Rivers Agency

You use voice search all the time for directions, recipes and weather. But have you adapted your website to recognize it’s how users are increasingly accessing information? Learn what you need to do to embrace voice search and conversational AI to improve your customer experience on our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/gSzEuirr #AI #VoiceSearch #SEO

Is pop culture stuck in a time loop? What, exactly, is your algorithm hiding from you? Why would an email company try to tell us that "email is dead"? In our latest issue of Upstream, we looked into four more macro narratives shaping the world of marketing and media. Neither far-off abstractions, nor niche micro-trends, but real, material shifts that are just as pertinent at the dinner table as they are in the boardroom. We think so, at least If you haven't subscribed yet, you can read the latest issue here: https://lnkd.in/eNPeT9uj

Just when you thought you had online search all figured out, AI-generated results and zero-click searches changed the game again. Learn more about what these are and how you can rapidly adapt to keep traffic flowing to your website. https://lnkd.in/gKmYcThx #SEO #AI #Gemini #Google

Dim lights, cheap cologne, and a soaring stock price — can you guess which one describes the Abercrombie & Fitch of new? In our latest issue of Upstream, we covered the extraordinary turnarounds story of some iconic American retailers, including what it means for the future of brick-and-mortar shopping. Caught your attention? Check out an excerpt below. 👇 Over the past few years, a group of legacy retail chains including Abercrombie, Gap, and J.Crew have reversed years of financial and cultural decline to work their way back into fashion. Abercrombie, in fact, outpaced Wall Street talisman NVIDIA in stock growth rate for a considerable period of time last year. Return to form is an understatement. How’d these brands pull it off? As Bloomberg notes (link below), all put their trust in CEOs with a merchandising background, following a decade where financiers were favored for the top job. And when newcomer CEOs took the reins, they started off by spending time in physical stores, flying in the faces of analysts who’d declared brick and mortar "dead" for years. This renewed focus on in-store experiences isn’t just a priority for mall brands. When Nike’s new CEO first addressed shareholders last year, he concluded prior leadership had over-indexed on ecommerce and underinvested in merchandising and retail. Starbucks’ top exec, Brian Niccol, also announced that the coffee chain needed to reestablish its stores as inviting places to be, not just to pick up a to-go order from. The aforementioned Barnes & Noble rode category tailwinds and greeted a new generation of readers with rejuvenated in-store experiences by giving store managers discretion over inventory and displays. Of course, these metamorphoses required more than just improved stores. Gap, for example, recruited designers with runway pedigree, earned back cultural relevance through marketing and partnerships, and started making more clothes for grown-ups. But what makes the story especially striking is the speed at which these turnarounds took place. Less than a decade ago, Abercrombie held the prized title of “most hated brand in America.” It wouldn’t have been crazy to assume that this crop of legacy retailers was in terminal decline — bigger chains were cheaper, smaller labels were cooler, and customer loyalty became a thing of the past when ecommerce opened closets to the world. In many ways, the volatility of the 21st century retail landscape was what set these brands on a downward course in the first place. It’s also the opportunity that allowed them to rise back to the top in a matter of years, proving that constant reinvention — and occasionally returning to your roots — is just the cost of doing business. Full newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eQwb_5zi

Trends move fast. Culture moves slow. And despite our tendency to box these things into months, seasons, or years, neither comes nor goes with the flip of a calendar. So, rather than decided what ended and began each calendar year, we chose to look for continuity between 2024 and 2025 — the storylines. Across two newsletters, we’ll share eight macro narratives worth following, whether you read them today or next quarter. Check out today's issue of Upstream below and subscribe if you haven't already. 📬 https://lnkd.in/gbcPEKfC

📣 More awards news! Out of more than 6,500 entries, the MarCom Awards recognized SIX of our clients in its annual international creative competition! 🎉 Platinum Awards were given to The Better Brain Project in the Identity Suite category and the Fenton Meet Cute for a Single Spot Video. Earning its second award of the season, Lash Spell’s Spellabration campaign received a Gold Award in the Social Media category.🏆 Honorable Mentions also went out to The Downtown Chapel Hill Summer Slowdown campaign, Autobell® Car Wash commercial and SPC Mechanical recruitment video. 🙌 Need some buzz for your brand? Drop us a line. Read more about this award here: https://bit.ly/409SWVD #MarCom #Awards #AdAgency #WebAgency #TriangleNC #Content

🎉Join us in celebrating Lash Spell’s Spellabration campaign, a Gold Winner in branded content at the w3 Awards🥇! Through festive creative, we spread the word about the brand’s third anniversary and its owners’ birthdays with a special 🎁 to followers: 30% off their purchase! When we relaunched our new website, we loved hearing your positive responses, but a Silver Award from w3 is the cherry on top! 🏆 Everyone loves Taco Tuesday 🌮, but we helped Ori’Zaba’s Scratch Mexican Grill take it to the next level in its Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday campaign. The Silver-winning 🥈 creative for general marketing-branded content highlighted three different ways people can enjoy deals on the tastiest day of the week. The next generation of ostomy care has arrived, and we’ve got the website to prove it! Rivers developed this Silver-winning🥈 ecommerce site for Revel’s It’s in the Bag line of ostomy products. With a brand that speaks authentically and a compelling, sleek website, it’s a win-win for ostomates and Rivers. Looking for cut-through creative to reach your audience? Shoot us a DM.

Join us in raising a glass to an extraordinary year of partnership 🤝 breakthroughs 🎯 and creative triumphs🏆 ! Wishing you a very happy New Year and we look forward to tackling new challenges and opportunities together in 2025! 🥂 #YearinReview #WeLoveOurClients #Cheers #AdAgency #NYE #2024

Get you a social media manager who's LITERALLY the first face on the biggest social media business report of the year! 🎉 🥹 When you scroll through Pinterest predicts today, don't forget to say hi to the one and only Ana Faneite right under "A spotlight on success." 👋 🤩 Thanks for the shoutout Pinterest Business! Full report below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eRB8z_v3

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