Most organizations don’t write marketing requests for proposals (RFPs) very often, and that’s understandable. When you do, it usually means your business is facing a moment of change. Whatever the reason, the goal is the same: to find the partner that can help you move your brand forward. However, sometimes that’s where the trouble starts.

Because most teams are unfamiliar with the RFP process, they often write documents that are too vague, too rigid, or too focused on the wrong things. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll share some practical steps to help you write better marketing RFPs—the kind that lead you to the right agency partner.

In this edition of Plain Talk, you’ll learn how to work more effectively with your marketing agency. We’ll go over how to kick things off with clarity, communicate without confusion, and build a partnership that gets better over time. On your mark, get set, let’s go!

From start-ups to mature companies, mom n’ pops to multinationals, every product or service should have a marketing strategy. While surprisingly there are many definitions of strategy (and tactics)—some good, some not so good, we can all agree that when marketing is working, there will come a time when your strategy will need to scale to keep your business ahead of competitors. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll dig into how marketing strategies must scale to support (and keep up with) your brand and, more importantly, how to recognize the signs when it is time for a change.

Keeping up with social media trends and updates sometimes feels impossible. Algorithm changes, new features, and even entirely new platforms are popping up regularly. From the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S. to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) reshaping the digital landscape, 2024 saw its fair share of changes to social media. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’re diving into the most significant social media shifts of 2024 and sharing our predictions for what’s on the horizon in 2025.

In 2024, an astonishing 40% of all consumer goods will be sold on Amazon, and an even more impressive 56% of shoppers will start their product searches there. If you’re selling products that could shine on Amazon but aren’t showing up in a meaningful way, you’re missing out—big time.

In this edition of Plain Talk, we’re diving into how to use Amazon Seller Central. Yes, the learning curve is steep, but as a full-service marketing agency that’s waded through the depths of this e-commerce ocean, we’ve uncovered some pearls of wisdom. Whether you’re a seasoned seller or just starting out, this guide will break down Amazon’s unique (and occasionally frustrating) algorithm to help you make it work for you.

For the past dozen years or so, the advertising industry has been pushing the value and effectiveness of social media influencers hard. There’s been some pretty solid logic backing those recommendations up too. Influencer product pitches and endorsements, everything from unboxing to live demos, have helped businesses in many verticals see significant improvements from brand affinity to sales. But are times changing? Recent data, driven largely by Gen Z and younger millennials, shows new attitudes toward influencer authenticity, dwindling engagement rates, and increases in private micro-communities. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll look at what these changes may mean to how you balance the social media plan in your marketing mix and when it still makes sense to work with influencers.

No digital marketing strategy is an “island.” The days of stand-alone strategies are over as smart businesses realize that meeting their goals requires a more holistic approach. Enter the dynamic duo of search engine optimization (SEO) paired with conversion rate optimization (CRO), two seemingly distinct disciplines that, when united, become a force multiplier for growth.

You know those pop-ups you see when you first land on a website? The ones that say something like, “This website uses cookies, blah, blah…” This little “cookie banner” has become the center of a growing area of digital marketing compliance that brands cannot ignore because this cookie banner and what it represents is at the center of global data privacy regulation. And as regulations are implemented across the world and back home in individual states, the increase in privacy-related litigation has become noteworthy. So, in this edition of Plain Talk, we will dig into the somewhat murky world of “consent management” and what marketers need to know to stay out of hot water.

Generation X (born 1965–1980) was the generation of injuries from plywood bike ramps, latchkey kids, and drinking from the garden hose. Their mostly Silent Generation (1928–1945) parents were anything but helicopter parents. Millennials (born 1981–1996) wore bike helmets, attended aftercare, and drank bottled water. As birth rates dropped from 3.5% to below 2%, their baby boomer (1946–1964) parents became more involved. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll look at potential generational changes to the family dynamics of eldercare and insights into the new “sandwich generation”: Generation X and millennials.

The restaurant’s staff was “in the weeds” a lot more than a typical Saturday night and it was starting to overtake the kitchen. A full house of four and six-top tables loaded with hungry guests was starting to get antsy, and the manager knew that her reputation was on the line every time they got slammed like that. But it’s OK. She knew it was coming. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll reveal the most direct cause of customer loyalty. Then, we’ll look at improving the employee experience and how it flows into creating customer loyalty.