Dominick Fils-Aimé

A skills-based recruitment strategy — rather than strictly relying on education level — is an increasingly popular ingredient for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that are eager to attract, retain, and grow marketing talent. SMBs can fill in any potential knowledge gaps through training programs that take a long-term approach.

Corey Elliot, EVP at Borrell Associates, shared insights from a survey of small-business leaders, focusing on how they believe the outcome of the upcoming presidential election will impact their operations. The survey reveals key differences in expectations based on which candidate is seen as more beneficial for small businesses. From advertising budgets to business growth potential, small-business leaders are divided on how a Trump or Harris victory could shape their future, with 56 percent of respondents anticipating that the election’s results will directly affect their business moving forward.

Stu Richards, CEO at Bredin, shared insights from his market research firm about how SMBs are leveraging AI. He also discussed use cases, misconceptions, risk mitigation, and the general sentiment of SMBs as it relates to AI.

When Smoothie King was preparing to launch its X-Treme Watermelon Smoothie in 2023, the brand faced several challenges: a peak summer season crowded with promotions, a tight five-day timeline, and a vacant media budget.

The ANA Marketing Ethics Code (“Ethics Code”) is an ethical framework comprised of a set of high-level principles and guidelines. Part three of the code — “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Marketing (DEIB) Principles” — is designed to build awareness and drive engagement for the advancement of DEIB in the marketing and advertising industry.

When influencer Carly Joy posted an authentic video instructing women on how to shave their nether regions, the brand featured in the video saw it as a unique marketing opportunity. The post, which amassed over 17 million views, inspired Soyoung Kang CMO of eos products to fire off a text to Kerry McKibbin, partner and president at Mischief @ No Fixed Address, the brand’s creative agency.

As the impending demise of third-party cookies looms, marketers, particularly those in small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs), are pivoting towards new data strategies. SMBs stand poised to leverage emerging technologies to meet consumers’ expectations, foster meaningful connections, and thrive in an ever-evolving market.

Agency-client relations can be problematic for SMBs (small-to-medium sized businesses), which have fewer resources than larger brands and less margin for error when hiring creative services firms. Yet despite the inherent challenges, SMBs increasingly see the value of marketing to fuel growth, with 94 percent planning to maintain or increase their investment in digital marketing spend in 2023, per a study by Taradel.

With their purpose-driven campaigns, healthcare nonprofits Colorectal Cancer Coalition and Iroquois Healthcare Association exemplified how nonprofit organizations can drive meaningful impact without an extensive budget.

Through their purpose-driven campaigns addressing pandemic challenges and racial injustice respectively, Big Facts, Small Acts and the Courageous Conversation Global Foundation exemplified how community organizations can inspire change and support the Black community on a small budget.

Learn how the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Taimi navigated budget constraints to deliver meaningful campaigns that supported the LGBTQ+ community.