Insight180 is celebrating 20 years in business this year. Wow! Twenty years of working with some truly great organizations to create great brands and have more impact in the world. Twenty years of curiosity, listening and discovery. Of beautiful design and smart strategy. Of amazing people, teamwork, resilience, generosity, and opportunity.
As we move through this milestone year, we’ll be sharing some blasts from the past; the work that defined us, the stories that changed us, the people who inspired us.
20/20 hindsight, insights, and foresight … What’s changed in 20 years? So very much… and yet, not a lot!
What has changed?
Twenty years ago, most small businesses did not have a website and cell phones were still quite new (and clunky). Technology has soared. Social media and digital tools are integrated into everyday work flows. Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce, bringing with them new ideas, preferences, and passions. The world has changed and brands need to reflect that.
B2B services firm and nonprofits once needed marketing to cast a wide net. They needed the broadest statement possible to position the organization as bigger or better than the competition.
Today, it’s more about specialization, fit and relevance.
- It used to be about growth and profit, today it’s also about purpose and impact.
- It used to be about business, as usual, today it’s about inclusion and diversity.
- It used to be about expertise, it’s now also about culture.
Transparency and “realness” are more important than ever. Not only do brands need to align with the values that drive your business, but now your entire culture needs to embrace and represent that alignment internally, on social media and in the demonstration of the greater impact you have in your community.
What hasn’t changed?
Branding is still about how you present yourself to the world and set yourself apart. The strongest brands successfully manage the delicate balance of reinvention. They’re able to be aligned with their values while simultaneously evolving with culture. They’re flexible and innovative while holding to core principles. They continue to shift the brand experience to attract attention and create a dialogue with respect and relevance while at the same time tell a consistent brand story.
As change agents, it’s always been our honor to support clients through the oft-uncomfortable change process to revisit, redefine or take on a refreshed brand. Even if it’s not easy to hear, we pride ourselves on guiding the process with candor, kindness, respect, and levity.
That will never change.
We couldn’t do it without you. (And we wouldn’t want to!) Thank you for helping to inspire our first 20 years of change and innovation, of curiosity, of strategic brand communications!
