When we think about strong brands, we often picture logos, taglines, or beautifully designed experiences. But sometimes, recognition happens even faster than that. Sometimes, it starts with color. In this quick hit from the road, J.Schmid President Brent Niemuth shares a simple branding lesson from Mykonos, Greece, where white buildings and blue water communicate a […]
We’re sending heartfelt wishes for a joyful and safe holiday season. There’s nothing quite like coming together, sharing laughter, building connections, and truly enjoying each other’s company. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the season and close out the year on a high note. Here’s to making 2026 even more amazing!
What Really Wins Brand Loyalty? Insights to Keep Customers Coming Back In our latest Burning Questions study, we asked 500 consumers: “What’s one product or brand you keep coming back to, even when you have other options? Why does it win your loyalty?” We found that four things rose to the top: Consistency. Taste. Value. […]
Connection Is How Brands Move Forward When times get tough for businesses, marketing is often the first thing on the chopping block. Budgets get slashed. Campaigns get delayed. Creative teams get told to “do more with less.” But here’s the hard truth: you can’t cut your way to connection. And if you’re trying to build […]
Consumer Reactions to Review Sites In our latest Burning Questions study, we asked 250 consumers: “Which consumer review sources are you most likely to trust?” Many gave multiple sources a nod, while others told us they only trusted reviews that are not sponsored. We found that most consumers no longer take reviews at face value. […]
Consumer Reactions to AI in Branding In our latest Burning Questions study, we asked 250 consumers: “When you hear that a brand uses AI to create content, what’s your gut reaction?” The answers were split—35% felt neutral, 34% leaned negative, and only about 30% were positive or conditionally positive. Concerns centered on authenticity and creativity, […]
Why Human Brands Still Win Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It writes our emails, recommends our playlists, tailors our shopping carts, and increasingly, shapes how brands show up in the world. And listen—we love a good tool. Anything that makes the work faster, smarter, or more efficient? We’re in. But there’s a line.A big one.Because when […]
When we think of powerful brands with rich stories, like Patagonia, we picture their website, their stores, maybe one of those beautifully crafted catalogs. But there’s something just as important that often gets overlooked: the people. In this quick hit from the road, J.Schmid President Brent Niemuth shares a branding lesson straight from a Patagonia […]
Why Empathy is Your Brand’s Secret Weapon What if the most powerful marketing tool you have isn’t your budget, your media mix, or even your data — but your ability to be human? In a world where brands are louder, faster, and more automated than ever, the ones that actually connect are the ones that […]
