Hi, Performance Part 2

Performance in marketing has become associated with efforts that result in immediate, measurable impact. But is this truly the best...

Hi, Performance Part 1

The first installment of our new six-part, six-pillar whitepaper series on impactful marketing is here. In it, we tackle the...

Are Marketers Too Consumed With The Consumer?

Originally published in the Forbes Industry Council Feb 13, 2020. So much talk in marketing today is about the customer—consumer...

EFFIE Finalists

Every day needs a bright spot. Today brought two. In the form of two shiny EFFIE Finalists! Congrats to Bulwark...

An an award-worthy year.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year at Friends & Neighbors. We won new business, there were...

We’ve all been there.

Have you ever been so embarrassed at work that you literally wanted to crawl inside your giant cowl neck sweater...

Mark’s Big 5: Reasons branding needs more introverts.

Originally published in the Forbes Industry Council May 2, 2019. When I say “ad guy,” what comes to mind? I...

F&N & Pa.

These past few weeks we’ve had the pleasure of having PajFuabcha (Pa) Vang be our intern from The BrandLab. It’s...

What A-Teams can learn from B-Teams

By Tesa Raymond, Account Director Photo by: Tony Scott, YHH “The A-team.” Over the course of my career, I’ve been...

Mark’s Big 5: Ways brand building is like making friends

Originally published in the Forbes Industry Council Jun 10, 2019. As a brand strategist of more than 20 years, I’ll...

Same ethos. New ampersand: F&N refresh.

In a sense, for we F&N-onians, our brand refresh has been in the works for about seven years. A.k.a. the...

Celebrating the Final Four, F&N Style.

Earlier this month, the eyes of the college basketball world were fixed on our fair city, as Minneapolis played host...

Deep Fakes & Double Takes.

Aaron Michael Smith. A brilliant account supervisor with a name so delightfully ordinary, and a face so absent of truly...

Consider us inspired.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration where we honor the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. But,...

First bites: Pazazz brand rollout.

Sometimes, before we post full case studies, we like to give away free samples. Here’s a small taste of our...

Graphis gold.

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ introductory “All Eyes North” initiative from this past season was recently recognized with a Gold award (for integrated...

36 days of type.

36 Days of Type. F&N style. Inspired by 36 Days of Type, this project invites designers, illustrators and graphic artists...

What did we do right in 2018? What can we do better in 2019?

By Molly Dunne, Associate Creative Director It’s Awards Season once again. And for the first time in a long time,...

The art of believing in yourself.

By Carrie Bain, Senior Copywriter The Advertising Federation of Minnesota Annual Women’s Leadership Panel is my favorite time of the year. It’s...

Letting the Ambulance Pass: Tom’s musings on growing an agency.

By Tom Fugleberg, Co-Founder/Creative Lead, Friends & Neighbors “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change...

Welcome, Self Esteem Brands!

Self Esteem Brands, the parent company of Anytime Fitness and Waxing The City (the world’s fastest growing fitness franchise and...

Mark’s Big 5: Warning signs your brand is in trouble.

By Mark Bubula, President & Co-Founder We’re all familiar with the big reasons to embark on a major brand architecture...

Mark explains why ‘North’ is a true direction on the brand compass.

By Mark Bubula, President & Co-Founder I love the Midwest. I’m a proud product of the Midwest. (The booming metropolis of Beecher,...

Why great brands start by looking within.

By Mark Bubula, President & Co-Founder, Friends & Neighbors Back in the 1990s, as an eager college student, I read The...