Maggie_Ward_MG_9137

Maggie Ward

Director of Marketing Communications

Healthcare has been on a bull run. 

For decades, Americans have been shelling out an ever-increasing amount for their health. In 1960, Americans spent 5% of the GDP on healthcare. In 2020, national health expenditures grew 9.7%, to $4.1 trillion, or $12,530 per person, and accounted for 19.7% of gross domestic product ([CMS](https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NHE-Fact-Sheet)). If this trend continues, healthcare spending will make up 26% of GDP—$12 trillion—by 2040 ([Deloitte](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/future-health-care-spending.html)). A quarter of total U.S. revenue, spent on healthcare. 

But most likely, it won’t. 

Besides the obvious unsustainability of this momentum, a number of disruptive factors is taking aim at the healthcare space. Improvements in efficiencies strive to reduce waste and to introduce pricing transparency and cost-cap regulations to reduce bloat (including the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act). New competition from retailers threatens current monopolies—though, perhaps, by creating their own. And the general progress of medicine toward better outcomes seeks to reduce chronic and emergency needs in favor of preventative care. 

The impact of all these compounding factors is reduced prices. Which is life-changing news for consumers. But for businesses and their employees, it also means reduced revenues. 

A Deloitte study found that by 2040, health spending will hold about steady at 18.4% of the GDP, which, at $8.3 trillion, is a revenue gap to the tune of $3.7 trillion. And within this spending, the breakdown looks very different from today’s healthcare system: a 35% reduction in inpatient revenue and a 44% reduction in demand for hospital beds by 2030.

Instead, money will shift elsewhere—from 80% of health spending directed toward care and treatment to 60% of health spending directed toward improving well-being by 2040 ([Deloitte](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/future-health-care-spending.html)). That means that instead of focusing on emergency procedures and treating diseases, care will instead shift to a holistic and preventative model, which could encompass factors far beyond physical or mental ailments like financial health or community support. This is a significant shift from the status quo and represents a tidal wave of change for healthcare products. 

With money drying up in care and treatment, businesses are looking at new models—and revenue streams—in the health and whole-person wellness space to remain competitive. 

And in the rapidly unfolding future, they’ll have company. The consistent expansion of retail health competitors like Amazon and Walmart will slice into the market with competitive pricing and serve as an alternative to more traditional healthcare establishments. [Gartner predicts](https://emtemp.gcom.cloud/ngw/globalassets/en/doc/documents/757896-predicts-2022-connections-drive-healthcare-and-life-science-business-model-change.pdf) that “by 2025, 10 major employers will disintermediate payers’ provider networks by contracting directly with a major retailer to deliver low-acuity care, chronic disease management and ancillary health and wellness services to employees.” 


We’ve identified the current trends and trend drivers that will change why and how companies show up in the marketplace. This includes promising investments for the healthcare brands of tomorrow, including those that specialize in wearables, hospitals at home, telehealth, AI and data sharing, and their reason for being: consumer empowerment and ecosystem models. 

We then considered what obstacles will arise from these developments, and how companies can maintain their edge and get ahead of the challenges of tomorrow in order to establish themselves as emergent leaders. **We ascertained that building trust to drive choice will play a considerable role in market differentiation amid these hurdles.**

After all, technology is the great equalizer, not the differentiator. 

 
The healthcare system has been disappointing to U.S. patients and medical professionals alike for a very long time. America spends an exorbitant amount on healthcare compared with other developed countries, yet our life expectancy falls short of those with smaller spends ([Our World in Data](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy-vs-health-expenditure)). Our health is more expensive, and yet poorer, than the rest of the developed world.
 
In just the past few years, the satisfaction score for U.S. hospitals slid from [76 in 2018](https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals-health-systems/survey-consumer-satisfaction-hospitals-takes-a-dip-while-payer-score) to [69 in 2021](https://www.theacsi.org/industries/health-care/). This puts the satisfaction score for hospitals lower than that for audiences surveyed about their satisfaction with the IRS, which [came in at 71](https://www.theacsi.org/industries/government/).
 
Introducing the new, empowered healthcare consumer. Disappointed in the systems that deliver care, patients have sought more autonomy and control of their healthcare and health decisions.
 
The healthcare consumers of tomorrow are already equipped with growing information about their health. A [Deloitte study](https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/risk/us-the-power-of-network-edecosystems-new.pdf) showed that 76% of U.S. consumers have gone online to learn about health and care, 64% searched for provider reviews online and almost 50% tracked health metrics like blood sugar levels. 
 
But beyond research and information, healthcare consumers are actively seeking out alternative or complementary treatments—measured by the ballooning wellness industry, which is predicted to reach nearly $7 trillion by 2025 at a 9.9% average annual growth rate ([Global Wellness Institute](https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/statistics-and-facts/)). This is a huge opportunity for the healthcare industry to meet consumers’ needs by providing them with a holistic, well-rounded wellness experience.

Cutting-edge technologies are incredibly important. Yet the brightest future of healthcare lies not in its tools, but in better deployment of those tools.
 
In the past, industry titans relied on one of two strategies for growth: horizontal integration (acquiring or merging with companies that conduct business within the same plane of a product’s supply chain) or vertical integration (acquiring or merging with companies that conduct business throughout a product’s supply chain).
 
Tech companies upended industry as we know it by establishing a third strategy: functional integration, which places customers in the center of an ecosystem and uses their business to position products and services around the user.
 
But the control over limitless product types was only part of the model’s success—the real gold was in data. Companies had access to insights on consumer behavior and preferences like never before, and that data was then leveraged to provide hyper-relevant products, services and communication. This model creates a continuous value exchange, retaining the customer and creating a better consumer experience.
 
As the healthcare industry faces rapidly changing consumer demands—access to telehealth, hospital-at-home services, greater efficiencies at the digital front door—healthcare companies may be tempted to merge and acquire their way into capabilities better suited to this new landscape. But to really play and succeed, they will likely find more success in functional integration models.
 
That’s because M&A activity takes significant investment, in both resources and time, and creates behemoth organizations that sometimes struggle to pivot in the face of challengers. Functional integration, on the other hand, takes the onus off the healthcare company to provide end-to-end services within its wall (and all the talent, equipment and real estate that requires), and instead allows it to become the switchboard seamlessly connecting its customers with the right provider or products at the right time.
 
It can also speak to the empowered consumer. As mentioned above, healthcare consumers are seeking wellness-oriented care that can complement their medical treatments. A platform approach can lock customers into an ecosystem that provides everything from pharmaceuticals to meditation apps. Brands that adopt an ecosystem model support the network effect by unifying numerous products and services under a single idea so customers view interactions with companies as one holistic, beneficial and problem-solving experience, instead of the disjointed care we have today.
 
Retailers and tech companies are already starting, encroaching on a space that was once held solely by healthcare companies. Amazon, Walmart and even TikTok owner ByteDance are all making big moves into the healthcare space, with more joining every day. As we write this, CVS is making huge waves with its $8 billion acquisition of Signify Health. And retailers will have an advantage because of their existing ability to deliver a wide range of products to patients, both digitally and physically.

If empowerment and ecosystems are the societal and industry trends that make change attractive, then technologies are the trend drivers that make change possible. Here we examine these trend drivers and the characteristics their providers will compete on.

For the empowered healthcare consumer, access to their own data is incredibly important. And they will increasingly get their data not from providers or hospitals, but from the technology on their persons and in their homes.
 
[Research and Markets predicts](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190218005190/en/Global-534.3-Billion-Internet-of-Things-IoT-in-Healthcare-Market-2018-2025-by-Component-Connectivity-Technology-Application-and-Segment-Forecasts---ResearchAndMarkets.com) that “the global internet of things (IoT) in healthcare market size is expected to reach USD 534.3 billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 20.2% over the forecast period.”
 
What was once only available in-hospital can now be worn on the wrist. And this access is quickly changing how we receive information about our health. [Deloitte found](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/blog/health-care-blog/2020/streaming-services-made-music-cheap-and-accessible-the-same-thing-could-happen-to-health-care.html) that Americans visit their physician about four times a year, and they experience 0.5 health-related micro-interactions every day—think your Apple Watch alerting you to a fast heart rate. But by 2040, it projects that “the typical American will have 77 daily health-related micro-interactions, while spending less time interacting with their doctor.”
 
The possibilities for these “wearables” and smart devices are endless: smart toothbrushes that detect genetic changes indicating disease, clothing that measures temperature and dehydration, jewelry that clocks sleep patterns, toilets that test urine for infections or pregnancy, cars that detect increased heart rate and intervene with soothers or warnings before road rage takes over.
 
And the data they will provide, both to the consumer as well as to healthcare professionals and companies, will be critical toward building both better personal and community health. It will also come with significant trust issues, but more on that later.

Technology enables healthcare to happen anywhere. And in particular, in the home.
 
The model of hospital at home has a significant benefit to the patient, including control over the environment, lower costs and reduced risk of nosocomial infections. These benefits are already causing movement, with [Gartner predicting](https://emtemp.gcom.cloud/ngw/globalassets/en/doc/documents/757896-predicts-2022-connections-drive-healthcare-and-life-science-business-model-change.pdf) that “by 2025, 40% of healthcare providers will shift 20% of hospital beds to the patient’s home through digitally enabled hospital-at-home services, improving patient experience and outcomes and reducing the cost of care,” and [Grand View Research predicting](https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2022-07-07/home-healthcare-market-to-be-worth-634-9-billion-by-2030-grand-view-research-inc) that the home healthcare market will be worth $634.9 billion by 2030.
 
Consumers are also embracing virtual care. [McKinsey reports](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/telehealth-a-quarter-trillion-dollar-post-covid-19-reality) that telehealth has stabilized at 38 times its pre-pandemic levels, and that the number of virtual-first health plans grew from only one in 2019 to at least eight in 2020. The lower cost and convenience doesn’t take away from consumer satisfaction—[Accenture reports](https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-171/Accenture-Global-Exec-Summary-Final.pdf#zoom=40) that “virtual experiences create very nearly as much positive emotion as in-person consultations, and patients would use digital technology for a number of important interactions with healthcare organizations.”
 
The future where healthcare can be delivered remotely is almost here, and AI adoption plays a critical role in delivering these personalized, decentralized experiences. But we would say AI’s main target is inefficiency for both providers and patients alike.
 
And it’s an industry that could use more efficiency—according to an academic paper from Humana Inc., about 25% of healthcare spending can be categorized as waste ([*JAMA*](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2752664)).
 
For providers, AI can streamline everything from diagnostics and the coordination of care to scheduling and staff rotations. And for patients, it enables a personalized, seamless experience throughout care and treatment. Which is important—an [Accenture study](https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-171/Accenture-Global-Exec-Summary-Final.pdf#zoom=40) attributes the most frequent source of bad experiences to inefficient visits to medical providers. [Deloitte predicts](https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/finance/future-of-cyber-in-the-future-of-health.pdf) that by 2023, 20% of all patient interactions will involve some form of AI in either clinical or nonclinical applications, up from 4% in 2020.
 
The breakthrough technology around accessibility and efficiency will provide more people with the healthcare they desperately need, with lower costs for operators because of the decreased need for real estate. With savings in both operating costs and efficiencies, and better offerings to consumers, these advancements will have a significant impact on how people access care.

Healthcare companies that are ready to embrace these new technologies, speak to the empowered customer and dive into a functional integration model face numerous infrastructural challenges. But many of them boil down to the pursuit of the gold standard of brand and consumer relations: trust.
 
Trust is a critical component of strong brands. Trust in the product; trust in the provider of the product; and trust that when something goes wrong, the provider will fix it.
 
When it comes to trust and the future of healthcare, trust in data and data protection will be paramount for the brands looking to stand out from the crowd and create a competitive edge.
 
There’s a lot of room for growth.
 
The public perception of data security in healthcare is tepid at best. An [Accenture study](https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-171/Accenture-Global-Exec-Summary-Final.pdf#zoom=40) found that 41% of people “very much” trusted healthcare providers to safeguard their data, 39% “a little.” The results were even worse for tech companies, which received a 10% “very much” and 31% “a little” rating.
 
Perception aside, the public drive is there to finally create better data sharing. Moving between different EHR systems has long been challenging for patients and providers alike, with EHR companies highly disincentivized to offer collaboration. A [study from the Pew Charitable Trusts](https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/07/most-americans-want-to-share-and-access-more-digital-health-data) found that “a clear majority of respondents—81%—said different providers should be able to share health data about patients they have in common.” In addition, “more than 2 in 3 want their various clinicians to exchange specific information in health records—such as advanced care plans or end-of-life preferences, images, and family medical histories—that federal data-sharing policies don’t currently require.”
 
And in a big win for personalization, [the study found](https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/07/most-americans-want-to-share-and-access-more-digital-health-data) that “by a roughly 2-to-1 margin, respondents were comfortable with their health providers scanning patient fingerprints or assigning individuals a unique number or code to ensure that different EHR systems correctly match records for the same person, a long-standing challenge of data exchange.”
 
How can healthcare brands establish the trust that will set them apart in this competitive new landscape? First off, healthcare companies need to invest in the security technologies that will enable them to protect patient data and work with third-party companies to create a better patient experience without endangering data safety. 
 
But it’s not enough to build the infrastructure anymore—successful brands need to convey a feeling of trust and credibility to these newly empowered customers.
 
Although the infrastructure needs to support a rebuttal to these challenges, public perception will be managed by good branding. The following sections outline the three considerations for building a trustworthy brand in the healthcare space.

When it comes to communicating care and trust, how a brand shows up can do some seriously heavy lifting. Think of tech companies, and how even a behemoth like Google feels fun and approachable. Tapping into the success that tech companies have had even as they accumulate an enormous amount of data can yield important lessons to healthcare companies hoping to do the same.
 
One of the biggest challenges for healthcare companies adopting an ecosystem model—either as the controller of the ecosystem or as a niche provider of excellent services within it—is how to communicate that care and trust across a wide array of partners.
 
Whenever you stitch together a series of collectives, it can be difficult to smooth out the edges into a seamless user experience. As companies look to adopt an ecosystem model to better serve their empowered customers and grab a larger share of the marketplace, many will likely struggle with the number of partners that might be working in tandem at any given time in said ecosystem. Partnering with best-of-breed services provides the most cutting-edge, innovative health-and-wellness experiences, but it also requires stitching together not only technologies but also cultures, delivery mechanisms and brand experience.
 
The overlap of the companies and their roles will need to be carefully orchestrated and defined to create consistency, not confusion. Are all companies equally visible? If not, what is the hierarchy? How do you communicate the value proposition of each, and how does this fit into the larger ecosystem?
 
Answering these questions, strategizing the approach, ensuring all members are on the same page, and building in the branding and marketing strategy to pull it all off will be the most difficult challenges healthcare companies face—but they will also set the stage for success when it comes to a coordinated brand that consumers can trust throughout their experience with multiple providers.

AI has the power to do much more than replace physical encounters with digital ones. And the customer journey through a healthcare platform should include surprise and delight at the seamlessness, personalization and speed.
 
This begins with a wide digital front door.
 
To attract and retain the newly empowered healthcare consumer, healthcare companies need to think more like a D2C company. This mindset starts with casting a wide net to attract new users on digital platforms. First, easy-to-find, relevant content about a company’s market differentiation should be quickly accessible and delivered to its target audiences at the right time. Advertising, search, website, mobile app—all require consistent branding and messaging that speaks to the consumer’s needs at the precise moment they need it.
 
Perhaps a patient searches for their symptoms and lands on a page that connects them with a chatbot. From there, they are directed to the right telehealth doctor, who can then prescribe them medication that is delivered to their door within a few hours.
 
All of these experiences increase the likelihood that a potential customer will not only continue their journey through purchase, but will also recommend and use a service in the future.

Throughout the transition to consumer trust building, it’s essential that employees and stakeholders be included, consulted and cared for to receive essential input from personnel on the ground and ensure that the brand carries a sense of ownership to the people who will be its face every day. In the case of healthcare providers, it could be the way for companies to establish trust with their consumers.
 
In fact, a recent study shows that providers may hold the key to helping companies establish the consumer trust they’re looking for. [The Pew Charitable Trusts](https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/07/most-americans-want-to-share-and-access-more-digital-health-data) found that 76% of survey participants were comfortable with apps that were pre-approved by their providers, while 61% were comfortable with apps pre-approved by an independent certification board. This statistic signals that provider buy-in will be critical to mass adoption of new app technologies, and that there is a white space ready for a trusted, accredited institution to become the certifier of trustworthy apps.
 
But *getting* top talent to build that patient rapport will likely mean a *war* for talent. The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for hospital morale. More than one-third of nurses plan to quit their jobs in 2022, with 32% planning to retire or leave the field and 40% planning to get a job in nursing somewhere else ([HealthLeaders](https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/nursing/one-third-nurses-plan-quit-their-jobs-2022-thanks-high-stress-and-burnout)). And burnout remains high across the board, with 52% of respondents in a recent study reporting “a great deal” of stress, and under 50% of providers reporting that they feel valued by their organization ([American Medical Association](https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/burnout-benchmark-28-unhappy-current-health-care-job)).
 
Investing in healthcare providers and offering the support and technology they need to improve efficiencies and outcomes can greatly reduce this turnover. Another study shows that individuals who feel valued by their organization have an almost 60% reduction in experiencing burnout, as well as likelihood to leave their current position ([American Medical Association](https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/burnout-benchmark-28-unhappy-current-health-care-job)). New York University Stern School marketing professor Scott Galloway noted in a recent piece that “physicians spend just 27% of their time helping patients—49% is spent dealing with electronic health records. That includes documentation, order entry, billing, and inbox management. In other words, you spend a decade going to school to get an M.D., only to become a bureaucrat” ([“No Mercy / No Malice”](https://www.profgalloway.com/prime-health/)). Investing in workflow efficiencies and AI technologies that can help providers spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, and working with them to build a lived brand experience, will in turn result in better healthcare for consumers and continue to improve trust in healthcare brands.

We believe the healthcare industry is poised to change for the better. By empowering consumers with their health data and creating better, more cohesive health and wellness experiences, these changes may finally create a healthcare system that is built like the human body it treats: holistic and interconnected.
 
But the question of which companies will be there when it’s done will be determined by their willingness to adapt and invest in their brand during a period of expanded consumer choice—and to build a better future for the empowered healthcare consumer.

*Contributors: Amyri Williams, Jeff Walker, Jerry Stiedaman, Mike Walsh. 
Editor: Maria Erdmann. 
Illustrator: Cody Fenske.*

Building the Strong Healthcare Brands of Tomorrow 

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Dana Arnett

Chief Executive Officer

VSA CEO Dana Arnett and dreams • design + life CCO Kevin Bethune recently interviewed writer and editor Perrin Drumm, the head of publishing at the book imprint for indie film distribution and production company A24.
 
Drumm discusses her journey from the corporate world of Condé Nast into an organization-defining role at AIGA, working on Eye on Design, and most recently into her current home at A24. Drumm’s inspiration—and her success—comes from finding unlikely sources. 
 
“Inspiration is everywhere,” Drumm says. “You don’t necessarily need to just follow design inspo feeds. People want actual stories, and they want to hear from people. And it’s really refreshing.” 
 
“The Design of Business | The Business of Design” is a podcast from Design Observer, now in its 10th season. Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune co-host the show, exploring how design works within complex organizations to shape decisions and processes, drive innovation, evolve products and services, and more. 
 
[Click here to listen to the episode](https://designobserver.com/article.php?id=40562) and learn more about this Design Observer podcast. 
 


Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune Interview Perrin Drumm

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VSA CEO Dana Arnett and dreams • design + life CCO Kevin Bethune recently interviewed Vernon Lockhart, the executive director of Chicago-based design education and mentoring initiative Project Osmosis. Lockhart also serves as an adjunct instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Design, and is the founder and principal of Art on the Loose, a creative consulting firm specializing in exhibition design and brand identity.
 
In this episode, Lockhart speaks to both metamorphosis and mentorship. Lockhart delves into the origins of Project Osmosis and how its building blocks might inform the future of design. It all began with an invitation. 
 
“I learned quickly that the biggest reason why people aren’t exposed to something is because they never received an invitation,” he says. 
 
Here’s more from Lockhart on breaking down barriers to design: “We all have the human right to be creative—I truly believe that we all do. And it shouldn’t be based on finance, or borders, or boundaries. You know that those things need to be removed and we need to do it in a way where we not only just break them down, but make sure that they can’t be rebuilt.” 
 
“The Design of Business | The Business of Design” is a podcast from Design Observer, now in its 10th season. Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune co-host the show, exploring how design works within complex organizations to shape decisions and processes, drive innovation, evolve products and services, and more. 
 
[Click here to listen to the episode](lhttps://designobserver.com/article.php?id=40556) and learn more about this Design Observer podcast. 

Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune Interview Vernon Lockhart

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VSA CEO Dana Arnett and dreams • design + life CCO Kevin Bethune recently interviewed Jane Saks, the president and artistic director of Project&. She is also the co-founder and co-artistic director of M2M: Monuments to Movements. 
 
In this episode, Saks shares the origin stories behind the many projects that make up her “collaged life,” how she redesigns traditional spaces to be inclusive and expansive, and how she engages a variety of artists, architects, designers and writers to take on some of the biggest social justice challenges of our time. 
 
Here’s a quote from Saks during their chat, on the complementary roles of art and design, and the role of art as “a second respondent”:
 
“When you need blood and sandbags and shelter and food, you don’t call it an art, right? It’s not the first to get there at the fire. Now, it can soothe a baby who’s crying—I’m not saying it isn’t often a first responder, but it’s really a second respondent. And that’s where the idea of design and architecture and art and culture really come together. As a second respondent, we get to be reflective. We get to risk, we get to be courageous, make mistakes. We can’t make mistakes as a first responder, right? And so that’s where the properties of these fields really kind of overlap. So if you have a chance to rethink building shelter, what does that look like? What does that feel like? How does it make people feel? And so as a second respondent, you can question. And it also means that you can commit to getting deeper and deeper into the problem. That’s what art and culture does. It’s what design is and it’s what architecture does.”
 
“The Design of Business | The Business of Design” is a podcast from Design Observer, now in its 10th season. Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune co-host the show, exploring how design works within complex organizations to shape decisions and processes, drive innovation, evolve products and services, and more. 
 
[Click here](https://designobserver.com/article.php?id=40553) to listen to the episode and learn more about this Design Observer podcast. 

Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune Interview Jane Saks

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Matt Ganser

Creative Director, Design

Depending on whom you talk to, brand guidelines can be considered either indispensable or completely invisible. For some brands, guidelines are a lighthouse, transmitting a reliable signal and uniting brand creators through the fog of uncertainty. For others, guidelines are an unused and unseen formality, considered a restrictive tool that inhibits creativity. 

But putting aside the emotions they evoke, what brand guidelines are is simple: a set of rules and standards that create a cohesive brand appearance across channels. From typography, imagery and tone of voice to countless other expression decisions, brand guidelines provide a single source of truth to communicate the brand strategy. 

We consistently find a direct connection between high-achieving brands and thoughtfully constructed brand guidance. And brand guidance has only increased in importance over the past few decades. Considering the rapid acceleration of modern marketing channels, more is being asked of brands than ever before. Even once-sleepy B2B categories now force brands to compete in a world where coordinated performance across social media, digital, earned and paid media is no longer voluntary. And competing in this new reality forces brands to consider every aspect of their brand execution by transforming their brand guidance from invisible to indispensable. 

How to get there? We rely on three principles when creating brand guidelines for our clients: intended audience knowledge, dynamic interfaces, and consistent brand training. Together, these considerations build brand guidelines that will not only be used, but will also be supremely useful toward creating cohesive brand experiences, building brand awareness and ultimately driving revenue and growth for our clients. 

**Know your audience**
The world of brand execution is rapidly evolving—and with it, there’s exponential growth in both the quantity of content required and the number of roles necessary to create it. For example, what was once simply referred to as “digital design” has blossomed to include multiple disciplines of creators, from animators to influencers to media buyers—each with a distinct responsibility for brand output. 

Branding has expanded beyond the output of what traditional designers and writers can achieve, and brand guidelines must evolve to value the unique needs of these new creators.

Without brand guidelines, chaos ensues. But with too tight a grip, the innovation and flexibility required by these fast-paced digital platforms is stifled by a cage of brand requirements. Choosing the right level for your company begins with recognizing that different types of creators and users require different levels of exactitude—and building your brand guidelines to reflect their needs. 

The best-designed brands will fail if the people executing the brand are unable to successfully deliver the intent of the brand guidelines. Indeed, it’s common for brands to have talented creatives at the ready without the infrastructure that would allow them to succeed. Whatever the talent level available, brands must be realistic in assessing the skill and commitment required to implement their brand systems, and it starts by identifying each brand’s unique priorities. A direct-to-consumer brand will prioritize brand guidance principles differently than a business-to-business brand, and the rules will vary for each group of practitioners.

When creating brand systems, we’re consistently thinking about the user experience of the people who will ultimately build the brands we’ve designed. The final assembly of brand guidance is for us a culmination of the insights and decisions that guided us from the very start of the project. 

Consider how a pioneering DTC brand like Warby Parker continuously uses a brand expression on the cutting edge of trends by prioritizing design aesthetics. It’s a delicate balance for Warby Parker to stay culturally current while building brand equity. Striking that balance requires a collection of uniquely talented practitioners to create nuanced branded experiences. Brands in this scenario recognize the freedom their practitioners need and prioritize brand principles over prescriptive brand rules. Generally speaking, the more advanced and specialized the makeup of your creative team, the more appropriate these flexible brand principles become.

A different scenario is common for B2B brands, where brand consistency and systems thinking is prioritized. This approach also requires a collection of talented practitioners, but this group is skilled in different ways. They’re able to unite disconnected executions, creating consistent branded experiences. Doing this requires the brand to provide definition, structure and clearly defined rules. A positive byproduct of this structure means brands in this scenario can work with a broader selection of practitioners, because general skills are best suited to accomplish the brand’s goals. Accordingly, when creating guidelines for this scenario, brands must recognize that they are simultaneously speaking to multiple skill levels and craft their guidance to match that reality.
 
It’s simply not enough for us to just design a beautiful brand. Brand guidelines must match the executional realities of the practitioners who will execute the brand every day, and support them with both the appropriate amount of structure and flexibility. 

**Create a dynamic interface**
In a rapidly fading past life, brand guidelines were delivered via PDF. Today, the best brand guidelines are digital—and dynamic. The PDF guidelines of the past created significant challenges for the users, specifically the density and lack of clarity in the guidance found in PDF due to their extended length. Add in small text sizes and missing navigation functionality, and interfacing with PDF guidelines often felt like taking an AP test when you’ve only taken the regular class for the semester. Secondarily, once a PDF of the guidelines is created, it immediately becomes nearly impossible to update. The guidelines become a frozen monument to a moment in time, making ongoing brand updates all the more challenging to implement. 

Digital solutions solve these problems. The fundamental relationship between curated guidance and website hierarchy forces a distillation of information that prioritizes clarity. And the dynamic nature means updates are easy and immediate. The ability to push updates to audiences while providing instantaneous access to assets allows brand guidelines to move at the speed of the digital world—evolving with the users, not holding them back.

**The importance of brand training**
We believe every employee plays a role in the successful representation of a brand’s strategy. Even the employees you wouldn’t normally consider integral to delivering brand messaging are routinely in a position to communicate on behalf of the brand, and each of those moments needs to align with the brand strategy for a modern brand to thrive. From those unexpected brand ambassadors through traditional brand creatives, every person who interacts with the brand should receive initial brand training followed by update sessions at regular intervals. For corporations, training on the brand guidelines should be as commonplace as security training.

Building on a baseline of brand training, customized training can then be deployed for creators where more specialized knowledge is required to produce nuanced aspects of brand expression. And for advanced creators, brand playbooks are a useful tool to communicate how to implement modified campaign expressions for niche audiences. (We’ll cover more about brand playbooks in part two.) 

A quick Google search will highlight many off-the-shelf brand training approaches, but in our view, brand training needs to be every bit as unique as the brands they represent. Both the subjects communicated and the method for delivering the guidance need to be appropriate for the expectations and personality of the individual brands. 

**Conclusion**
The brands that succeed in today’s fast-paced marketing ecosystem create thoughtfully considered digital brand guidelines that keep the audience in mind—and then train their creators with customized, flexible brand education. 

VSA Partners is dedicated to creating better human experiences for our brand partners, and these human experiences don’t end outside the company’s walls. By building the framework for employees and creators to consistently carry out a cohesive brand experience, brand guidelines create a powerful force for brand cohesion and awareness. From the starting line to years after implementation, the brand guidelines we build are not just built to last—they’re built to scale. 

Interested in working with us? [Let’s start a conversation](https://www.vsapartners.com/contact) to discover how we can help you more clearly communicate your brand to your brand creators.

How to Create Brand Guidelines People Will Actually Use

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VSA CEO Dana Arnett recently joined dreams • design + life CCO Kevin Bethune to interview Johnson & Johnson Chief Design Officer Ernesto Quinteros on the Design Observer podcast “The Design of Business | The Business of Design” (“DBBD”). 
 
In this episode, Dana and Kevin get Ernesto’s perspective on the midcareer decisions designers struggle with, the skill sets companies look for in designers and teams, how to bring the consumer into the design process, and much more. 
 
Ernesto also shares the journey and learnings that brought him into his current role, which is deeply rooted in both his personal history and future legacy: 
 
“I realized I didn’t want to keep designing products that weren’t having a positive impact on people…. Working in healthcare was an opportunity for me to give back. Witnessing my mom’s health issues, having some experience in healthcare, I wanted my children to look at their dad and say, ‘Hey, Dad’s doing something that’s meaningful with design.’” 
 
“The Design of Business | The Business of Design” is a podcast from Design Observer, now in its 10th season. Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune co-host the show, exploring how design works within complex organizations to shape decisions and processes, drive innovation, evolve products and services, and more. 
 
[Click here](https://designobserver.com/article.php?id=40548) to listen to the episode and learn more about this Design Observer podcast.


Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune Interview Ernesto Quinteros

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Very excited to share that VSA Partners was awarded the MUSE Creative Platinum Award for its work on Connections Academy’s Invite Knowledge In campaign. 

Connections Academy is a tuition-free online educator. They came to us looking to elevate their brand from the sea of sameness that typifies the marketing in their industry–in so many words, “kids in front of screens.” The goal was straightforward: Increase brand awareness, recall, and favorability.

Connections Academy’s approach to online learning brings an inspiring curriculum directly into the homes of their students and their families. Taught by educators trained specifically in online learning, they really do “bring the lessons to life.”

So for our creative approach, that’s exactly what we did. In a series of films, we encouraged viewers to “invite knowledge in” by showing historical figures (symbolizing Connections Academy’s range of academic subjects) brought to life and dropped directly into the worlds of our students. From Cleopatra and Newton on a school bus, to a centaur in the hallway, to a medieval knight removing his shoes before heading inside, we created a visual landscape that drove home our clients’ point of difference, and stepped completely outside the creative conventions of the industry.

The finished work was unlike anything else in the category, and the clients were thrilled with the elevated and highly differentiated new look this work gave to the brand. 

We’re deeply grateful for this recognition from the MUSE Creative Awards, and very proud of the team that created this impactful campaign. Check out the campaign videos below.

VSA Partners Wins MUSE Creative Platinum Award

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VSA Partners is thrilled to announce we received a Silver award and five honorable mentions in the 2023 Graphis Design Awards program. 
 
Our work performed for Spacial, a prefab manufacturing company of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), received Silver, and our work for Udemy, FuelCell Energy, Curia, Affirm B2B and Chicago Council on Global Affairs all received honorable mentions. 
 
VSA is honored to have received these accolades from the 2023 Graphis Design Awards program, and deeply grateful to the incredible team members who made it happen. 
 
Read on below for a little more about each of the projects! 
 
**Spacial: Silver Award**
 
When Innovatus Capital Partners came to VSA, it was interested in launching an ADU business because of their sustainability and their viability as an affordable housing solution. So VSA got to work building the strategy, identity, expression, and application.
 
VSA launched a positioning strategy that owned the territory of “Space with Soul,” which connected with a desire in consumers to extend their home without losing the design details that make a space feel human.
 
For the new name, VSA landed on the the elegant, light-filled concept of “Spacial,” which nods to the efficient use of square footage, the natural light available, and possibilities this additional space unlocks. 
 
We created a typographic logo for Spacial that is approachable and straightforward, just like Spacial’s approach to housing. A color bar brings together Spacial’s new palette to represent how Spacial is used to add vibrancy to life. 
 
In addition to the brand identity work, we also created a digital presence for Spacial. Our platform work included a responsive website, social media marketing and a Salesforce-enabled lead-capture engine built to launch the brand online and drive awareness and customer engagement. In less than six months, VSA delivered over 1,000 qualified leads. 
 
**Udemy: Honorable Mention**
 
Udemy is the world’s largest online learning platform. But the brand was suffering from a transactional perception and had faded into the broad landscape of online education. VSA Partners was selected to aid Udemy in a transformation, including strategy, identity, expression and digital platform design.
 
We landed on the positioning of Udemy as empowerment. The direction seeks to elevate the many voices of Udemy to convey a community-led redefining of what education can be. 
 
Our work included a logo redesign where we embodied the idea of upward movement and breaking boundaries. We also worked with Udemy to identify purple as its primary color. Purple is the color of imagination and speaks to Udemy’s promise to inspire new possibilities and encourage growth. We selected the optimal display font for Udemy’s brand expression as Suisse Works, which gives an editorial quality that communicates trust and expertise. 
 
This complete system of storytelling equipped Udemy to transform its digital presence and ed-tech profile, and strengthened its ability to attract learners and instructors alike. Two years after VSA’s foundational work, Udemy increased its instructor base from 42,000 to 60,000 and grew its online curriculum to 175,000 courses.
 
**FuelCell Energy: Honorable Mention**
 
Although FuelCell Energy had evolved to become a leader in clean energy, its brand identity had fallen behind in effectively communicating its new core mission. VSA Partners joined FuelCell to take its renewed corporate purpose—to enable the world to live empowered by clean energy—and translate this into a communicative brand expression system. 
 
The final brand identity is full of symbolism. The design’s use of gradients signals the journey its customers take toward achieving carbon zero. The reductive footprint of the border design system reinforces how frictionless the adoption of clean energy can be. FuelCell was also equipped with a color scheme associated with lower ink toxicity that, ironically, hues like green can have. The typeface ABC Diatype was selected because of its clean yet warm appearance and its ability to reinforce the overall brand commitment to being minimal and waste-free. 
 
Lastly, the logo is a clever embodiment of the brand’s work and identity. The logo design is inspired by the movement of molecules in fuel cells. The letterforms also incorporate F, C, E and L—the letters that make up FuelCell’s stock ticker symbol. The upper-right segment of the logo also completes the “zero,” which visualizes the company’s mission of achieving zero carbon emissions. 
 
**Curia: Honorable Mention**
 
AMRI needed a new brand vision that would match its ambitious business goals, and it chose VSA to rebrand and reinvent its brand identity and expression. 
 
Our assessment found that the contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) industry was meeting table-stakes needs but falling short on customer experience. This led us to create a brand that leans into customer-centricity and values character, in addition to projecting its deep credentials in the life sciences. 
 
In just over six months, the company announced its new name, Curia, and launched its holistic new brand. The name, which connotes intellectual curiosity and means “an assembly of minds,” gave VSA an approachable direction for the design of the brand. Our brand toolkit supports this with human-centric photography, a warm but unconventional color palette for the category, and language that connects Curia’s science and scale to its ultimate purpose: better patient outcomes. Curia’s people, customers and end-patients are front and center in the brand’s expression. 
 
VSA’s partnership with Curia resulted in a strong, forward-focused brand that could communicate all the amazing capabilities of this groundbreaking company. The vibrant, thoughtful brand expression is easily able to adapt across mediums and campaigns, creating a strong foundation for Curia’s ambitious future. 
 
**Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Honorable Mention**
 
In advance of its 100th anniversary, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs sought a digital transformation that would boost brand recognition and differentiation. VSA Partners was tasked with defining this digital transformation and positioning the organization to connect with new audiences.
 
Our work elevated and energized the existing identity in preparation for the Council’s next 100 years, while also adding robust new design guidelines that spoke to the organization’s desire for transformation. In the design elements, we shifted the focus on the organization from regional to global, bringing more global colors and universal elements to the palette and typography. 
 
Our elements also coalesced to emphasize a more human focus. From the typography selected to the use of the “C” as a framing device, we put humans and human issues in the center of our design. We also nodded to the complexity of many of these issues by using a layered approach to storytelling, using shapes and transparency to demonstrate multiple perspectives. Colors were moved to include green for a more global approach, and typefaces were thoughtfully chosen to represent the Council’s brand, reflecting both its history of credibility and its open and promising future.
 
**Affirm B2B: Honorable Mention **
 
While Affirm’s B2B program had great numbers on its side, it lacked a unified point of view. VSA was tasked with moving Affirm from a tactical marketing strategy to instead unify their marketing efforts into a cohesive platform. To do so, we created an identity, messaging, branding, advertising, and a campaign platform that could be used across multiple channels to drive differentiation in the category. 
 
The central campaign platform rallied around the cry to “turn up the volume,” which emphasizes Affirm’s ability to increase conversions, customer love, and sales for businesses. This idea was carried out into the visual identity, key messaging, core assets, and a playbook for external and internal partners to work from. Throughout all the materials, we focused on infusing flexibility into our expression system, both in copy and design. The system itself is simple, but allows for a multitude of combinations and mediums. Every design element was thoughtfully crafted to symbolize growth, which builds a cohesive story while still offering a range of options to the Affirm team. This interchangeability allows for messaging, imagery and even graphics to easily be swapped in and out for each other—without losing the strong point of view. 

VSA Partners Wins Multiple Graphis Design Awards

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Ariadna Navarro

Chief Strategy Officer

VSA’s Chief Strategy Officer Ariadna Navarro was recently featured on the Crypto Current podcast as a guest speaker. Ari and Crypto Current’s host Richard Carthon dove deep into how to create breakthrough Web3 brands—particularly in cryptocurrency. Topics include Ari’s cryptocurrency “Alice in Wonderland” origin story, the markers of fanatic communities, ethical mandates for cryptocurrency and trading companies operating today, and how to grow audiences through human-centered design. 

Check out the video below, or [click here to listen](https://crypto-current.co/ariadna-navarro-vsa-partners-creating-breakthrough-web3-brands/). 

Ariadna Navarro Guest Speaker on Crypto Current Podcast

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Curt Schreiber

Chief Creative Officer

VSA's Chief Creative Officer Curt Schreiber was selected to participate in the Design Museum of Chicago's latest exhibit, "The Correct Time." Curt was tasked with designing a clock face that challenges how we will design and think about time into the future. His work appeared alongside 23 other designers' pieces—one for each hour of the day—as part of an extension of Barbara Koenen's 1989 work "The Correct Time." Koenen's original piece collected 720 donated broken clocks, one for each minute in 12 hours. Afterall, a broken clock is right twice a day. 

The exhibit is free and open to the public until October 3, 2022 at the Design Museum of Chicago. [To learn more, click here](https://www.designchicago.org/the-correct-time). 

And check out the following reviews and press mentions of the exhibit:
- [3rd Coast Review: Hundreds of Clocks Show the Beauty and Absurdity of Time in New Design Museum Exhibit](https://thirdcoastreview.com/2022/08/13/review-clocks-design-museum-exhibit/)
- [Newcity: It’s About Time: A Review of The Correct Time at the Design Museum of Chicago](https://design.newcity.com/2022/08/17/its-about-time-a-review-of-the-correct-time-at-the-design-museum-of-chicago/)

This is an interactive entry—go ahead and give the number on Curt's piece a call!

"The Correct Time"

Curt Schreiber Featured in Design Museum of Chicago Exhibit "The Correct Time"

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Go ahead, be unreasonable. You might just win some awards.

We’re very excited to share that the Spectrum Enterprise’s “Be Unreasonable” campaign earned THREE first placements in the Cablefax Faxies awards, an awards program covering the technology infrastructure communications world. It’s a huge testament to the work, to the team, and in particular to our belief that big-idea creative thinking belongs in B2B communications.

The “Be Unreasonable” campaign takes aim at “one-size-fits-all” solutions by highlighting Spectrum Enterprise’s client-centric approach. Instead of boxing in their clients with ill-fitting solutions, Spectrum Enterprise tailors their approach to their clients in order to solve their toughest problems.

While many campaigns in their sector often focus on technical specifications to tout their expertise, VSA’s work with Spectrum Enterprise tried something different—an empathetic approach that focuses on the partnership and human collaboration. This approach puts the focus back on Spectrum Enterprise’s reputation for stellar customer experiences, and an embracing of clients seeking the best solutions for their businesses. 

Spectrum Enterprise's Be Unreasonable Campaign Wins Awards

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Bill Maday

Associate Partner, Executive Creative Director

Logic and [math](https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2020/06/17/global-study-reveals-consumers-are-four-to-six-times-more-likely-to-purchase-protect-and-champion-purpose-driven-companies/?sh=3d403ce0435f) tell us that purpose-driven brands earn more love from employees and customers—not to mention a higher share of wallet. Of course, making clear what you stand for in a way that people actually care about is much easier said than done. For VSA clients, defining—or redefining—who you are and what you stand for often begins with three definitions: purpose, vision and mission.

Why? And what are the differences? Fair questions. After all, a quick Google search shows you that many companies only have one or two, and “purpose” and “mission” are often used interchangeably. But we think the three work best together, setting the North Star and providing direction for those cloudy days when the path forward feels a little hazy. Think of it this way: purpose sets the course, vision acts as the map, and mission is Siri telling you where to turn (and when you’ve gone off course).
 
 

### **Definitions and Tips**

As mentioned above, terminology is all over the place when it comes to purpose, vision and mission. So, it’s probably helpful to start with how we define the various pieces: 

**Purpose:**
Put simply, this is why the company exists. It’s a calling, meant to distill corporate aspiration into a memorable and actionable phrase. In a few words, these statements clarify criteria for success, drive understanding among external audiences and stakeholders, and inspire consistent action within the organization over the long term. They’re also the basis for brand development and for function as a business tool—guiding decisions in R&D, product development, market expansion and M&A, for starters. 

Make it:
- Big, bold, long term
- Grounded in the human benefit 
- The why, not the how

**Vision: **
A vision statement is an ideal end-state that the corporation and its work will make possible. By definition, it’s aspirational—a stretch goal, a guidepost for ongoing change and achievement over the medium term. The statement should be specific, and it should evolve as the company achieves its goals. 

Make it:
- Connected to—but more specific than—purpose
- Open to evolution as business goals are achieved
- Medium term

**Mission: **
This is a statement of the actions needed to achieve the vision. These are specific, measurable, near-term goals. This statement is often fairly long, detailed and dry. That’s okay; in fact, that’s the point. Whereas a purpose statement is written to lift a company’s gaze, the mission statement is meant to keep its feet on solid ground. 

Make it:
- The how, not the why  
- Detailed and measurable
- Short term
 
 

### **The Power of Purpose **

Purpose statements are tough to crack. They just are. It might take dozens (maybe hundreds) of versions to get right. The good news is that once yours sings, vision and mission tend to come together a little more easily because they anchor off the purpose. With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite purpose statements:

**Marvin: To imagine and create better ways of living. **

This one is easy because VSA had a hand in its creation, and we witnessed up-close the impact it had on the organization. After more than 100 years of making high-quality windows and doors, Marvin saw a greater consumer need for light, air and connection to the outdoors, and needed to set a new agenda. The statement works so well because it challenges employees and—pun warning—opens the door to innovation (“imagine and create”) while landing on a human benefit (“better ways of living”). On the heels of its introduction, Marvin launched a new modern product line and two new innovations, Skycove and the Awaken skylight—all inspired and influenced by the company’s bold purpose. [See our work with Marvin.](https://vsapartners.com/work/marvin)

**Nike: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.**

**If you have a body, you are an athlete. *

In one of those little terminology quirks, Nike calls this its mission. But it functions like our definition of a purpose statement, so that’s how I’m cataloging it here. I love this one because it’s big and ambitious, leaning into Nike’s design heritage while stretching the company toward future innovation. It’s also inclusive. We sometimes think of athletes as the ones with multimillion-dollar shoe contracts. Here, Nike invites us all into its sports community. Lastly, the asterisk is a great little tone setter—a fun wink from a company that doesn’t take itself too seriously, even in a corporate statement. 

**State Street: We help create better outcomes for the world’s investors and the people they serve.**

We’ve worked with many financial institutions, from century-old stalwarts to today’s disruptors, so we know well the joy and pain of carving out a distinct point of view in this space. State Street’s purpose works because “better outcomes” is about going beyond monetary success, suggesting that the value of money is in what it enables. The last part of the sentence also serves as a reminder of investors’ role in the financial success of others.
 
 

### **Great. But How? **

Definitions? Check. Examples? Check. But how should you go about writing purposeful purpose statements? It’s helpful to get outside perspective [(VSA can help, of course)](https://vsapartners.com/contact), but here are a few tips if you decide to go it alone: 

**Be bold but grounded in real value. **That’s the trick, isn’t it? A good purpose statement is big, daring, maybe even a little out of reach. But it can get unwieldy very quickly if you’re not focused on what you do for people. If you run a local organic ice cream shop in Boise, Idaho, your purpose can’t be to “to nourish the world’s spirit,” because, well, you’re only in one city, and no matter how good it is, ice cream isn’t going to change the world. 

**Leadership must participate. **Agenda-setting language needs agenda-setter involvement. Bringing in the C-suite at the last minute is a recipe for getting nowhere. Instead, set up a working session with the CEO or other leaders to make sure you understand their aspirations and maybe even road-test language together. 

**Words are hollow without action. **Marvin’s promise of “better ways of living” isn’t just talk. It’s investing in innovation, making employees part of a profit-sharing program and spending significant time and dollars in its communities. It’s important that people feel your purpose in ways big and small. When writing, think through the tangible ways you’re going to make real for employees, customers and communities. 

A strong purpose, vision and mission can help guide your organization in a rapidly changing consumer and technology landscape. Getting there will be tough, frustrating and you’ll likely want to give up a time or two. But in the end, these statements provide a framework to guide big and small decisions and to create stronger relationships with employees and customers. 

What's the Difference Between a Brand's Purpose, Vision and Mission?

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Purpose Vision Mission Web

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Sarah Lent

Chief Marketing Officer 

CMO Sarah Lent and CCO Curt Schreiber were recently invited onto the [Workbook Radio](https://www.workbook.com/blog/radio) podcast to discuss how brands and artists can break into the rapidly emerging technology of NFTs.

Workbook Radio host and producer Jacqueline Lopez leads the discussion around the creative origins of NFTs, how VSA approached the space and the incentives for companies and creators to dive into NFT production. 

Part one and two of this two-part episode are out now, [click here to listen](https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/workbookradio).


Sarah Lent and Curt Schreiber Appear on Workbook Radio

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Dana Arnett Debuts as Co-Host of The Design of Business | The Business of Design

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VSA Partner's CMO Sarah Lent was recently published on Chief Executive. Her article "NFTs: The Great Diving Board" explores how brands can take advantage of NFTs as a rapidly emerging technology to both leap frog into the next iteration of the web, as well as build brand loyalty with the next generation of consumers. 

To read the article, [check it out here.](https://chiefexecutive.net/nfts-and-the-great-diving-board/) 

This piece is a continuation of Sarah's piece "NFTs: Welcome to the Next Fontier," [which is available here.](https://vsapartners.com/news-ideas/nf-ts-welcome-to-the-next-frontier)




Sarah Lent Published on Chief Executive

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In this series, we examine how banks can anchor themselves to their value proposition—or ruthlessly carve out new ones to meet demand—to remain relevant in this ever-evolving financial sector. Brand is the most powerful tool financial institutions have to demonstrate their willingness to embrace the technologies reshaping the sector and to communicate their marketplace value.

With this positioning in mind, we’ve identified major trends in the financial industry that paint a picture of its future, and then used these insights to select three lenses for exploration and innovation of brand: ease, personalization, and care. Each lens explores how emerging technologies can be implemented and built upon to create an exciting, relevant brand identity.

[Read the white paper here.](https://s3.amazonaws.com/vsapartners.com-assets/The_Future_of_Money_-_All_Chapters_0f6b1aae5b.pdf)

The Future of Money

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VSA Partners is proud to announce a partnership with Rare Air Media and Ripple’s Creator Fund to create and sell an exclusive series of Michael Jordan digital assets from Rare Air’s catalog. 

Rare Air Media—producer of Michael Jordan’s visual autobiography *For the Love of the Game*—is working with VSA Partners to design, develop, and market a range of NFTs on the XRP Ledger blockchain, including a one-of-a-kind selection of digital assets covering former-NBA player Michael Jordan’s life and storied career.
 
Mark Vancil, founder and CEO of Rare Air Media (who was prominently featured in *The Last Dance*, the renowned docuseries on the life and career of Mr. Jordan) is enthusiastic about the effort:
 
“Original, high-quality NFTs are a natural fit for a company that has worked with icons across sport and music for the past 29 years. VSA’s reputation for excellence, innovation, and creative expertise is the perfect partner to make it all happen. I see the digital asset space becoming a valuable revenue stream for our team in the years to come.”
 
Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are creating tremendous opportunities for creators and collectors of art, memorabilia, and other digital assets, as well as strengthening and establishing brand-consumer connections. Embracing NFTs as a marketing opportunity for clients is a natural extension of VSA Partners’ award-winning work. The firm is a premier partner of [Ripple’s Creator Fund](https://ripple.com/ripple-press/ripple-announces-250-million-creator-fund-to-evolve-nft-utility/) by San Francisco-based blockchain technology firm, Ripple. The $250 million fund provides creators with the financial, creative, and technical support needed to explore and craft premium NFTs and other tokenization projects on the XRP Ledger.      
 
“We recognized early on the importance of NFTs as a secure means of growing the brand-building experiences through the continuous innovation of digital assets,” said VSA Partners Chief Marketing Officer, Sarah Lent. “Our partnership with Rare Air is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
 
NFTs utilize a digital ledger. As with cryptocurrencies, the ledger proves identity and ownership of digital assets. The unique security and identification attributes have opened up extraordinary opportunities for creators of digital content to not only assign value to their work, but to profit from it. Blockchain ledgers have been swiftly adopted by collectors, too. That means both sides of digital asset commerce can be confident in the assets they purchase and create. 

“For companies like Rare Air Media, blockchain technology like the XRP Ledger provides a whole new market for their work,” Ms. Lent said. “And they’re not alone. We’ve seen a significant increase from content-based operations asking how NFTs and Ripple’s Creator Fund can help expand their businesses. It’s a fast-growing sector that will change the marketing landscape as we know it today.”
 
Rare Air Media’s first batch of NFTs is expected to hit the market in Q2 2022 and will include a selection of original intimate images of Mr. Jordan, accompanied by his personal thoughts and observations leading up to the photo.  

Said Mr. Vancil about the collection, “It’s virtually impossible to overstate Michael’s impact on global culture. He is as much a fashion icon and business mogul as he is a remarkable athlete. The NFTs provide an intimate glimpse into Michael’s view of his exploits and enduring legacy. My hope is that these works provide true fans with a new angle into what drives Michael’s unusual sense of excellence.” 


VSA Partners is a hybrid brand strategy and design agency. We combine strategic consulting with design-driven experiences to solve business problems and realize the future of a brand. With offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, VSA offers a full range of fully integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science and technology—all under one roof. For more than 30 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike, IBM, Molson, and PepsiCo. 

[Rare Air Media](https://rareairmedia.com/) is a publishing and communications company. Rare Air has produced more than two dozen award-winning titles including five New York Times bestsellers with a variety of high -profile individuals, professional organizations, and corporations such as Michael Jordan, Mario Andretti, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Bears, Johnny Cash, Nike, MasterCard International, Hard Rock Cafes International, McDonald’s, and PepsiCo. 


Ripple is a crypto solutions company that transforms how the world moves, manages and tokenizes value to inspire new business models and create more economic opportunity. Our long-term vision is to enable the Internet of Value, where the world moves value like information moves today. Through RippleX, we contribute to accelerating the Internet of Value by inspiring and enabling developers to build solutions that use the XRP Ledger, its native digital asset XRP, and related technologies. For more information on Ripple’s Creator Fund, visit [www.ripple.com/creatorfund.](www.ripple.com/creatorfund. )

**Media Inquiries:**

Valerie Silverman Kerr

VSK Public Relations, LLC

valerie@vsk-publicrelations.com 

(914) 806-6647



VSA Partners Helps Rare Air Media Launch an Intimate Collection of Michael Jordan NFTs

The decarbonization and hydrogen technologies developed by FuelCell Energy have been quietly helping to revolutionize the clean energy sector for decades. Now the company has worked with hybrid brand strategy and design firm, VSA Partners, on a brand refresh that emphasizes its leadership in combating global climate change.

“There’s never been greater urgency in adoption of clean energy than now,” said FuelCell Energy Chief Marketing Officer, Betsy Schaefer. “Our commitment to improving clean energy solutions and helping the world reach carbon zero goals are the focus of everything we do. It’s the right time for our brand identity to embrace this and communicate our core mission more effectively.”

VSA helped FuelCell Energy reimagine their entire identity to better focus on their role as a provider of safe, secure, and practical solutions for achieving carbon zero goals.

The new brand look includes a logo redesign, typography, creation of a bright and progressive color palette, and new brand expression system that informs FuelCell Energy’s communication platforms, assets, and advertising.

VSA Partners Chief Creative Officer, Curt Schreiber, said, “This is a company that is quite literally changing the world for the better. It was truly gratifying for our team to help them frame this story.”

Ms. Schaefer added, “The new identity work is clever. For instance, the logo itself acts as both an illustration of molecules within a fuel cell breaking down and reforming in the chemical reaction process, while also visually representing a zero for carbon zero emission. And the entire logo is constructed from our stock ticker letters, FCEL. It’s a meaningful blend of form and function.”

Founded in 1969, FuelCell Energy has been a beacon of optimism, innovation, and strength in the energy sector. Its global fleet spans three continents and is a global leader in decarbonizing power and producing hydrogen through its proprietary fuel cell technology. 


[FuelCell Energy, Inc.]( https://www.fuelcellenergy.com/ ) (NASDAQ: FCEL): FuelCell Energy is a global leader in sustainable clean energy technologies that address some of the world’s most critical challenges around energy, safety, and global urbanization. As a leading global manufacturer of proprietary fuel cell technology platforms, FuelCell Energy is uniquely positioned to serve customers worldwide with sustainable products and solutions for businesses, utilities, governments, and municipalities. Our solutions are designed to enable a world empowered by clean energy, enhancing the quality of life for people around the globe. We target large-scale power users with our megawatt-class installations globally, and currently offer sub-megawatt solutions for smaller power consumers in Europe. To provide a frame of reference, one megawatt is adequate to continually power approximately 1,000 average-sized U.S. homes. We develop turn-key distributed power generation solutions, and operate and provide comprehensive service for the life of the power plant. Our fuel cell solution is a clean, efficient alternative to traditional combustion-based power generation, and is complementary to an energy mix consisting of intermittent sources of energy, such as solar and wind turbines. Our customer base includes utility companies, municipalities, universities, hospitals, government entities/military bases, and a variety of industrial and commercial enterprises. Our leading geographic markets are currently the United States and South Korea, and we are pursuing opportunities in other countries around the world. FuelCell Energy, based in Connecticut, was founded in 1969.


[VSA Partners](http://www.vsapartners.com) is a hybrid brand strategy and design agency. We combine strategic consulting with design-driven experiences to solve business problems and realize the future of a brand. With offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, VSA offers a full range of fully integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science, and technology—all under one roof. For more than 30 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike, IBM, Molson, and PepsiCo.

**Media Inquiries:**

Valerie Silverman Kerr

VSK Public Relations, LLC

valerie@vsk-publicrelations.com 

(914) 806-6647


VSA Partners Launches New Brand Identity for FuelCell Energy

Fuel Cell Energy _ Editorial

ElizabethHancock

Elizabeth Hancock

Strategy Director 

Strategist Elizabeth Hancock was recently published in AdWeek for her article "Brands Must Rise to the Challenge of Our Latest Industrial Revolution: All Aboard Industry 4.0." This piece explores the latest Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0, and how brands can use purpose-driven branding to drive long-term value and corporate responsibility. 

Check out the piece on [AdWeek](https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/brands-must-rise-to-the-challenge-of-our-latest-industrial-revolution/?ntfData=login) here, or the pdf version below. 

[All Aboard Industry 4.0: Navigating New Branding Demands](https://s3.amazonaws.com/vsapartners.com-assets/All_Aboard_Industry_4.0__Navigating_New_Branding_Demands_6f359f7aad.pdf)

Elizabeth Hancock Published in Adweek

At VSA, we see NFTs as the next iteration of technology that will shape  brand-consumer relationships. NFTs are the newest frontier where brands can build meaningful experiences and connections with their customers and communities; the first step of the digitization of physical assets that can be monetized, sold, and tracked in the digital world; and a testing ground for the ecosystems and programs that will define the next iteration of the digital age.

In order to help brands leapfrog into this new era, we’re partnering with Ripple, the leading provider of enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions for cross-border payments. Ripple utilizes the open-source, public XRP Ledger, which is fast, low cost, and, most importantly, carbon neutral—using negligible amounts of energy to validate transactions when compared to other blockchains.

Brands looking to jump into a new world of revenue streams, explore different business models, and deepen relationships with their communities can consider taking the first step into this tokenized future through NFTs. 

Want to explore this new world of tokenization and NFTs with us? [Read the white paper here.](https://s3.amazonaws.com/vsapartners.com-assets/NFTs_WelcometotheNextFrontier_54539c0b67.pdf) 


NFTs: Welcome to the Next Frontier

[Ripple](https://ripple.com/), the leading provider of enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions that are faster, more transparent and more cost-effective, today announced a $250 million fund to provide creators with the financial, creative and technical support needed to explore and craft premium non-fungible token (NFT) and other tokenization projects on the [XRP Ledger](https://xrpl.org/). 

The heightened interest and boom in NFTs globally has introduced new revenue streams and business models while deepening the mainstream’s relationships with the communities, people and things they care about. However, when it comes to creating state-of-the-art NFTs, many creators face barriers to entry–including the fear their NFTs won’t sell and a lack of understanding when it comes to navigating NFT concepts. Developers, meanwhile, are often burdened with high transaction fees and clunky user experiences on marketplaces or platforms. 

While digital art and collectibles have quickly captured public interest and popularity, the utility of NFTs goes far beyond these use cases. By providing creative and technical support to a diverse array of marketplaces, creators, artists and brands, Ripple’s Creator Fund seeks to enable longtail use cases for tokenization—for example, interactive experiences and fractional ownership.

Ripple is teaming up with innovative NFT marketplaces and creative agencies who recognize the potential of these unique tokenized assets and, as part of the launch, will have first access to the fund. Together, Ripple’s Creator Fund and its partners are accelerating the evolution of NFTs while eliminating the pain points associated with crafting compelling projects:

- [Mintable](https://mintable.app/) - “Everything we do at Mintable centers around accessibility, and it’s time that we look at that holistically — creators of all disciplines and backgrounds need to have access to equal opportunities in the space,” said Zach Burks, CEO of Mintable. “There are so many untapped opportunities within the constantly evolving NFT ecosystem, and we’re excited to be deepening our partnership with Ripple to support their Creator Fund in order to encourage greater growth in the industry.” 

- [VSA Partners](https://vsapartners.com/) - “NFTs have been a source of huge excitement for creators, enabling new ways to build communities and meaningful brand equity,” said Sarah Lent, CMO of VSA Partners. “It’s clear that when creators and brands are deliberate with their NFT campaigns, it will have a long-lasting impact on their customers, partners, and the larger community. As a premier partner of the creator fund, VSA can help brands and artists think through the entire ecosystem of brand-building experiences, the community of fans to engage and deploy the strategic guidance and storytelling needed around NFTs to generate brand value.” 

- [mintNFT](https://mintnft.com/) - “mintNFT is honored to be selected as a key partner to build the next-generation NFT 2.0 experience leveraging the XRP Ledger to connect fans with premium brands, content owners, and talent around the world,” said James Sun, founder and CEO of mintNFT. 

“While NFTs have opened the door for a tokenized future, actually navigating these concepts is a different ball game for many,” said Monica Long, GM of RippleX at Ripple. “By starting with marketplaces and creators, our fund seeks to take the guesswork out of NFT projects to unlock unexplored tokenization use cases on the XRP Ledger.”

Minting NFTs on the XRP Ledger will enrich the experience for creators seeking new ways of monetizing their works. For developers, the XRP Ledger’s innate performance advantages—speed, low cost and built-in [royalties](https://xrpl.org/transfer-fees.html#transfer-fees)—make it ideally suited to drive NFT utility at scale, and without the need for Layer-2 protocols. Library support is also available to simplify NFT integrations and bypass direct XRPL development. The XRP Ledger is a [decentralized](https://xrpl.org/decentralized-exchange.html), open-source blockchain. Its built-in [decentralized exchange (DEX)](https://xrpl.org/decentralized-exchange.html) provides fast settlement for tokenized assets of all types–including NFTs—while its Federated Consensus mechanism eliminates gas fees and is 120,000x [more efficient](https://xrpl.org/impact.html) than blockchains that rely on proof-of-work validation. 

For more information on Ripple’s Creator Fund, visit [www.ripple.com/creatorfund](www.ripple.com/creatorfund.)

Ripple is doing for value what the internet did for information: enabling its instant and seamless flow around the world. We call this the Internet of Value (IoV). Using blockchain and cryptocurrency technology, Ripple is dedicated to creating powerful gains in financial efficiency, equity and inclusion. In addition, Ripple is developing and enabling the future use cases that will catalyze the new digital economy for governments, businesses and consumers.

Ripple has offices in San Francisco (HQ), New York, London, Mumbai, Singapore, São Paulo, Reykjavík, Washington D.C. and Dubai.


Mintable is a next-generation non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace built on the blockchain. Launched in 2018, Mintable has pushed the NFT industry forward by being the first to design gasless minting, batch minting and royalties, empowering artists and creators to monetize their work via NFTs. Mintable’s gas-free minting option allows the everyday person to get involved with NFTs without any prior knowledge in coding or upfront cost of minting an asset — a great way for everyone to get into crypto. In 2021, Mintable announced the backing of a list of high-caliber investors including renowned venture capitalist and television personality, Mark Cuban, Sound Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, and TIME Ventures, the investment fund for Marc Benioff. To date, Mintable has sold and auctioned works by Grammy Award-winning artists, 20th-century avant garde artists, and various high-profile artists and celebrities.

mintNFT is a premium member-based marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFT) focused on bridging fan experiences with licensed content, brands, and talent. mintNFT integrates social, gamification, and a new patent-pending authentication process for NFTs. mintNFT makes collecting NFTs a fun and engaging experience and converts casual fans into collectors, creators and partners. mintNFT provides an unprecedented social experience for users with unique features such as exclusive digital events, NFT live auctions, and fan-generated campaigns all within a dynamic, interactive, and gamified platform. It also includes an integrated secondary marketplace allowing users to buy, sell, and trade NFTs.

VSA Partners is a hybrid brand strategy and design agency with a 40-year history of solving complex business problems. We deliver design-driven experiences that perform in market, realizing the future of a brand for some of the world’s most respected and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike, IBM, Robinhood and Affirm. Our approach hinges upon deep collaboration with our clients to identify, prioritize and convert individual interactions into a positive impact on long-term value in a highly transactional and noisy world. Global by trade, but unapologetically midwestern at heart, an intrinsic desire to help fuels our pursuit of solutions of substance. Amplifying brands — not to add to the noise — but to find a voice that rises above it. VSA Partners. Where brands breakthrough. 


**For inquiries:**

Sarah Lent
 
slent@vsapartners.com

VSA Joins Ripple on $250M Creator Fund

creator fund

For VSA employees as well as those they recruit, the agency is adopting a long-term hybrid model that allows people to define their location and way of working. This means that VSA employees can work from anywhere in the United States—home, office or any place in between. Working from anywhere gives staff the option to find time to work alone, join others for office-based collaboration, or meet up as needed for small-group moments and client meetings. The Agency is also hiring with geographic “neutrality”—pursuing the best talent wherever it may live. 

Aaron Heltsmith, VP of Talent Experience, states,"We think having a workplace option matters most these days: Employees benefit from human interaction and the need for a change in scenery from time to time. And VSA benefits from a diversity of experiences and perspectives that come from seeing and participating in the larger world."

In this hybrid strategy, VSA offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco are transitioning to a flexible, accessible network of workspace hubs for employees to use as needed for work and interaction with colleagues. For more information, visit the [VSA Careers page](https://vsapartners.com/careers). 


VSA Partners Announce Recruit From Everywhere & Work From Anywhere

VSA Partners, the hybrid brand strategy and design agency, has led the brand transformation of AMRI, a leading contract drug manufacturing organization, emphasizing its ability to take drug development ‘from curiosity to cure.’ That’s the core positioning and tagline VSA developed as it’s transformed the company to Curia. The new rebranding effort rolled out last month. AMRI, which began as Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (AMRI) in 1991, tapped VSA Partners to handle the assignment, which the agency turned around in a little over six months. Its brief involved simultaneous strategy and design processes that addressed
naming, messaging, brand identity, a website overhaul, environmental branding, sales enablement, social media and advertising. “Given the importance and emerging challenges of scaling drug discovery and manufacturing today, this was an exciting project for everyone at VSA,” said Joe Nio, head of strategy and analytics for VSA. “We tapped our Promise to Performance™ methodology to discover unmet needs where the industry wasn’t serving customers fully and helped identify unique segments within Curia’s target audience. The results, we believe, position Curia well for today’s fast-changing and demanding pharmaceutical landscape.” For development of the new name, Curia, VSA relied on its proprietary naming process, said Mike Walsh, VSA’s Client Engagement lead. The origin was an early Roman word that means ‘a gathering of minds.’ “It has a lyrical quality that also alludes to the promise of medicine,” Walsh noted. The new logo utilizes a stylized molecular icon to form the dot in the lower case ‘i’ in Curia, which links the mark to the previous AMRI brand identity. “In a category where playing it safe has led to a sea of sameness among competitors, we created a bold expression system that balances scientific expertise with respect, and compassion for the human lives we impact,” said VSA Partners Thom Wolfe, Executive Creative Director. “What impressed us about VSA from the start was their ability to quickly get smart on a complex business,” said Kerry Hutchings, Head of Global Marketing at Curia. “The combination of strategic thinking and creative execution has helped set Curia up for success.”


**CREDITS:**

Agency: VSA Partners, Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Joe Nio, Associate Partner, Strategy Director
Chandni Shah, Strategy Director, Media
Ryan Monroe, Strategy Director, Data Analytics
Linda Vo, Strategist, Media &amp; Analytics
Thom Wolfe, Associate Partner, Creative Director
Sarah Trent, Associate Creative Director
Cameron Leberecht, Associate Creative Director
Andy Blankenburg, Partner, Writing
Tarek El-Mofty, Associate Partner, Creative Services Director
Bryan Haney, Associate Director, Motion Producer
Thomas Horne, Motion Editor, Director
Melanie Trombley, Art Producer
Nick Lo Bue, Associate Partner, Digital
Jehan Cowan, Creative Director, Digital
Alberto Cristancho, Director, Development
Bill Maday, Creative Director, Writing
Mike Walsh, Associate Partner, Client Engagement
Susan Pfiefer, Associate Partner, Project Management
Sarah Kuhl, Senior Project Manager
Kate Barr, Project Manager

Curia, formerly AMRI, is a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization providing products and services from R&D through commercial manufacturing to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical customers. Curia’s 3,100 employees at 21 locations across the U.S., Europe and Asia help its customers advance from curiosity to cure. Learn more at [CuriaGlobal.com](CuriaGlobal.com.)


[VSA Partners](vsapartners.com) is a hybrid brand strategy and design agency. We combine strategic consulting with design-driven experiences to solve business problems and realize the future of a brand. With offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, VSA offers a full range of fully integrated capabilities — branding, advertising, data science and technology — all under one roof. For more than 30 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike, IBM, Molson, and PepsiCo.

VSA Partners leads AMRI brand transformation to Curia

Curia_VSA_Brand_Snapshot

A new integrated global campaign for Mānuka Health New Zealand serves to raise awareness for the many natural benefits of its rare Mānuka honey line.
 
Launching this month, this first global campaign by VSA Partners for the brand looks to educate consumers on the complex differences and natural potency of Mānuka honey, and position Mānuka Health NZ as a supportive partner of those on the lookout for ways to improve their health and wellbeing. 
 
The campaign, featuring bold typography and an optimistic palette of highly saturated warms and cools, will deploy in cross-device display ads, leveraging custom data segments, mobile interstitials, social media, online video and digital out-of-home to communicate how Mānuka Heath NZ’s natural Mānuka honey line offers more than just a way to sweeten tea and toast. 
 
Inspirational copy lines such as “A Spoonful of Seize the Day”, “Nature Up, Game On”, “A Honey As Potent as Your Potential” “Stack Your Wellness Bench with New Zealand’s finest”  and “A Daily Dose of Get It Done” and “Meet Your New Wellness Wingman” convey motivating, confident yet relatable messaging on how the brand’s natural Mānuka honey can help consumers as part of their daily health and wellness regimen.
 
“This isn’t just any honey, so we wanted the creative to have a look and tone that reflects how great this product makes you feel,” said Evan Thompson, Creative Director, Writer, VSA Partners, based in Chicago.  “The bright colors, layering and bold type all help to give Mānuka Health NZ an ownable point of view in the crowded health and wellness space.”
 
“The power of Mānuka Health NZ honey is in its natural potency, and this campaign is about giving people the confidence to embrace their true nature and live to their full potential,” said Anya Saikkonen, Global Marketing Manager, Mānuka Health NZ.  “We are delighted to work with VSA Partners to help educate consumers on the benefits of our special natural product in a vibrant and approachable way.”
 
The special honey is made from the nectar of the native Mānuka plant, and highly valued for its distinctive natural properties.  It’s also rare, originating only from New Zealand and produced just a few weeks a year — weather permitting — when the Mānuka plant is in flower.
 
Mānuka honey is a delicate resource that requires careful handling and processing to ensure its special natural properties are retained during the extraction and packing process. Unlike most suppliers, Mānuka Health NZ owns the full process from the hive to jar, from its 20,000 beehives to its own extraction and processing facility and in-house quality testing laboratory.
 
The campaign is the first global work for the brand by VSA Partners since the agency won the account in January.  Additional strategic design and communications initiatives are in the works for roll out later this year.

**CREDITS:**
 
Agency: VSA Partners, Chicago, New York, San Francisco
John Sheehan, Partner, Client Engagement
Kim George, Senior Project Manager
Joe Nio, Associate Partner, Strategy Director
Marisa Rondinelli, Associate Strategy Director
Chandni Shah, Strategy Director, Media
Linda Vo, Strategist, Media & Analytics
Josh Witherspoon, Associate Partner, Creative Director
Chrystine Witherspoon, Associate Partner, Creative Director
Evan Thompson, Creative Director, Writer
Gustavo Delgado, Designer
Tarek El-Mofty, Associate Partner, Creative Services Director
Thomas Horne, Motion Editor, Director
Melanie Trombley, Art Producer
 
Production: The Voorhes, Motion Photographers, Austin
Adam Voorhes, director, photographer
Robin Finlay, Stylist


[Mānuka Health’s](https://www.manukahealth.co.nz/en-us) purpose is to ‘re-nature people’, for the betterment of health, communities and the planet. Inspired by the knowledge that New Zealand bee products hold special and unique health properties, we are driven by a desire to use science to understand and harness these unique natural products, share their potential and help re-nature our world.  Today Mānuka Health is made up of a growing team of dedicated specialists (about 1.5 billion bees and 140 humans), who carefully craft and nurture our Mānuka honey, Propolis, Royal Jelly and New Zealand Gourmet honey to capture the living energy of New Zealand nature.


[VSA Partners](https://vsapartners.com) is a hybrid brand strategy and design agency. We combine strategic consulting with design-driven experiences to solve business problems and realize the future of a brand. With offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, VSA offers a full range of fully integrated capabilities — branding, advertising, data science and technology — all under one roof. For more than 30 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike, IBM, Molson, and PepsiCo.


VSA launches new integrated global campaign for Mānuka Health New Zealand

ManukaHealth_CaseStudy_Lifestyle

michael_girts.jpg

Michael Girts

Strategy Director

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) released a report that’s a little frightening for agency people like me: it says 57% of global companies have brought creative in-house.

The report also finds that three-fourths of internal studios were created within the past five years, which means the in-housing trend is accelerating.

What’s an agency to do?

Well, we can fight the wave—or we can ride it.

Truth is, VSA has been riding the wave for a while. That’s probably because we work with so many big tech companies. Google, Salesforce and LinkedIn each launched their own in-house agencies more than a decade ago.

Here are a few ways we plug in:

An in-house creative studio of 50 to 100 people is a lot of firepower—but some of these global tech companies have 200,000+ employees. Developing brand ideas is one thing; making sure the brand scales consistently across every global business unit is quite another.

We partner with our clients to design brand systems and develop guidelines that help practitioners of all skill levels, ensuring the brand shows up in a consistent and compelling way.

Google-Cloud-Symbol

Most of our big tech partners have absurd amounts of user data. When it comes time to deliver a product offering to a new audience, they need a fast way to understand an entirely different 
group of people.

VSA has an in-house analytics team dedicated to helping companies find their highest value target, deeply understand their needs and deliver products and messages that authentically fill those needs. Our team of data scientists and brand strategists work as a blended team, so our research outputs are actionable for creative development.

Linkedin-Logo

Ask any writer: sometimes, you just get stuck. For many of our clients, we function as a supplementary idea engine. When they’re having trouble cracking a problem, they know they can bring in VSA for a rapid collaborative, creative sprint. The fact that we’re not in-house means we’re better positioned to deliver outside-the-box thinking. In these instances, we like to say we’re a “fresh arm out of the bullpen.”


Salesforce-logo

One more stat from that WFA study that I keep thinking about: 40% of companies allow external agencies to pitch against their internal agency.

That means at least 40% of these companies are inviting agencies to fight the tidal wave of creative in-housing.

We don’t see any reason to pick a fight. Instead, we’ve designed an agency (and a west coast presence) custom-built to collaborate, iterate and solve problems together.

Why resist the wave when we can have more success—and fun—riding it?


1. **Listen hard.** Seek to understand the challenge. Ask a ton of questions.
2. **Align on the problem.** A problem well-defined is a problem half-solved.
3. **Check egos at the door.**It’s about the work. Every idea is a shared idea.
4. **Know when to divide and conquer.** Solutions rarely happen in a crowded Zoom.
5. **Generate from abundance.** Bring lots of ideas. Edit later.
6. **Build before breaking down.** Find what’s right about it and add to it.
7. **Check in a lot.** Have tough conversations. Go on the journey together.
8. **Practice radical empathy.** Give the benefit of the doubt. Assume the best.
9. **Learn as you go.** Mistakes are helpful if you recognize them. Debriefs matter.
10. **Make time for fun.** Get personal. The best teams know and like each other.

Surf’s Up

surfing_1b-43 (1)

VSA Partners, the hybrid brand strategy and design and communications agency headquartered in Chicago, has appointed Sarah Lent as its Chief Marketing Officer. The announcement was made by VSA President Anne-Marie Rosser. 

Sarah is a veteran marketing executive with over 20 years’ experience in developing business solutions and unlocking growth opportunities for clients through brand, digital innovation, design, communications and media. Lent will spearhead VSA’s growth efforts, including business development, marketing, media relations, brand leadership and content creation.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Lent has worked across 4 continents and brings to her position at VSA a deep passion for taking emerging technologies coupled with world-class creativity in order to contextualize them in the real world. She is fueled by looking for the leap-frog moments of change and taking clients on the journey—something she has quickly proven in her short tenure at VSA by the partnership she secured with Ripple as the premiere creative partner for their $250m NFT Creators Fund. 

Sarah has held a number of senior positions at agencies all over the world, including running growth across the US for Essence, the performance media agency that’s part of Group M, and for the EMEA region while at R/GA, a leading global digital innovation, design and communications agency. 

Prior to R/GA, Lent spent seven years with Interbrand, serving in client-facing and leadership roles in the UK, South Africa, and the US. Over the course of her career she has led teams working on a range of global brands across categories, including Disney, Airbnb, Westbrook, Adobe, LVMH, Ikea, Siemens, Diageo and more. 

Lent states, “We live in a noisy and highly transactional world. Every second, a different voice urges brands to pivot to a new type of content, dive headfirst into emerging forms of media, and monetize each trend while simultaneously creating the next one. Brands can no longer compete on convenience or ease of use—technology is the equalizer, not the differentiator. This is why I am so excited to be joining VSA. As a hybrid brand strategy, design and communications agency, VSA has the unique capability to help brands stand out from the clutter by creating better human experiences at key moments of impact, which in turn yield loyalty and social capital. VSA approaches each challenge with the rigor of a management consulting practice, coupled with world-class storytelling and design, ensuring everything that we deliver is applicable and contextualized in the real world, delivering substantial impact for the long-term. Brands don’t need help making more noise. They need a partner, like VSA, to help them rise above it. “ 

With a strong commitment to social causes and activism, Lent most recently served on the Board of Directors for Infinite Family for seven years, an organization built to connect teens across townships in South Africa with video mentors working to integrate confidence and self-reliance as they prepare for their lives as young adults and beyond. She resides in Marin County. 

VSA Partners is a hybrid brand strategy and design agency with a 40-year history of solving complex business problems. We deliver design-driven experiences that perform in market, realizing the future of a brand for some of the world’s most respected and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike, IBM, Robinhood and Affirm. Our approach hinges upon deep collaboration with our clients to identify, prioritize and convert individual interactions into a positive impact on long-term value in a highly transactional and noisy world. Global by trade, but unapologetically midwestern at heart, an intrinsic desire to help fuels our pursuit of solutions of substance. Amplifying brands — not to add to the noise — but to find a voice that rises above it. VSA Partners. *Where brands breakthrough.*


VSA Partners Appoints Sarah Lent as Chief Marketing Officer

unnamed

02291jsochol

Jessica Sochol

When local brands are presented with the opportunity to go national, conflicting emotions can arise. On the one hand, there&rsquo;s enormous potential for growth. On the other, there&rsquo;s the very real fear of losing what has been for many companies most integral to their success—the feeling of soul and connection to their founding communities.  
 
Investing companies may also wonder if an acquired brand will uphold its potential in a broader market. What makes some companies falter, and others soar?  
 
When we distill all the attributes of companies that successfully navigate the path from local brand to international player, we see the same factor appear again and again: **a clear, validated brand promise.** Specifically, this means a succinct articulation of the unique value you provide, and intentional, well-designed delivery on this promise during each moment and interaction with your consumer base.

Whether you&rsquo;re launching a brand overhaul or performing routine brand maintenance as you prepare for your place on the national or international stage, the necessary insight you need to succeed has two timeframes: immediate, and future.  
 
First, you need to ensure that you&rsquo;re bringing in audiences across your strategic planning, whether white space mapping quantitative studies, audience needs analyses, or qualitative ethnographic accounts. Know who your customers are, what they want, and how they feel you&rsquo;re currently delivering.  
 
Second, consider how your current brand, category, and audience may shift in the coming months or years. Brands that succeed as they scale invoke both adaptability and relatability, which requires constant social listening, industry awareness, and internal reflection. 

It also bears mentioning that learning happens both ways: the acquirer must respect the new audience and get to know them, too (that&rsquo;s what you&rsquo;re buying, right?). It&rsquo;s not just the small brand scaling up, but also the big brand thinking local or small.  

Once you&rsquo;ve examined the current and future iterations of your strategy, don&rsquo;t be afraid to change what should. You have one chance to make the right first impression, and holding on to aspects of your business that no longer serve you is a death knell for innovation.  
 
When VSA Partners teamed up with Mack Trucks, they had been acquired by Volvo and were struggling to maintain relevance in the marketplace. We were tasked with modernizing this American icon without compromising its heritage.  
 
Through field research, VSA found that Mack&rsquo;s current focus on logistics was having a negative impact on its consumer perception—audiences found the brand impersonal. With this insight, VSA launched a campaign to build a more meaningful, direct relationship between customer and truck. We communicated the brand&rsquo;s sense of independence and elevated its audiences&rsquo; commitment to a greater purpose through a series of activations from dealer marketing to events to broader advertising. From consumer insight to implementation, our strategic positioning propelled Mack Trucks back into the relevancy by communicating its longstanding value and leaning on the emotion and humanity of the people behind the brand.

Mack-portrait-truck

As you scale, the one thing that shouldn&rsquo;t expand is your brand promise. A brand promise should come from an understanding of what&rsquo;s true about the brand as well the community. The tighter and more focused the brand promise is, the easier it is for your brand to be a filter for everything you do (keeping that spark you had from day one).  
 
It&rsquo;s tempting to say more as you reach more people, enter new markets, or launch new products. But the more you say, the less people retain, and the more you water down your message by trying to be everything to everyone. When we work with brands who feel they have lost their way, very often we find that brand over-communication is the culprit—their core promise has been lost in a sea of messaging. So once you have your core promise, stick with it and leverage it thoughtfully. As you activate the brand, consider the role of each touchpoint, communication, and asset, both on their own and in coordination together. Each piece should reflect and deliver the brand promise. 
 
Our work with Goose Island began after the company was acquired by AB InBev, and the brand was grappling with how to maintain its Chicago-founded identity as it prepared to launch nationally. Afterall, in the craft beer world the perception of a brand as &ldquo;big&rdquo; can damage its reputation. Through market research, we found that Goose Island consumers were loyal, but considered themselves &ldquo;tryers.&rdquo; Rather than fight this common sentiment among craft beer drinkers, we embraced it with the new tagline: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need to be the only beer you drink. We just want to be the best beer you drink.&rdquo; We also worked closely with Goose Island to infuse their urban heritage throughout their branding and packaging. Because the design felt intentional and true to its spirit, we were able to use national and local campaigns to introduce Goose Island and its brand to new consumers while keeping it grounded in its founding sensibility. Authentic urban heritage put Goose Island on the map, and helped the brand scale without losing its soul.  
 
While some brands undertake this connection with their roots from the beginning, others realize that they lost it somewhere along the way. When we worked with Converse, their brand was struggling to maintain relevance in the shoe industry. Competitors and consumers alike had become obsessed with technology and performance—two areas where Converse lagged. After they were acquired by Nike, the brand was looking for a relaunch to establish a relationship with the next generation, and to remind consumers of their place in the market. Rather than try and broaden the brand message and make Converse into something it was not, we helped Converse &ldquo;rediscover their Converse-ness&rdquo; by focusing the brand promise as the true voice of the optimistic rebels. These optimistic rebels are the non-comforming creators and change-makers who seek self expression and authenticity above all else. This simple idea was distributed across its entire portfolio, unified as a rally cry across product design, retail, and a global market. The impact was immediate: Converse became the fastest growing brand in the Nike portfolio, moving from $500M to $5B in six years.

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A brand promise is not just a slogan, it&rsquo;s an actionable, tangible way of operating that should be infused into every touchpoint and experience a consumer has with a brand. A website can and should feel like the brand as much as talking to a sales rep or reading a CSR report. And for Goose Island and Manuka Honey, across messaging to brand identity, it all came down to creating a sense of place. 

Our work with Manuka Health, a leading New Zealand natural health company specializing in bee products, evoked these strong identifiers through a refreshed branding campaign. Manuka Health was named from the single tree species bees forage upon, and competitors were using the &ldquo;manuka&rdquo; name to pull customers away. The company needed to establish itself as the authentic, real deal, and a leader in its category. We repositioned Manuka Health as the &ldquo;co-pilot&rdquo; on the customer&rsquo;s wellness journey, and brought the idea of re-naturing: the benefit of connecting with nature to bring out your best. This collaborative spirit was connected visually with a bright and energetic visual system that contrasted with the muted, sleepy tones of other brands in the category, and paired with a relatable, bold voice to increase approachability and capture attention. The visual system and sense of identity was so successful, we brought it to Manuka Health&rsquo;s biggest markets in the U.S., China, Japan, and Germany, communicating the message in each market to fit the culture without losing the common thread.

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**Ready for launch**

While scaling up is the goal for many brands today, the risks of losing that original spark and authenticity are real and do erode reputation over time. Scaling while retaining the identity and relevance that made the brand successful to begin with is possible. It requires foresight and perseverance, a commitment to the principles and touchpoints that made the company successful, as well as a willingness to embrace new ways of being. The more you can stay committed and true to your promise, the more successful you&rsquo;ll be at maintaining that spark and protecting your core as you grow.

Scaling with soul

Spread of Goose Island Bourbon County bottles

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VSA Partners is very excited to share a collection of short essays on culture and career from the incredible Asian-American and Pacific Islander community within VSA. Through their background and experiences, these members bring an irreplaceable perspective to the work and VSA community. These are their reflections on how their culture has impacted their careers and the way that they work, as well as a celebration of the heritage that has made them who they are today. 

“This is your Tita Bella and your Tito Rolly, we went to school together,” my mom told me, as I met the open smiles and warm embraces of complete strangers. “And this is their daughter, your cousin Rhonda.” 

In the span of a few breaths, I met a new uncle, aunt, and cousin...none of whom were related to me by blood. 

The Philippines, like many Asian cultures, has a longstanding nomenclature that weaves together a respect for elders and inclusivity. Labels like Tita or Tito (Aunt or Uncle), Kuya or Ate (big brother or sister), Manong or Manang (older male or female, two generations older), aren’t reserved for blood relatives. In a way, the blood relationship takes a second seat to a desire to show respect and promote a sense of belonging. 

For me, this approach crossed over language and racial barriers, too. Friends of my parents who weren’t Chinese or Filipino became my Uncle Richard, Aunt Judy, Grandma Sophie. When I was introduced to someone in this way, it was far more likely that we had no common ancestry—despite that, I was expected to treat this person like family.

The wide use of these terms has taught me that we are honored and bound by all of our relationships, both chosen and familial. The simple act of calling someone “Auntie” creates an atmosphere of familiarity, and an obligation to treat this person with courtesy and affection. It reminds us that there are direct and indirect connections to others that deserve acknowledgment. It cultivates community and broadens our perspective from “me” to “we.” It instills a belief that we’re part of something larger than ourselves.

This sense of relatedness has influenced my professional career tremendously, in various ways. For one, acknowledging someone’s background and shared connections builds trust and inclusivity, which aids in collaboration. Also, it naturally creates an “us versus the problem” dynamic instead of “me versus you,” which facilitates finding workable outcomes. And lastly, it fosters an underlying sense of optimism about others, whether we know them or not—that despite what lies on the surface, we have common ground.  

**—Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Chinese-Filipino-American**

Senior Counsel 


Many are familiar with the basic greeting of "你好 (ni hao)" as a way to say "hello" in Chinese. However, the phrases "你吃饭了吗 (ni chi fan le ma)/吃了吗 (chi le ma)?" also serve as common greetings amongst friends. Literally translated, they mean "have you eaten?"—and, to some, this may seem like an oddly specific or nosy way to greet someone, but in fact it is a way to show care. Like many other cultures, Asian and beyond, food often plays a central role in how it connects people. The association of food with emotions, health, and general wellbeing are deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture. So, when used, you aren't actually asking someone if they have eaten or not, instead, you are asking them "how are you?" and making sure they are doing well. 

This connection with food and care extends beyond a simple greeting. Growing up, whenever I had friends over for a meal, they would stare in awe at the "feast" my mom prepared. And, they would have no choice but to leave with food to take home—my mom would insist on it. This form of generosity has always been a part of my life, from having food continuously shoveled on my plate or in my bowl by my mother, to getting five-plus boxes of 60-count rice krispie treats sent to me by my dad from Costco over the span of the quarantine. And even if I’m not hungry, already full and not left for wanting, the food must be accepted wholly. I suspect I am not alone in experiencing these acts of love in excess as a child of Asian immigrants. Food is our unwritten love language.

I've often found myself carrying out the same behavior with others even in a professional environment. There are literal things like ordering food for everyone if we are working late or randomly treating coworkers to a coffee or sweets. But, this mentality has also extended to my own managerial and mentorial style. It has influenced how generous I am with my own time, my interest in how my teams are doing, beyond just completing "work tasks," and if they are metaphorically well-fed. And, if the last year has taught me anything, it's how important it is to ask each other and ourselves "have you eaten?"

**—YanYan Zhang, Chinese American**

Associate Partner, Executive Creative Director

Resourcefulness can be defined by how one finds a solution based on what’s in front of them—what they can create, what answer they can find, what discovery is buried under all this information.

Filipino mothers are resourceful beings at their core—nothing goes to waste, everything gets reimagined. Dad’s old white t-shirt went missing? Mom cut it into cleaning rags. Leftover rice from dinner? Turned into fried rice by morning. Clothes don’t fit? Pass it down to the younger cousins, who will eventually pass it down to even younger cousins.

Resourcefulness also goes hand-in-hand with being a go-getter and independent. To this day I tell myself, “Look with your eyes, not with your mouth.” I got this a lot as a kid: 

“Mom, have you seen my ballet slippers?” 
“Look in your room.” 
“I’m not seeing it anywhere.” 
“Look with your eyes, Megan, not with your mouth.” 

Be resourceful and figure it out. The answer is in there somewhere—whether it’s finding slippers or tracking down important assets and making sense of readouts, reports, and audits. The answer (or clues that get you asking the right questions to land that answer) are in there. I definitely learned from my grandmother and my mother and their immigrant stories that you can get pretty far on your own, especially when you have to. Push the limits and then see if you can go a little further, learn a little more, have that breakthrough. And, when you’ve done all in your power, then we can open it up for questions. 

**— Meg Rux, Filipino American**

Content Strategist


In the Filipino culture, young children are taught to greet their elders with a gesture called mano po. The literal translation for this is, “your hand, please.” This gesture entails taking the elder’s hand and placing it on his or her own forehead to express honor and respect for the elder. This is a gesture that I still practice today with aunts and uncles. When my Lolo (grandfather) lived with our family, I recall greeting him daily with mano. 

I also recall my brothers and I taking turns accompanying our Lolo for his walks around the block so that he got his daily exercise. We did this as our parents taught us it was part of our shared responsibility to care for our Lolo’s well-being. Filipinos are known for being wonderful caretakers of the elderly. This is because the idea of respecting and caring for the elderly is deeply rooted in Filipino values, as it is similarly with other Asian cultures. 

Being raised to respect and care for our elders has truly impacted the work that I do and the way that I work. As someone that works in customer and user experience, empathy plays a large role in our work. Respect and consideration of others’ needs was always something that felt very natural to me. These values have allowed me to anticipate and accommodate those needs through the experiences that I help envision and create as a designer. The mindset of humility has permitted me to meet users, clients, and colleagues where they are and effectively understand their pain points and learn from them. I owe a great deal of my success as a designer because of these values that have been firmly instilled in me.

**— Jehan Cowan, Filipino American**

Creative Director, Digital Design

A common experience for Asian Americans was, during potlucks or family gatherings, all the children would perform an informal recital of their latest songs on piano, violin, or another instrument for everyone’s enjoyment. As I was mediocre at best in piano, I would go first as the opening act to warm up the crowd and set the bar low for the other kids to surpass. My older sister, on the other hand, was the headliner who would go last and close the show to rousing applause and envy from other parents.

I quickly learned that this did not happen by accident. My sister would spend countless hours practicing and honing her skills. She continuously challenged herself and was rewarded with first chair in numerous orchestras as a result. Although music was not my forte, I observed you must put in the time, effort, and be willing to go the extra mile to truly excel at your goal.

This is especially true in the professional world. It does not matter what discipline or practice you are a part of—both VSA and our clients expect our finest on every project, task, or assignment. As such, I take pride in our work as I know we have gone the extra mile for our clients. The high expectations we set for ourselves will be the reason we are the headliners and not the opening act for our clients and the industry. 

**— Ming Young, Taiwanese American**

Revenue Accounting Manager


My Asian Culture and My Career

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VSA's latest work with Manuka Health is featured in The Drum. The article takes a look at Manuka Health's global campaign to help honey stand out in a crowded category as the appetite for immunity-building natural products sees a huge surge. Click [here](https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/05/18/how-manuka-health-rewriting-its-honey-brand-s-playbook) to read the full article.

Integrated global campaign for Manuka Health featured in The Drum

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Should brands join the Clubhouse? Hear from VSA Strategy Director Jessica Sochol in the latest ANA Magazine article on brands participating in the new social platform. Jessica shares her point of view on riding the changing waves of social media and identifying which is right for your brand. Click [here](https://www.ana.net/magazines/show/id/ana-2021-05-should-brands-join-the-clubhouse) to read the full article.

Jessica works at the center of brand strategy and behavioral change, where she helps her clients to successfully navigate major inflection points — shape-shifting industries, emerging technology, new audiences, M&A. She’s led strategy for IBM Quantum, Consumer Reports, Bloomberg and more. Jess spends her time in New York City and Pittsburgh, PA. 

Jessica Sochol quoted in ANA Magazine

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Anne-Marie Rosser

President

We are entering a new age of brand importance. Companies today face endless channel opportunities and customer journey interactions—all at a lightning fast pace, and at a time when the traditional advertising model has been upended. Though this was already happening, the past year has amplified it tenfold, prompting companies to increase the velocity with which they implement digital strategies to meet the market’s needs. Companies are conflicted on where to focus their attention, and how to build a brand that is flexible enough to encompass all customer experiences without losing its sense of purpose. It’s a lot to take in, and requires a strategy adaptable and resilient enough to meet the challenges ahead.

In this environment, a hybrid approach to brand building can be a secret weapon. In our conversations with clients, we stress that velocity isn’t the issue—it’s whether the brand has embraced a hybrid approach in order to be more unified and effective.


All the technology, data, insights, channels and media in the world do not guarantee successful brands or effective marketing. In a commoditized world, brands are the vehicle to drive differentiation. But when agencies create brands, there tends to be a lot of focus on the delivery channels, so talk of “programmatic”, “performance”, “omni-channel” and other terms begin to dominate the conversation. A lot of this is the direct result of a permanent change to traditional advertising, and the rise of brand as the center point of the conversation. But you don’t see much on what it takes to create a resilient, engaging and effective brand. The realm of brand-building is too often seen as a logo exercise. But great brands are business assets, and as such, they need to be built from a business lens. 

Enter the Hybrid model.

The hybrid model focuses on solving a duality in every brand to ensure its success; *What is the business problem* and *what is the human problem?* When you solve for this duality, you can create brands that drive more valuable human experiences and catalyze growth. This is the next frontier of branding, and few are solving for it well.

We find that a lot of companies approach brand building from a singular audience or product perspective, or as mentioned earlier, from a channel view. Those that do so risk creating a brand that won’t have the relevance it needs to be successful. It may look beautiful, and the creative may be superlative—but if it doesn’t fundamentally help solve a business problem through a human lens, it’s not likely to resonate.

As a hybrid brand consultancy, we spend a lot of time partnering with our clients to ensure we’ve defined the business problem accurately, and really interrogated it. Is the business issue market share, is it product parity, is it lack of awareness, or a fragmented set of audiences? Honing in on the metrics that will actually drive the business helps us to understand how to best leverage the brand as a true business asset. We can then evolve or calibrate the brand to better deliver on that business goal. Sometimes we have a general idea, and we really use research to fundamentally dive in and test our hypothesis around the business problem itself. Other times, it’s not entirely clear why the brand isn’t delivering on the business intent. In those instances we work to understand what the perception gap is in the brand’s core promise vs. its market performance. 

And that’s where solving for the human problem comes into play—the second part of the hybrid approach. Once you’ve identified the business problem to solve, you start to look at your target audience through that lens, and it may change what levers you need to use to engage them. We all know that marketing can’t deliver differentiated experiences if you don’t understand your audience, their mindset, and the most important moments of impact for them. Consumers are less loyal, have higher expectations of personalization, and need brands to meet them on their terms. Once you have the business problem identified, you can go back and really understand the audience as it relates to that business issue. We seek to understand audiences holistically, as people, at the human level, which then helps us to identify all of the areas where the brand needs to show up, but more importantly, also the areas that are of highest value. Not all brand experiences are equal. 

When we solve for both the business problem and the human problem we design brand experiences to ensure that each interaction can stand on its own, but also fit into a broader ecosystem of interactions aligned to a brand’s core promise. Integration makes the brand story complete, preferences enduring, and business outcomes stronger.


It’s not just a hybrid model that helps to craft more effective brands. There’s an ongoing effort to break down silos in agencies and enable talent to really bring a fuller skillset to the table. It plays out at both the business and the cultural level. In our industry today you see ongoing agency consolidation, you see big consulting firms, traditionally focused on business transformation scooping up brand and marketing firms because they want to tap into the hybrid brand model. All of this in the quest for the right hybrid talent. 

At VSA, we’ve always had a hybrid sensibility. We like generalists and specialists alike, because ultimately we care the most about getting to the right idea. When you’re working in a hybrid model, your designers think like strategists, your writers think like designers, and so on. People tap into more of themselves, and it better fulfills their curiosity. They can major and minor at the same time, if you will. Experience has taught me that you’re able to really get the best talent out of your people by letting them bring their fullest selves to work. Egos get checked at the door, and good ideas can come from everywhere. I think this is not just where the future of brands is headed, but the future of work as well. It’s a cultural shift, and it’s one that is going to accelerate this new era of branding.


Getting more mileage out of your brand with a hybrid approach

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Can an AI own a patent? A new legal drama will soon decide. As AI continues to think for itself, VSA Creative Director Jeff Schulz looks at the arguments around whether it is capable of creating patentable inventions independent of humans, and what this means for brand consultants and creatives. Check out his latest piece in [The Drum](https://bit.ly/3g9gogv).

Jeff has a wide range of writing and creative experience at brand, digital and creative agencies. His clients have included Capital One, CVS, Fidelity, Google, IBM, Mastercard, Nike, SAP, Subaru, Verizon, Walmart and others. Jeff’s writing has appeared in AdAge, Recode, The Drum and VentureBeat and he was an early contributor to Wired magazine.

Jeff Schulz—piece featured on The Drum

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Jeff Schulz

Creative Director

fay-scott

Fay Scott

The relationship between humans and machines has always been one fraught with tension, starting with a knee-jerk reaction of primal fear, reaching a plateau of efficiency and healthy dose of skepticism as it reaches mass adoption, and then a disillusionment of its benefits as it becomes pervasive and we in turn become either jaded by or complacent with the impact it has on our lives and our businesses.

As the relationship evolves over the adoption lifecycle of a new and emerging technology, so must the brand strategy….

- In the innovators/early adopters phase, a B2B technology brand needs to adopt an **EDUCATE, EMBOLDEN,** and **EMPOWER **strategy.
- In the majority phases, a brand needs to adopt a strategy of **RADICAL DIFFERENTIATION** through positioning that captures a true white space opportunity supported by category-defying **VERBAL **and **VISUAL** language.
- In the late/laggards phases, a brand needs to adopt a **CHALLENGER** mindset.

bell_curve1

**The problem to solve: **You’re not just selling your product, you’re selling the industry

**The challenge:** Combatting fear of trying something new

**The VSA approach: **The 3 Es: Educate, Embolden, Empower with your brand’s Value Stack Assessment™ 

When a technology is in its nascent stage, a brand needs to do a lot of work in supporting the directionality of the market. It’s not just about selling your product, platform or service, you’re actually selling the entirety of the industry. 

1.  **EDUCATE not just your customers, but your whole industry by explaining what the technology is, does, and why it’s needed.** — Enterprise leaders may not yet be convinced of the need for change, and change in highly regulated industries can be a risk that some conservative leaders are not willing to take on. Using the Value Stack Assessment™, you can start educating with the top of your pyramid, and selling the transformational benefits of your technology.
2. **Have confidence that can EMBOLDEN a prospect **through an understanding that you’re dealing with the emotional headspace of fear. Therefore, you need to over-index on powerful, emotional brand moments. — Using a Value Stack Assessment™, layer your brand messaging on the emotional components of the brand. Assess every brand touchpoint against “how will this make them feel?” and ensure you’re meeting their fear with an equally powerful emotion. For example, if you show them that this technology will make them the leader in their own industry and provide them with a competitive advantage against their top players, you can turn the fear or potential negative consequences into the Fear of Missing Out. 
3. **EMPOWER your salesforce with audience insights by using a deep understanding of nuanced buyer needs to segment messaging and pitches in a smart way. **—  You not only need to empower your salesforce with the right materials for clients and customers, you also need to ensure their immediate clients are equipped with the right messaging to then sell-in their unconvinced leadership. This tactic involves a clear understanding of each potential prospects’ immediate pain points, and targeting the final layer of your Value Stack Assessment™ with specific groupings of functional benefits that can immediately solve the pain points for each, making a long-term investment a short-term no brainer.


bell_curve2

**The problem to solve:** Changing existing behaviors and perceptions

**The challenge:** A sea of sameness

**The VSA approach: **Radical differentiation through Promise2Performance™ white space opportunity identification

In the majority phases, a brand needs to adopt a strategy of **RADICAL DIFFERENTIATION** through positioning that captures a true white space opportunity supported by category-defying **VERBAL** and **VISUAL** language.

In a saturated market, it can be difficult to compete without getting into a ground game of advertising/marketing dollars that go head-to-head. Winning business often means stealing from your competition, but at this stage in the technology lifecycle, the category often appears to customers like a sea of sameness. There can be a tendency to try to flex the more, more, more muscle — more speed, more features, more power, more you-name-it. If you have all the money in the world to spend, perhaps you can win. But for those in a position trying to take on the leader in the category, you’ll need to adopt a strategy of radical differentiation.

1. **Uncover true white space opportunity** through a positioning exercise that creates meaningful differentiations from your competitors (5 Ps: Product, Platform, Process, People, Purpose). You can  do this through our Promise2Performance™ methodology that not only identifies the new category tablestakes, but also finds a white space opportunity by connecting unique customer needs with promises that are credible, differentiating, and ownable compared to your competitors.
2. **Be different in what you say and how you look by** using words that are not just unique, but true to your positioning. Find ways to precisely describe your value at every level. Stay away from category jargon and strive to use language to further prospects' understanding of why you’re different than the others.

bell_curve3

**The problem to solve:** Breaking through

**The challenge:** Building credibility as a newcomer

**The VSA approach:** Challenge the marketplace through as a disruptor brand, focused on delivering Moments of Impact℠ in unexpected places 

In the late/laggards phases, a brand needs to adopt a **CHALLENGER** mindset.

If you’re entering a category that is past the point of saturation, the chances are you see things differently than the incumbent leaders. You have a mission to change the way the category provides value to customers, and, in essence, you’re looking to redefine the category as we know it today. We call this a challenger brand mindset, one in which your ambitions are larger than the traditional means, and with a mission to disrupt a market in the favor of customers.

1. **Start a conversation** by challenging the category truths, and take on historical category truths head-on with a tone of honesty and candor. — By contradicting the existing perceptions of their category, you’re able to create immediate resonance with the jaded mindset of your audience. While incumbents are spending money trying to be everything to everyone, a challenger focuses all efforts on a single message that can capture a broad mindset.
2.  **Focus your offerings on underserved mindsets** by being relentlessly focused on customers. Designing for unmet needs and talking like humans, you can capture and retain your audience’s attention. — As a challenger, you can’t just be better than your competitors, you need to be developing products in a way that is truly customer-centric and fulfilling an unmet need to be able to compete against legacy providers. While incumbents are spitting out their product benefits at rapid fire pace, a challenger is answering the question “what does it do for me?”
3.  **Show up in unexpected places. **You don’t win by going head-to-head—you find ways to garner attention by showing up in ways that others don’t.
At VSA, we use a Meaningful Experience Model™ study to determine where to invest in designing an exceptional brand-led moment across your customers' journey. The study measures each moment against a potential to deliver best on a target audience’s needs, but also where is the biggest opportunity to exceed expectations in a way that builds long and short term brand value (a Moment of Impact℠, or MOI). We define brand value as the ability to create social capital, command a premium, and drive differentiation. 

For B2B Technology brand strategy, market context is (almost) everything.

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Nick-FINAL

Nick Lo Bue

Executive Creative Director, Digital Practice Lead

Back when I still had spots, I was at a small agency designing coffee table books for clients in the Sports and Entertainment industries. One of our clients, the NBA, would publish a book each year to celebrate the league champions about a week after the conclusion of the series. That’s right—one week after the championship team was getting champagne in their eyes, a commemorative 112-page, full color, hardcover book with over 150 photographs was hitting the shelves at Barnes & Noble (the quicker the release, the better the sales). Copy, design, photo retouching, proofing, client approvals, file prep, printing, binding, shipping… in a week. 

Now, in all fairness, we would get somewhat of a head start on the writing and design before the winning team was crowned. As the championship series progressed, we’d shift our energy and attention to the book design — we had one going for each team — that mapped to the team that had the momentum. Lakers? Yeah, definitely the Lakers. Wait, no… Pacers? No, Lakers. Hold up... Pacers? LAKERS WIN!!! 

The 72 hours after the series ended would be frantic — a small team of about six people would work around the clock in order to release the final file to the printer. The name of that file would be something like “2000_NBA_Finals_Book_Lakers_**FINAL**.qxp.”

And then it was “2000_NBA_Finals_book_Lakers_**FINAL_v2**.qxp”

Then “...**v3.qxp**”

“...**v4.qxp**”

“...**v5.qxp**”

…

…

“2000_NBA_Finals_book_Lakers_**FINAL_v27**.qxp”

Yep. 27 times we thought we were releasing the “final” file — only to find a typo, or a missing page number, or a photo of a player wearing a hat in which the brand of that hat wasn’t “an official sponsor of the NBA.”

And so began my hate-filled war with the word “final.”

From that day on, I stubbornly refused to name any files with the word “final” in it. Partly because of superstition, but mostly because of the existential realization that nothing is ever final. My suspicions were all-the-more confirmed as I transitioned from print design to digital design. It didn’t take me long to realize that in digital, the notion of “final” was even more misguided than it was in print design. At least in print, somewhere down the line, paper gets bound, shrink-wrapped, loaded onto pallets, and shipped. That’s pretty “final.” By contrast, in digital, what’s “published” can be changed in a moment’s notice, and changed over and over and over again — not to mention the publishing flexibility that’s afforded by automation and AI. 

Rather than a curse, this ability to avoid finality in favor of adaptability is a brand’s greatest asset. It’s also one of the most overlooked and neglected attributes of digital activation. Regularly, we see brands spend a ton of focus and energy getting to launch, and lose sight of what's possible, and even required, post-launch. “Launch” needs to be regarded as the starting line, not the finish line. 

With that spirit in mind, I offer some (ever-adapting) best practices regarding the launch of a site or app: 

**Do commit to evolution, not perfection.** Release, learn, and improve. Brands have the responsibility to collect and leverage ongoing data and insights to inform the evolution of features and content. In the words of Voltaire: “Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien.” 

**Do define post-launch workflows and governance.** Knowing what to publish is difficult, but knowing what not to publish is even more difficult. Establishing frameworks in advance that provide guidance and a governance model is essential for consistency and time management. Brands should be building out processes that will turn the insights they glean into actionable tasks, and managing those tasks in a backlog prioritized by user needs. 

**Don’t underestimate the need for cross-disciplinary talent.** While brands often appreciate the need for content creators, they almost always underestimate the ongoing nurturing that only skilled data analysts, UX and digital designers, product managers, content strategists, and developers can bring. Investing in these roles is a commitment to the evolution and optimization of content, features, functionality, and brand assets.

**Do invest in good tools.** Spend the time to investigate and test drive tools to collect data from users (Crazy Egg, Google Analytics and Tag Manager, SurveyMonkey, etc), and tools to help manage the backlog (Jira, Trello, DoneDone, etc).

**Don’t neglect your CMS.** The most important of the tools, the CMS, should get (almost) as much UX love and consideration as the customer-facing site. An effective CMS can be highly configured and customized so that the terminology and permissions aligns with existing business nomenclature and workflows. Content managers should inform the buildout of the CMS, and a training program should be implemented to support onboarding. 

**Do get into the right mindset.** Arguably the most important consideration is recognizing that the investment to nurture your digital property after launch is less expensive and has a better ROI than undertaking a major redesign every three-to-four years. Just the search, RFP, selection, and procurement of an agency can cost seven figures and take months. Brands should find a partner that won't “drop the mic” and is committed to their client’s long-term success.

The end. 

*Or is it?...*


The Fallacy of Final 

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Chrystine_Witherspoon

Chrystine Witherspoon

Among all strategic corporate decisions, there may be no bigger high-risk, high-reward moment than rebranding. It’s an arduous task for any organization—and for their brand agency partner. Everyone involved, from front-line employees to the board of directors, knows that a new brand means more than a visual makeover, and isn’t something that can be rethought with next year’s budget. It’s a clear signal of change and a carefully considered expression—and investment—meant to endure the test of time.
So, how do rebrands ensure that they’re speaking strategically, meaningfully, and personally all at the same time? How do they capture the imaginations of every stakeholder audience and communicate a lasting vision for the brand?
We’ve seen a number of high-visibility rebranding efforts this month among some of the best-known businesses in the world. Each appears to have its own motivation for signaling “something’s different about us,” and each has led to a different kind of design decision. So which recent new logo appears to be successful in changing the story of the brand it represents? Here’s my take as a design observer on three of them…


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