We attended BeautyMatter’s NEXT50 Summit in LA, and every talk, in every session, highlighted storytelling as the most critical strategy in successful beauty growth and scaling.

Sameness is the deadly enemy of branding. But the temptation to use the same words over and over as shorthand for legitimacy is strong.

Our founder Amanda Aldinger’s recent interview on the series On the Horizons is a must-watch for anyone in the beauty industry.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How would your brand’s friends describe it? What would get it hot and bothered at Thanksgiving dinner with its extended family?

Most brands have no real strategy for executing their voice. Why?

The process is as illuminating for founders as it is for potential investors, as elevator pitches and ideas in the ether take shape into something real.

Building and maintaining a successful brand requires a particular alchemy.