10 Comments
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Janira Planes Frías's avatar

This was beautiful to read. Love the risk approach to the things that truly matter.

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Tami's avatar

I’ve been thinking about this a lot - how do we put the soul back into the experience of being online, was it ever there? Was it ever innocent? Or were we just younger?

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CTheo's avatar

I feel like it takes serious curation to find the peace and inspiration and soul you mention here! 💖

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Tami's avatar

It does! Some days I have more energy for it than others, but on the days I make the effort I feel a hundredfold better for it!

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CTheo's avatar

LOL! FR!!!!

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Monique Zauner's avatar

Interesting take. I think there's probably some real arbitrage from finding niche campaigns (ie cards you can give a friend on their anniversary of their parents death) but question the bigger premise of if brands should be a part of engaging with grief. That seems distinctly human, between people. The Snoo example is stark.

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GriefHungry's avatar

Thanks for this. I really appreciate the pushback. I completely understand the instinct to see grief as something deeply personal and perhaps outside the bounds of brand involvement. But the reality is, brands are already active participants in so many sensitive, human conversations—from mental health to gender identity, politics and racial equity.

Grief is a part of the human experience for all, and yet it’s still treated as off-limits or uncomfortable—especially in public or commercial spaces. My point isn’t that brands should hijack grief, but rather that they should stop ignoring it.

Thoughtful, respectful acknowledgment (not performance or monetization) can go a long way toward helping people feel seen—and that matters.

Laura

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Skylar Allen's avatar

Thank you for your incredible words Laura 💛

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Katrina Lainsbury's avatar

Wow, I really enjoyed this. I lost my mother on May 25th, 2021, and every year since, this time of year has been especially tricky for me. Grief shows up in quiet, unexpected ways and as someone who works in marketing, I often find myself juggling the demands of the season while carrying the weight of memory and emotion. Thank you for creating something that made me pause and feel seen.

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CTheo's avatar

TY for this article, I'm grateful this is being discussed!

As someone who lost my mother in 2020 - and felt relief from that loss as we had a strained relationship - Mother's Day is the holiday that looms the most. Living in a capitalist, consumer based over-culture is challenging enough, but I believe being pummeled with prescribed holidays and sentiments for those holidays is exhausting (whether one chooses to subscribe to or celebrate them).

The brands I work with are smaller and art based, and I find much more sensitivity and genuine connection emerging from their messaging. Do you think giant brands actually care? If they do start addressing grief, will it be performative? And do we actually need to look to brands to give us a sense of self?

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