The Pilot
How Did Democrats Win Control of the Senate? You Can Thank Grassroots Organizers
By Karianna Torres In a historic win, Democrats took control of the Senate through two unexpected elections in Georgia. To our collective surprise on the morning of January 6th, both John Osoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock were on track to win Senate seats. But why were these Democrats able to flip seats in traditionally red […]
Raising the Bar on Corporate Activism: Power of the Corporate Purse
By: Ben Williams Prior to the November election, I suggested corporations and leaders should to be prepared for a scenario in which consumers held them to a growing standard for corporate responsibility and activism. My argument centered around the impact the Trump administration’s unusual approach to governance, rhetoric, and social issues has had on our […]
BWS Top Picks for Super Bowl LV Ads
There’s no denying the hype – whether for the themed food, half time show, QB standoff, your team in the game or the thrill of what ads will grace our screens this year. We’ve talked about corporate activism, what consumers expect from those with millions at their disposal. Attention is inevitably heightened following a year […]
Breakwater Books: 11 Books that Made us Think in 2020
By: Breakwater Staff Stay-at-home orders and quarantines provided us all a lot of time to fill in 2020. Between hours of Zoom calls, client projects and binge-watching TV, the Breakwater team found time to explore a broad array of excellent books this year. Here’s a list of 11 that made us think: The Decadent Society: […]
Prof. Steven Weber Joins Breakwater Strategy as Managing Director
Weber brings decades of experience in consulting, research and academia as the firm continues to grow and expand its client offering November 5, 2020 (Washington, D.C. and Berkeley, CA) Leading strategic communications and insights consultancy Breakwater Strategy announced today that Prof. Steven Weber has joined the firm as Managing Director. Weber brings over three decades […]
Scenario Thinking Redux: Revisiting Our Scenarios for the COVID-19 Future
By Steve Weber and Arik Ben-Zvi In late April and early May 2020, a little more than a month into the acute phase of the U.S. pandemic, we sketched out four simple scenarios designed to capture critical uncertainties about how the pandemic would impact American society and politics over the following year. Nearly a year […]
Corporate Resiliency in 2021
By Steve Weber and Arik Ben-Zvi America’s historic 2020 election is (mostly) over and the contours of the 2020s are taking shape. To help navigate this critical time, BWS has developed numerous scenarios that test different combinations of these critical uncertainties. From that process, we identified 5 core scenarios for the first half of the 2020s that […]
Implications for Corporate Activism in a Potential Biden Administration. Will Brands Step Up?
By Ben Williams, Associate Director With Election Day almost here, Americans across the country are anxious about the outcome and how it will influence our collective futures. Considering the impact leadership in Washington has on the regulatory and policy landscape, it is critical that businesses are prepared for any result. This cycle in particular, that preparation should […]
Early Signs of an Employee Power Flip and How Corporations Should Start Preparing
By: Lydie Neill and Jim Wyderko Throughout modern corporate history, society has benefited when corporations are strongly encouraged to act ethically and responsibly. This accountability requires corporations to recognize the responsibility they have to their consumers and stakeholders in order to uphold their reputations and continue business as usual. This is not a new concept, […]