TSC | Previously The Starr Conspiracy

Employee engagement is down (we're talking 10-year low kinda down), and expectations are high—the perfect storm for rewards & recognition providers to either break through or blend in. ? So, who’s leading the pack? What’s changing? And how do R&R vendors stand out in a crowded market? We dug into the data, analyzed the shifts, and put it all in one place for ya ?? ?? OUT NOW: TSC's Employee Recognition & Rewards 2025 State of the Market Report ?? INSIDE THE REPORT ? The 2025 Employee Recognition & Rewards Brandscape + Analysis ? Market Segmentation, Penetration & Revenue Growth Projections ? Choice Factors & Switching—(what’s driving vendor decisions?) ? 9 Burning Questions Facing the Industry + more Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gTFTsY83 Did any of these insights catch your eye? Matt Jonathan Melissa Kevin Beth Steve Bret Ashley Racheal JJ Jaidyn Kudos? Awardco CarltonOne O.C. Tanner Workhuman Nectar Engage2Excel Motivosity Bonusly Xoxoday BI WORLDWIDE Augeo GOintegro | Edenred Payactiv Snappy Maritz AdvantageClub.ai Achievers Madison Recognition

Tech providers: Who cares if it's AI if it doesn't help your client? I don't do a lot of work on formal product roadmaps. I usually just get brought in to help tech companies talk about it in a way that resonates with buyers. But a lot of the way that we talk about AI is the same way we talked about the cloud more than a decade ago. Not leading with the value of the move for a buyer but instead hoping to overwhelm them with hype and features. It's dumb. I'm always happy to talk with my friend Joel Stupka about almost anything, including (I suppose) AI. You'll get my mostly unbridled and semi-coherent thoughts about the role of emerging technologies in evaluating products and what really matters for buyers, especially in a consolidation cycle. TSC | Previously The Starr Conspiracy

Employee engagement just hit a 10-year low — which means it's time for employee recognition brands to shine. After surviving a pandemic, a recession-that-wasn’t, and return-to-office whiplash, employees are… well, kind of over it. And Gallup’s latest report confirms what many leaders already sense—people are checked out ??https://lnkd.in/gkUp6JJ7 For employee recognition and rewards companies, this moment is critical. The Great Resignation put employees in the driver’s seat. Now, the pendulum has swung back toward employers — but we all know that balance never lasts. The smartest companies aren’t waiting for the next shift. They’re doubling down on recognition and rewards because they know: ? Engaged employees stay longer ? They perform better ? And they drive business success The years ahead look very favorable market for vendors who can prove their impact. Stay tuned this week for the State of the Industry Report for Recognition and Rewards from TSC | Previously The Starr Conspiracy. Chris French Steve Sonnenberg Kristian Gaetano Scott Sperry Rob Catalano Scott Johnson Chris Razaki German Dyzenchauz Tegan Fabrizio Matt Garrett Hani Goldstein Matthew Willis Melissa Meunier Alex Michael Alaminos Muni Boga Trevor Larson Debra Squyres Mike Byam Catherine Ouellet-Dupuis David Kovacovich Bret Starr Ashley Bernard Kevin Mangum Matt Tatum

This week in #WorkTech, we look at 5 AI startups to watch. Bret Starr Ashley Bernard Dan McCarron Kevin Mangum Racheal Bates JJ La Pata Laurie Ruettimann Lance Haun Aaron Delgaty, PhD Kristin Berry Joanna Castle Katarina Brown Anthony Spangler, APR Nancy (Pummill) Crabb Kim Smith (she/her) Brad Collins Sabrina Killian Richard Rosenow Melissa C. Mike Wood

AI is moving FAST, and these WorkTech startups are setting the pace ?? ?? TechWolf—defining the skills intelligence category before anyone else can even Google what it means. ?? Helios—the only AI-first EOR—proving that AI can actually make global hiring happen without the headache. ??? Guidde—embedding AI-powered video guidance directly into workflows—because reading documentation is so 2020. ?? SquarePeg—ghosting old-school resume sorting and delivering interview-ready candidates like an AI-powered matchmaker. ?? Arist—throwing the LMS playbook out the window and rewriting it in Slack, Teams, and SMS. ?? Get the proof here: https://lnkd.in/g8hw7xS7 What are these brands doing well to you? Any other brands catching your eye? Kevin Steve Jonathan Melissa JJ Racheal Ashley Matt Beth Bret

I talk to many marketers who believe in the power of a Founder Brand or a thought leadership strategy on LinkedIn but express frustration when their founder or senior executives won't make it a priority. So I was excited to chat with Lauren Schneider, the Head of Brand and Comms, to get the story behind how they rolled out a Founder Brand strategy on LinkedIn with their CEO, Amy Spurlin. When Lauren joined the team, her initial focus was a more traditional PR playbook, which they still leverage. But, once Lauren started emphasizing her own organic posts on LinkedIn, she realized that it was a powerful channel and imagined the reach that her CEO could get. Well, it's working for them. They generated 7M impressions this quarter (so far) and 200 net new leads from a single post! Here are some of the insights on what has made this a successful strategy: 1?? Having a collaboration partner to help gather stories, synthesize themes, and connect those things to personal experiences is a really helpful starting point. 2?? Posting consistently is essential. Amy posts daily at the same time. 3?? The posts with the highest reach and engagement tend to be opinion pieces, not product pitches. 4?? When you have the right asset, you can drive people from LinkedIn to do something, such as fill out a form, but in the majority of your posts, you shouldn't be asking for anything. What recommendations would you add for companies wanting to develop a thought leader on LinkedIn? Ashley Kevin Jaidyn Brad Hailey Chelsea Joseph Joel Rebecca Lance Sarah Bennett #founderbrand #thoughtleadership #leadgeneration

I'm attending #Transform25 this year! If you will be there, I'd love the chance to say hello in-person. Send me a DM and let's connect! Transform

Here are 5 AI WorkTech brands we'll be paying attention to in 2025?? ? Arist is throwing the LMS playbook out the window and rewriting it in Slack, Teams, and SMS ? TechWolf is out here defining the skills intelligence category before anyone else can even Google what it means ? Helios is the only AI-first global workforce management platform—proving that AI can actually make global hiring?and payments happen without the headache ? SquarePeg is ghosting old-school resume sorting and delivering interview-ready candidates like an AI-powered matchmaker ? Guidde is embedding AI-powered video guidance directly into workflows—because reading documentation is so 2020 AI is moving at warp speed, and WorkTech startups are rewriting the rules as we speak. We’re here to spotlight the ones actually changing the game—not just riding the buzz. Stay tuned for reports, insights, and conversations that keep you ahead of the curve. ?? ??? Wanna hear how to market an emerging AI WorkTech brand? Check out this TSC Chats episode: https://lnkd.in/g2bcskP4 ?? Curious about WorkTech investment trends? Get the full 2024 results here: https://lnkd.in/gE2agPVR ? What other AI WorkTech brands are on your radar this year? Or did one of these catch your eye? Bret Steve Matt Jonathan Kevin Ashley Racheal JJ Melissa Beth

Figured I'd share our recent ABX asset in full for anyone that missed it! From personal experience and with clients, we know ABX can be tough to explain, develop and track—hope this can get some wheels turning! Biggest takeaways: ? How to classify prospects beyond just firmographics ? Why defining moments really make all the difference ? What we should be measuring to track real engagement And at the center of it all: ABX isn't just a tactic—it's a mindset shift. Matt Jonathan Melissa Beth Kevin Steve Racheal JJ Bret

If we could tell AI startups one thing right now, it would be this: BRAND RECOGNITION = MARKET SHARE The time to start building your brand is now. And you don't need to spend $6M on a Super Bowl ad to do it. Full episode here ?? https://lnkd.in/gPFMih6k Steve Bret JJ Racheal Kevin Beth Matt Melissa