Dan Serard

expert panel

This year could bring everything from cannabis-infused cocktails to better mental health solutions. While 2023 witnessed a major shift in generative AI use as well as movie lovers flocking back to the theater, trends are continuing to evolve as the world pushes forward into another year. Though it’s not easy to predict what kind of trends, innovations or inventions the year will bring, business leaders across industries are doing their best to ensure their companies stay on top of “the latest and greatest” while maybe introducing a few new trends themselves. In the culture space, industries such as fashion, art, media, music, tech and more are often leading the charge when it comes to changing preferences and setting trends. Here, seven business leaders in these spaces, and members of Rolling Stone Culture Council, offer up their best predictions for the trends of the coming year and the type of effect they think these trends will have on related businesses.

expert panel

If you want your business to go viral, then apply these tips to go the extra mile. Whether it’s “going viral” or becoming “the talk of the town,” generating buzz around your business is essential if you want to grow your audience and, consequently, your bottom line. General marketing efforts are a good start; however, you'll need to do more to make a big name for your business. According to the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council, the following 10 strategies can give your brand the boost it needs to really take off. Consider adopting one or more of these tactics to build buzz around your business, get your product in front of more consumers and increase your sales as well as your odds of success.

expert panel

If you want more customers, you have to ensure they feel represented in your marketing first. No matter whether they’re marketing a product or a service, companies have to appeal to what their audiences want. In today’s world, that means diversity. Customers like to see themselves in advertising, as it allows them to envision themselves using the particular product or service and to understand how it might benefit them specifically. But customers can’t feel represented if marketers aren’t considering diversity in the first place. While many companies have gotten on board with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their marketing, many others are still struggling to make the right changes. As business leaders in the culture space, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have advice to share when it comes to DEI. Here, they discuss eight ways business leaders can ensure they're being thoughtful about diversity, equity and inclusion in their marketing and why it's so important to do so.

expert panel

The key to making your business stand out lies in how well you know your viewers. Whether you’re creating a video ad or an educational "how-to" video for your business, there are just some creative tactics that seem to lend themselves well to the video format. Taking advantage of these tactics is critical in an age where getting someone to stop scrolling through their social media feed is key to getting your business noticed. So what can you do to stop the scroll? Here, 12 business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council discuss their best tips for creating something that will make viewers stop scrolling, engage with your video and, ultimately, become a patron of your brand.

article

Archetypes are merely a starting point, but they can help set the tone for your brand.

expert panel

Before you tackle your business alone, consider this advice first. Running a business on your own comes with an abundance of benefits — the ability to determine your own schedule, the freedom to make decisions based on your own ideas and the opportunity to work on whatever projects you find interesting. However, being a solopreneur or solo creator also means you’re the only one responsible for starting and growing your company, which can be a lot of pressure for one person to handle. As business leaders, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council are familiar with what it takes to build a brand from the ground up. Below, they each offer up one tip for solopreneurs and creators looking to start their own brands, grow them and succeed as leaders in the culture space.

expert panel

Bettering your employees is the first step to bettering your company. Culture is ever-changing. Customer preferences and values surrounding hospitality, fashion, food, art, cannabis or any other sector of the culture space can seemingly shift at the drop of a hat — meaning those who work within those areas need to be ready to adapt just as quickly. One way business leaders can prepare their employees for such a need is to encourage them to learn and grow as professionals. With the right growth mindset, employees will be ready to tackle whatever challenge customers throw at them. But how should leaders go about it? Here, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer seven ways employers can encourage their employees to learn and grow in their careers, and discuss why it’s so important to do so for the betterment of themselves and the company.

expert panel

Standing out isn’t just about having the best idea. In a world saturated by millions of businesses all claiming to have the perfect solution to whatever problem consumers have, trying to find ways to make your own business rise above the noise can seem like an impossible endeavor. However, even businesses with fierce competition can find ways of standing out — with the right strategy, of course. To truly get your business noticed and to amass a large following of devoted customers, you’ll need to think thoughtfully about your customers, their needs and what your business can provide that no other business can. To help get you started, nine business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council share their insights on differentiating your company from the competition and recommend a few steps you should remember to take to help ensure your success.

expert panel

Nailing down your niche may require looking inward first. In order for a brand to succeed, it has to be more than a clever idea. A successful brand must meet customer needs, separate itself from the competition and last beyond a passing trend. All of these characteristics combined contribute to a brand’s niche — or a comfortable place in the market. Without this well-defined niche, a brand can struggle to maintain its customers’ interest and, as a result, its rising sales. Whether you’re just thinking about starting a business or you’re trying to get your current endeavor off the ground, consider the following advice for those struggling to find their brand’s place in the market. Here, seven business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their best tips for what uncertain entrepreneurs can do to really nail down their niche.

expert panel

Digital marketing is changing constantly, but experts believe these shifts could have a major impact on campaign effectiveness. As a marketing leader, your primary goal is to ensure your campaigns connect with the intended target market. This task is easier said than done in a world of shrinking consumer attention spans and competing digital communication channels. However, modern marketing is ever-evolving, and certain changes in trends and tools could make a big difference for marketers who want to improve their reach and see more results. Below, nine Rolling Stone Culture Council members explore some key shifts in the digital marketing realm that could help companies better connect with their audiences.

expert panel

This generation is looking to support businesses that value ethics and authenticity. Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, has become a highly sought-after demographic for marketers due to their significant purchasing power and influence. However, effectively targeting this generation requires a different approach than previous generations, and there are some common mistakes that companies are making. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share what companies should avoid when marketing to Gen Z and why these practices can come across as inauthentic. By understanding these mistakes, companies can create more effective marketing strategies that resonate with this influential demographic.

article

If you're the owner of a cannabis social lounge, you are one of the few people who believe it to be a prime opportunity to compete in a highly saturated market. 

expert panel

As with any other relationship, trust between business partners is paramount for mutual success. When it comes to business partnerships, the right one can often lead to a whole host of new opportunities, such as attracting new customers, diversifying your revenue streams or helping your teams innovate through challenges. When working with someone new, however, there must be a level of trust involved so that each partner feels as though they have skin in the game. Establishing trust takes time, but there are steps leaders can take to help foster that trust from the very beginning. To help, a group of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their best advice below.

expert panel

Setting relevant and meaningful goals for your company will motivate employees and help boost business overall. The first few weeks of the new year is the perfect opportunity for businesses to reflect on the previous year and set new goals accordingly. By looking at what worked and what didn't, you can understand what changes to make to reach meaningful, realistic and relevant objectives by the end of 2023. Moreover, having goals can help you rally your team for a common cause and inspire greater collaboration and productivity. To that end, 14 Rolling Stone Culture Council members each share one goal companies should set for themselves this year, and why they believe this goal is so worthwhile. If you're looking for inspiration on where to focus your efforts, consider starting here.

expert panel

The end of the year is a notoriously busy time, but it's important to make room in your schedule for these key year-end to-dos. As the end of the year approaches, most businesses are wrapping up any outstanding projects and assessing what needs to be carried over into the new year. It's the perfect time for leaders to meet with employees to discuss what worked, what could be better and how teamwork can help achieve next year’s goals. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share some essential items business leaders should achieve before January 1st. Here's why they believe these 13 tasks belong on your end-of-year to-do list.

expert panel

Their future opinion of your business rides on how you respond to their concerns. It's no secret that unhappy customers can have a negative effect on your business. All it takes is a slew of negative Yelp reviews or low star ratings to ruin a business’s reputation. But the reviews themselves aren’t always what have the biggest impact — it's all about the way the business responds to unsatisfied buyers. That's why it's so important to address customer concerns when they occur and attempt to turn the situation around. To shed some light on how to do so properly, 12 Rolling Stone Culture Council members explain the smartest things you should do first when you have an unhappy customer and why.

expert panel

Your followers can be a huge source of creative and engaging content for your brand if you know how to ask for it. Whether it's fans writing articles for your website or submitting product photos as part of a contest, user-generated content (UGC) has become a key component of many modern brands' marketing strategies. This low-cost tactic can help you crowdsource new content ideas while allowing your audience to shine. Not only does UGC make customers feel more engaged with a brand, but it also supplements brand-generated content, saving your marketing department time and resources. To that end, eight Rolling Stone Culture Council members share smart and effective ways businesses can encourage followers to submit more UGC and make your marketing a little more customer-centric.

expert panel

Any employee who interfaces with customers should have the right skills to properly and effectively represent your brand. Hiring for any position is rarely an easy task, and it can be even more difficult when you're filling a customer-facing role. Not only does the person you hire need to be a match for your company culture, but they also need the right personality and skills to effectively represent your brand to the general public. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share 10 specific skills or traits they look for when hiring for a customer-facing or public role, and explain why each of these qualities is so essential to an employee's success in this type of position.

expert panel

Carving out your niche is only the first step in launching a successful business. Business leaders who want to scale in a niche market have a unique opportunity. Niche markets often mean less competition, but the businesses that do exist may be tougher to compete against. To help ensure success when scaling up, businesses should take certain steps to set themselves up with the best odds, whether that's by analyzing market trends first or by taking the time to develop a distinct brand identity. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share this advice and more to help business leaders looking to grow in their niche.

expert panel

There are countless lifestyle brands on the market today, so you'll need the right elements to stand out as a memorable one. Lifestyle brands have become popular with celebrities, influencers and entrepreneurs alike, with platforms like Instagram or Facebook serving as their ideal place for sharing small snippets of their lives. Whether they’re centered around everyday life or an aspirational dream, these lifestyles form the basis for marketing a business’s products or services. But to make a lifestyle brand work, entrepreneurs need to develop a strategy with all the right components in place. To that end, 12 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share the ingredients entrepreneurs will need to craft a true lifestyle brand that will help them connect with their ideal audience.

expert panel

A diverse workforce doesn't happen accidentally — you need the right recruiting strategies to bring different types of candidates in the door. Over the years, the movement for increased diversity in the workplace has picked up significant momentum. Having a diverse team offers businesses a variety of perspectives, allowing for increased innovation and problem solving, while also increasing employee engagement and brand reputation. In most cases, building a pipeline of diverse job candidates requires intentional efforts at the recruitment level. To help you achieve this goal, eight members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share their best strategies to promote a broader range of candidates in your applicant pool.

article

Don’t neglect the packaging design process.

expert panel

It’s not just a matter of if you should or shouldn’t react — it’s how. When controversial events occur in society, some customers want brands to speak out and others want brands to "stay in their place." When you’re a business leader, this can put you in a difficult position, as you may want to voice your opinion, as well as your company’s, but you also don’t want to alienate or lose customers as a result. As business leaders themselves, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have their own thoughts on the matter. Below, 12 of them each share their tips for how businesses should respond to controversial current events and why they take this stance.

expert panel

Even if you're short on cash, these 12 things will significantly boost your marketing efforts. When it comes to marketing your business, money isn’t everything. While having a large budget can certainly have a big impact on your efforts, there are many marketing activities that cost very little to implement, and even more that don’t cost anything at all. So for new or small businesses that have to operate on a shoestring budget, prioritizing the right marketing efforts can make all the difference. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council experts share the areas of marketing they think are the most important to prioritize if you’re working with a tight budget and why those areas can give you the biggest bang for your buck.

article

Video is a trend that brands can leverage to create loyalty amongst their customers.