KW2

Soup, snacks & Super Bowl ads — we hosted the inaugural KW2 SOUPer Bowl! 🥣🏈✨

KW2ers brought homemade soups to share and entered the soup-making competition while we watched the best Super Bowl commercials from this year and years past.

To taste, people brought at least one non-perishable food donation and received a taste-testing bowl.

Categories & Winners:

Best Overall = Ali’s Thai Meatball Soup

Best Presentation = Allison’s Pho Ga

Most Creative = Tim’s Spicy Peanut Pumpkin & Georgia’s Mulligatawny

We collected two sizable boxes of donations for St. Vincent DePaul food pantry — thank you for helping our community!

Everyone brought their best recipes and appetites, and it was a delicious, heartwarming day.

KW2 is thrilled to welcome as our newest Senior Research Strategist on the Research & Insights team. Holly brings a powerful blend of quantitative expertise, mixed‑methods research experience, and consultative strategic thinking that will elevate the way we uncover insights and guide client decision‑making.

With a strong background in agency environments, Holly has led complex research initiatives, translated data into meaningful narratives, and helped organizations better understand the audiences they serve. We’re excited for the fresh perspective, curiosity, and analytical rigor Holly brings to the team—and we can’t wait for our clients to experience the impact of her work.

Please join us in giving Holly a warm welcome to KW2!

🚨New from KW2: Building trust through anti-stigma strategies

Higher education is facing a growing trust gap, especially among men and rural communities. To rebuild that trust, colleges must rethink their communication strategies, embracing anti-stigma messaging that resonates with specific communities. This article explores a hallmark of anti-stigma messaging, highlighting how to connect with your audience and using language that is affirming, not alienating.

“Anti-stigma communication isn’t a quick fix; it’s an ongoing effort to listen, reflect, and evolve alongside the audiences you serve.”

Let's meet communities where they are, promote flexible pathways, and leave assumptions behind. It’s time to reconnect the value of higher education and ensure a degree feels meaningful to everyone.

🔗Read the full article and discover how thoughtful messaging can rebuild trust in higher education.
https://kw2marketing.com/articles/anti-stigma-strategies

Reflections from the 8th Annual 365 Leadership Summit

We would like to thank .365 for putting on another incredible Leadership Summit. This wasn’t just a conference, it was a celebration of community, connection, and collective growth.

Our own Jennifer Savino, CEO, and Anne Bogen, Supervisor of Account Service, were honored to attend and engage with some of the most influential leaders across Wisconsin. The summit brought together voices from diverse backgrounds, industries, and generations, all learning from one another and contributing to the next wave of changemakers.

We were inspired by the passion of the speakers and the broad range of topics covered. They provided actionable strategies to benefit our community and every leader, regardless of experience. Everyone is a leader in their lives, and this conference honors that!

🚨New from KW2: Bridging the Higher Ed Trust Gap

Men and rural communities are increasingly questioning the value of college. In KW2’s latest article, Molly Dillman explores how shifting cultural and political landscapes drive this disconnect and what higher ed institutions can do to rebuild trust.

“Colleges must now face a difficult truth: the value of higher education, no matter how well substantiated, is irrelevant if people don’t believe in it."

KW2 calls on higher ed leaders to rethink recruitment strategies, partner with trusted messengers, and reframe messaging to resonate with those who feel left out.

🔗Read the full article and discover actionable steps to help bridge the gap: https://kw2marketing.com/articles/bridge-higher-ed-gap

KW2 is hiring within our Research & Insights team. Do you have the experience and skills needed to join our team of strategists and researchers?

Check out the job descriptions here:

- Researcher: https://kw2.bamboohr.com/careers/4?source=aWQ9Mw%3D%3D

- Strategist: https://kw2.bamboohr.com/careers/5?source=aWQ9Mw%3D%3D

Quantitative and Qualitative Researcher Overview The Researcher is a key member of KW2’s Research & Insights team, responsible for designing and executing primary research that drives real-world action. This role supports clients across KW2’s client verticals—higher education, public health, and workforce development—by uncove...