Issue 0.5 | We're back.

We get it, this is a little awkward.

You subscribed to this newsletter at some point in the last few years, and then . . . nothing. We went quiet for over a year. No explanation, no farewell issue, just silence.

What happened? Honestly, the cobbler’s children had no shoes. We were busy doing marketing for our clients and let our own slide. It’s a cliché because it’s true, and agencies are not immune. But, in that time, we listened to the evolving needs of our customers and dialed in our own brand to be a better reflection of who we are and what we have to offer, including a fiery updated look, a new website, and, perhaps most importantly, a renewed focus on producing content that actually adds something to the conversation.

As a result, Hot Take has arrived. And we’re glad you’re still here.

Hot Take is our revitalized newsletter on marketing, brand strategy, and the business of building brands. It’s written for smart business people who want to think more clearly about how their organizations show up in the market.

But not in an annoying LinkedIn influencer kind of way.

While there’s no shortage of marketing newsletters written for a generic national audience, we find time and time again that the people we work with don’t need “5 social media trends to do right this second” or “How AI can revolutionize XYZ.” There’s a time and place for those, sure, but our community needed something different.

We’re a Midwest-based branding and marketing agency. Most of our clients are small- to mid-size companies who don’t have million-dollar marketing budgets. Those generic marketing newsletters aren’t necessarily built for us or the people we work with.

That’s the gap we’re trying to fill. Hot Take is for the people running and marketing businesses that need less navelgazing and listicles. Instead, they need something to push their thinking and challenge them to look at their business differently. That’s our focus.

Each issue will feature three things:

1. The Hot Take. A marketing or brand strategy idea curated to make you say, “Wait, what?”

2. Try It Yourself. Something actionable you can bring back to your business or organization that day to spark new conversations about your marketing.

3. Spark Your Thinking. A piece of content, a campaign, a cultural moment — something from outside our industry that’s worth paying attention to.

That’s it, it’s that simple.

We’ll be in your inbox once a month and ask for only three minutes of your time. In exchange, we’re welcoming you to take a break from doomscrolling and see how many great ideas are sitting right beneath the surface.

Things are just heating up, and we can’t wait to see what you uncover.

Keep an eye out for the first full edition of Hot Take, coming soon.

And if you know someone who might enjoy hearing what we have to save, send ‘em our way!

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