Sustainability: Part 4

Part 4: Steaks, Suds, and Sierras. Three Case Studies in Sustainability. It’s the beginning of 2022 and sustainability is everywhere – or at least the appearance of it. Like “Fat-Free” and “Organic” before it, the term itself has slowly shifted away from its denotative definition and into a looser, more free-form jazz approach to language […]

Sustainability: Part 3

Part 3: The Overlooked R’s: Reduce and Reuse  “We must also stop looking at recycling as an excuse for excessive consumption and remember the other R’s that come first: reduce and reuse.” – Sappi, Rethinking Recycling Thankfully, recycling has become almost a given in the corporate world and the majority of homes. But it’s time […]

Sustainability: Part 2

Part 2: Marketing Sustainability How is your brand committed to sustainability? How are you communicating that to your audience? More and more, consumers are making their voices heard. They care about the environment, and they want the brands they support to share that concern. As marketers, we have a responsibility not only to this audience […]

Sustainability: Part 1

Part 1: Making the Case Sustainability has been a topic of discussion around the J.Schmid studio for a while. We believe in it personally. We believe in it as an organization. And we believe in the upside for our clients. So we’ve decided to write a blog series about it. Now, to be clear, we […]

Mind Your Behavior

When it comes to building a successful brand, understanding what you believe in and defining your core values are essential. But many brands stop there and forget that the most important part is to LIVE those values every day. Your actions are what speak the loudest, not simply stating what you believe. Just like humans, […]

Supply Chain Woes

Supply Chain Woes & Communicating with Your Customers The global supply chain is in crisis. The scarcity is real, and for most retailers – the occasional backorder went from a low-grade and fairly infrequent problem to major outages, much of the time, and backorders of 3-4 months are increasingly common. Customer reactions range from anger […]

Bands and Brands: Lessons from Austin City Limits

What do bands and brands have in common? Both have loyal fans who are willing to stand in line and push their way to the front to show their love. So what are you doing for them in return? Do you consistently deliver a memorable “performance” that will keep them coming back, or are you […]

Catalog Critiques: Making Bad Good, and Good Better

Familial, Authentic Sunnyland Farms If you’ve never had the delicious pleasure of curling up on the couch with a Sunnyland Farms catalog, you’re really missing a treat. Sunnyland Farms is family-owned and started as a mail order company in 1948, providing gourmet Georgia Pecans, Nuts, Chocolates, Dried Fruits, Candies and assorted gifts. Now, they’re online […]