Georgette Young

We step into a new world with the evolution of the ShareDo brand now officially becoming Clio Operate. Take a look at the new Clio for Enterprise page, or read the article to learn about the new Clio for Enterprise solution in action 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_W8T572 #TeamClio #LifeAtClio #ClioForEnterprise

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I just spent a day inside the San Francisco garage where bondu is building one of the most creative products I’ve seen this year - screen-free, AI-powered toys kids can talk to. Forget incremental improvements, this is a whole new category. Fateen, Dan and the team behind Bondu (formerly Magical Toys) is merging hardware, software and storytelling into a physical toy that entertains, educates, and actually engages kids without a screen. It’s fun and imaginative… but behind the scenes, it’s pure early-stage chaos. This isn't just another gadget; it's a solution to screen addiction disguised as playtime. 100% tariffs. Hand-built prototypes. Parents skeptical of AI. Shipping thousands of units while iterating weekly. This is what it really looks like to build a new category. Adaptive and resilient, they're tackling challenges head-on. In the episode we dig into: - How to reduce screen time without reducing imagination - The realities of building hardware in a software-first world - What “responsible AI” actually means for children - Rapid iteration and the scrappy road to scale No announcements. No hype. Just the real process of a team trying to make something ambitious work in the real world. Watch how they are proactively identifying problems and rapidly solutioning. The new INSIDE STARTUPS episode is live. If you’re interested in hardware, AI, or creative product building - this one’s worth watching. It’s concise, impactful, and delivers actionable insights. Episode link in comments!

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There's something clarifying about betting on a brand that hasn't fully figured itself out yet. The work feels more meaningful when you're building something, not just maintaining it.

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Did a quick 60-second marketing review of a junk removal company in Long Beach, CA. Sharing some observations in case it helps anyone else in the home services space. - Google Maps / GMB: Their primary category is set to Waste Management. That feels misaligned with what they actually do day-to-day. Categories like Junk Removal or Garbage Collection are probably much closer to search intent. Using the wrong primary category can absolutely cost you visibility. - Website / SEO: Their site currently has basically zero domain authority. That usually means Google doesn’t see the site as very trustworthy yet. Easiest starting point here is local citations/directories (Yelp, Angi, Thumbtack, local chamber sites, etc.) just to get the ball rolling. - Website design & messaging: The site doesn’t clearly communicate a value proposition, and it doesn’t guide you cleanly to a call to action. There’s a lot of emphasis on the brand itself, but not enough on what problem they solve for the customer. Less empty space, a clearer offer, and more direct messaging would help a lot. Ideally, I should understand how you make my life easier in under 3 seconds. Also… there’s some weird design/UX thing going on in one section that probably shouldn’t be there. Hard to miss. - Paid ads: I’m not seeing any active ads on Meta, Google, or Local Service Ads. That’s a big missed opportunity—ads can work extremely well for junk removal. That said, I’d definitely fix and modernize the website first before driving paid traffic.

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"Design-led" companies are failing entry-level designers. That was my reflection after reading Carly Ayres' thoughtful article and attending an open house at Chronicle Books last week. Back in the day, Chronicle awarded me one of its fellowships, helping me get a foot in the Bay Area design scene. And they still run these fellowships! How is it possible that a book publisher can sustain such mentorship in an industry facing its own economic headwinds? What's stopping the tech giants and agencies that are "design-led" from supporting the ecosystem they depend on? The apprenticeship model didn't collapse because AI swooped in overnight—it's been breaking over time due to organizations overlooking the ecosystem of design. Chronicle proves that with intention, companies can still offer the mentorship, low-stakes learning opportunities, and "belief capital" that emerging designers need to flourish. The question isn't whether it can be done. It's whether design-led companies actually want to lead. (Pictured, Sam Durant’s artwork at the entry of Chronicle Books.) Read Carly’s article here https://lnkd.in/gd4TsPDR

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UX pay expectations are shifting fast. This new 2026 UX Compensation Report analyzes 20,000 salaries and shows what’s actually competitive right now—IC vs. manager, regional differences, and more.

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Product placement is in a phase of strategic escalation: brands aren’t just inserting products into stories; they’re weaving themselves into the cultural fabric by co-producing, licensing, and even creating the content themselves. 🏪 Walmart, 🍗 Chick-fil-A, and 🧾 H&R Block are diving deeper into entertainment, not just showing up in scenes but helping finance and shape the content from the ground up. 🎥 Fashion houses like Saint Laurent are taking it even further—producing films like Emilia Perez, where the brand’s aesthetic and values become part of the cinematic experience. This trend underscores a key truth: authenticity matters. Today’s audiences don’t want to be sold to—they want to be entertained, engaged, and spoken to in the languages of culture and storytelling. The question isn’t “should brands play in this space?” It’s “how can they embed themselves in the stories that matter authentically?” #BrandStorytelling #EntertainmentMarketing #ProductPlacement #CulturalStrategy #BrandTrends https://lnkd.in/grMCXcus

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Interesting how quickly things can change. Not long ago the San Francisco office market was a national laggard, and now, demand in The City has more than doubled with demand surging 112% year-over-year in Q3, the biggest jump among U.S. cities. What's behind the turn-around you might wonder? It's all about AI as startups in the sector fueled demand for large office spaces in San Francisco. #sanfrancisco #commercialrealestate #advertising #marketing #publishing #technology #ai #artificialintelligence #cybersecurity #security #finance #banking https://lnkd.in/dgrpNkFi

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Thanks to KPIX | CBS San Francisco/Bay Area for having me on to share The Harris Poll's data on #SuperBowl as America's last great collective experience. 1. In today's fractured world, it's the last thing we watch together: 69% of Americans plan to tune in, and 51% say it's the final event we truly watch collectively as a country. In a fractured media world, this is the one night we still gather and only 13% watch alone. 2. The gathering matters more than the game: 70% say the Super Bowl gives them a sense of community and belonging. And 65% say gathering in real life matters more than the game itself. 3. It's a $187 ritual, even in a tight economy: Americans expect to spend an average of $187 on the event. A third plan to spend more than last year, even as others cite financial pressure. It's still a cultural priority when budgets are tight. 4. #GenZ is showing up: Half of Gen Z (49%) say the game has become more relevant to them in recent years, compared to 35% of all Americans 18+. They're watching because they don't want to miss out (25%), because it's tradition (25%), and because it's a social obligation (23%). 5. The entertainment is just as important as the game. Twenty five percent say if they could only watch one aspect, it would be the #halftimeshow. Another 18% say the commercials. And what do commercial enthusiasts want? Humor - 71% want funny ads. Thanks to our amazing Jennifer Musil, Harris' Global President of Research, for driving this hot-off-the-press research in record time. Our team's ability to turn around insights quite literally overnight will never cease to amaze me.

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This Omnicom merger is horrible for advertising. A monopoly of mediocrity. And its even worse for the employees. They are turning advertising into a factory job--long hours, terrible benefits. None of this is going to foster creativity or great work.

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Introducing Atmos Rewards. When Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines, they made a bold decision: maintain both beloved airline brands and create a shared loyalty platform, combining the award-winning Alaska Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles. Tasked with developing a platform designed to set a new standard for airline loyalty, Interbrand worked in close partnership with Alaska Air Group to develop the value proposition, brand promise, name, tone of voice and core visual identity. Industry research revealed widespread dissatisfaction with other conventional loyalty programs—often seen as complex, transactional and of limited value to customers. We identified an opportunity to redefine what it means to be a loyalty program, building on Alaska Mileage Plan’s reputation for award-winning, industry-leading generosity. The guiding concept became clear: create a loyalty platform that transforms rewards into gateways, for travelers to explore more of the world. This inspired the overarching brand idea “Unlocking a world of more.” A first-of-it’s-kind global loyalty platform built to unlock a world of more: 1,000+ destinations and 30+ airline partners. The launch of the new loyalty brand is one of the first steps in Alaska’s long-term growth and transformation. Atmos Rewards serves as a strategic connector, bridging distinct consumer experiences across the portfolio. Ultimately, elevating travel through redefined loyalty, premium experiences and global reach. See how we created the brand behind Atmos Rewards in the full case study here → https://lnkd.in/eRD8RXuQ

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the world's biggest adult costume party is also the worlds most underrated opportunity for brands to form deep connections and drive affinity we just released our San Diego Comic-Con Brand Activation Report for 2025 pro tip for brands, don't do advertising (except maybe if it's a cool OOH), instead you should partner with cooler folks, find existing IP that fits, dive into the lore and characters -- show up as a fan, not with ads. Make custom merch, give out samples, find a way for your product to participate in, not interrupt the story. comment 'fan lore' to see the Google Slides

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“Machines will always move faster than people. But speed isn’t everything.” 🔥 That quote from Joanne Wong of PENNYMAC set the tone for me at the Wpromote Challenger Summit yesterday in Santa Monica. The theme was Ignite Intelligence — and it delivered. I came looking to hear how other brands are unlocking creativity while moving faster. I left energized by how marketing leaders are using AI not just for efficiency, but to spark emotional, human-centered storytelling. Here are 5 takeaways I’m bringing back: 💡 1. Brand is a long-term play. Too often, marketing is viewed as a cost center — but it’s really the growth engine of the business. AI can help you move faster, but speed isn't everything. Growth comes from trust, emotional resonance, and consistency over time. The best brands are using AI to scale connection, not replace it. 🎯 2. Emotion still wins. Whether it’s a brand campaign or a product launch, the content that sticks is the content that feels personal. AI can spark creative options — but human insight and storytelling still carry it across the finish line. 🧠 3. AI experiments to try now: • Predicting creative performance and suggesting changes • Benchmarking ad effectiveness against others • Smarter forecasting and segmentation • Hyper-personalization by device, time, or behavior ⚠️ But avoid AI slop! Be human. 🔍 4. SEO is fading. AEO is rising. Forward-thinking brands are already pivoting from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (seems like we're setting on that term?) That means rethinking creative, revisiting content partnerships, and listening in new places (Reddit threads, review sites, niche communities). Go where your buyers actually engage. 👥 5. Change management requires structure and safety. Winning with AI isn’t about chasing shiny tools. It’s about setting clear strategic goals and pillars, creating feedback loops, and building space for teams to experiment. (Strategy = saying no to some things, so you can focus on the right things.) Shoutout Daniel Lysaught of LegalZoom. ✨ Thanks to all of the inspiring speakers and the events managers for a great in-person event (+some nice swag)! Mindset: Reinvent. Expand what's possible. But stay human. #B2BMarketing #MarketingLeadership #AIinMarketing  #ChallengerSummit2025 #MarketingInnovation #AEO #ContentStrategy

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🚨 Want to Be Layoff-Proof in 2026? Volunteer for More Work. 🚨 White-collar layoffs surged in the second half of this year — especially across marketing, product, ops, and generalist roles. Job security isn’t about loyalty anymore. It’s about provable impact. One of the smartest moves right now? Volunteer for the right kind of work. I call these “Dual-Purpose Projects.” 🧠⚙️ They solve a real headache for your boss and quietly build the skills you’ll need for your next role. Example 👇 - Want to move into product or strategy? - Offer to analyze recurring customer complaints and propose a fix. - Your boss hears: “Problem solved.” - You gain: research, prioritization, stakeholder input ***** plus killer, quantifiable resume bullets for your next gig 📄🔥 How to do it: • Listen for problems your manager repeats • Propose a small, low-risk fix • Track outcomes leadership cares about 📊 When layoffs hit, the safest people aren’t the busiest — they’re the ones who leave a paper trail of impact.

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Experience trumps convenience esp when your brand is built on that experience. “…about 90 of these ultra-digital stores will be closed or converted by 2026. Why? Starbucks says they lacked the “warmth and connection” that define its vibe. Now, the focus is shifting back to creating inviting spaces—a “third place” where both Gen Z and Millennials can hang, not just grab and go.” #brainmanagement

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Unveiling #AtmosRewards: Unlocking a world of more! Loyalty programs are a massive opportunity for brands. When they truly enhance and expand the customer experience, they become powerful drivers of engagement and relevance. When Alaska Airlines asked Interbrand to create the new brand for their joint loyalty program with Hawaiian Airlines, our goal was clear: go beyond the traditional airline rewards model while honoring the rich heritage of both brands. The result? A brand that represents limitless possibilities for travelers, empowering them to see, do, and experience more of the world. Huge congratulations to the incredible New York team who led and contributed to this project. Another milestone in Interbrand’s journey in the airline industry! Check out the work here: https://lnkd.in/dNBdnjPY #CaseStudy #WorldofMore

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Here’s an uncomfortable truth learned over the years: If the same issue shows up more than twice, it’s no longer an issue; it’s a design choice. Most executive teams aren’t overwhelmed due to a lack of talent; they are overwhelmed because they tolerate repetition. While we say we value accountability, most organizations practice personal accountability rather than structural accountability. We track metrics, escalate issues, and hold meetings, but we rarely ask: "What system change would make this issue impossible to repeat?" When a leader has to intervene repeatedly, that isn’t strength; it’s structural weakness masked by capability. Escalations become normal, workarounds become expertise, and heroics become performance reviews. The system causing the issues never changes. Organizations don’t scale by solving more problems; they scale by solving the same problem once. This is not just a culture program but an operating discipline. Solve it once or plan to fund it forever.

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I try not to have favorite projects...but this might be my favorite project. Translating Azeroth on Zillow was a creative challenge in the best way. How do you take tools built for real-world home discovery and make them feel intuitive in a fantasy environment? How do you honor the diehard community and visual language of Warcraft while staying true to the Zillow experience? The answer was collaboration. And deep partnership between creative, product and engineering teams across Zillow and Blizzard Entertainment. We tested, refined and obsessed over the details so that it would feel fun, familiar and authentic. Check it out. As always, shout out to the amazing folks who made this happen. Beverly Jackson Monica Austin Ravi Kandikonda Jennifer Berger Becky Brown Enrique Mosqueda Erik Donham Madison Donahue Michael Chen Lauren Embrey Vanessa Bohlscheid Claire Carroll Courtney Enriquez Isaac Droke 72andSunny and so many others.

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