What a year! We’re excited to close out 2020 and say hello to 2021! But first, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what the past year has brought us here at Fusion Hill.
- In January, our staff volunteered at Second Harvest Heartland, where we packed 4,604 pounds of rice, which equals 3,936 meals.
- We promoted three senior leaders to VP roles (Amy Behrens, Research & Strategy; Jessica Helvey, Creative; and Nina Gazel, Business Strategy).
- We welcomed three new Fusion Hill babies to the team.
- In lieu of sending holiday gifts, we redirected our funds to We Love Lake Street to support their important cause to rebuild Lake Street in Minneapolis. Internally, our staff raised over $2,500 for food and other necessities for our surrounding neighborhoods.
- Our 2019 Quote to Self project won two creative awards! Thank you to Summit International Awards and Hermes Creative Awards for recognizing our project.
As we head into the busy year-end, we hope you’ll find a moment to reflect on the silver linings 2020 has brought you and your teams as well. See you in 2021!
December 22, 2020 | Culture
As we pass six months of living in the pandemic, we want to take a deeper look at the human element and effects of COVID-19. How are people feeling? How have day-to-day logistics changed? How has the emotional and psychological weight of the pandemic played out? And, critically, what can we do about these newfound realities to support our family, friends and customers?
Our latest report helps answer these questions. And we’ve also designed a series of worksheets to help you and your team start a dialogue and identify tangible strategies to better support your customers as we move past the six-month mark.
Give it a read, talk to your working teams and share your learnings with us – let’s continue to carve out a path forward together in these changing and challenging times. Download the report here.
September 29, 2020 | Culture, Research
As marketers, we all know that B2B marketing has historically been drier in tone and more data-driven because that’s what we’ve believed our customers care about. But why do we believe that?
B2B customers will always need data and facts to back up their decisions and help them get stakeholder buy-in. However, based on consumer psychology and Fusion Hill’s own experience with buyers, we know that no matter the context and no matter the person, human decisions are highly impacted by emotion. An opportunity for more successful B2B marketing exists in balancing the facts with the power of emotional storytelling. This combination makes for a more compelling case by better communicating the value your product or service brings customers, and ultimately motivates a purchase.
How can your brand leverage the power of emotion in your next B2B campaign? Download our report here.
August 11, 2020 | Research
Each year, AdFed identifies 32 up-and-coming professionals under the age of 32 in the Twin Cities. The winners represent the next generation of leaders who will drive our industry forward and redefine the future. We are excited to share that our very own Danielle Bender, director of Research and Strategy, is a recipient of this award!
Danielle came to us as an intern seven years ago and tirelessly earned her way to our most senior level. As director, Danielle leads and oversees key financial client accounts. Her strategic insights have led to technological breakthroughs, successful product launches, and increased consumer acquisition and retention. In addition to leading client work and managing research team members, she has dedicated herself to ensuring constant innovation and efficiency within Fusion Hill since the start of her internship. Not only is Danielle committed to making Fusion Hill and the work we do better, but she extends this to her community. Outside of the office, her passion lies in creating opportunities for underrepresented and vulnerable populations. She is committed to the Human Rights Campaign to support the fight for LGBTQ equality and works with Macalester College, her alma mater, to help offset the rising educational costs for the next generation.
We couldn’t be more proud of Danielle’s accomplishments and how they have impacted Fusion Hill and the Minneapolis community.
May 26, 2020 | Culture
Over the past several weeks, COVID-19 has created extreme uncertainty consumers and businesses. In response, our team is compiling weekly trend updates that examine the current state and explore lasting changes the virus may bring.
So far, we’ve covered topics including how behaviors are shifting in categories such as health care and financial services and how brands can adapt their marketing efforts – and more trend updates are on the way. Interested? Download our reports here.
May 1, 2020 | Creative, Culture, Research
HENRY – high earners, not rich yet – describes consumers who are high earners but whose income is largely dedicated to covering their high costs of living. First coined to describe a segment of millennials, members of Gen X and Boomer generations are now categorized as HENRYs if their spending behavior is driven by aspirational lifestyles they hope to fully afford in the future.
The high costs of HENRY lifestyles are often a combination of elite education, residency in high-cost-of-living areas and aspirational purchasing behaviors. Even receiving incomes within the top 20%, this segment currently has few assets saved and invested. Described as the “working rich,” HENRYs emerged as a target for financial services and wealth management – classified as a prime opportunity for brands to become a part of these consumers’ upcoming luxury lifestyle. Sharing the broader millennial generation’s distrust of traditional financial institutions, HENRYs are interested in digital offerings that provide personalized and accessible data, real-time education, and automated advising strategies.
Interested in learning more about the unique behaviors of HENRY consumers? Download the report here.
February 19, 2020 | Research
On January 20, we paused to serve our neighbors and communities in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. This year, we gave our time to Second Harvest Heartland, whose belief is no one should ever go hungry.
Second Harvest provides children, parents and seniors the resources to find their next meal. They procure food from manufacturers, farmers, hotels and restaurants, and hold food drives where they are able to distribute enough food for more than 89 million meals annually, ensuring food safety throughout the entire process. This past Monday, we focused on providing food to the 1 in 8 children who don’t know where their next meal will come from. Alongside other community members, we sorted, repackaged and labeled donated items for children, parents and seniors. As a community, we packed 4,604 pounds of rice, which equals 3,936 meals.
January 23, 2020 | Culture
Each year, our team attends a screening of the British Arrows Awards, which celebrates the U.K.’s most innovative, daring commercials. When you work in marketing, watching ads can spark a number of thoughts and emotions. Initial reactions (whether tears or laughter) quickly turn into “Wait, what was that brand trying to accomplish? Who were they hoping to reach?”
And in that spirit, here’s a short list of ads that stood out to our team – both as consumers and as marketers:
Great Shows Stay with You: Most networks promote their shows through trailers. Amazon Prime took a different tack, imagining a world where viewers become the characters they watch. Farfetched? Absolutely. But its originality creates memorability.
#PhonesAreGood: Culturally, our relationship with technology is under fire. In this spot, wireless provider Three combats the negativity by reminding us of the ways smartphones make our lives better.
Skittles Pride: Plenty of companies participate in cause marketing, but few are able to find such a natural, humble way to connect their brand to the cause. And don’t miss the latest campaign extension – limited-edition packaging created by artists, illustrators and designers who identify as LGBTQ+.
IKEA Ghosts: This one is just plain fun. Enjoy!
January 23, 2020 | Culture
