The stellar COVID-19 vaccination rollout in the United States has provided much hope that the return of in-person events and celebrations is merely around the corner. However, for those that regularly relied on event marketing prior to the pandemic, it's unrealistic to expect everything to go back to that same version of normal.

Growing up as digital natives, members of Gen Z have never known the world without the influence of the internet and mobile phones. This generation is also more diverse, connected, and vocal than any group that has preceded them. As a result, Gen Z—albeit young in age—is already leaving a huge mark on the world we live in. Below, we take at eight things you need to know about their behavior, spending, and preferences as consumers.

Caitlin Buggy recently joined the Inspira team as Director of Client Engagement. Get to know the latest addition to the team in this edition of the Employee Spotlight!

While the beauty industry has made strides in diversity and inclusion efforts, recent research from Mintel indicates that there's still room to grow. Yes, consumers want a wider range of skin tones, but there's more to it. From showing different ages and body types in advertising, to providing products at an affordable price, let's dive into consumer sentiment around diversity and inclusion in beauty.

As safe, socially distant activations have been making their triumphant return, BizBash has been highlighting best-in-class examples of creativity in live events. In their look at some of the most steal-worthy ideas from the month of April, BizBash highlighted Inspira's work for Ally Bank.

Inspira's CEO and Founder, Jeff Snyder, was recently featured in an article from Forbes in which business leaders and entrepreneurs shared advice for small businesses looking to get consumers back in stores. After sharing his thoughts, Jeff was asked to join the author, Rhett Power, for a one-on-one interview on an episode of Power Lunch Live.

Every Wednesday morning, Max Branstetter brings a new entrepreneur or innovator on the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the creative ways in which they grew their businesses, as well as provide tips for listeners to do the same.

Wellness marketing is not new. From #MeatlessMonday to #SelfCareSaturday, marketers have been tapping into healthy lifestyle messaging to drive conversation around their brand. This approach has been tremendously successful for many—especially beauty and food brands that have developed entirely new categories of wellness-oriented products to attract healthy lifestyle consumers.

Over the past few years, there have been tremendous advancements in augmented and virtual reality. Branded social media filters, product visualization tools, and more have created new ways for brands to engage consumers.

Austin-based Waterloo Sparkling Water, known for its refreshing, fruit-inspired, flavored sparkling waters, is building on the brand’s exceptional growth over the past year with retailer distribution gains across Grocery, Mass, Club, Drug, and Ecommerce platforms. As the excitement around the brand and its flavors continues to grow, the brand has increased its investment in marketing by naming Inspira Marketing Group as its new Agency of Record.