Said Differently

Big news today: We are excited to share that Said Differently will be uniting with an award-winning global digital transformation company, Brainvire Infotech Inc. to become one global team delivering end-to-end service, from strategy through implementation. This merger extends our global footprint to 5,000 strong with a focus on consulting, strategy, creative, customer experience, and technology, offering companies scaled, next-generation solutions. Leading the combined company as our new CEO will be Linda Boff, former Chief Marketing Officer of GE and one of the industry’s most respected leaders. Linda will join a leadership team that includes Said Differently founders Rachel Barek and Brian Skahan and Brainvire founder Chintan Shah. Our two companies have complementary strengths and services. We will continue to offer best-in-class creative, strategy, and customer experience, now with end-to-end digital transformation, enterprise engineering, and emerging technology implementation with the addition of Brainvire’s technical expertise. Brainvire brings a global capability for Content & Commerce as an Adobe certified partner, advanced ERP implementation capabilities as a leading global Odoo partner, and enterprise capabilities in Machine Learning and AI. When we launched Said Differently in 2020, we aspired to build a new model that breaks down the barriers that stand between clients and the best possible work. Our goal was to put every dollar and ounce of creative energy in service to producing extraordinary results. Today’s news is a giant step forward on that journey. You can read more details in this exclusive story in the Wall Street Journal: https://lnkd.in/giEMDXgN

Thank you, Association of National Advertisers for sharing our story about fixing the broken agency model. “Agency consolidation continues to shake up the advertising industry. Rachel Barek, CEO and co-founder of Said Differently, says changes are brewing, as the current agency model does not meet marketers' needs.” Take a read -- sign-up is free if you need a login. #digitaltransformation #futureofwork #agency #creativeagency

There is literally no point in trying to predict this job market. You can look at the numbers and say things will improve. You can look at the numbers and say things are doomed. Same with the stock market. It's up, but credit card delinquencies are up too. Home prices are up with low supply? But also crashing in markets like TX and FL. And on and on. What we do know is the traditional will not fly. I think that's why agencies like Said Differently are on the rise. Flexible. Fully freelance. Specialized. Their kid will beat up your honor student. Their specialized team will beat up your agency (in-house, AOR or otherwise). The ZIRP days created a lot of goldilocks situations. Much of the success of so many startups, ad agencies, design studios, and consultancies was based on one thing: free money. Well, those days are not coming back. Interest rates are not coming down. There is no free WholeBowl, acai bowl, or Bread Bowl Soup with Panera Killer Lemonade. If you're at an agency, consider swapping to a smaller, more specialized team. I think this is the future, and there are so many options. If you are in-house, pray your company can succeed outside of a ZIRP economy. If you are a manager or anyone not in an IC role, sharpen those pencils and crack those knuckles. It's time to get back to the trenches.

Said Differently officially welcomed Josh Combs as the agency’s first-ever CMO. In an industry that historically deprioritizes its own marketing, we believe Said Differently needed a new type of creative leader. We are on a mission to redefine the standards of creativity, technology and marketing to solve for all that is wrong with the bloated agency model. From the initial point of introduction to the unveiling of our groundbreaking work, Josh’s creative vision will shape our presence in the marketplace as a globally recognized leader in innovation within the realms of creativity, technology, business, and the future of work. At Said Differently, we spent our first years proving that there’s a better alternative to the industry status quo – one that serves clients scalably and empowers talent to do their best work. With the scale we’ve now achieved, Josh will be well-positioned to apply his deep understanding of brand development to help take us to the next level. Welcome Josh!

$22,000. That's how much Orianna Rosa Royle writes in Fortune that employees who stick with a hybrid schedule vs 5 days in office are leaving on the table. It's startling and disturbing that companies would put such a dramatic price tag on an old-school measure of productivity. It's truly using stone age tools to measure a digital world. But here's the thing: a third option is emerging. In the past few years, we've seen an absolute explosion in the freelance economy. I'm not talking about lower-wage jobs like driving and logistics. I'm talking about world-class, highly-specialized talent. These top of the food chain workers get to have it all: they are top earners who get to set their own schedule and location...and even more important, they're empowered to focus on work they feel passionately about. Any time you read about the struggle between companies who are stuck in the past and employees who are tired of the status quo, remember there's a quiet revolution of freelance talent.    Said Differently network is ground zero for this revolution. Reach out to our team to learn more. https://lnkd.in/ewxJCEZn

So many brands focus on the top (brand awareness) and bottom (offers and promotions) of the funnel. The funnel is currently getting blown up by GenZ, watch how they shop. I say - put your money in the middle.

We’ll be participating to support our client, UScellular, and their commitment to develop healthier relationships with technology.

As we make our way into 2024, brand marketers and advertisers have forecasted how the year ahead will shape up when it comes to advertising, technology, business and culture. But what about their wish list for 2024? In her most recent piece for Forbes Business Council, our CEO and founder, Rachel Barek dives into her wish list of changes for the marketing and advertising ecosystem that would make it easier for brands to stand out, save money, and win. Read her article here: https://lnkd.in/esasQaT3 #Futureofwork #remotework #marketerswishlist

I broke my rule about freelance agency work and recently took a project for Said Differently, an agency with a handful of full-time employees and a network of 1000s of freelancers. Over the years, I've seen other agencies pretend half-heartedly at this model to paper over dysfunction and a shallow bench. Said Differently's founders, Rachel Barek and Brian Skahan, have actually built a nimble, responsive agency that offers specialization at scale. My fellow freelancers and I started the project as individuals and strangers, ending less than two weeks later as a close, strong team capable of generating extremely high-quality work. This wasn't accidental; much thought has been put into developing processes and methods to make this real rather than creds deck sleight of hand. Brian and Rachel, despite juggling 12 other projects, were always available, collaborative, and incredibly insightful���every interaction we had made the work better. I've never experienced an agency this well-run and respectful of people's talents and time. Ironically, an agency of temporary employees could have the healthiest culture in the industry.

Many businesses are shying away from a distributed work model due to concerns around effectively training junior talent. In her most recent piece for the Forbes Business Council, our CEO and founder, Rachel Barek delves into how this model can be beneficial for junior team members and enhance their learning experience. “...Concerns about mentorship and the fate of junior talent should not stop you from reaping the economic benefits of remote work. The key is to use creative workarounds to overcome challenges while embracing the inherent advantages of virtual collaboration.” Read her full story: https://lnkd.in/gmeW_Xz2 #remotework #futureofwork #teamdesign #teamtraining