It’s not just about doing something for Earth Day. It’s about doing it right. 

The risk? Greenwashing, or worse: coming off as opportunistic. When a campaign feels like self-promotion disguised as purpose, audiences tune out. Or call it out. Done well, Earth Day activations can become long-term signals of brand values — not just one-off content plays. 

Here’s what that takes: 

1. It has to be authentic to your brand, mission, and values. 

2. It has to deliver real, positive impact — not just perform optics. 

3. It has to create a meaningful bond with your audience, not just check a box. 

Below are three Earth Day initiatives that worked — and why. 

1. ASICS: Turning Movement into Action 

What they did: ASICS launched a tree-planting tracker tied to user activity on Strava, rewarding real-world movement with real-world environmental impact. 

Why it works: It aligns with ASICS’ core identity — physical movement — while giving users a clear, low-friction way to contribute. It’s also measurable, actionable, and inherently personal. 

Making it work for you: Consider how your product or platform already encourages individual action. Is there a way to turn that behavior into a measurable environmental impact? Start with what your audience is already doing — and build around it. 

2. Impossible Foods: A Creative Take on Behavior Change 

What they did: Impossible Foods and Deloitte Digital launched the “Mini Impact Kitchen,” a social campaign using miniature food content to promote plant-based eating as a simple, everyday environmental choice. 

Why it works: Impossible is a brand built around transforming the food system. This campaign brings that mission to life in a way that’s visually engaging and easy to grasp. It ties product to purpose through content that feels fresh, not forced. 

Making it work for you: Don’t try to say everything at once. Focus on one behavior or benefit that connects to your product — and find a format that matches your brand voice. If your audience responds to playful or experiential creative, lean into that. 

3. Kiehl’s: Art That Speaks for the Brand 

What they did: Kiehl’s installed an eco-activist art experience on the High Line in NYC — a bold visual statement tied to their Earth Day campaign. 

Why it works: Kiehl’s is rooted in physical retail and brand heritage. The High Line installation combined visual storytelling with public visibility, reinforcing their commitment to sustainability in a format that felt curated, not commercial. It was designed by eco-activist artist Zaria Forman and tied to a refillable packaging push — bringing product, purpose, and presence together. 

Making it work for you: Use your brand’s natural visual or physical strengths to activate. Whether it’s a physical retail space, a community presence, or even packaging — Earth Day doesn’t have to live online to land well. 

The takeaway 
If you’re going to make a sustainability play, make it true to your brand. Make it visible. And make sure the media strategy supports the message — not just amplifies it. 

That’s how you avoid greenwashing. And more importantly, that’s how you make the impact stick. 

Ready to make your next Earth Day campaign count? 
Whether you’re planning a one-day activation or building a long-term sustainability message, we can help make sure your media strategy supports your mission — and your audience sees the impact. 

Let’s talk about how to turn purpose into performance. 

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Are traditional match-types too restrictive?

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POV by Mike Morris, VP, Paid Search

Big news out of Silicon Valley has everyone buzzing about Open AI’s entry into the search market with their SearchGPT engine. Their vision is to evolve from the historical Google layout, to one where it’s AI-powered model summarizes its findings and displays short descriptions enhanced with links to its sources of information should the user choose to visit those specific pages.

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, has been very critical of Google and their blue links with the belief that the future of the optimal search engine allows users to “search in a more intuitive and natural way.”(1) 

SearchGPT will be in a limited-release testing phase of 10,000 users before it becomes available to the public. Everyone else will have to wait on the edge of their seats before attaining hands-on experience.

What We Are Likely to See

• Engage with extended results in the sidebar Ability to ask follow-up questions​
• Linkouts and source material availability​
• Using direct content feeds with 3rd party partners to build its search results​
• Publishers’ ability to manage how they appear in featured content​
• Utilization of the GPT-4o mini model, an offshoot of GPT-4o – this is their fastest model to date ​
• The goal is to eventually integrate the search features directly into ChatGPT

SearchGPT Results opens a question box to create a more natural conversational environment

Glimpses Into How Search Might Change

We have already entered the next generation phase of Search Engines and how users utilize them, but this step intensifies the already heated race for future search market share (and we haven’t even mentioned social platforms). The exorbitant speed at which this technology is progressing and making these significant changes possible is creating an extremely exciting time to be in marketing. While OpenAI is backed by Microsoft, it’s in need of cashflow as its on pace to lose about $5 billion this year. It will be interesting to see if business operations play a role in this space moving forward and if an acquisition of Perplexity AI occurs, which offers functionality extremely similar.  ​

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They help determine the effectiveness of various marketing channels and campaigns in driving conversions or sales. Google is planning to Sunset four of these models in the coming months.

Acronym’s Associate Manager, Paid Search, Noemi Rhodes’ POV on what marketers need to do to prepare for this change was featured in MarTech’s AdTech.

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What does it mean to put the audience at the center?

Putting the audience at the center of your digital marketing strategies means creating content and campaigns that are tailored specifically to their needs and preferences. It means focusing on what your target audience wants, rather than simply pushing out content on every available channel.

Why is this important?

First, it allows you to create a more personalized experience for your audience. By understanding their interests and preferences, you can tailor your messaging to speak directly to them. This helps to build trust and rapport, which can lead to increased engagement and conversions.

Second, it helps you to prioritize your efforts. Rather than trying to be everywhere at once, you can focus on the channels that are most effective for reaching your target audience. For example, if your audience is primarily active on Instagram, it makes more sense to focus your efforts on creating engaging content for that platform, rather than spreading yourself too thin across multiple channels.

Finally, it helps you to measure the success of your campaigns more effectively. By tracking engagement and conversions on the channels that matter most to your audience, you can gain a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t. This allows you to make data-driven decisions and continually refine your approach.

How can you put the audience at the center?

There are several ways to put the audience at the center of your digital marketing strategies:

1. Conduct market research: To truly understand your audience, you need to conduct research to gain insights into their needs, wants, and preferences. This can involve surveys, focus groups, or analyzing data from your website and social media channels.
2. Develop buyer personas: Once you have a good understanding of your audience, you can develop buyer personas to represent different segments of your target market. This allows you to create content and campaigns that speak directly to each persona.
3. Use data to inform your approach: As mentioned earlier, tracking engagement and conversions on your channels allows you to gain valuable insights into what is working and what isn’t. Use this data to continually refine your approach and optimize your campaigns.

Placing the audience at the center of your digital marketing strategies is essential for creating a personalized experience, prioritizing your efforts, and measuring success.

By understanding your audience’s needs and preferences, and tailoring your messaging to speak directly to them, you can build trust and rapport and ultimately drive conversions.

So, before you dive headfirst into every available channel, take a step back and focus on the audience you are trying to reach. If you need assistance leveraging audience-based insights to enhance the personalization of your digital marketing campaigns and improve your ROI, please contact us today. We’re here. to help.

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However, with the competition in the digital space constantly increasing, it’s important to have a solid PPC strategy in place to ensure your ads stand out and drive high-quality traffic to your website. With this in mind, here are our top PPC tips for higher conversions.

Choose the Right Keywords.

Keyword research is still the foundation of any successful PPC campaign. Start by creating a list of relevant keywords your target audience is likely to use when searching for your products or services. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords. It’s important to focus on long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have a higher conversion rate.

Write Compelling Ad Copy.

Your ad copy is what will entice people to click on your ad, so it’s crucial to make it as compelling as possible. Use attention-grabbing headlines, concise descriptions, and strong calls to action to encourage clicks. Make sure that your ad copy is relevant to the keywords you are targeting and the landing page to which you are directing traffic.

Optimize Your Landing Pages.

This is where visitors will land after clicking on your ad. It’s important to make sure your landing page is optimized for conversions. Ensure that your landing page is relevant to your ad copy and includes a clear call to action. Use A/B testing to determine what elements of your landing page are most effective at driving conversions.

Use Ad Extensions.

Ad extensions are additional pieces of information that can be added to your ads, such as phone numbers, location information, and links to specific pages on your website. Ad extensions can help improve the visibility and relevance of your ads, making them more likely to drive clicks and conversions.

Set up Conversion.

Tracking Conversion tracking is essential for measuring the success of your PPC campaigns. It allows you to track the actions that visitors take on your website after clicking on your ad, such as filling out a form or making a purchase. Use conversion tracking to identify which keywords, ads, and landing pages are driving the most conversions, and use this data to optimize your campaigns for even better results.

Monitor and Adjust Your Campaigns.

PPC advertising is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. It’s important to monitor your campaigns regularly and make adjustments as needed. Use data from your conversion tracking and A/B testing to identify areas where you can improve your campaigns, such as adjusting your bids, tweaking your ad copy, or targeting different keywords.

By following these PPC tips, you can create effective PPC campaigns that drive high-quality traffic and conversions for your business. Remember to focus on relevant keywords, write compelling ad copy, optimize your landing pages, use ad extensions, set up conversion tracking, and monitor and adjust your campaigns regularly. With a solid PPC strategy in place, you can achieve great results and grow your business.

If you need assistance with PPC or any other digital campaign, please contact us today. We’re here to help.

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Social Commerce

Social media has become a powerful marketing tool for retail brands, with many brands using it to build brand awareness, engage with their customers, and drive traffic to their website. However, social media platforms are increasingly becoming more than just a place to connect with customers, but also a place to sell products.

Social commerce, the process of selling products directly on social media platforms, is becoming more popular with retail brands. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have introduced features like Shops and Instagram Checkout, allowing brands to sell products directly on their social media pages. In fact, social commerce through TikTok has become so common, the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has already see 49.2M views so fat this year.

Considering TikTok remains the preferred platform for Gen Z, a demographic with $360B in disposable income, this trend is likely to continue, and retail brands must start thinking about how they can leverage these features to drive sales.

Personalization

Consumers today expect personalized experiences from the brands they interact with, and retail brands are no exception. Personalization involves tailoring the customer experience to each individual customer based on their preferences, behavior, and interests. This can be achieved through data analysis, such as customer purchase history and online behavior, to deliver personalized product recommendations, marketing messages, and more.

Personalization helps retail brands build stronger relationships with their customers, increase customer loyalty, and improve customer satisfaction. Retail brands must prioritize personalization to remain competitive and meet customer expectations.

Here at Acronym, we call it Audience-First and at its core it’s a way to ensure your marketing messages are reaching the right people. Not only does it help brands form lasting relationships with their customers, by placing your audience – no the channel – at the center of your strategy, you increase your overall profitability and revenue while reducing wasteful spending.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is becoming increasingly popular among retail brands. Video content has become a preferred medium for consumers to consume information, with videos accounting for over 80% of all internet traffic. Videos can be used to showcase products, tell brand stories, and educate customers on how to use products.

Videos can be distributed across various digital platforms, including social media, YouTube, and website landing pages. Retail brands can also use live video streaming to engage with their audience in real-time, creating a sense of community and building brand awareness.

Voice Search Optimization

Voice search is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more consumers using voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant to search for products and services. Voice search assistants answer 93.7% of search queries on average. In fact, more than 1 billion voice searches take place every month. Retail brands must optimize their website content to appear in voice search results to capture this growing audience.

Optimizing for voice search involves using conversational language, answering frequently asked questions, and providing concise and relevant answers to voice search queries. Retail brands must also ensure their website is mobile-friendly, as many voice searches are conducted on mobile devices.

These digital marketing trends are essential for retail brands to stay competitive in today’s digital world. If you need assistance leveraging social commerce, personalization, video marketing, and voice search optimization to engage with customers and drive sales, contact us today. We’re here to help.

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