The Language of Empathy
As a consultancy focused on purpose-driven organizations, Additive partners with nonprofits, NGOs and social enterprises with critical missions and compelling causes — from educational access to health equity to community mobilization. As we strive to clarify their stories and amplify their impact, demonstrating relevancy of the issue and urgency of action is critical. However, articulating […]
Humor: It’s Not for Everyone
Last week, the Nebraska Tourism Commission unveiled the state’s new slogan: “Honestly, it’s not for everyone.” It’s the cornerstone of a campaign that works to combat the stereotype that there’s “nothing to do” in the state by highlighting its variety of natural and cultural attractions, set alongside snarky headlines. The rebrand has inspired a lot […]
(Protest) Signs of the Times: Branding to Embrace the Political Storm
In their 2014 book New Power, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms discuss “storm chasing” and “storm embracing,” two techniques for organizations to drive action, urgency and visibility, even in times of crisis. As the political climate in the U.S. continues to become more polarized, it’s no accident that the past two years have seen at […]
NYU Makes Tuition Free for All Medical Students
We are proud to announce that our long-time partner, NYU School of Medicine, will be the first top-ranked medical school to offer full-tuition scholarships to all current and incoming classes. By freeing medical students from the burden of tuition, they are helping them focus on what matters most: leading-edge care and research for all. Read […]
Columbia SPS Success Stories Featuring Additive’s Hayley Berlent
Hayley Berlent (’04SPS, Strategic Communication) is Founder and CEO of The Additive Agency, a brand transformation consultancy that helps organizations amplify their impact. Growing up in South Africa, she observed social injustice firsthand and witnessed the ways in which positive social change occurred. Her childhood experiences inspired the foundation and purpose of the agency. Read […]
3 Mental Health Experts Dissect Facebook’s Tech-Heavy Plan To Prevent Suicides
Facebook has recently announced plans of expanding its AI-based suicide prevention campaign. With strengthened “proactive detection” technology that can identify suicidal posts, the company aims to intervene earlier and help more people by connecting them to the right resources. Suicide prevention experts, Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer at Americans for Suicide Prevention; John Draper, […]
Individualism vs. Collectivism: The Next Brand Frontier
“Individuality is the new wealth.” We were struck by these words while watching a recent interview with Pharrell Williams, multi-talented artist and founder of I Am Other. As we think about the advent of technology and the empowerment of the individual, this sentiment certainly rings true. So what do these changing views mean for legacy brands? Perhaps it’s time for these organizations to rethink the way they engage their people and partners.
How Nonprofits Can Reclaim Their Role as Leaders of Social Change
The old industry adage says that “in a complex world, brands help us make choices.”
As tired a statement as that is, there’s still truth in it. And if we look closely at the brands we’re choosing, we can understand something about what we believe is important at a societal level.
The Wounded Warrior Project + The Case for Overhead
Approximately 40% of WWP’s budget is spent on overhead, which is significantly higher than most mission-driven organizations. While there are many reasons to criticize their allocation of financial resources, having higher overhead isn’t necessarily one of them.
It Takes A Village To Change The World
Many of us are familiar with the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.” The truth is, it “takes a village” to achieve just about any meaningful change in our world—from fighting disease to uniting for peace. For many years, purpose-driven organizations believed that change could result from a handful of generous […]
