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Around the Agency – May 2026 Edition
Beth spent some time this week at the Nodes AI conference, where a lot of very smart people are trying to solve the same problem: how to make AI actually understand what it’s working with.
The shortest distance between a brand and its audience
Humor has long been a mainstay of effective marketing. At its best, it shows the people behind a company and the humanity they bring to their work. At its worst, [...]
Ideas to Ponder – April 2026 Edition
An inside look at our latest explorations and undertakings. Why clear identity matters more than ever This piece on brand ontology gives language to something a lot [...]
Around the Agency – April 2026 Edition
An inside look at our latest explorations and undertakings. A beautiful day in the North Loop neighborhood Megan joined the North Loop Association Business Summit this month—bringing [...]
Clarity under pressure
In an era of accelerated consequence, the brands that endure are the ones whose meaning holds. When skepticism becomes behavior Why consequences now arrive faster Consumers build mental [...]
Brand as infrastructure
Identity as an operating system, not a performance Brand is one of the most discussed concepts in business—and one of the most consistently misdiagnosed. It is treated as expression, [...]
Ideas to Ponder – March 2026 Edition
An inside look at our latest explorations and undertakings. Leading with identity When things feel uncertain, the instinct is often to tweak the messaging. Adjust the campaign. Push harder. [...]
When integrity becomes economic
Integrity is no longer a background value. It’s becoming a visible business variable. Not gradually. Not hypothetically. Now. What used to register as cultural inconsistency is resolving directly into [...]
Around the Agency – March 2026 Edition
We’ve been looking for ways to help here in Minneapolis and have been deeply moved by the support pouring in from across the country.
Marketing isn’t the problem. Identity is.
Why capable organizations stall—and why marketing takes the blame. If marketing feels harder than it should, it’s rarely because the team lacks skill, effort, or experience. Most organizations we [...]
The Stillpoint: A cat&tonic Reflection
Closing 2025 & Opening 2026 “At the still point of the turning world, there the dance is.” - T.S. Eliot This year didn’t explode with a single [...]
Ideas to Ponder – November 2025 Edition
An inside look at our latest explorations and undertakings. Less panic, more purpose Another reason to take a deep breath and release some of the anxiety that AI [...]
