Ideas, interviews, and inspiration
Thoughts on branding, voice, and messaging, and Q&As with visionaries, creative powerhouses, and style makers.
Editorial
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!
Truth in the age of AI
In all the talk of funnels and seamless experiences, one belief came up in every conversation. The future of brands will come down to something fiercely elemental: trust.
Davia de Croix
“I'm not for being on every channel, everywhere, all at once, all the time, with everything, because it isn't easy to do that well or meaningfully.”
The Nixed List: Holiday Special
The holiday season presents a distinct challenge for copywriters. Holidays, by nature, rely on familiarity, comfort, nostalgia, tradition. And yet…
Messaging is your brand’s north star
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.
Kirsten Ludwig
“You've got to be brave enough to realize that you can't, and shouldn't, try to be everything to everybody.”
The Nixed List: Claims Edition
Sameness is the deadly enemy of branding. But the temptation to use the same words over and over as shorthand for legitimacy is strong.
Book Shares from Antonym
The Antonym shared reading list contains multitudes: modern day cults, bears, queer natural history, manipulation of reality, you name it. And, it is all so beautiful to see.
On The Horizons episode features Antonym’s CEO
Our founder Amanda Aldinger’s recent interview on the series On the Horizons is a must-watch for anyone in the beauty industry.
Laura Meyer
“The board of a conglomerate cares about P&L and our value proposition, not conversion rates and managing the PPC.”
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.
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.”