In today's newsletter...The Grief of Innovation

Brands, so focused on moving forward, often forget the attachments people can have with the way things used to be. What can we do to make these transitional periods feel less difficult? And how can the pushback be used as fodder for future projects?

In today's newsletter...The State of Serendipity

In what way does our obsession with comfort keep us from experiencing serendipity? How do brands and businesses reinforce this? And what can we do to break out?

In today's newsletter...Natalie Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This issue, SYLVAIN Engagement Lead Natalie Kilic shares a shameless plug, a humming exercise, and a roadtrip playlist.

In today's newsletter...On Being Perceived

Why is it easier to be 100% ourselves when we’re alone? What keeps us from being 100% ourselves, 100% of the time? While these questions intrigue us (and give greater dimension to the low-lying social anxiety captured in countless memes 😶‍🌫️), leaders should care about them, too. After all, a top marker of high-functioning, happy teams is a sense of psychological safety. How can we create that sense of safety? What other areas of culture can act as sources of inspiration (or caution)?

In today's newsletter...Rory Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This issue, SYLVAIN Senior Strategist Rory Kolkman shares a YouTube channel, a must-listen DJ, and more.

In today's newsletter...The Ick

Navigating a young audience like Gen Z is tricky. Their extensive media exposure gives them a savvy cultural compass, enabling them to quickly categorize brands’ moves into favorable or ‘icky’ boxes. Increasingly, many brands find themselves in the latter camp, as their communications and campaigns often feel out-of-touch, overly eager, and blatantly sales-driven. How can brands genuinely connect with this discerning audience without coming across as insincere or desperate? Is there a way to avoid being an ‘ick’?

In today's newsletter...Manufactured Third Places

With the buzz around “third places”—social surroundings outside of the home and workplace—brands may find themselves eager to be a part of the conversation. But would the commercial nature of businesses present an inherent clash against the very idea of a third place? Is there another way for brands and businesses to tackle the core issue: a yearning for connection? And, importantly, is it sometimes better for companies to sit out on a cultural moment?

In today's newsletter...The State of Youth

In an era of rapid change and uncertainty, is Gen Z steering clear of youthful rebellion and opting for a more pragmatic approach to life? How is this generation coping with the turbulent world around them? Are they headed towards a premature "quarterlife crisis"? And are business leaders complicit?

In today's newsletter...The State of Aging

Concerns about aging are not new, especially in Western cultures where the process of growing older has long been viewed negatively. Today, society appears to have made progress: pop culture and mainstream media increasingly embracing aging as "cool," and more individuals are challenging traditional stereotypes. However, beneath this surface of acceptance, has our relationship with aging truly evolved? In 2024, what is the cultural state of aging?

In today's newsletter...The State of Automating Our Instincts

The impact of AI on creative knowledge work is undeniable. Ultimately, AI-generated content poses risks to independent journalists, media brands, and the entire creative industry alike. But there are also more optimistic points of view to consider. So how can creative business cultures begin seeding a more optimistic approach to AI business models, instead of getting lost in the nihilism of it all?

In today's newsletter...Playing Offense

It’s rare for brands to be overtly on the offensive. But we saw it recently when dating app Feeld seized the moment in response to Bumble’s celibacy gaffe. How can brands identify moments to play offense? Is there anything to take away from offensive strategies in sports (hello, Olympics!) or politics? And importantly, are offense and defense really the only alternatives?

In today's newsletter...When Progress Feels Impossible

We know we probably make progress look easier than it is, with our clever examples and pithy action steps. But the truth is that the journey toward progress is long, unpredictable, and nonlinear. So, what do you do when progress starts feeling difficult? If you’ve been wondering something similar, then this newsletter and our latest annual impact assessment, Progress Through Adversity (out today!), are for you.

In today's newsletter...Cris Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. Today, SYLVAIN Senior Accountant Cris Almanzar shares a TED Talk, a must-listen-to album, and more.

In today's newsletter...A Well Measured Life

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” This powerful maxim on the value of data and the importance of precision, often attributed to visionary business thinker Peter Drucker, is more relevant today than ever before. We measure our steps. Our calories. Our likes. Our calendars. We have apps to measure how much we use our apps. It’s never been easier to live a well measured life. However, there are two problems with this quote. First, Drucker never actually said it. And second, it overlooks the profound importance of life’s immeasurables. How can we build a culture for ourselves and our teams to thrive in the space between the numbers?

1. Reconsider those in your orbit, from Megan Jamieson
2. Embrace choose your own adventure, from Barry Shafrin
3. Let go of performative spaces, from Claire Choi

In today's newsletter...Awaiting the Eruption

With the end of ZIRP, the “money hose” has dried up, and we find ourselves at a significant inflection point in the way innovation will play out over the coming years. What changes when the free money dries up? And how can we use this information to architect and activate a more positive collective future?

In today's newsletter...A Deck of Science and Whimsy

A Deck of Science and Whimsy: Emerging Technology is a framework for thinking about some of the technological advancements that have been building over the past decade and applying them to the problems of today and tomorrow. Innovation is often seen as a stroke of genius, a Eureka! moment from deep within the laboratory. In actuality, it’s a collective exercise, one where we all stand on the backs of giants, and play our part in pushing improvements into the future.

In today's newsletter...The State Of: Girlhood

This past summer millions of women on the internet and IRL returned to their youth, their girlhood. How does this reclamation of girlhood affect the way we seek community? And what does that shift mean for where many women spend most of their time: the workplace?

In today's newsletter..Adraint Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This time, SYLVAIN Jr. Art Director Adraint Bereal shares his interests, tactics, and takes.

In today's newsletter..."Good" Work

In some professions, good work comes with the surety of a light that turns on or a perfectly balanced equation. But brand strategy and innovation require navigation of a far less binary world of high subjectivity. We are constantly challenged to coalesce internally, and with clients, around what “good” looks like. So how do we get to a shared understanding?

1. Define the destination at every juncture, from Lindsey Marshall
2. Embrace “bad” work first, from Payal Pereira
3. Seek community and critique, from Ash Casper

In today's newsletter...Moments of Pause

The end of the year is a time to reflect and recover. In our final issue of 2023, we remember our founder, Alain Sylvain, and share why and how we’re taking a pause this holiday season.

In today's newsletter...From Influencer to Influential

What are you sacrificing if being an influencer is your biggest ambition? And what does it mean to truly have capital “I” Influence?

In today's newsletter...Sheila Takes Over

TIn this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This time, SYLVAIN Senior Strategist Sheila Villalobos shares her interests, tactics, and takes.

In today's newsletter...

The digital world is not built for nuance: 140 characters, clickbait headlines, 30 sec TikToks, short attention spans. But our tendency toward black or white has led us to a dangerous place. Will nuance always be at odds with online content, conversation, and community? What can we all do to build nuance into our everyday interactions and strategic thinking?

1. Reclaim your brainpower, from Chloe Sutter
2. Take cues rom pop icons, from Kelly Adachi
3. Expand your palette, from Cara Lohman

In today’s newsletter…We're 100!

Progress Report started in the midst of the pandemic, when we all needed a reminder that progress—in the workplace, in corporate impact, in broader activism—is always possible. As it turns out, that reminder is evergreen. For our 100th edition, our team shares quick thoughts on progress in all its forms.

In today's newsletter...The Tech Revolution(s)

Ultimately, there are usually several tech revolutions happening at a time, not just one. And successful businesses often match their priorities to the rates of change, rather than investing in only the fastest moving tech. But how do you know where — not if — to match the market’s speed?

In today's newsletter...Rethinking Feminized Technology

The servility of tech like Alexa has only amplified existing gender norms in an era of supposedly progressive tech. What does this tendency say about the broader state of human-tech relations? And how can we ensure that tech progress truly is progressive?

In today's newsletter...Untyped Connections

If we are experiencing a loneliness epidemic, how can brands help the world past it? How can we pull even the most disparate groups together to create common grounds for even the most unexpected of us? And how do we do it in a new and untyped way?

In today's newsletter..Sofia Caraza Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This time, SYLVAIN Strategist Sofia Caraza shares her interests, tactics, and takes.

In today's newsletter...Broken Promises

Trust is foundational to all interpersonal relationships. In the workplace, broken trust can have big stakes: a team member resigning or a client relationship ending. What harm do unfulfilled promises cause? What can we do when breaking a promise seems inevitable? And how can we regain trust after breaking it?

1. Lean into trust, from Sheila Villalobos
2. Watch out for flaky behavior, from Katie Driscoll
3. Reframe your promises, from Tessa Kalinosky

In today’s newsletter…The State of Europicana

Our Amsterdam team discusses Europicana, a state in which the brand cultures of the U.S. and EU are blended together, and everyday life in the cosmopolitan capitals of either region begin to feel strangely similar.

How are consumers reacting to this homoegenity? And what can brands do to bypass the traps of Europicana?

In today's newsletter...Matthew Carter Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This time, SYLVAIN Designer Matthew Carter shares his interests, tactics, and takes.

In today's newsletter...Consider the Centaur

The past six months — ChatGPT launched to the public in November — have been a period marked by deep reflection (by some) and existential anxieties.

The future has become dramatically obscured by the complexity we’ve introduced into today. Some systems and structures will fall. New ones will rise rapidly from the ashes, like a reborn Chicago after the Great Fire. What seems unavoidable, the one thing technocrats and policy wonks alike seem to agree on, is that the game has changed.

If there is no turning back, is there a positive picture looking forward? Can I interest you in becoming a centaur?

In today's newsletter...Gut Instinct

The world of strategy and design relies heavily on research to ground insights and decisions. Is there any room for gut instinct in the kind of work we do? And if there is, how can one build up those intuition muscles?

1. Consider extenuating factors, from Lou Guy
2. Lean into uncertainty, from Claire Choi
3. Let your experiences guide you, from Megan Jamieson

In today's newsletter...Kayla Hunsel Takes Over

In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day. This time, SYLVAIN's Operations Manager, Kayla Hunsel, shares her interests, tactics, and takes.

In today's newsletter...End of an Era

We live in a world of constant change, but accepting the inevitability of that change can be difficult. How do we realize and accept when something (whether it be a team, initiative, stage of a company, or project) has run its course? And how do we know where to go from there?

1. Let endings inform your beginnings, from Jenny Cavaioli
2. Leave things in the past, from Chandler Saunders
3. Stay true to your vision, from Justine Deutsch

In today's newsletter...Special Edition: SYLVAIN’s Impact

For a company seeking to achieve more than commercial gains, does growth necessarily equal progress? Our second annual impact report, Growth ≠ Progress: A rigorous look at SYLVAIN'S dedication to corporate responsibility, culture, and the greater good, answers this question and much more. Like last year, this assessment is our attempt to hold ourselves to the same ethical and social standards we expect of our clients.

In today's newsletter...Payal Peirera takes over

I’m Payal, an engineer turned copywriter turned strategist, just trying to keep my left and right brain happy. Little things that bring me joy: cooking a recipe from The New York Times, people watching at a park, collecting zines about food culture, and curating NYC guides for everything from bakeries to bookstores, dancing to date nights, museums to midnight cravings.

In today's newsletter...Eternal Relevance

Many of our most-loved celebrities, institutions, and brands have perfected the balance of timelessness and timeliness. Yet, we exist in a time where culture is so fleeting, making it harder and harder to strike that balance. How can leaders ensure they’re staying true to their origins while also being molded by new societal needs? Is it even possible to achieve eternal relevance? Or is there something that’s become more important to strive for?

1. To be a timeless brand takes time, from Rory Kolkman
2. Forever building another good day, from Sofia Caraza
3. What does an enduring brand smell like? from Barry Shafrin

In today's newsletter...Responsibility

The hype around ‘growth’ as the be-all and end-all marker of success in business has become ubiquitous. The general consensus amongst leaders is “if you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Whether that growth be in employee count, products, services, or profit. But especially in the thralls of a recession, it’s important to remember that while growth itself is usually positive, we must also apply a healthy criticism to it. After all, there are many ways to prosper beyond traditional growth—ways that are more socially, economically, and environmentally responsible.

In today's newsletter...Our Progress Report Newspaper

Whether you’re easing or jumping into 2023, our Progress Report Newspaper has something to inspire and guide you. If you missed it in December, now is the time to dive in.

In today's newsletter...Best of 2022

We’re rounding out the year by rounding up our most-read pieces alongside some net-new content and distinctly-SYLVAIN fun and games. Introducing the Progress Report Newspaper: Best Of 2022. It’s a collection of our best newsletters from 2022—our musings on the ideas that inspired and challenged us the most. The chapters on Curiosity, Identity, and Creativity reflect both the state of the world and the challenges we're working on for our clients. Those on Power, Growth, and Responsibility explore the key themes we've been navigating internally.

In today's newsletter...Growth

As humans, we’re hardwired to seek comfort, and, as a society, we’re increasingly conditioned to view stress as a burden to be managed and minimized. But, while we’re trained to see discomfort as a sign of a problem, in reality it’s a sign of progress. So, it’s time we each reappraise discomfort. Instead of running away from it, we must run towards it with open arms because discomfort is the breeding ground for growth.

In today's newsletter...Learning and Development

In today’s strained talent and macroeconomic climate, leaders should reorient learning and development towards ‘soft skills’ like empathy, optimism, grit, and mindfulness. These resilience skills not only empower individuals, they also have a multiplying effect on morale and output for teams.

In today's newsletter...Taste and Tastemakers

While platforms and content have revolutionized, our interpretations of ‘taste’ and the taste-makers we choose to elevate have not kept up. A more nuanced, truly subjective treatment of ‘taste’ is necessary for brands to connect with consumers.

In today's newsletter...soft living

Behind the provocativeness of “quiet quitting” is the broader idea that hustle culture is no longer working for many of us. Instead, there’s a growing contingent of people seeking a “soft life” that’s low stress and based on each individual’s definition of joy. What can employers and managers do to support those who embrace this movement? And what does this mean for the broader cultural and brand landscape?

1. Finding a shared sense of purpose, from Payal Pereira
2. Loud breaks > quiet quitting, from Barry Shafrin
3. Take a cue from Beyoncé, from Fadé Akinsade

In today's newsletter...recipe testing

When starting a new venture or project, it’s useful to rely on others’ (or even your own) existing ‘recipes.’ But is there a danger in relying too much on an established framework or instruction manual? How do you know when to diverge from the steps and improvise a little?

1. The difference "hand taste" makes, from Jess Vander
2. Acquire a master's mindset, from Rory Kolkman
3. Seek out the scenic route, from Natalie Berry

In today's newsletter...The State Of Creativity

As a society, and as an industry, we worship creativity. But creativity isn’t inherently virtuous—in fact, creativity unchecked can lead to disastrous outcomes. In this issue, SYLVAIN Managing Director Aaron Powers analyzes creativity and provides a more effective way for harnessing its power.

In today's newsletter...cyclical culture

It’s said that past trends eventually rear their heads again. If that’s the case, then how can we look to the past to anticipate what’s coming? Can any person — or any brand — develop trend-watching skills? Or have platforms like TikTok, where a multitude of trends coexist at once, debunked the narrative of cyclical culture entirely?

1. Find and study subcultures, from José Osmena
2. Look backward first, from Harmand Ponder
3. Use trends as building blocks, from Justine Deutsch

In today’s newsletter...The State Of Internships & Gen Z

Gen Z is navigating an ever changing professional landscape. They have a growing desire to not only contribute to but also create purpose-driven and impactful work.

In this issue, SYLVAIN's strategy and design interns evaluate the qualities and mindsets that your new Gen Z teammates, made up of innovators, trailblazers, and social media politicians, are bringing to the workplace.

In today's newsletter...rose-colored glasses

It’s difficult to be honest with ourselves about shortcomings, which can mean that we look at our own brands, projects, and teams with overly generous eyes. But progress comes from exercising a critical, truthful perspective. How do we learn to take off our rose-colored glasses and embrace self-awareness and self-honesty? Is there any benefit to keeping an unrealistic yet optimistic outlook?

1. Practice kindness over niceness, from Jillian Rosen
2. Avoid generalization traps, from Megan Jamieson
3. Use optimism to advance, from Shannon Gerety