Ideas, interviews, and inspiration
Thoughts on branding, voice, and messaging, and Q&As with visionaries, creative powerhouses, and style makers.
Editorial
Laura Meyer
“The board of a conglomerate cares about P&L and our value proposition, not conversion rates and managing the PPC.”
Creative Shares from Antonym
We're always looking for creative shares and inspiration. Please share what you’re reading, watching, listening to, and taking in culturally. We'd love to hear from you!
Kathryn Paves
“If you're raising money for your brand, you are its biggest ally. And if you don't know every single thing inside and out, why would an investor get sold on that?”
Hayley Grundy
Describing Hayley Grundy as our Business Development Manager is a staggering understatement. She is our operational and spiritual Mary Poppins.
The Nixed List: Humblebrag Edition
We keep a running list of overused words and clichés, a sort of cautionary no-fly zone of language. When these words pop up, a little bell goes off reminding us there are other words out there that deserve a chance.
Book Shares from Antonym
The Antonym shared reading list contains multitudes: serial killers, grumpy sunshine, queer natural history, bears. And, it is all so beautiful to see.
Sarah Skinner
“From a marketing standpoint, stop looking at shiny objects. Build the brand.”
On a mission
In a sentence or two, can you explain your brand’s actionable reason for being? In that same phrase, can you also pinpoint who you serve, how you serve them, and why?
Jennie Easterbrook
“I've found the passion in what I do for a living, and translated that into a nonprofit world. To do it for good by helping these local entrepreneurs.”
Mary Nunes
Working with people who bring so much talent, curiosity, and care to everyday life is a rare gift. It's important to recognize how special the people on our team are, like Mary Nunes.
Your claims are not your brand
Emotion and aspiration should lead product messaging for beauty brands. Claims should be secondary. If you don’t lead with brand aspiration, you don’t have a brand.
Renee Ogaki
“I love listening and learning. No one likes working with someone who only wants to see things one way.”
Building the winning award submission
It's meaningful to recognize the work that went into making something special. Antonym has built a particular niche of expertise when it comes to nominating people or products for industry awards.
Hugo Haeffner
“Sometimes when dealing with time or budget constraints, you're forced to make unexpected creative moves. I think I've learned to go with that. You can always bounce back, and it gives you a surprise.”
Ghostwriting for executives
In addition to our brand voice strategy and copywriting work for lifestyle brands, Antonym helps individuals who have a lot to say but don’t always have a lot of time to say it.
The core values of core values
How would your brand’s friends describe it? What would get it hot and bothered at Thanksgiving dinner with its extended family?
A well-tailored engagement
Would you rather work with a brand strategy agency that provides a rigid scope or crafts bespoke engagements that intuitively leave room for unexpected discoveries?
Hannah Samendinger
“The transparency is worth the risk. Being super transparent about what I can and can't do as their lawyer is essential. That's the core of my practice: being very, very open with people.”
The strategy behind brand voice
Most brands have no real strategy for executing their voice. Why?