SE2’s newest principal, Alvina Vasquez, interviewed SE2 Principal Susan Morrisey in another episode of her podcast, Alvina Talks Shift. They reflected on the challenges they faced, such as harassment and…
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SE2’s newest principal, Alvina Vasquez, interviewed SE2 Principal Susan Morrisey in her latest podcast, Alvina Talks Shift. Susan shared her experiences working with the late Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, a champion…
“Recovery starts when stigma ends.” That’s the message of a new local public awareness campaign created to dispel stigma around addiction, including opioid use disorder, and to inspire the community to…
CHALLENGE: The Colorado Department of Early Childhood engaged SE2 to develop a campaign to increase understanding of the safest way for infants under one year to sleep, and encourage families…
DENVER — Alvina Vasquez and her company PowerMap Ltd. have become part of SE2, combining expertise and experience as the Denver-based agency looks forward to its next 25 years of…
1) What’s an issue you’re passionate about outside of work? Mental health advocacy is deeply personal to me. One topic that’s especially important to talk about is the well-being of…
Colorado’s new youth fentanyl prevention campaign uses positive social norms to educate youth about the dangers of pill misuse. In October, the effort was highlighted at a national youth prevention summit.
In the ongoing efforts against opioid misuse, one event supports a comprehensive opioid prevention strategy: the Annual Medication Takeback Day on Oct. 28. This initiative, which is supported locally through…
Think for a moment about tobacco. For the companies that profit from it, it’s quite possibly the perfect product. Tobacco quickly makes its customers physically dependent – literally addicted…
Our work for CDPHE’s Forward Together campaign wins a 2023 Heartland Emmy®. See the winning ad!
As SE2’s new creative director, he’ll trade pitching products for promoting a broader purpose. We’re grateful he’s chosen to bring his talents to our growing team.
By Evyn Batie A girl stands on a platform with two boys on her sides. She faces a group of peers who stand in a straight line facing her and…
SE2 is proud to have collaborated with the US Center for SafeSport to develop a new campaign that highlights the important role parents and coaches play in helping to ensure young athletes are safe.
Denver-based nonprofit bike shop Bikes Together gets more people on two wheels through its low-cost bike shop and bike maintenance classes. We recently announced that we would match up to…
Unprecedented. Postponed. Rescheduled. When talking with youth and parents across Colorado this year, I realized that prefixes have swelled in our vocabularies as we start to bisect life into...
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This summer, as the shortcomings of working virtually started to really sink in, SE2 put out a broad call for an officemate to share a physical space. Our 15-person agency...
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In 2020, as concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic rippled worldwide, youth audiences turned to digital campfire platforms.
Government and health care organizations must overcome understandable skepticism toward the vaccine among some minority groups. Following three basic communications practices can help.
An SE2 leader raises provocative questions about media in museum exhibition.
Audience-targeted key messages helped Denver’s BIPOC LGBTQ+ community overcome stigma and get tested for STIs
Your stakeholders – whether they are patients, students, employees or parents – want and need to stay informed, understand how COVID-19 is impacting your work, and know about resources that...
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Economists are predicting that the employment rate may not go back to pre-COVID levels until the end of this decade, and that as many as 40 percent of the jobs...
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A powerful, but little known, model for youth engagement came to life through a new brand and creative storytelling
Eric Anderson, our co-founder and senior strategist, interviewed SE2 Director of Content and Creative Juan Cabrera about how effective Spanish language communications can help address the pandemic.
Those of us who work in corporate social responsibility have long trumpeted the benefits of our department. CSR tells our company story and helps build our political capital. It creates...
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Membership and trade association professionals are struggling to manage escalating member expectations. One organization used influencers to raise its profile and delight members.
Our last trend from SXSW focuses on voice-enabled devices like Alexa or Google Home. The head of Alexa video and the VP of Comcast Research and Development (editorial note: Comcast...
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Equality, and particularly its impact on minorities and women, was a consistent theme at #sxsw2018. From workplace equity to the role that the tech and marketing industries must play, from...
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The social impact generation (i.e., Millennials and Gen-Z) don’t just want products and services that meet their needs; they’re demanding that brands also have a positive social impact. As private-sector...
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There is a believability crisis. It isn’t new; but over the past year-and-a-half, it certainly has worsened. Claims of “fake news” and “alternative facts” are just a symptom of a...
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By the end of 2021 more than 70 million U.S. households will have a voice device in their home (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Home, smart speaker). To put that in...
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Trend Two: Dissolving Traditional Gender Identities Facebook’s global content strategist and its director of insights marketing presented proprietary research it conducted on its user base to identify and understand how...
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According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, the industry standard for measuring consumer trust, only 48 percent of the general population in the United States trusts advertising, falling from 58...
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This report focuses on: Telling More (and Better) Stories Storytelling has been a recurring trend for several years. (SE2 has been talking about it for 20 years.) What was different this...
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Search engine optimization (SEO) is of course a top priority when marketing products and services. But it may not be top of mind for nonprofits, foundations, cause-marketing campaigns and behavior...
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More than three quarters of Denver Public Schools’ population are students of color. Yet only 25 percent of DPS teachers are of color. The Denver Mayor’s office, DPS and Denver-based...
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Great Outdoors Colorado has been improving our state for 20 years, and in that time it has built 1,148 parks, built or restored 725 miles of trails, and protected 1...
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In the Chronicle of Philanthropy, writer Michael Anft considers the sustainable value achieved through large-scale awareness efforts, such as the ALS Foundation’s ice-bucket challenge. He notes a growing belief that while...
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To effectively motivate people to act (to purchase, to change behavior, to participate, etc.), their values, beliefs and lifestyles must be reflected in the messages and communications strategies we use. That’s why...
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When your website barely supports your business needs and your customers hate using it, everyone loses. But it doesn’t have to be that way. About a year ago, I led...
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The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) came to SE2 with a challenge: How best to educate and engage millennials who causally smoke about the slippery slope of...
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Organizations using more traditional forms of media are finding it increasingly difficult to reach their audience and stand out. It’s not surprising given that: Online ad blocking continues to accelerate....
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If you ever want to feel like an epic underachiever, spend your time with thousands of Teach For America (TFA) alumni. I was reminded of this when I joined 15,000...
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Important issues, and the stories that illustrate their impact, don’t usually cut through the chaos of a reporter’s inbox if there isn’t clear news value. But even if the English-language...
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Lack of access to healthy foods, higher prevalence of stress and built environments that discourage physical activity are just some of the contributing factors. And a recent report finds that we can...
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Today’s communications practice demands projects that are smart, visual, shareable and integrated from top to bottom. This requires a fluid blend of disciplines, skill sets and personnel to develop great...
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This, in turn, puts more pressure on these institutions to develop and implement effective communications strategies. Gone are the days when a public school could rely solely on the neighborhood...
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To cut through the clutter, nonprofits must have a strong communications plan, built on a foundation of sound messaging and compelling stories. The communications challenges and opportunities nonprofits face are...
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Debunking any notion that radio is being eclipsed by the myriad other media options available to us, the study found that the national radio audience hit an all-time high in...
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Following a highly competitive bid process, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) Prevention Services Division selected SE2 to lead communications and advertising for its Tobacco Free Colorado...
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Our in-house owned media expertise could be difference between a communications dud and the next Ice Bucket Challenge. But first let’s define "owned media". It’s pretty straightforward: Owned media is every...
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CWSF is a membership organization comprised of 17 Western U.S. state foresters and six American-affiliated Pacific island foresters that work together to address key issues in the management of Western...
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“Big data will become an historic driver of progress, helping our nation perpetuate the civic and economic dynamism that has long been its hallmark… the digital revolution continues to work...
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I recently attended a communications conference and one story stuck with me. One of the speakers, Paul Smith, shared the story that reminds me of the importance of how we...
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Most of the offerings on the health exchanges are low-cost, high-deductible plans. Good news for many, but not everyone. An unforeseen consequence: Many newly covered consumers from the last enrollment...
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Even someone like me who is (literally) colorblind can see the shift displayed by this graph, produced by the Pew Research Center based on new census data. It shows how...
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We’ve all seen ads that are funny, scary or uplifting. But do they work, prompting the desired action? I recently attended the National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media...
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I was lucky enough to talk with Radioo and help share Radioo’s story. Bullied at a traditional public high school after coming out as a lesbian and then as a...
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Did you know that almost 90 percent of adults are confused by the jargon that the health care industry uses? This problem has only increased as the nation, including our...
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Your audience wants custom content; Give them what they want. Recent studies on content marketing have shown that: 90 percent of people find custom content useful. 78 percent of people...
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So far, it’s crushed and recycled about 800 of these high-polluting junkers. The Colorado Automobile Dealers Association launched this nonprofit and the vast majority of vehicles have been contributed by...
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In fact, more than 5,700 Colorado kids under the age of 18 become new daily smokers, and one-in-three will die from their addiction. Both points prove why it is important...
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Web access has joined pencils and notebooks on the list of basic school supplies. Students need the Internet to complete their homework. Parents need it to monitor their children’s academic...
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Well, how many ways can I say this…. yes, si, oui, ja, sim, ken, jes, hai, ndiyo, haan and na'am. YES, you need a social media policy. Frankly, I am...
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While stories help in all kinds of communications, they are critical in the world of public issues because the problems that our clients are tackling -- healthcare, hunger, smoking regulations...
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