For decades, marketers have optimized for attention: impressions, clicks, awareness, engagement and conversion. But according to brand strategist and marketing agency CEO Marc Paulenich, the bigger problem facing brands today isn't a lack of attention; it's apathy.

Hart, a full-service brand transformation agency with offices in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio, Detroit and Washington, D.C., earned 20 American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) across three American Advertising Federation chapters this season – AAF Columbus, AAF Toledo and AAF DC – including Best of Show and Judge’s Choice honors at the Toledo competition. Hart was also a presenting sponsor for the D.C., and Toledo events.

The wins span work for four clients across multiple industries, from consumer spirits marketing to regional economic development and nonprofit brand transformation.

This week I had the opportunity to speak at the From Day One conference in Washington, D.C., on a panel titled “From Organizational Values to Employee Experience: Making Culture Tangible.”

The room was filled with HR and talent leaders, which raises a fair question:

What is the CEO of a marketing company doing on an HR stage?

Hart recently launched the latest iteration of the award-winning “Because Reasons” campaign, designed to give people endless reasons fly to the ends of the Earth, nonstop from Washington Dulles International Airport. Hart, a brand transformation agency, developed the campaign in collaboration with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which manages Washington Dulles and Reagan National Airports.

As the year winds down, there’s a particular kind of quiet that settles in. Calendars soften. Teams take a breath. It’s palpable. The mix of reflection and readiness that only comes at this pivotal time of year. For me, that feeling is especially meaningful. This year, Hart marked 60 years of doing what I believe great brands are meant to do: move people.

As interest in the Detroit Region continues to grow among business leaders, innovators and site selectors, Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP) is shining an even brighter spotlight on the people driving that momentum through its ongoing Get Here campaign.