Storms can bring out the best in us. How can we act to be a more earth conscious company?
Read More....png)
Yes, we’re bombarded with information and filter what’s true, relevant, and meaningful, but just when we think we have it figured out, the questions shift. A topic that seems critical to know is artificial intelligence (AI). It feels familiar, doesn’t it?
Read More....png)
In today’s fast-moving world, it can feel like everything is moving too quickly. With so many digital tools at our disposal, we often wonder: Are these tools really making us faster, or just more overwhelmed? Can we keep up with the speed of modern life while still finding time to reflect, create, and connect?
Read More....png)
At smith & beta, we believe that the joys and challenges of childhood learning can and should continue in our daily work. By fostering a learning culture, we ensure that tackling new developments—like artificial intelligence, equity, and digital communication tools—is met with the confidence that comes from knowledge and mastery.
Read More...
.png)
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the role of Learning & Development is more critical than ever. To stay competitive and adapt to future challenges, organizations must use L&D as a strategic tool to align with business goals and drive innovation.
Read More....png)
We often form opinions based on assumptions and superficial impressions. This can make it hard to understand the reasons behind a consultancy's actions.
Read More...
This year has not been the easiest for many companies trying to survive the financial markets and macro economic environments. What's helped? Talent. The right people with the right skills are recession proof.
Read More...
The future is now. We had a great time working with Zoe on this Giide for an agency.
Read More...
Organizations often over-index for hiring vs retaining. What if we spent equal time retaining as we do hiring?
Read More....png)
Knowing exactly what to invest to ensure training and development results is critical. Let's explore how with our new program Future Focus.
Read More...
2021 will represent a major permanent shift in how we work, collaborate and connect with employees and customers.
Read More...smith & beta is now 6 years into our research of the capabilities and ways of working at agencies. We just released our 2018 Talent and Transformation report and we're excited to share with you what we found.
Read More...
Our business at smith & beta has always been focused on the development of people walking in the doors each day. We believe that if a company focuses on the current talent, what they know today and should know in the future, it can make all the difference to the bottom line. But some leaders aren’t familiar with talent development. It’s new. It feels unmeasurable. It seems foreign compared to hiring a few new experts. It’s a mindset and strategic shift. Yet we know talent development works. We also know that experts don’t scale. Often those superheros we hire land at the new job only to find that no one at the company understands them. They get siloed into a back room. They are change agents without support. They eventually leave. It happens time and time again. Take a minute to consider your budget for hiring experts this year or even a single leader and then compare to your training dollars. Is there a big difference? Do you operate as “training is nice to have” but not required? If so, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to scale and distribute capabilities beyond a few people at your company. Digital is not a department. Digital is shared knowledge, common language and collective understanding. When we design talent development programs, we work with industry leaders directly to lead content design. They are the experts. They know what should specifics should be covered. They walk in the room and own the conversation with employees. Below we’ve included a great workshop to get started this year.
Read More...Welcome to the Greatest Hits 2017.Each year, at smith & beta, we publish our “greatest hits” for classes, workshops that we completed. This year, we noticed a preferential trend for content that focused on mindset development. No big surprise given how important mindsets, behaviors and habits are for learning in the workplace.
Read More...
According to smith & beta’s 2016 report, 62% of industry professionals say their clients are asking for more advanced digital work from them and 43% of respondents said they were unprepared to provide more advanced work. When a company does not have the knowledge and talent to give their customers what they expect in the current technological climate, they fall behind and often cannot catch up.
Read More...Millennial spending is constantly under scrutiny. Major news outlets are reporting millennials spend too much money on dining out, traveling, eating avocado toast, and even prioritizing paying off student loans. Leaving the philosophical dilemma about what millennials should spend money on aside, what are millennials spending money on? Simply, young people are often paying for experience rather than products.
Read More...
Holidays, like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Valentine's Day, are a marketer’s dream. With Winter Holiday spending in excess of $1 trillion dollars and Valentine's Day gift giving costs nearing $20 billion (including over $800 million spent on pets!), there is good reason behind holiday themed marketing. One holiday which is increasingly getting the attention of marketers and advertisers is the Fourth of July, during which consumers spend close to $7 billion annually (including over $1.4 billion on meat and another $1.5 billion on alcoholic drinks). Needless to say, when measured by spending habits, the country's patriotic spirit is thriving.
Read More...Every era is defined by a corresponding pop-culture fad. Beanie Babies in the 1990s, Livestrong bracelets in the mid 2000s, and Snuggies in the early 2010s. Today the fad is overwhelmingly fidget spinners. The fidget spinner, said to be one of the most profitable customizable products since the Koozie, has taken the children’s toy market by storm.
Read More...During the last few weeks it seems as if the media has been deluged with news about a select number of current events - the tragedy in Manchester, the arrest of Tiger Woods and Paris Climate Agreement just to name a few. Instead of creating a world of more informed citizens, the unrelenting stream of media often numbs us to the major events. We are inundated with news, pop culture, tragedy, and viral videos. However, the prevalence and accessibility of media today also gives brands and individuals the platform to take a stand, represent a cause or champion an idea. This month smith & beta is focusing its’ content around the connection between current events and the digital and creative industries.
Read More...One of the largest economic shifts we have seen during the 21st century is the formation of a “sharing economy” model. Years ago being able to own expensive goods was a marker of status. It did not matter whether you had an expansive library of books or were able to gloat that you were a “two car family,” consumers strived to broadcast their wealth through the goods they purchased. That sentiment has rapidly disappeared but why?
Read More...With Memorial Day weekend behind us, it is beginning to feel like it is officially summer. It is time for schools to close their doors and teachers to take their well earned summer vacation. With smith & beta’s teacher appreciation month coming to a close, we would like to acknowledge one more incredible educator before officially closing the doors on May; Eddie Revis.
Read More...For students May symbolizes the beginning of the end. It is a month marked by the stress of prom for some and college finals for others. During the end of the year chaos, teachers often do not get the recognition they deserve for a hard year's worth of work. Although there is no academic calendar for professional development, smith & beta is dedicating May to the hardworking professionals that teach our workshops and help educate our clients.
Read More...
Last week I attended smith & beta workshops in two different cities in North America. Across the country I went. During almost every class, workshop or field trip we see a bit of doubt on the faces of attendees. This isn't doubt as to whether they need to learn the topic or that they are behind in digital capabilities, this is big ol' doubt that their organization won't make the changes necessary to support true digital transformation.
Read More...Today, May 9th, has been named Teacher's Day. It is a day set aside to thank and honor the positive impact teachers make on our communities throughout the year. In honor of the many great educators working with smith & beta we will be celebrating our teachers not only today, but all month long. Matt Lemay has been teaching with smith & beta since the very beginning and has become one of our most well rounded and sought after educators. We sat down with Matt to discuss his love for teaching, experience with smith & beta and the value of active listening.
Read More...
Anyone that has planted a garden knows that the tricky part is not kickstarting the growth but sustaining the plants so they grow to fruition. In business, short spurts of growth are common but keeping a business on the up and up is a much harder task. One way to ensure that a business’s growth is continued is to ensure the growth of the employees. A successful learning culture creates an environment that presents endless potential for the people in it and thus the business itself. Here are smith & beta’s five steps to creating a progressive and sustainable learning culture.
Read More...“75% of our revenue comes from stuff Don Draper would not recognize” - WPP CEO Martin Sorrell. Evolution is a natural part of all living things and organizations. Over time people, plants, technology, organizations, and societies evolve. We are always adapting to our surroundings. As a business, we are constantly adapting to the needs and wants of our consumers and clients. In the marketing and advertising world, this evolution has been expedited significantly by the increase in technological innovation over the past decade.
Read More...Spring has finally sprung. It is time to put the snow shovels away, bust out the sunscreen and start enjoying baseball season. But, unlike many of the plants that start to bloom in April, growth and success in business are not perennial. Often, organizations must shift their practices and take intentional steps to keep up with their constantly evolving industry. But before going anywhere in business or in life, it is imperative to first understand where you are today.
Read More...Inspired by SXSW? So were we. Feeling behind because your co-workers went to SXSW but you did not? Some of us feel that way too! Either way, endless opportunities abound to learn from, and rub elbows with, experts.
Read More...SXSW 2017 gave us a glimpse into the future of tech. Innovative minds from big businesses and small shops alike left us stunned with cutting edge advancements. If technological innovation in 2017 is anything like it was in 2016, we are in for significant disruptions to our daily lives and ways of working. We sat down with Allison Kent-Smith, smith & beta CEO, to discuss SXSW and the future digital landscape.
Read More...We sat down with Allison Kent-Smith, smith & beta CEO, to discuss her experience SXSW. As a festival veteran, Allison has seen the workshop - its talks, events, parties, and food trucks - evolve considerably over time. SXSW 2017 was a unique smorgasbord of the expected - innovative tech, inspiring speakers, long waiting lines, and strong margaritas - and the unexpected - sideways rain.
Read More...The public image of SXSW is a fickle beast. At the mention of SXSW, most people can’t shake the image of millennials listening to edgy recording artists in the the blistering Austin, Texas heat; but that is just one small piece of the SXSW puzzle. If you are willing to weave through the maze of people, stages, and BBQ joints you will find a business and industry metropolis. There is an unbelievable amount to be learned at the yearly festival for those who make the pilgrimage to Austin. The list of expert speakers, panels, networking events may seem overwhelming which poses the question is it even worth it? The answer is yes. SXSW has given millions of people the tools information and opportunities to better themselves in their respective industries and take their careers and companies to the next level. Plus, if you need to network to advance your career, learn something new or make a sale or two – Austin is the place.
Read More...This week in tech: Elon Musk announced SpaceX will send two very wealthy civilians around the moon in 2018; YouTube claims viewers watch one billion (yes - that is billion with a B) hours of footage daily; Jigsaw, a Google subsidiary, has developed a tool to sift through online comments which are disruptive to public discourse; Twitter is doubling down its emphasis on videos follow an abysmal $400 million loss in 2016; and Facebook is implementing more mid-video advertisements.
Read More...An interview with smith & beta’s Director of Learning Experience Dr. Lori Kent. At smith & beta, Lori ensures programming is appropriately tailored to meet the developmental and contextual needs of diverse learners. She is an experienced higher education professor with a passion for evolving workplaces to compete for more future-focused work.
Read More...Learning is as necessary as oxygen. After all, nothing is static --- no work context, no individual life and no profession. If we don’t continue learning, we lose credibility and struggle to adapt. “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” --B. B. King
Read More...In the fall, dozens of employees from Denver and Boulder based brands and agencies took the plunge into employee education and attended the first two installments of the CoED workshop series. The workshops allowed advertisers and marketers from smaller, more nimble organizations to access relevant, practical and thought provoking content curated by industry leaders. Attendees left the workshops inspired by new perspectives on current trends and approaches to industry problems. For a more complete review, see the infographic below.
Read More...smith & beta is proud to work with communities committed to reinventing how professionals approach new ways of working. Most recently, we partnered with the professional women’s community, SheSays, and participated in their inaugural SheSummits conference. The event brought local professional women together for an afternoon of networking and merriment. smith & beta’s Meredith Olsen and Morley McBride, a smith & beta instructor and local consultant, were among the local leaders chosen to speak at the conference. After the event we sat down with Meredith Olsen to get a speaker's perspective on the event, the community and professional experimentation.
Read More...In a recent article, smith & beta founder and CEO Allison Kent-Smith outlines four attainable steps for businesses to prepare for the future. Her take on organizational readiness? “Many agencies are blinded by past success and ignore the ongoing need to evolve and develop talent… If you hear ‘we’re too busy to learn’ in the hallways, ask yourself what is the alternative to learning – stagnation.”
Read More...“People will only pay you for what you can do with what you know.” - Thomas Friedman. The workplace – our skillsets and capabilities – is shifting. Many aspects of our past work life are now basically obsolete. Remember marketing prior to social media? In the not so distant past Facebook did not exist. To keep up with changes in our profession, we must invest in continual education for our employees and leaders. We must continue to evolve. Without continual learning, we’re adrift in this sea of change that is often overwhelming and difficult to navigate.
Read More...Community Education (or CoED for short) is a subscription-based professional training program for agencies and brands in our community. The monthly workshops offer continual education on critical digital topics to ensure organizations have the capabilities to rise above the competition. Our unique co-op model provides high quality talent development and content instruction to local, small and medium sized organizations through innovative, hands-on, connected-to-work programming that facilitates meaningful and substantive growth.
Read More...
Our world today is dominated by technology, an overabundance of online social networks and conversations about the next big thing. Social media can appear to be a confusing blend of likes, tweets, retweets, snaps, shares, and pins, seemingly better suited for a middle school socialite than a business professional.Though whether we like it or not, social media marketing is an integral part of how brands spread their message and communicate with current and potential customers. Subsequently, tweets and shares become a promotional strategy and take on an entirely new context.
Read More...
Advertising agencies continue to create cutting-edge solutions for clients, but must invest more in talent development to compete in the fast moving digital economy, according to the findings of a proprietary survey conducted by smith & beta. The three-year quantitative and qualitative benchmark study, The State of Advertising Talent report, analyzed responses from more than 2,000 employees in advertising agencies in North America, EMEA, APAC and LATAM, and brought to light several significant findings
Read More...
Anyone who has ever worked at (or with) an ad agency knows the phrase "sorry, I'm too swamped with client deliverables to help" well. Does it hold any weight?
Read More...Many of our clients come to us with goals of transforming people, culture, and business into one that is more digitally-centric. Although it almost seems silly to use the word "digital" in the year 2016, the practice of "digital" remains a critical skillset and mindset development area.
Read More...I read all the industry articles on digital transformation, dearth of talent, competition from consulting, publishing, and everyone in between. As an industry, we do an excellent job talking about the problems, issues and challenges. In fact, a casual search will bring up dozens of articles on the issues or problems, often with very similar conclusions: doom, gloom, sinking ship.
Read More...
