The Creative Brief

This week we get the pleasure of speaking with Dan Robbins, VP of Ad Marketing and Partner Solutions at Roku.He explains how the Coronavirus pandemic has changed but also solidified our understanding of modern streaming habits. More often people are defaulting to streaming services rather than opting for cable television, meaning more networks are popping up with their own subscription streaming services.Listen to the episode and let us know if you’re also a cord cutter!Leave some feedbackWhat should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Roku:https://roku.comSocial, @RokuConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Have you ever wondered why your business sometimes gets website visitors  that quickly bounce off the page? The answer isn’t always the same, but you’re probably not giving them a reason to stick around. To convert them into a customer or qualified lead requires both strategy and persistence.In this episode, we give 8 solid tips that you can implement to your website today in order to hold onto those visitors and turn them into loyal customers. Listen to the episode for the full list!Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

We’re taking a week off from interviews, so this episode is a reupload. We believe many entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes can benefit from the conversation and insights from Sendible CEO Gavin Hammar.Throughout the episode, Gavin outlines the joys and challenges of running a software company, creating and building upon a healthy work culture, and what it takes to build brand authenticity.Leave some feedbackWhat should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Gavin and Sendible:https://sendible.comSocials, @GavinHammar, @hamgav, @SendibleConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Happy employees make happy customers which results in successful businesses. One of your most important responsibilities is making your employees feel truly valued, showing gratitude, and letting them know that without them, your company would be in a much different place. In this episode, we discuss proven tactics that employers can use to show employee appreciation, and make their work environment more enjoyable.Listen to the episode for the full list!Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Wendy Wei is the host of the Overexposed podcast and social media manager at Pexels, a platform that allows its users to download and use free stock photos and videos with the help from contributors from all over the world. In this episode, Wendy gives us a history lesson on Pexels as well as a feature they recently implemented, giving LGBTQ+ couples equal presence when searching on the site. This is another step for the company to strengthen their overall quest to improve representation for marginalized communities.Leave some feedbackWhat should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Check out Wendy and PexelsConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Outsourcing is the business practice of hiring an outside party or company to perform services and create goods that is traditionally internal and undertaken by the company's own employees and staff. It's a practice that businesses typically use as a cost cutting measure, and as such, it can affect a wide range of jobs, ranging from IT and customer support, to manufacturing to the back office.In this episode, we discuss our own thoughts on outsourcing, and when your company should consider it.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

On this episode of the Creative Brief, we interview Eric Andre Show co-writer, Hannibal Buress. Some of you are probably curious and might ask, “What’s Hannibal been up to lately?” Some might say, “Who is Hannibal Buress?”Hannibal first started performing stand-up comedy at an open mic in the early 2000s while attending Southern Illinois University and was a writer for the television shows Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. He has also performed on several late-night talk shows over the years and started a podcast called Handsome Rambler in 2016.This year, Hannibal drops his new stand up special called Miami Nights exclusively on YouTube, where he discusses his experience with Miami law enforcement, alongside the backdrop of a national and international conversation around police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.In this episode, we talk about everything from social media, to internet rabbit holes, and of course, the release of Miami Nights.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Check out Hannibal and Miami Nights:Socials, Twitter, Instagram, TikTokConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Customer experience (CX) is how customers perceive their interactions with a business. From first impression to landed customer, a successful strategy should be both enjoyable and useful from the customer’s point of view. The process promotes loyalty, helps businesses retain customers, and encourages brand advocacy. This is why it's incredibly important to provide a remarkable experience and make those customers want to continue doing business with you. They are one of your best resources for growing brand awareness.In this episode, we discuss our own suggestions for greatly improving customer experiences.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

A common practice that surrounds big tech companies like Google or Facebook is the ability to collect and manipulate user data to their advantage. They generally provide users with a free service in exchange for their data, which can be quickly turned around to serve extremely personalized ads. You’re constantly being followed online, whether it’s said or not, and needless to say, this level of personalization isn’t for everyone. That’s why DuckDuckGo is trying to change that mentality. They’re proving that a tech company can focus on user privacy, and practice data ethics while being profitable at the same time.Our Creative Brief guest this week is Kamyl Bazbaz, VP of Communications at DuckDuckGo. Listen to the episode to find out the lengths at which the company goes through to stick to their morals and respect the personal data of their users.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Check out DuckDuckGo:https://duckduckgo.com/ Socials, Instagram / Facebook / TwitterConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks / @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik / @kowalacreative

Lead generation is a necessary process for all sorts of businesses. The process itself involves attracting and converting complete strangers into potential customers if they have indicated an interest in a product or service that your business provides. Some examples of lead generators are online content, blog posts, giveaways, coupons, live events, etc.In this episode, we discuss our own techniques for lead generation with hopes that it will also help your business venture.Listen to the episode for the fully-featured list.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Affinity is a graphics software suite of applications for creative professionals developed by Serif for macOS, iPadOS, and Windows. The company was originally founded in 1987 by a small team of software engineers, with a mission to create lower-cost alternatives to existing desktop publishing applications. As technology improved, their software would evolve to meet the needs of their users, and their trio of applications, aptly named Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher would rival the capabilities of Adobe’s popular creative suite.Our Creative Brief guest this week is Serif’s managing director, Ash Hewson. With nearly 15 years at the company, Ash has seen it all. Most importantly, he has overseen the release of the Serif’s Affinity suite and is currently finding new creative avenues to take the company to Affinity… and beyond.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Check out Affinity by Serif:https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/Socials, Instagram / Facebook / TwitterConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks / @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik / @kowalacreative

This Week in Marketing #11Despite one's best efforts to grow a company, there are small business owners who tend to experience stunted or sluggish growth. If you’re frustrated with how slowly your business seems to be growing, this podcast episode is for you. We share 10 tips based on our own experiences that may help you move to that next phase of business growth.Listen to the episode for the fully-featured list.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Charles Reese started his social media journey by posting his favorite outfits which turned into a desire to be a fashion influencer. He observed some of the most prominent influencers when social media was on the rise and came to the realization that it would someday dominate main stream culture. Charles uncovered his passion for marketing and business while in college and turned it into a lifestyle. He is currently building a marketing company that will bring strategic and creative tactics for businesses and brands across different industries. In this episode we outline why it’s essential to connect with your social media following and build real relationships, as well as the importance of always educating yourself on industry trends and maintaining a healthy business mindset.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Charles:Socials, Twitter / Instagram / LinkedInConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks / @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik / @kowalacreative

This Week in Marketing #10Why are paid ads are essential to small business owners?While many of us continue to work from home, right now is the best time for individuals and businesses of all sizes to see a significant return on their ad spend if those ads are set up properly. In this episode we discuss how companies can better optimize their pay-per-click and social media ad campaigns thorough effective targeting, using the right keywords, and split-testing different ad variations.What's something new that you learned about digital advertising in this episode?Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

M1 Finance is all about long-term investing, an approach that takes research, patience and persistence.Our guest on the Creative Brief this week is M1 Finance CMO, Bob Armour. The company takes a different approach from traditional brokerages by allowing you to put your financial future into your own hands with smart software and no-fee investing. They designed their product features and tools to be customizable, easy to use, and automated so their users can serve their unique financial needs. Bob and the team at M1 educate their clients through effective marketing, highlighting the advantages of investing for the long haul while providing in-app features that their users can hope to benefit from.Get $10 after signing up and funding your M1 Finance portfolio:https://m1.finance/SHE5i3xhBkQNLeave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with M1 Finance & Bob:https://www.m1finance.comSocials, @M1_Finance / @M1_Finance / @bobarmourConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks / @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik / @kowalacreative

This Week in Marketing #9The White House's “Find Something New” campaign comes with the country in the midst of a public health crisis that has upended entire industries and kicked off a recession that has sent the nation’s unemployment rate shooting above 11 percent. The nation currently has 5.4 million job openings, according to the Labor Department, which is not nearly enough for the roughly 18 million Americans who are officially unemployed and the 33 million who are currently receiving unemployment benefits.Virgin Money is hoping to build a consumer lifestyle brand that can take on the biggest high street banks with a refocus of its sponsorship activity on music and a brand positioning that aims to “take the fear out of finance.” The company looks to provide financial value and build a bank with more than 6 million personal and business customers that can take on the veterans of British banking.Burger King partnered with scientists to develop a new diet for beef livestock used in Whoppers, adding a small amount of lemongrass to their feed and released an educational video starring the “Walmart Yodeling Kid” Mason Ramsey, that illustrates the negative environmental impact of the livestock industry. Early studies indicate the change can reduce daily methane emissions by 33%.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Beak & Skiff is a family-owned company that has been growing premium apples at their 1,000-acre Lafayette, New York location for over 100 years, and have cultivated their family orchard into one of the state’s most prestigious apple growers.… but that’s not all they do.This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Eddie Brennan, president and co-owner of Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, where we discuss the rich history of the company and the incremental changes that were influenced by each generation of owners. That history has shown that the team is not afraid to try new things and put their own spin on emerging product categories. Over the last few decades, they helped educate and pave the path for the ever-growing popularity of hard cider with their 1911 Established brand. Recently the company has introduced their brand of wines, spirits and line of hard cider seltzer derived entirely from their locally-grown apples - from tree to distillery. Beak & Skiff has repeatedly shown that the key to success stems from utilizing your imagination and resources, and nurturing those goals into reality.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Beak & Skiff:https://beakandskiff.com/Socials, @beakandskiff and @beakandskiffConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

This Week in Marketing #8Uber buys rival Postmates as competition in the food delivery space heats up. The company said its $2.65 billion deal will help it better compete in restaurant delivery and the market for delivering groceries, a signal of the company's ambitions to provide a wider range of items to consumer doorsteps.Facebook and Instagram remind their users to wear a face mask in response to a recent rise in US COVID-19 cases and mineral water manufacturer Evian creates a 100% recycled plastic bottle with the "Evian" brand name engraved onto the plastic itself. This is part of the company's ongoing effort to become fully circular by 2025.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

Businesses today have a responsibility that extends beyond financial means. Sustainability in the business world means ensuring environmental, economic and social wellbeing for both current and future customers.This week’s guest is Radina Popova, the co-founder of DiFOLD, an elegant and collapsable water bottle that magically folds to fit into your pocket. After more than two years of research and development, the company is aiming to reduce the use of single-use plastics by illustrating a new mindset in design technology that considers both the future of people and the planet. DiFOLD’s Kickstarter campaign was fully funded in only four hours and continues to rise far beyond the original goal. The support for this product and their cause is tremendous, and we wish them the best of luck with their future endeavors!Listen to the other episodes:http://creativebrief.io Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Support DiFOLD:https://difold.tech/Socials, @difold.tech and @difoldtechConnect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative

This Week in Marketing #7Facebook makes $70b in annual revenue from ads on its platform, but this week, hundreds of brands have vowed to halt advertising on Facebook in a growing protest over how the company handles hate speech and other harmful content.Constellation Brands also acquired Empathy Wines, a direct-to-consumer wine brand that was co-founded by entrepreneur and media personality Gary Vaynerchuk, who will continue to remain involved with the brand as a consultant.Leave some feedback:What should we talk about next?Did you enjoy this episode? If so please leave us a short review!Connect with Chris and Nick:https://revcarto.comSocials, @chrisdavisworks and @revcartohttps://kowalacreative.comSocials, @nklenchik and @kowalacreative