Strive Creative

08/21/2026

AI didn't kill creativity. It just made taste the whole game. Our new blog breaks down what AI really changed for creatives and what it can't touch: https://bit.ly/4gDvg5o

📌 Part of our ongoing Marketing Misconceptions series.

Here's how AI changes creative work -- and what it doesn't. Three misconceptions creatives and marketers need to stop believing in 2026.

08/18/2026

And that's a wrap on the Woodward Dream Cruise 2026! There's no weekend quite like Dream Cruise weekend, and the Strive team was happy to be part of it again this year! Thanks to our client, the Chevy Detroit Dealers, and to everyone who came out to celebrate with us! 🏁🏎️🚦

07/24/2026

A perfectly normal interview with the Strive team...

07/22/2026

Good marketing should look effortless.
The message lands. The design makes sense. The audience knows what to do next. Everything feels connected.
But behind the scenes, effective marketing takes research, questions, collaboration, testing, and plenty of “almost, but not quite.”
That is where our DIVE process comes in.
Discover. Ideate. Validate. Evolve.
It is the framework we use to turn insight into thoughtful strategy, stronger creative, and marketing that actually works.
Take a deeper look at how we DIVE in: https://bit.ly/44rABWK

Strive's marketing strategy process is built on four steps: Discover, Ideate, Validate, and Evolve. DIVE turns insight into performing work.

07/16/2026

Shaky footage. Bad lighting. 1.2 million views.

Polished brand video? Scrolled past in half a second.

Turns out, polish on social now signals "ad" and the thumb keeps moving. The rough stuff signals "real," and people actually stop.

We broke down why this is happening and what it actually means for brands making content. Worth a read 👇
https://bit.ly/4ymW3cY

Here's why low production value works on social media -- and why "make it look like nobody made it" is one of the hardest creative briefs there is.

07/10/2026

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, several major brands found themselves in an unusual position.

Many of these companies already had naming rights, stadium partnerships, or commercial agreements connected to the venues. But because they were not official FIFA World Cup sponsors, FIFA’s “clean stadium” policies required their branding to be covered, removed, or renamed during tournament matches.

Levi’s Stadium became “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.” Gillette Stadium was renamed “Boston Stadium.” Signage and local sponsorships were covered. Even Heinz ketchup packaging was taped over inside venues.

On paper, it makes sense. FIFA’s official partners invest millions for exclusivity, visibility, and association with one of the biggest sporting events in the world. But from a marketing perspective, the result became much more interesting.

The attempt to hide these brands may have made them even more noticeable.
When the Levi’s Stadium logo was covered, people still knew exactly what was underneath. The shape, placement, context, and years of brand familiarity did the work the logo itself could not.
That is the power of strong branding.

The same idea applies to Heinz. A taped-over ketchup bottle can still be recognizable when the brand has built enough visual equity through color, packaging, familiarity, and consistency.
And Gillette may have created one of the most playful examples of all. By covering its branding with something that looked like shaving cream, the brand still stayed connected to what people already know it for.

A strong brand is not just a logo. It is memory, consistency, and distinctiveness. It is the ability to be recognized even when the name is not fully visible.

In this case, the restriction became the campaign.

By covering these brands, FIFA created curiosity, conversation, and even more attention around the brands it was trying to hide. While brands pay millions for FIFA sponsorships, Heinz, Levi’s, Gillette, and others found themselves in the spotlight without being official sponsors.

A logo can be covered. A name can be changed. A package can be taped over.
But when a brand has spent years building recognition, it does not disappear that easily.

So what is more powerful: paying for placement or building a brand people can recognize without one? Let us know your thoughts below 👇

07/07/2026

Think you're tracking your marketing? You might only be seeing about a third of the full picture.
Most marketers watch click-through rates and last-click conversions and call it a day. But that approach quietly undervalues the channels doing the early work — the streaming TV ad that sparked brand awareness, the display ad that pushed someone into your retargeting pool, the YouTube impression that started a purchase journey that search eventually closed.
We broke down which channels can actually be tracked end-to-end, which ones require a different approach, and the measurement mistakes that cost brands real money every week.
Part of our Marketing Misconceptions series — read the full breakdown here 👇
https://bit.ly/4vBKBsa

Here's what you can actually track in your marketing (and what you can't), from search to streaming.

06/30/2026

Over the last century, advertising hasn’t just evolved. It’s been redefined.
Women are no longer working their way into the industry. They’re leading it, reshaping it, and, in many cases, building entirely new paths through the creator economy.
So what changed? We break it down here ↓
https://bit.ly/4xWOEAS

Women in advertising went from being systematically excluded to shaping the industry. Here's how the power shift happened and what's next.

06/18/2026

“The client is always right” is a familiar phrase. In marketing, it’s also a little more complicated.
Clients know their business, their audience, and their internal pressures better than anyone. Agencies bring strategy, creative perspective, and experience to help guide the work.
The best results usually happen when both sides stop trying to be “right” and start trying to get aligned.
Our latest blog explores how to manage client expectations with clarity, curiosity, and a little less email-induced confusion. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4v9Q4WZ

Managing client expectations takes more than a scope doc. Learn how to stay aligned, handle tension, and do better work together.