In the May edition of The Monthly Brief, we focus on mental health awareness, sleep performance, and marketing strategies for a post-pandemic world.

While the last several months threw most everyone a curveball or two, we helped our good friends at ArtsNOW meet this challenging year head-on. JMACRAE GROUP led the efforts of charting a path for the future with a new strategy, a new look, and a new message.

Making the decision to launch a product, brand or business can be a monumental task… and then the real work begins.

“It’s OK to be disappointed when Life benches you; what’s not OK is missing the opportunity to lead from that space.”

In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, it seems as if we’re all moving at the speed of light…or at least, we feel as if we’re expected to. There’s never enough time to deal with major issues right in front of us, let alone time to plan or strategize the next business move. “Strategy” is treated like a dirty word, a distraction to the business of doing business, and often put on the back burner.

Focus groups are arguably more relevant now than in past decades. In this era of influencers, instant sharing and social currency, focus groups are a window into how relationships can shape destiny and success. Not only are focus groups a front row seat to how individuals react and respond to a product or brand, but also why they react and respond in the manner they do.  The relationships of those individuals – to the brand and to each other – are key to understanding why.