Yalo was proud again this year to be a part of helping to promote and execute ACG Atlanta’s Fast 40 dinner and gala. The event honors the top 40 fastest growing middle-market companies in Georgia. Yalo has sponsored the event for the past three years and has helped with email and social promotion, as well as nominating a few of our favorite clients. Additionally, this year, we offered a promotional package to winners to help promote their recognition via press releases and a suite of social media posts. It’s always a great night for networking and learning about the impact a wide range of middle-market companies are having on our state’s economic growth. And our step-and-repeat game is always on point! Check out this year’s list of winners and let us know if your organization is interested in getting involved.

If you’ve seen John Wick 3 or have even been to a theater lately, you’ve probably seen the movie’s amazing poster, created by 3D artist, Billelis. His work “combines rich, layered detail, while creating a striking image that literally leaps off the page or screen.” (Adweek) He’s also worked on projects for brands like Nike, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and Peugeot and credits social media with helping him to get the word out about his unique style, gain a huge following and land opportunities he’d never imagined with these big named clients. While his advice is specific to artists, it applies well to any business looking to use social to build an audience and a reputation. Check out the story behind the stunning movie poster and more on his approach to successful self-promotion on social.

We know some of our clients get stuck on rinse and repeat when it comes to their marketing. Seems the movie studios have the same issue, turning out sequels and remakes summer after summer. It can make one wonder, are there any new ideas anymore?  We know there are in marketing, because we deliver them every single day. And thank goodness, it seems there are in film, as well. Check out this list of summer releases that don’t rely on the same old plot and characters we already know to tell a compelling story. See you in theaters soon!

It’s officially Pride month and the 50th anniversary of the first-ever Gay Pride marches in the U.S. But if your brand is treating this powerful occasion as another Hallmark holiday you can simply glom onto to gain relevance, you’re probably doing it wrong. Turning your logo rainbow is fun and shows you’re onboard with the cause of inclusivity, but here are four more meaningful ways marketers can show their support for the LGBTQ+ community this month without pandering or exploiting the cause. 

Architects around the world regard Pei, who died this month at the age of 102, as a master who used the symbolism of form to tell stories and communicate ideas. Learn more about our Artist of the Week, his inspiration and his famous works, including Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Want to improve your product, and your communication? Weave art and creativity into everything you do. It’s the key to capturing hearts through your products and your communications. See why.

Working remotely, the Yalo Tribe is always looking for ways to stay focused and boost our creativity. One of our favorite productivity boosters is listening to music. Turns out, 76% of workers in a recent survey agree that it also helps them do their best work. Check out the recent Brilliant Sound Survey to see how respondents said listening to music affects their mood, performance, relationships and more.

As the Tribe gathers in Atlanta this week for our spring offsite, there are a few things we know we can expect: team bonding, problem solving and fresh ideas. But what about the unexpected? Turns out that in order to really get creative, people need to step out of their comfort zones and try something with an outcome they can’t predict. Science says so and you can learn more about why here. In the meantime, we’ll be reaping the benefits of stepping away from our computers, exploring new territory in and around Atlanta and interacting with team members we don’t get to see every day. Anything could happen . . .

It’s almost Derby weekend and Maker’s Mark is testing your mint julep making knowledge just in time! Their interactive quiz walks amateur bartenders through the steps to make this classic cocktail, providing video of each step throughout and a final score at the end. It’s a fun and engaging way for the brand to connect to fans ahead of the unique sporting event. Interactive content like this is one of the strongest ways brands can grab attention and widen their circle of influence, capturing the trifecta of personalization, engagement and shareability. Check out these 50 Quiz Marketing Statistics to see just how effective a tactic it can be.

As if opening for Death Cab for Cutie isn’t cool enough, this young trio will follow that up with Lollapalooza in Chicago this coming August. If you can’t make it to Lollapalooza, then be sure to catch them on tour at your local indie venue. See what they think about being on the cusp of greatness, then check out their Facebook page for their current tour schedule, and get a taste of their sound on Yalo’s Summer Jams playlist.

The motivation to go green has increasingly become not only a part of many companies’ corporate social responsibility efforts, but also as an aspect of remaining relevant in the future business environment. Additionally, there are more and more environmental concerns that can only be addressed through green initiatives in terms of production, servicing and manufacturing. That’s why more and more companies are continuing to “go green,” including these 17 heavy hitters. Check them out and, as we get ready to celebrate Earth Day, think about what steps your company is taking to help our planet. 

Last summer, Donald Glover snuck off to Cuba to create something — a feature film collaboration, or so the rumors had it, based on scant information other than a photo of Glover and Rihanna posed up during production of their mysterious “Guava Island” project. Eager fans were finally rewarded last week when the film was released just prior to Childish Gambino’s Coachella performance. The film, which includes many of his songs, and its release stunt serve as a brilliant way to promote his music, so much so that we’re starting to wonder if this is really Gambino’s final tour and Glover’s final creative endeavor as his falsetto-voiced hip-hop alter ego. Learn moreabout the film and check it out on Amazone Prime.

It’s that time of year again! Coachella is in full swing and while the incredible musical lineup for the festival’s 20th anniversary takes the main stage, the visual artists showing their work are also making the experience epically Instagrammable. So here’s a shout out to Sofia Enriquez, Francie Kéré, Peggy Noland, Dedo Vabo, Poetic Kinetics, NEWSUBSTANCE and Office Kovacs for providing the colorful, fantastical backdrops that help set the mood for this year’s party. Check out their work here.

“It’s crazy, to think a 43-year-old who has experienced every high and every low, and has just won his 15th major, is chasing the same dream as a three-year-old.” So goes the voiceover of Nike’s tribute to Tiger Woods released moments after knocking out his fifth Masters win. This celebration of an American favorite marks his official return to the game after personal and professional setbacks that have kept him mostly off the course for the past several years. The Nike spot tracking the star’s career is yet another evolution of its Dream Crazy campaign celebrating the athletes it sponsors. Learn more and see the spot if you missed it.

The first pitches of the 2019 U.S. and Canadian soil, anyway—will be thrown tomorrow, and Twitter is ready to take the field. The social network and the league are kicking off a new initiative this season, enabling fans to choose which player’s at-bats will be featured live on Twitter that day. Plus, MLB is launching special hashtag-triggered emojis for all 30 teams. Check it out and get in on the action!

Duke freshman Zion Williamson has played a major role in Duke’s on-court success this season, but his impact on the Blue Devils has been just as epic since he stepped on campus July 1. Duke basketball already had the largest social-media following among team accounts before Williamson arrived, but the combination of the two has vastly accelerated their numbers. Williamson became an Instagram star in high school, and since officially joining Duke 7.5 months ago, the school’s men’s basketball Instagram account has added 285,000 followers, according to data from Duke Athletics Creative Dir Dave Bradley. That is more than the total number of followers for every basketball program but two — UNC and Kentucky. Williamson’s Instagram account has grown even more since July, adding 680,144 followers on his personal account, a 42% increase to 2.3 million. Learn more about his social media impact and check out his Instagram to see what the hype is all about.

The concept of a sonic logo is hardly new: The drumroll played during the 20th Century Fox intro was created by composer Alfred Newman in 1933; Walter Werzowa made Intel’s iconic “bong” anthem more than 20 years ago. Even notification alerts—such as those from Samsung, Google and Apple—can easily be associated with the brands they’re meant to represent. But recently, Pandora became the first major audio streaming service to adopt one. Seems appropriate, right? Check out what went into developing it and listen here.

Got your brackets ready? March Madness starts next week and while we watch our favorite teams (hopefully) rise to the top, many brands will use this cultural tie-in to connect with their fans and make an impact. Check out a few ways we’ll probably see brands leveraging data and omnichannel experiences to make the most of the experiences they create.  

Not surprisingly, female empowerment is a topic that’s trending even more than usual during Women’s History Month. This collection of on-theme ads proves it can be a valuable and inspiring trend to tap into for marketing any time of the year. Check them out!

From artistic health pop-ups to body-positive beauty campaigns to Absolut’s vodka packaging that literally turned hate into love, February was jam-packed with smart, creative marketing ideas that helped brands connect with their audiences. Check out Trend Hunter‘s list and get inspired for your next big marketing effort.