International Women's Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Today, women of Inspira share their perspectives on how to stay inspired and motivated, cultivate empowerment in the workplace, and make strides toward a balanced future.

Although Millennials will always be a valuable target for marketers, a new and equally powerful generation of consumers is emerging: Generation Z. Born between 1996 and 2010, this cohort is often referred to as the iGeneration. They have never known the world without the internet, mobile technology, or opinion-influencing peers. They are unapologetically themselves, endeavor to stand out rather than fit in, and are much more sophisticated in their relationships with brands.

We are excited to announce that Inspira Marketing Group has been selected as a finalist in Digiday’s Worklife Awards in the “Most Committed to the Community/Social Good” category.

We’ve all heard about the death of retail. Malls have turned into ghost-towns as iconic department stores are slowly withering away. This year alone, almost 4,500 U.S. store closures have been announced, while only about half that have opened. Analysts attribute retail’s downfall to a number of factors: the effects of the Great Recession, technology (mobile and the rise in e-commerce), increased competition from Amazon, and a shift in consumer spending habits - primarily, investing in experiences over goods.

Gaming is growing! In 2013, 58% of U.S. population ages 13+ were into gaming. Today, 66% percent say they regularly play video games. And, by 2020, the global video game market is expected to be worth over $90 billion. Gaming has become an integral part of the mainstream entertainment diet. In fact, 11% of gamers' leisure time is spent playing video games or engaging in eSports. Interestingly, time spent on in-person social activities continues to capture more share among gamers, pointing to a potential opportunity for content creators to further engage gamers through social or group play experiences.

Recently, Blue Apron announced a series of pop-up events that will be happening nationwide. These include a retail location in New York with cooking classes and panels, mobile activations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, and culinary-inspired movie nights in Minneapolis, Dallas, and Austin.

It’s 3:00 PM and you’re on your third cup of coffee. For some reason, no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape the exhaustion. Worse still, you can’t leave for the day because you have to finalize your presentation for the board meeting tomorrow. Wouldn’t a nap be ideal right about now?

The recent launch of IGTV, Instagram’s latest venture, has made a splash in the marketing world thus far. As opposed to Instagram stories (15 seconds) and traditional feed posts (60 seconds) that have strict time constraints, IGTV presents an opportunity for brands and influencers seeking to share long-form video content.

It’s no secret to marketers that social media has changed the game for branded experiences. Though experiential was once confined solely to an event footprint, social media now allows activations to transcend the physical space – and amass a notable amount of impressions along the way.

As experiential marketing now represents a bigger piece of the marketing puzzle, brands have a new challenge before them: How do I leverage experiential to enhance my relationship with consumers? While banner ads and commercials can be blocked, muted, or skipped, participating in a brand experience is a conscious choice for consumers. Despite the choice involved, brands can still come off as annoying. So, how do you avoid that result?