As 2021 turns to 2022, The Continuum looks back to look forward.

E.B. Moss: In a time of great transformation in the world, heed expert insights on the imperative of brand evolution.

E.B. Moss: In a time of great transformation in the world, heed expert insights on the imperative of brand evolution.

This is a publication about the intersection of brand and demand marketing, so why a focus in this issue on brand purpose and Corporate Social Responsibility? Because CSR, to use the words of one interviewee, Sustainable Brands founder and CEO, KoAnn Skrzyniarz, is less about the burden of a “responsibility” and more the “business opportunity” or, as picked up on by the ANA, an “engine for growth.”

There, almost literally, is no one on the planet not aware of the impact of COVID-19 on the world today. And yet, we still have a messaging problem. 

I’ve spent much of my career creating sizzle to help tie-down media sales promising ROI from both awareness and data capture. Then, as a B2B journalist, I interviewed everyone from research execs to brand-builders. I’ve helped tout both awareness and performance-driven marketing, but rarely at the same time. Now, given the opportunity to curate content on this very balancing point by some of the best minds in the industry, I realize being solidly in the middle is the best place to be.