's house. I am bringing my Totally 80's version of Trivial Pursuit. I will be kicking ass. As a team, we walked around and put stickies on the quotes that spoke to us. We rearranged them into groups and listed out the themes that emerged over and over. The general consensus had been that Trivial Pursuit needed to become more accessible, but what we heard pretty consistently was that its most loyal fans relished, well, kicking ass, just as @Dyxie put it. These qualitative listening insights shaped a comprehensive quantitative study, and influenced both the kinds of questions we asked and how we asked them. And the quantitative results demonstrated that we were on to something. In fact, three distinct segments--with enough specificity to be helpfu--emerged: Contenders, who play to win: @joshuagates is exhausted (and victorious) after a brutal Trivial Pursuit match. Suck it losers. Entertainers, who play to socialize: @stephaniegrace: Drunken 90s Trivial Pursuit, 90 min imperial and best friends = best NYE ever Ambassadors, loyal fans who play to learn: @Becki345: @RozD Love Trivial Pursuit I have 7 versions of the game. Yes I like it that much We addressed each segment with tailored products and more focused messaging. But if we hadn't been listening, or if we had rushed ahead with only quantitative research, we would have completely missed the opportunity and continued to alienate our contenders, the largest and most loyal group of Trivial Pursuit fans. #marketingstrategy #Cranium #communication #wordofmouthmarketing #TrivialPursuit #internalcommunications #messaging #brandstrategy #B2C #customervoice

How we helped a Seattle icon introduce its refreshed brand to the community and elevate its powerful mission. Seattle, WA Nonprofit Focus: B2C, Internal CONTEXT With new leadership and an infusion of entrepreneurial energy, Seattle's iconic Pacific Science Center was ready to tell its story in a fresh, bold way. They had invested in an updated brand strategy and visual identity, but their agency had closed and they needed help launching the new brand concept. Vitamin C worked closely with PacSci's leadership and creative team to develop an extensible, evergreen brand campaign, and to activate the revitalized brand across a number of high-profile touchpoints including signage, cafe and concessions naming, events naming, and membership program design. VITAMIN C SERVICES Brand Strategy Competitive analysis and comprehensive brand audit Translation of overarching updated brand strategy into brand campaign strategy Development of high-level messaging maps Brand Activation Brand voice and tone development "Be Curious" campaign guidelines and creative direction Café/concessions and event naming Membership program development and naming Ongoing guidance for brand activation and overall communications Brand Expression Development of short, medium, and long "Be Curious" content Overall creative and content direction for large-format ads, print, social media, website, monthly themes, and other formats MOMENT OF CLARITY Curiosity was central to PacSci's mission, and we explored a number of takes on it, from playful "Curiosity Rules" to an open-ended "What happens when...?" format. One campaign concept, "Stay Curious," particularly resonated with the team for its active language and concise expression, which we knew would work particularly well on "quick read" formats like bus wraps and billboards. PacSci's CEO suggested a wording tweak to draw in new visitors, and "Be Curious" was born. CREATIVE INSPIRATION When we explored names for PacSci's newly revamped cafe, snack cart, and bar area, we turned to the mission for inspiration. The core idea of "igniting curiosity" evolved into the Fuel Up Café and Spark Cart. "Fuel Up" also incorporated a cue for visitors to come upstairs to find the cafe on the 2nd floor, a somewhat out-of-the-way location. We continued the theme with Gravity Bar, a new lounge area where visitors could enjoy local beer, wine, and cider near the entrance of the Boeing IMAX theater, on the very lowest level. CONTENT CLIP COLLABORATORS PacSci internal design team Elemental Advertising and Marketing Consultants HAPPY CLIENT "Grateful to have you as a partner. Thank you for all the amazing work you've done for us!" Eleanor Bradley, Chief Commercial Officer "I'm excited about this! The emotional/experiential feel of the [Be Curious] text overall is just what I might have hoped for." Sarah Moore, Living Exhibits Manager #B2C #brandstrategy #messaging #brandvoice #brandstorytelling #brandactivation #PacSci #BeCurious

How we helped a respected HR services company evolve to differentiate itself in a crowded market and truly express its team's passion and expertise. Seattle, WA HR Services Focus: B2C, Internal CONTEXT As Resourceful HR prepared for its 10-year anniversary and a leadership transition, it was time to reflect and prepare the brand for its next ten years and beyond. The company was highly regarded and growing, but it was feeling spread thin between its core HR services and recruiting/staffing businesses--and between its Seattle and Bay Area locations. CEO Jennifer Olsen had recently become certified as an Executive Coach, and it was unclear how to integrate that into the overall messaging. Jennifer also felt it was time for a new look, and possibly a new name. VITAMIN C SERVICES Brand Strategy Brand audit; stakeholder 1:1s with all team members Comprehensive competitive analysis (including interviews with local competitors) Qualitative customer research across all lines of business Brand archetype analysis Articulation of brand purpose, positioning, and pillars; high-level messaging maps Brand Activation Naming and tagline development Voice, tone, and vocabulary development Visual identity refresh including logo, colors, typography, and iconography; creative direction Brand Expression Brand manifesto and FAQ development Content catalog and editorial calendar development Website content development including brand-driven case studies, team bios, and blog content MOMENT OF CLARITY At the initial meeting with Jennifer, her passion for working with purpose-driven businesses who were making meaningful contributions to their fields and communities radiated through powerfully, though this aspect was completely absent from the existing brand presentation. When we took the team through the brand archetype exercise, her strong conviction around Caregiver--with its focus on helping people (and organizations) thrive and doing things for others in the service of a greater vision--was a defining moment. We tweaked the label to Caretaker and dialed up the emphasis on deep care for people and organizations; anticipating client needs and preferences; and building relationships for the greater collective good. This "north star" clarity directly influenced the brand purpose: To help impact-focused organizations and their people thrive. When we took the team through the brand archetype exercise, the strong conviction around Caregiver--with its focus on helping people thrive and doing things for others in the service of a greater vision--was a defining moment. As we dug deep on client feedback, it became increasingly clear that the staffing business in particular created friction. Resourceful's staffing clients wanted quick fixes; they were far less interested in evolving culture and building strong relationships. Recognizing that the business need for remote and outsourced HR services was growing more rapidly than staffing, the team decided to drop staffing as a separate service and focus instead on core, flexible HR services tailored to each client's unique (and changing) needs. This new focus took form in the brand pillars: shared commitment, dynamic collaboration, and leadership. The insights from our client research also inspired a new service offering--Resourceful Chat, to address urgent issues more quickly--and informed our messaging around remote HR, Resourceful's unique team approach (a key differentiator), and executive coaching as an add-on to amplify individual and team impact. Recognizing that the business need for remote and outsourced HR services was growing more rapidly than staffing, the team decided to drop staffing as a separate service and focus instead on core, flexible HR services tailored to each client's unique (and changing) needs. CREATIVE INSPIRATION Although we went into the strategy project thinking that it might be time for a new name, naming expert Nancy Friedman of Wordworking advocated breathing new life into "Resourceful" instead (a crucial decision that also saved the company a substantial amount of money). She encouraged us to infuse the brand language with "re-" words such as rewarding, relevant, responsive and "-ful" words like skillful, powerful, purposeful. This refreshed brand vocabulary deeply informed the website content as well as the rebranding announcement and other communications pieces including an FAQ, brand-driven case studies and team bios, an event speech script, a proposal template, print collateral, and an overhaul of the services presentation, the blog categories, and the interactive HR Assessment tool. In partnership with Nancy, we dropped "HR" from the official name for a fresher, more confident presentation and added a tagline: "Your full-spectrum HR team." The gorgeous new identity developed by Hovie Hawk brought everything together and perfectly expressed the team's style: polished and professional, yet thoroughly authentic and approachable. The gorgeous new identity brought everything together and perfectly expressed the team's style: polished and professional, yet thoroughly authentic and approachable. CONTENT CLIP With such strong brand clarity and alignment, articulating Resourceful's values in a manifesto format flowed easily. We captured inputs from the team at an off-site and polished it up, framing through "re" and "-ful" words. COLLABORATORS Megan Averell, Insight Inn (customer research) Nancy Friedman, Wordworking (naming and tagline development) Hovie Hawk, Design Hovie Studios (visual identity) Consistent Hits (website development) Christie Brydon (copywriting) Liz Sheffield (copywriting) HAPPY CLIENT "Catherine, you really get what we are about. Thank you for your leadership through this process." Jennifer Olsen, Resourceful CEO "Thanks so much for your support, both in this branding work and in the connections you are making. It's great to have you in our corner." Laura Doehle, Resourceful President #brandstrategy #brandpurpose #messaging #brandvoice #brandguidelines #brandactivation #logodevelopment #visualidentity #brandmanifesto #brandstorytelling #naming #websitecontent #B2B #internalcomms #blogcontent #casestudies #caregiverarchetype #Resourceful #deepcare

In Part 1, Why I Geek Out on Brand Archetype Theory and Part 2, How I Geek Out on Brand Archetype Theory, I explained the power of archetypes for focusing and clarifying brands. Purpose or Personality? In the early days of my practice, I allowed teams to combine two archetypes they were equally drawn to, but I've come to the conclusion that the grounding is strongest when there's only one core desire at the very top, whether that is freedom (Explorer), order (Ruler), or transformation (Magician). When teams are split between two different archetypes (especially archetypes from different quadrants), I've found that often they are conflating the why with the how. Ideally the why should align with just one archetype at a fundamental purpose level--Why do we exist? What are we here to do? But how that archetype is outwardly expressed--the personality--can absolutely be influenced by another. For example, consider Men in Blazers and The Daily Show--both smart, funny TV shows. You might be tempted to say that both fuse Jester and Sage. But I would argue that at a purpose level, they are distinct. The purpose of Men in Blazers is to celebrate the sport of soccer and its community in a quirky, high-spirited way--they are Jester with some clever Sage details. By contrast, the purpose of The Daily Show is to inform, and Trevor Noah uses humor as a powerful tool, just as Jon Stewart did. It's Sage influenced by Jester. More Than One Way to Be a Sage When I worked with the Espresso Supply team to develop the Motif line of home coffee brewing equipment, we quickly aligned around the Sage archetype. The company's founder felt strongly that anyone could make great coffee at home, with the right equipment and a little understanding. In Laura's words, "It's science, but it's not rocket science!" We established the brand's purpose as "To make the knowledge of how to brew the best possible coffee at home, and the tools to do it, widely available." The articulation of our purpose was strongly influenced by the Everyperson archetype, which celebrates inclusivity and counters the elitism that colors the specialty coffee industry. But deep down, even though Everyperson appealed to the team, we knew that the purpose of the brand was more about independence and autonomy--knowing how to brew great coffee at home, beyond simply pushing a button--than it was about belonging and community. Exploring Range The lure of the Everyperson helped us zero in on what kind of Sage we wanted to be, however. We examined a wide range of Sage brands from a wide range of categories, including Harvard University (traditional and academic)... Philosophy (skin-deep)... America's Test Kitchen (rigorously methodical)... New York Times (authoritative and expansive)... and ChefSteps (bold and cheeky). Ultimately, we were especially drawn to the approachability and wisdom of Oprah... ...and the geeky irreverence of MythBusters, ...both Sages who embrace experimentation and share their knowledge in broadly appealing, non-academic ways. Considering Context We also took a closer look at Sage brands and attributes within the home coffee brewing category, including Bunn's corporate-feeling white papers (nope), iCoffee's faux-sciency SpinBrew Technology (hard no), Breville's PolyScience and Thought for Food initiatives (intriguing), Oxo's Barista Brain product line (clever), and Chemex's clear, informative publications like Filter Folding 101 (excellent). We also took note of how Espresso Supply's own Bonavita line was encroaching into Sage territory with "coffee 101" tweets like this one, and how important it would be to keep those lines clearer in the future. Developing Vocabulary and Voice Once we had our grounding, we articulated some emerging themes and vocabulary. We then developed Motif's voice guidelines to express the Sage archetype in a distinctive way, infused with the accessible and relatable Everyperson spirit: Approachable: Knowledgeable but fun and easy to talk to, with a little healthy irreverence in the mix. Gifted at demystifying through simple explanations, memorable facts, and unexpected analogies. Short and Sweet: With design and with words, less is more. Respectful of customers' limited time and attention. Clear, crisp, and concise, but always with an underlying warmth. Encouraging: Upbeat, patient, and supportive of individual preferences and varying levels of knowledge; never judgmental or dogmatic. New ideas and points of view are welcome. To take this series full circle--yessssss, I felt pretty strongly that Cranium was a Sage brand, one brimming with personality and color and nuance. It was clear to me then, and even clearer now, that there's more than one way to be a Sage. #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #brandvoice #sagearchetype #archetypetheory #brandpurpose #EspressoSupply #everypersonarchetype

When I first encountered brand archetype theory, I absorbed everything I could to understand how others applied it. I'm an experimenter at heart, and I've now put a fair amount of energy into developing my own way of applying it and tailoring it to the situation, whether that's an hour-long brand storytelling workshop or part of a deep-dive strategy development project. If you read Part 1 (Why I Geek Out on Brand Archetype Theory), you will appreciate that the one thing I never do is come in and tell a team which archetype their brand is. I always come in with an opinion, but I avoid pronouncements. I make damn sure the process is collaborative. Sometimes the results surprise me. Exploring Core Motivations When I started using this tool in my own practice, I used to just go right into the twelve archetypes, but I found that can be pretty overwhelming, and it misses the incredibly focusing and clarifying power of the quadrants that bound them. There are some dynamic axes at play. Is the brand more about stability and control (Caregiver, Creator, Ruler), or about change (Hero, Magician, Rebel)? Is it more about community and belonging (Jester, Everyperson, Lover), or autonomy and independence (Innocent, Sage, Explorer)? Each of those quadrants contains a wide range of emotional territory, but understanding that fundamental grounding is an important place to start. Introducing the Archetypes When we get to the archetype level, I avoid mixing examples from different industries. Sure, Disney is an iconic Magician brand, and Nike is a quintessential Hero, and you'll see those on just about every conference brand archetype slide, but to me, comparing those radically different businesses doesn't really make it click. I like to get things rolling by showing archetypes for cars--when you take twelve vehicles that all have four wheels and get you to the grocery store, but they give you twelve different emotional feelings, that gets much closer to the point. Considering the Category Next, I pull examples from the category we are considering, to ground the discussion. I have created these kinds of custom archetype maps for nonprofits... chefs.... Seattle coffee shops... tech startups, expense management offerings, and even vibrators. (I do thrive on variety...) Once a CEO, whom I would call a skeptic, drily asked if there would be ponies at our archetype workshop. There were. More: Novinium Brand Archetype Workshop with Ponies Breaking Free from the Expected This is also a good point to consider whether the category you are considering has an underlying archetypal feeling--for example, games might naturally skew toward Jester, baby products might evoke Caretaker, and high-end chocolates might subconsciously conjure up Lover imagery. I find that the most interesting and memorable brands break free of these "expected" category associations. Identifying White Space Next, I map out the competitive set, as well as any special considerations such as partners and sub-brands. This exercise illuminates white space, opportunities to take a different point of view and stand out. Here's an example from our Motif Coffee brand strategy project. Because very few companies develop archetypal brand identities systematically, you might need to consider core purpose, visual identity, and external messaging. There is no place where you can look this up, and if you try, you'll certainly find competing theories. Many competitors are difficult to place precisely because their expression is all over the archetypal map (the very situation we are trying to avoid). So this part is a judgment call, but it always leads to good discussion. Mapping Themes and Messaging Finally, I map out the key themes and messages I've observed in the company's communications or heard in my interviews with stakeholders or customers, both key elements of our brand strategy development process. This is my favorite part. A key principle of a strong brand is that you can't be everything to everyone, and this visual drives the point home. When you're talking all over the map, you're sending mixed signals and diluting the emotional power behind your brand. At this point, the discussion tends to go in one of two ways. One is that the team expresses "Oh, we are Rebel, 100%!" And I can point out that they are using precisely zero Rebel language (this has happened before, more than once--perhaps it comes from working with so many industry disrupters?). This can be an energizing motivator to refocus the brand expression around a powerful new core idea (though, of course, we can't all be Rebels.) More commonly, mapping the themes illustrates that the team is naturally gravitating to a short list of archetypes that we can explore more in depth. Narrowing Down The first thing I do at this point is to go back to the core motivations for each quadrant, which are overlooked in many more superficial applications of archetype theory. Left to right, are we more about self or community? Top to bottom, are we more about structure or energy and change? For the Novinium brand strategy project, we did this exercise with a larger group, split between the marketing team and the executive team. In this case we tabulated votes to illustrate the relative pull and identify our short list to explore further. (We eventually aligned around Hero.) Once we can narrow down to two or three that are appealing in different ways, I like to do a deeper dive where we "try on" the archetype through the lens of the brand. At this stage, I make a spreadsheet that maps out the different archetypes side by side, and I bold the phrases that feel the most relevant and applicable. This is an ideal time to explore and discuss opportunities and implications at the brand purpose level, for product, for culture, and for marketing. Here's an excerpt from one we did for the CenterCard brand strategy project. In the spirit of giving credit where it's due, much of this drill-down analysis is drawn from The Hero and the Outlaw, though I do quite a bit of curating, extrapolating, and updating in the process. It's a useful book, but it's not a perfect book. And, well, it's a book. Let's face it--Volkswagen can no longer claim the Innocent archetype, but Everlane can. The Coke (Innocent) - Pepsi (Jester) comparison has lost its fizz, but Uber (Ruler) and Lyft (Jester) is illuminating and relevant. Determining the North Star I used to let teams who were having a hard time committing blend two archetypes, and I've seen examples of other agency work that lands on these kind of "we couldn't quite get closure" Jester-Sage, Innocent-Magician hybrids, but I don't anymore. The whole point is to focus. I do, however, allow a particularly magnetic secondary archetype to inform the outward expression, or brand personality. We'll cover this textural twist in Part 3. After all, as I tried so hard to explain years ago, there is more than one way to be a Sage. #archetypetheory #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #heroarchetype #creatorarchetype #magicianarchetype #sagearchetype #explorerarchetype

I encountered brand archetype theory for the first time soon after Cranium was acquired by Hasbro. Hasbro's agency was leading an effort to "reinvent, reimagine, reignite" its dazzling toy chest of brands, and I joined a few all-day workshops where we explored the core customer desires underlying everything from Connect Four (no comment) to Mr. Potato Head (okay then) and Trivial Pursuit (now we're talking). I had never worked for an agency, but those strategy sessions were transformative and energizing for me. These were my people! They thought exactly how I thought! I drank it up like a cold glass of sparkling lemonade. But when the discussion turned to Cranium, things got tricky. Before the meeting, they had hired an outside "expert" to analyze each of the brands and declare the archetype, like a telemed doc handing out a chicken pox diagnosis, and I flat-out disagreed. It was wrong. It disregarded the fundamental principles of the brand we had poured our hearts and souls into. It turned Cranium from a complex tapestry into a caricature. I argued passionately. I got on the phone with this so-called expert and made my case. His review had been cursory; his responses wholly unsatisfying. I got my hands on a copy of The Hero and the Outlaw. I read it cover to cover, filling the margins with notes and exploring other possible fits to try to rescue the brand I loved. Somehow the issue got escalated to a group manager, who had little understanding of the underlying theory or vision for creative possibility. He pounded his executive gavel and sided with the expert. End of discussion. Soon after that, I left Hasbro. I can't say that was the reason precisely, but I knew I could only thrive in an environment that had room for nuance and collaboration and boundary-pushing creativity. I brought brand archetype theory with me. I became my own expert. I've now led dozens of collaborative brand archetype exercises. I took a giant room full of people through it at the Kohler headquarters as part of an on-site brand storytelling workshop. I've incorporated it into crash courses on personal branding, virtual creative mastermind sessions, and pro bono work for nonprofits. I've worked it into brand strategy development for a a print and packaging company (Explorer), a fintech startup (Magician), a digital marketing agency (Explorer), a new line of home coffee brewing products (Sage), and a company specializing in underground power cable rejuvenation (Hero). I've introduced it over Skype from my car, with team members calling in from Seattle, Stockholm, and Nairobi. The tool is powerful. I have never seen it not land. Every person gets engaged in the conversation, every time. I've developed my own particular way of applying it, which illuminates areas of non-alignment and alignment. It raises discussion points. It forces teams to confront their muddled messages. It demonstrates why everybody can't be like Apple or Uber. It guides toward focus and inspires ideas for product features and extensions, for customer service, for company culture. I have experienced, time and again, the electrifying moment that takes place when a team coalesces around the Ruler, the Everyman, or the Rebel, right there in the room. Sometimes it's more of a process, with extended discussion around the pros and cons, the implications, the opportunities presented by two or three of the archetypes. That is equally productive and just as clarifying. We always get there. We find our north star. Keep reading: Part 2, How I Geek Out on Archetype Theory #brandstorytelling #brandstrategy #archetypetheory #Cranium #creatorarchetype #heroarchetype #magicianarchetype #sagearchetype #explorerarchetype

Toward the latter part of my long tenure as Cranium's "Keeper of the Flame"--still hands down the best job I could ever hope to have--I led a new cross-functional initiative to extend the brand into the dicey territory of preschool learning. It was ambitious and exciting and extremely complex. We had multiple internal teams contributing games, toys, books, and puzzles to the line. We brought on partners specializing in kids' TV and publishing and industrial design. We had a board who wanted updates and a design agency and a packaging agency and product illustrators. We had teams of content and art developers and educational experts all working in different time zones, under a tight schedule. I was creating the materials to explain the core tenets of the brand to all of these far-flung partners. At Cranium we had a very clear and well-defined brand, grounded in Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, but brevity was not our strong suit. We had accumulated years of fantastic anecdotes and catch phrases and customer stories, but things had gotten messy. I needed to get everybody on the same page, fast. Getting things down to a single page? Practically impossible. It's been 10 years, but I vividly remember sitting in my red-walled office (all of our offices were painted in the brand colors), laboring over this one slide. Designing in PowerPoint is its own special hell, but I did my best to communicate the brand structure as well as its spirit. This was part of a much larger presentation, but creating this slide was the moment when I began to think less like an editorial director and more like a brand strategist. (There are some undeniable parallels.) This is when I really began to appreciate the value of clarity over quantity. As a team we had a penchant for giving massive, detail-packed presentations to immerse people in our exceptional brand and culture, but this really was getting everyone on the same page--one page. For product developers, this slide communicated that we had to keep all four quadrants--create, discover, perform, connect--in balance. For content writers and educational experts, it gave inspiration for the types of activities that could represent those quadrants. For designers and illustrators, it showed that the underlying educational principles always needed to be presented in a fun and friendly way, as personified by Gary Baseman's genius Cranium characters Creative Cat, Data Head, Star Performer, and Word Worm. Over time I have worked to incorporate this principle into my own work. Less is more. Clearer is better. Sometimes a single page is best of all. Do you need help getting your brand on one page? Let's chat! #communication #brandguidelines #brandstorytelling #Cranium #presentationtips #internalcommunications #brandactivation #brandstrategy

How we helped a fintech startup articulate a fresh philosophy and pave the way to product launch with brand-driven content. Bellevue, WA Fintech Focus: B2B, Internal CONTEXT Concur cofounder Steve Singh's new startup project, CenterCard, had developed some exciting technology to disrupt the long-stagnant corporate card industry, but a recent pivot had left the messaging outdated. With a launch announcement planned for Concur Fusion, the team needed new brand materials and website copy in a matter of weeks. The team needed new brand materials and website copy in a matter of weeks. VITAMIN C SERVICES Brand Strategy Stakeholder interviews; brand audit; competitive analysis Archetype analysis and external inspiration Development of brand purpose, position, and pillars Brand Activation Development of detailed messaging matrix Development of voice/tone guidelines, and brand vocabulary Brand guidance on new site structure, content strategy, and visual expression Brand Expression Development of all website copy and blog content, including Center Manifesto and research-based whitepaper capturing attitudes about budgeting and discretionary spend MOMENT OF CLARITY The stakeholder interviews were substantive and thought-provoking, but it was a simple, powerful phrase in an email forwarded from Center's controller--After all, budgets are a reflection of strategy--that inspired the core brand idea and fundamentally shaped the purpose, position, pillars, and manifesto. A simple, powerful phrase from Center's controller inspired the core brand idea and fundamentally shaped the purpose, position, pillars, and manifesto. CREATIVE INSPIRATION With its emphasis on vision, transformation, flow, and innovation, the Magician archetype proved to be the perfect archetype. CenterCard transforms budgeting into a strategic and collaborative tool to help businesses achieve more, and transforms culture in the process. This fundamental idea has inspired numerous blog pieces, PR pitches, and product ideas. The Magician archetype also articulates helpful boundaries--for example, ensuring that the product doesn't become too automatic and predictive, so customers retain the right amount of control. With its emphasis on vision, transformation, flow, and innovation, the Magician archetype proved to be the perfect archetype. CONTENT CLIP Even after the inevitable changes and evolutions that come with a startup, the Center Manifesto remains our north star for brand philosophy, content inspiration, and voice/tone. HAPPY CLIENT "The website content is sharp, easy to read, and consistent. Thank you for your sharp eye. You truly embody the scope we talk about for insights, both the big picture of what we want to convey and the details of getting it right, down to the last period and hyphen. We couldn't have done this without you." Heather Singh, CMO COLLABORATORS Bear Group (website development) Design Hovie Studios (website design) Barokas PR #brandstrategy #messaging #brandvoice #brandmanifesto #brandactivation #websitecontent #blogcontent #B2B #internalcomms #startup #magicianarchetype #CenterCard