The lazy days of summer are quickly winding down and soon the laid back, slower pace will give way to the hectic start of the school year.

I think we all can agree on one thing; customer service isn’t what it used to be. Think hard about the last time you actually were impressed with a company’s customer service given to you as a customer. I know, it’s not very often.

We’ve come a long way from Edward Bernays’ Torches of Freedom and his United Fruit Company campaigns. Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923) was instrumental in guiding government agencies, politicians, and non-profit organizations to become skilled practitioners of crowd psychology and psychoanalysis, but now the hyper-adoption of social media and the world wide web place us in an even stranger spot.

Thread Marketing Group Vice President Jim Rush has been racking up the air miles to make connections for Team Thread and Toledo area businesses.

As the second week of the new year comes to a close, so does intern Sofia Szymanski’s first week at Thread. Since beginning her internship last Monday, Sofia has worked on multiple projects, all of which have given her a deeper understanding of the professional world of marketing.

Healthcare marketers have their work cut out for them in 2021 with the many changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. With healthcare top-of-mind, both locally and nationally, healthcare marketers continue to walk a path fraught with tremendous uncertainty, economic instability and patient anxiety.

If you had asked me last fall what my plans were for the summer before my junior year, they would not have included dealing with a global pandemic and learning through a remote internship. My name is Ansley Carr, and I am from the Atlanta area. I am entering my junior year at the University of Alabama pursuing a dual degree with a B.S. in Marketing with a minor in Entrepreneurship and a B.A. in Dance. As a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, Riptide Dance Crew, and the Alabama football fanbase (roll tide!), and more, I am very involved on campus.

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to cause shifts in many industries, healthcare is one that is in the center of it all. Hospitals are extremely overcrowded, and primary care has taken a hit. Annual check-ups and elective surgeries are being rescheduled, and many offices have changed hours or even lost personnel. Outcomes can be detrimental if these trends continue, especially for high-need patients.

Thread Marketing Group's dedication, creativity, and exceptional ability to make a difference through our work has been recognized and awarded on three occasions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. We take pride in receiving outstanding awards, especially during such challenging times.

If you haven’t heard of the term “Zoom Bombing,” consider yourself lucky. If you’ve experienced it yourself, I’m sorry. Either way, consider yourself warned. It’s happening and will likely continue to plague our new virtual meeting world.