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Pitchblack in Portland

It is great to see downtown Portland thriving with activity again. The weekend was filled with people enjoying the winter light festival at Pioneer Square and filling downtown restaurants. In the spirit of things returning, I'm excited to…
take a break and smell the flowers

Are You Taking Care of Yourself?

We often spend lots of time caring for others; our kids, spouses, family members, loved ones. The truth is, you cannot take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. After my daughter was born at the end of 2020, I felt the…
chart showing growth

Want to Increase Sales?

Over the last 12 years, we’ve conducted a LOT of qualitative research interviews on behalf of clients, globally. And it has become increasingly apparent that some companies are much better in driving sales due to ONE factor… how relevant…
atomic habits book

Did You Make a New Year’s Resolution?

So here we are, early in the third week of 2022. How’s everyone doing on their resolutions? After the tumultuous end to 2022 – the rise of Omicron, changes to travel plans, cancelled or postponed family gatherings – did you even make…
neuroscience diagram

A Quick Lesson in Neuroscience

As I sit here wracking my brain for something fun and creative to write about for this blog post, I finally decide that today is a good day for a short lesson in neuroscience! I won’t bore you with the nitty gritty of all the specifics…
airplanes on runway

How Airlines Can Retain Employees and Avoid Burnout

One of the biggest surprises for me working in a post-pandemic economy is how many employees quit their job. Factoring the influx of workers forced to call out sick due to an ebb and flow of COVID cases, employee retention is more important…
global pandemic

Living in Interesting Times

I started researching “things to look forward to in 2022,” and among them were “Broadway back in business…” at which point I realized that these were written pre-Omicron. Another site previewed the exciting developments to look out…
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Using Research to Set Goals for 2022

As the new year approaches, we are all likely reflecting on the past two years and beginning to set goals for 2022. Personal goals, professional goals, and business goals for the year ahead. Personal goals and professional goals come from within.…
food cart in airstream

Where have all the big ideas gone in advertising?

The shape of advertising has changed significantly in the last two decades, with the advent of digital (and associated tech advances), a desire by large corporations to in-source advertising and all things creative, to save money – and the…