Complaints

The best way to complain is to make things better. Complaining can be a form of intimacy. It’s a useful way to explain our behavior. And best of all, it gives us a way to communicate as we work to create community action. The rest sort of complaint requires generosity and courage. Complaining isn’t whining,…

What if they’re right?

We spend a lot of time in our own heads, certain that our path and our method make sense. We often become more certain in the face of criticism or even suggestions. This confidence is essential, as it allows us to lean into our project. Once in a while, though, it might help to model…

You’ve already failed

No project is going to exactly match every hope you have for it. And even before you ship the work, you’ve already succeeded. No project is totally worthless. So, given that failure and success are on a spectrum, at least partly out of our control, the real question is: Now that you’ve signed up for…

Consumers Care About Brand Values: How To Communicate Them in a Way That Wins

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better. As an inclusive marketing strategist and consultant, one of the things I talk about consistently with my clients is brand values. Many of them want to win over a bigger and more diverse customer base, but I…

How Consumers Responded to Black Friday Campaigns in 2024 [+ Holiday Marketing Tips]

I’m much more the “spend Black Friday at home in my pajamas” type, but I have a few family members who for some reason enjoy getting up at 4 a.m. to wait in lines for doorbuster deals. Online or in-store, consumer or marketer, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are formidable forces. HubSpot polled 250+ people…

The problem with shock design

If attention is what you seek and attention is what you measure, it’s likely you’ll create drama. And drama is inherently short-lived. The managing director of Jaguar said, “We’ve certainly gathered an awful lot of attention over the last few weeks.” Choosing the word “awful” was appropriate. Here’s the design that made Jaguar iconic: Sixty…