Debra Keneally

Doublespace recently completed a comprehensive brand refresh for Brearley, a prestigious all-girls school located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The project aimed to modernize Brearley's image and digital presence while respecting its 140-year legacy in girls’ education. The Doublespace team approached this challenge with three primary objectives: contemporizing Brearley's brand story, broadening its admissions appeal to girls across New York City, and redesigning the school’s website to reflect its unique offerings better. We began with an in-depth discovery process to uncover Brearle’'s distinctive strengths. This research revealed the need to balance the school’s well-known reputation for academic rigor with its lesser-known qualities such as its vibrant, joyous community. Our strategy focused on redefining the concept of a “Brearley girl” to be more inclusive, showcasing the school’s well-rounded educational experience and highlighting how Brearley prepares young women for future leadership roles. A complete overhaul of Brearley's website was the centerpiece of this brand transformation. The new site features modern design aesthetics and high-quality imagery that captures the essence of the all-female student body. We optimized the information architecture to serve all stakeholders effectively, from prospective students and their families to alumnae. The dynamic homepage now showcases the diverse student experiences at Brearley, while refined storytelling throughout the site emphasizes the unique benefits of an all-girls education. As a result of this project, Brearley's refreshed brand and website effectively communicate the school’s unique position in girls’ education. The new digital presence balances tradition and innovation, appealing to a broader range of prospective students while reinforcing Brearley’s commitment to academic excellence. Our client, Jennifer Stewart (Director of Communications at The Brearley School), said, “I cannot say enough good things about our work with Doublespace. Every member of the team, led by Jane Kosstrin, took the time to listen carefully to us and to learn about who we are as a school and where we wanted to take our school’s website. I’ve launched multiple websites in my career and this was by far the best experience. Each person we worked was attentive, thoughtful, and frankly fun to work with. This has been one of the most satisfying professional experiences of my career.” We invite you to visit brearley.org to experience how Doublespace has transformed Brearley’s digital presence. At Doublespace, we specialize in elevating the brands. If you’re interested in learning how we can help your organization stand out, we welcome you to contact us for a chat.

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Love this POV from Savarone Ammann on how copywriters can make themselves more essential, now that AI's here. Particularly love the points about what good copywriters do that is frankly irreplaceable, like: 1. Asking questions 2. Thinking strategically 3. Judging the info that's truly useful in the client brief. Easy to take for granted, but we shouldn't.

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"Chaos asks questions of you order never will" The wonderful Colleen DeCourcy retells her experience working with Dan Wieden when she took over as Chief Creative Officer at Wieden+Kennedy Her immediate response to me asking about working with Dan was this quote about chaos. We have a natural reaction against chaos because it can be destructive and unsettling but what if we reframed it as a necessary condition for achieving something truly breakthrough 🌪 Chaos propels you forward while order maintains the status quo 🌪 Chaos creates leaders while order creates managers 🌪 Chaos demands a response while order delays it 🌪 Chaos reveals the cracks while order papers them up 🌪 Chaos forces ownership while order delegates it 🌪 Chaos fosters creativity while order fosters compliance 🌪 Chaos requires trust while order replaces it It got me thinking whether there is an optimal mix of Chaos and order required to achieve breakthrough ideas and momentum? We spend most of our time creating order but what if what we actually needed was an injection of chaos? To hear more from this episode check out the links in the comments John Kearon Kerry Collinge Orlando Wood

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NEW ESSAY : Sonic Dimensions Of Worldbuilding ~~~ on how worldbuilding and spatial design can expand through sound. https://lnkd.in/eM-Gu48S This works best if you hear the music examples, so for the full experience, head over to Substack. What’s your favorite example of how a brand, product, artist, movie, video game, etc uses sound to expand its world?

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Creatives promoted to leadership roles, but aren't mentored on how to manage/lead can harm the work their teams put out. How? Struggling to connect and manage the needs of their direct reports --> leads to frustrated creatives who don't feel understood or heard --> which leads to lower motivation and performance --> which leads to poor creative output --> and can eventually lead to losing great creatives to other opportunities. Help your new creative leaders grow into the amazing managers they're meant to be by setting them up for success.

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"The opening lines of our AI policy drive this home: 'Artificial intelligence (AI), like most technology, can be used in positive or detrimental ways. We hired you. That means a lot to us. We want your ingenuity, creativity, and perspective first and foremost.' We have no interest in replacing our team with AI or software. When we hire people, it’s with a clear understanding that this role can only be successful with a human’s strategic mind. What makes Formada unique is the quality of our work." Read on to learn more in Garrett Jackson's fantastic new blog!

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What a powerful move!! Upwards and onwards...

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Recent insights from SmartBrief highlight the significant impact when brands thoughtfully engage with the AAPI community. Brands that recognize and authentically market to this diverse group not only build stronger relationships but also see tangible business growth. Key takeaways: 1. Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting cultural nuances is paramount. 2. Representation Matters: Inclusive visuals and narratives resonate deeply. 3. Community Engagement: Partnering with AAPI influencers and organizations fosters genuine connections. It’s not just about reaching an audience; it’s about building trust and loyalty through meaningful engagement. Inclusive marketing can make every community feel seen and valued. 🌏💬✨ #InclusiveMarketing #AAPI #BrandStrategy #CommunityEngagement #DiversityAndInclusion

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Go Big or Don't Go... Northwell Health launches Northwell Studios to reimagine #BrandStorytelling Northwell Health, New York State’s largest health system, today announced the launch of Northwell Studios, a dedicated entity focused on harnessing the power of storytelling and entertainment to humanize health care and spark meaningful social conversations. To help advance this mission, Northwell Studios has entered a new development deal with award winning and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) represented film and television production company, CreativeChaosvmg.com, [CreativeChaos vmg] to develop and co-produce both scripted and unscripted films. Together, five new productions are underway, including stories about Northwell’s clinical expertise, one-of-a-kind patient-centered programs, innovative technologies and, most importantly, the brave and bold employees and patients who are at the heart of every story. See More [Business Wire] https://lnkd.in/e4WpVV-U #branding #MarketingTips #Storytelling #healthcare #VideoMarketing

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When I grew up as a copywriter in the New York advertising business and creative departments at some of the world’s best advertising agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and TBWA, I was taught the #1 edict: your work counts for everything. Great work, I was taught, isn’t just an important thing, it’s the only thing. It means more and better assignments, promotions, money, respect, admiration and awards. Later, as I launched my own agency, I stuck to this belief. Highly inventive work is often the key for brand managers in every business, every category, to achieve their ultimate goals, building sales and share. However, while there’s hyper-focus on great thinking, divergent ideas, never-seen-before executions, I’ve learned it could take my advertising agency only so far. There’s something else. Listening. Listen to brand managers talk about their challenges. Listen to how and why they make budget decisions. Listen to them talk about competition. Listen to the enormous control retailers have. Listen to their supply chain challenges. Listen to their internal sales pressures. Listen to their internal discussions on positioning and strategy. Then, as advertising professionals, we can put ourselves in the brand manager’s place and respond by understanding what she or he is confronting every day. With all the big agency emphasis on inventive work, as an agency leader and new business evangelist, I really believed I should talk first about my work. But no. That has led to missed opportunities – I can think of one really wonderful marketer who recently rejected our agency because I talked about our work, instead of asking questions and listening. So, I’ve learned. You always change and adapt. Listen first. Ask questions. Only after you’ve learned what a marketer is dealing with, can you talk about your work and its success. We never stop learning.

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When I grew up as a copywriter in the New York advertising business and creative departments at some of the world’s best advertising agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and TBWA, I was taught the #1 edict: your work counts for everything. Great work, I was taught, isn’t just an important thing, it’s the only thing. It means more and better assignments, promotions, money, respect, admiration and awards. Later, as I launched my own agency, I stuck to this belief. Highly inventive work is often the key for brand managers in every business, every category, to achieve their ultimate goals, building sales and share. However, while there’s hyper-focus on great thinking, divergent ideas, never-seen-before executions, I’ve learned it could take my advertising agency only so far. There’s something else. Listening. Listen to brand managers talk about their challenges. Listen to how and why they make budget decisions. Listen to them talk about competition. Listen to the enormous control retailers have. Listen to their supply chain challenges. Listen to their internal sales pressures. Listen to their internal discussions on positioning and strategy. Then, as advertising professionals, we can put ourselves in the brand manager’s place and respond by understanding what she or he is confronting every day. With all the big agency emphasis on inventive work, as an agency leader and new business evangelist, I really believed I should talk first about my work. But no. That has led to missed opportunities – I can think of one really wonderful marketer who recently rejected our agency because I talked about our work, instead of asking questions and listening. So, I’ve learned. You always change and adapt. Listen first. Ask questions. Only after you’ve learned what a marketer is dealing with, can you talk about your work and its success. We never stop learning.

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Have loved reading (and listening to) Kimeko McCoy, Digiday ask questions when it comes to #genai and what how to mitigate marketers' concerns. Razorfish's Cristina Lawrence joined in on the conversation, with a big point around brand reputation and perception when it comes to #ai. Have a read: "At the end of the day, with the brand clients, what they care about is the perception of the brand and the implications to brand perception. As we continue to refine the content labeling and that provenance piece, I think we will get to a point eventually where that apprehension will subside." https://lnkd.in/gb2wPKT8

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I began my career as a designer in the film industry before shifting over to he publishing industry. I worked for half a dozen different magazines, thanks to an incredible opportunity to be mentored by one of the all-time most highly respected creative directors. Rhonda Rubinstein was an incredible influence on my design thinking and capabilities. We worked at numerous magazines together but to this day, my most rewarding and satisfying work was at Mother Jones. It was creative, expressive, challenging and it's my "radicalization" began to take shape. (Turns out I've *always* maintained controversial, non-mainstream views.) In the years since I've done less and less design work and more writing and strategic planning. But as Rhonda cautioned, "once an art director, always an art director." More recently, I've been working in the neurodiversity disability space. In diving into his new realm I did a ton of research into neurodivergent-friendly design. Turns out what's good design for autistic, ADHD, dyslexic and other neurodiverse people is good design FOR EVERYONE. Or, if I may make a tiny little leap here, design is a discipline. The advent of apps *cough Canva* that put design within reach of anyone with a smartphone has resulted in a world full of awful, hard to read, difficult to follow design—particularly in social media. So, dear fledgling social media rockstar, dear start-up tech bro, dear content creator...please do yourself a favor and take a design course or two. There is no app for good design. Design is a discipline. But at the very bare minimum… STOP CREATING SLIDES AND CONTENT IN LONG PARAGRAPHS OF ALL CAPS CENTERED COPY BLOCKS. Thanks for coming to my TED talk and stay tuned for my Design Direction for Non-Designers workshop next month.

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✅🖥️ The Hollywood Reporter (6/26): “By now everyone in Hollywood seems to accept that streaming is a cutthroat business. It may not be zero sum (most studies suggest that consumers will pay for about four streaming services at a time), but it is mighty close to it. And with Netflix holding a secure lock on one of those subscriptions for most consumers, there is increasingly little room for error. But the streaming wars between giant services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, Max, Peacock, Paramount+ and others also obscure an entire ecosystem of streaming offerings that are trying to carve out their own niches in an increasingly difficult environment. For all the press that the big streaming platforms get, there is a surprisingly vibrant world of boutique and specialty streamers chasing loyal and engaged fans at a much smaller scale. And new players continue to enter the space. In the world of comedy, there is Dropout, born out of the comedy website College Humor. And BuzzFeed veterans-turned YouTubers The Try Guys and Watcher have launched dedicated subscription streaming offerings of their own in recent weeks in an effort to more effectively monetize the sometimes fleeting audience that YouTube or social platforms deliver. Sony offers CrunchyRoll, an anime-focused service, which boasts 13MM subscribers; AMC Networks operates services like the horror-centric Shudder and the British-focused Acorn TV; and Cineverse operates the horror service Screambox and independent film service Fandor.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #avod #svod #fast #ott https://lnkd.in/eyBBAdWE

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If you think content inflation is a problem now with all these streamers producing more content than we can consume, imagine when creators no longer need to rely on big budgets and big studios to bring their ideas to life. Yes, Artificial Intelligence willl likely reduce the number of people needed to do anything, including movies and tv series. On the other hand, it will also allow a lot more of those to get their ideas off the ground. That may reshape the ecosystem, change the current notion of what a career is, or how one thinks of their specialty… it will be dramatically and unfortunately some people will have a rough time, but looking at the transformations only through its challenges may hold us from tackling the opportunities it also presents. For more on this topic, listen to Paul Trillo ‘s interview below. Paul is a director and a pioneer in the field of AI-powered film making and when he talks about the subject, he’s not discussing what he read or heard. He talks about the future he had the chance to see while he kept his hands in the mud.

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When I talk to clients and contacts about branding. I often refer as this article does to Apple and Nike. Everyone now is exposed to so much good design and good branding that it’s so important for every organization whether a nonprofit association or company to have good clean design and consistency in their branding and messaging. #branding #brandmarketing

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Reflecting on my journey as a creative, I've encountered my fair share of challenges. Early in my career I received unsolicited, unconstructive feedback that felt like a kick in the guts. It rattled me, shot my self-confidence, and even made me question my career choice. If only that feedback had been more thoughtful and geared towards positive change, perhaps I wouldn't have been so shaken up. It took years to shake off the negative self-talk from that throwaway remark. That's why I'm passionate about constructive criticism and fostering a culture of growth. Sharing this charter, which embodies those principles, feels like a step in the right direction. Let's create spaces where feedback is not just given, but given thoughtfully, with the intention of lifting each other up. Join me in embracing this mindset for positive change and sign the charter #loveourwork #australiancreatives #creativeAustralia #WomenInTechAU #WomenInDigitalAU #DigitalDesignAU

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💡 Check out my latest article on TV Tech, where I share my thoughts on how advertisers can win big this upcoming Olympics. With so many channels and streaming apps for viewers to watch the games, how do advertisers meet them where they are with the right creative and right message? It's all about personalization and diversification. Read more here: https://rb.gy/irqbi1 #adtech #tech #CTV #marketing #olympics

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🚨Trend/Rant/Insight Alert🚨   Across almost every sector and industry, content production is moving in-house. I’ve seen a marked shift towards building out small to mid-level production capabilities inside major brands and agencies in the last six to eight months. From full-time, production and post-production ready teams to Creator-minded TikTok and Reels specialists armed with nothing but an iPhone and a ring light, companies are finding the investment and overhead worth it to ramp up their content mills.   I think there’s a few implications here. For one, the demand to increase speed and decrease the time between inception and publishing is real. Companies and marketing teams, especially for huge global brands, can see social trends come and fade before their processes and workflows can even be engaged, let alone capitalize on them. Smaller, faster teams, closer to the decision-makers give them a puncher’s chance at striking Trending gold. “Learn TikTok,” seems to be the “learn to code” for 2024 and if your marketing team isn’t hiring an in-house creator to be a TikTok machine, they’re one of the few.   And secondly, and likely what I think is truly driving this, brands and agencies want to hold on to as much revenue and fee as possible. Instead of outsourcing specialist contractors, vendors or freelancers on a project-by-project basis, they want established, known-quantity teams with consistent workflows, fixed cost structures and to minimize OOPs. When advertising and marketing budgets get tight, it’s easy to look at production (which is basically *all* OOPs) and see an easy area to trim.   I think there’s pros and cons to this approach. In-house teams can be fast, agile and will know your brand inside and out. They can also get stylistically stale and, at some point, cap out on capabilities and technical know-how. The upside of engaging a wide freelancer and vendor network is the ability to bring in new talent, exciting technologies and fresh perspectives regularly. Additionally, the vendor marketplace (hopefully) means there’s true competition on price and while revenue may be going out, it is (ideally) actually more efficient on a per project basis.   I think the most successful brands will balance a well-rounded internal team for regular, drumbeat content with an extensive network of freelancers and vendors for must-win moments and big swings. Going forward, it’s important brands that build in in-house production continue to train, grow and invest in those resources and not see it as a one-time hit to this fiscal year’s numbers. And production vendors need to understand what role agencies and brands want content to play and continue to bring innovative, efficient offerings to the table. It's never been easier to make great content and tell great stories. But who you choose to make those stories will determine just how successful those stories get told.

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