By Abby Breckenridge

Image by Nicole Todd

“Violence against women affects me as a human being—my message shouldn’t be a feminist message. It’s a universal message.” — Bad Bunny

Is it a cheap trick to open with a Bad Bunny quote? Probably. Am I above it? Certainly not.

As a women’s studies minor and lifelong feminist, I have spent a lot of time mulling over feminist issues, and I firmly believe in the concept behind what Bad Bunny is highlighting here. Most things we call women’s issues are just human issues and segmenting them off usually does their cause a disservice.

I feel the same way about parental leave. It’s on all of us to help make sure folks can have and raise kids, and adequate parental leave is part of that.

In the staffing agency world, benefits like parental leave are rare. Most staffing models treat staffing consultants and contract workers as temporary resources: deliver the work, finish the contract, move on. Benefits are minimal, and life events are often treated as inconveniences to the system.

But having children isn’t an inconvenience. It’s how societies continue. If we want thriving communities, people must be able to have and raise children without sacrificing their careers. That responsibility has not been picked up by our government, so for now it belongs to all of us, including companies.

That’s why we provide paid parental leave to our staffing consultants.

Our team is made up of experts who help our clients ship campaigns, launch products, and scale content programs. They’re professionals with careers and lives. Supporting them through major life moments is good policy. And it’s good for business.

People do their best work when they know they’re valued as humans, not just as billable hours. And by respectfully handling our consultants’ parental leave needs, including temporary replacements and overlap time for handoffs, we’re also helping our clients. Win/win.

By Guy Schoonmaker

Image by Nicole Todd

If you’re a marketer in big tech right now, you’ve probably heard the question: “Can you use AI to build this instead of hiring an agency?”

It usually comes up when you’re asking for budget for a pitch deck, a gated asset, or maybe a case study.

The honest answer is: AI can help a lot. But it can’t replace the process.

AI is useful and saves time at several points across the content creation lifecycle. It’s great for accelerating research and summarizing source material, and it can help surface possible angles for a story. It can assist with early drafting, tightening language, and generating variations of messaging. Used well, it can speed up the mechanics of content creation. (Used poorly, it can suck up the user’s time in a different way. Or worse, create a terrible asset.)

Making the story matter

Moving from an idea to a finished asset still takes skilled humans. And maybe that tech marketer has the skills to guide the AI. But do they have the time?

Good marketing content requires judgment. Someone has to define the point of view. Someone has to decide what’s actually interesting to the audience. They also have to ensure the story supports the brand and helps differentiate it from competitive solutions in the market.

And when it comes to visual design—especially for assets with strong, recognizable brands—AI tools can assist with ideation and photo editing, but they’re not yet producing the kind of story-driven design that represents a major tech brand.

So when someone asks whether AI can build the asset, the right answer is: AI can help. And it still takes skill and time to make something great.

Helping teams move faster

That’s where we come in. At 2A, we combine experienced storytellers, consultants, and designers with modern tools to meet the pace of today’s tech teams. When it makes sense, we use AI to accelerate brainstorming and streamline drafts. It also helps us explore design directions more efficiently. That allows us to spend more time refining ideas with you and delivering work that’s thoughtful and precise.

Because the goal is to make content that resonates. And we can help.

By Nora Bright, Andrea Swangard

Image by Nicole Todd

For many B2B tech organizations, building a partner program feels like a natural next step as they look to expand their go-to-market strategy. Partnerships, integrations, co-sell motions, and marketplace participation can extend your reach and unlock new revenue without requiring you to expand your core product. For many companies, this becomes a key part of their partner ecosystem strategy.

What’s less obvious at the outset is how quickly the team structure behind a partner program needs to evolve. Early on, partnerships are primarily about building relationships. As the ecosystem grows, the work becomes more operational and programmatic, and the partner program structure often needs to evolve with it.

Early stage: One person, many hats

At the beginning, partner programs are relationship-led. One person, sometimes a founder, builds alliances, negotiates integrations, supports sales conversations, and experiments with light co-marketing.

Processes are informal with loosely-defined incentives, and pipeline influence isn’t always tracked in a rigorous way.

Hiring focus: Hire for versatility and ownership. You need someone comfortable operating without a playbook, who can move between strategy and execution without friction. Over-specializing too early can slow momentum when scaling a partner program.

Growth stage: Complexity starts to surface

As your ecosystem grows to a meaningful portfolio of partners, team needs evolve. Sales wants clearer co-sell guidance and marketing sees repeatable campaign opportunities. Leadership asks for reporting and marketplace programs introduce new requirements.

This is often the point where organizations expect one person to manage relationships, marketing, enablement, and reporting simultaneously, and that structure rarely holds up as the program expands.

Hiring focus: Before adding headcount, define what’s actually breaking. Is it enablement? Campaign execution? Reporting? Hiring without clarifying ownership usually recreates the same bottleneck in a slightly different form as partner ecosystem management becomes more complex.

Mature stage: Partnerships become a growth channel

When partnerships begin influencing a material portion of pipeline, informality stops working. Revenue targets emerge, incentives formalize, and the work that once sat with a single generalist begins to separate into more defined functions:

• Strategic alliances (which partners to prioritize)
• Partner marketing (how to activate demand)
• Enablement (how sellers and partners execute)
• Operations (how performance is tracked and measured)

At this stage of partner program maturity, organizations typically move toward a more clearly defined partnership team structure.

Hiring focus: Define scope and revenue accountability clearly before hiring senior talent. Strong candidates will expect clarity around authority, KPIs, and decision rights before accepting the role, especially when revenue is involved.

Structure enables alignment and scale

As partner programs grow, structure is what allows teams to keep moving quickly instead of getting stuck in ambiguity. The organizations that get the most from their partner ecosystems are usually the ones that redefine roles just ahead of complexity, not in reaction to it. Taking the time to scope those roles clearly helps organizations make the right hires and ensures new team members are set up to succeed.

If you’re evaluating your next partner hire or thinking about how your ecosystem team should evolve, it can help to talk through the structure before opening a search. If you’d like an experienced perspective, reach out!

By Andrea Swangard

Image by Evan Aeschlimann

AI is everywhere in marketing right now. A common assumption is that designers using AI type a prompt, magic happens, and the creative work is done. Sounds easy! And risky. The reality is more nuanced, and far more interesting. To ground the conversation in real-world experience, I spoke with 2A designers Aaron Wendel, Evan Aeschlimann, and Guangyi Li about how AI fits into their creative process.

Getting to a first draft faster

Inside 2A, AI isn’t replacing designers, but it’s becoming a fast, surprisingly capable assistant. The design team uses it most heavily in early concepting for things like generating layout variations, exploring infographic structures, experimenting with illustration styles, and prototyping interactive experiences. Tools like Figma Make, Gemini, and Adobe Firefly help accelerate the “blank page” phase and bring ideas to life faster.

Where AI really shines is efficiency. Background removal that once took 20 minutes now takes 30 seconds. With a quick prompt, AI can help turn a static image into a video and rearrange a rough wireframe into a more logical flow. Designers can test alternate angles, lighting, and visual treatments, all before committing hours of production time.

The difference between fast and finished

Here’s the critical distinction with AI: it can get you to early concepts quickly. But it doesn’t reliably maintain brand consistency and it struggles with typography and detailed layout logic. The more complex the brand system, the more human oversight is required. In experiments with training custom agents to generate fully on-brand visuals, the results were either generic or oddly off-base. Sometimes the output was decent, but rarely client-ready.

That’s where expertise matters. The designer’s role isn’t shrinking; it’s evolving. AI enables faster experimentation and cross-disciplinary thinking—designers can prototype motion, imagine interactivity, or explore UI behaviors without writing code. However, judgment and brand integrity still require a trained eye.

At 2A, AI accelerates the process, and our designers define the outcome. AI tools can generate options, but only experts can turn those options into assets that are on-brand, intentional, and built to drive results.

By Katy Nally

Image by Aaron Wendel

2A may have started off as a Microsoft shop, but over the years, we’ve grown to cover a much larger slice of the tech industry. We have clients at small AI startups, large cloud enterprises, and many other partners in between.  

Each year we compile our show-stopping assets into a sizzle reel to showcase our best work. Take a look! And keep reading to learn more about how we put it all together. (And if you’re curious about how we think about video formats more broadly, check out our recent post on engaging more and converting faster with the right video.) 

Katy: Oh hello there Aaron Wendel! Please tell us about the new sizzle video you and your team created for 2A. I hear it captures the essence of our work in just about 1 minute. What does it show? 

Aaron: It’s a little of everything we create at 2A. Animation, video, decks, ebooks, blogs… even a sticker sheet.  

Katy: What’s your favorite moment in this sizzle? 

Aaron: There’s a moment toward the beginning that highlights two assets we created for the Azure Database team. It’s really simple, but I love when a project spans across a range of deliverables, and we lean into our team’s brand expertise to adapt to the needs of each asset.

Katy: What does this sizzle say about 2A? 

Aaron: It shows we have a wide variety of work, and know how to put together a great playlist! 

Katy: So true! What’s something that didn’t make the cut that you think should get some love? 

Aaron: All of the projects that don’t necessarily sizzle but are successful in other ways, like translating technical concepts, demonstrating a new product feature, or building foundational messaging for a client. These go a long way in helping clients explain their solutions and giving customers “Aha!” moments.

Katy: How did you time the music with the images? 

Aaron: You’ll have to interview our talented motion designer Chris next!  

Katy: Glad I asked! Thanks for chatting—we love the sizzle!  

By Andrea Swangard

Image by Rachel Adams

The Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals Report is packed with essential data on how AI is transforming professional services, with a particular focus on the legal industry. But as with many in-depth reports, its richness and detail can be a double-edged sword: great for insight, but harder for time-strapped readers to absorb and act on quickly. 

Thomson Reuters partnered with us to create two new content pieces that made key findings from the report easier to engage with and more directly useful for their legal audience. By distilling complex research into a targeted infographic and a focused whitepaper, we helped bring clarity to professionals at different stages of their AI journey. 

Getting started: The infographic for AI readiness 

For professionals still shaping their AI strategy, we built an infographic that functions as a readiness checklist. It walks readers through the foundational steps needed to prepare for agentic AI, from building strategy to empowering individuals, with practical prompts and data points drawn from the report. 

The visual format makes the information easier to scan and share, while still grounding every recommendation in the original research. 

Going deeper: The whitepaper on maximizing AI value 

For legal leaders further along in their AI adoption, we developed a six-page whitepaper that offers concrete strategies to turn AI investments into measurable results. Drawing from the report’s legal-specific insights, the guide covers four key focus areas: strategy and leadership, trust, enablement, and measurement. 

Rather than reiterating technical features, the whitepaper keeps the focus on real-world applications, like how to embed AI in workflows your team already uses and track outcomes that align with your business priorities. It positions Thomson Reuters as both a thought leader and a trusted advisor for legal professionals navigating AI transformation. 

One report, two assets, many outcomes 

These assets demonstrate the power of repackaging research to meet audiences where they are. By creating content that’s aligned to different levels of AI maturity, we helped Thomson Reuters extend the reach of their research and support their customers in taking the next right step. 

Looking to turn your insights into action? Let’s talk. 

By Abby Breckenridge

Image by Rachel Adams

Our clients are smart. They market cutting-edge products, which means they’re always looking for new ways to make their efforts more effective. So the line of questioning we hear most consistently from them is: what’s working? What are your other clients doing? What’s hot in B2B tech marketing?

Right now, the answer is letting real experts speak directly to buyers. Not brand voice, not canned demos, not vague thought leadership—but credible, knowledgeable people who clearly know their domain and aren’t afraid to say something specific.

Buyers are overwhelmed. Social media feeds and inboxes are flooded with generic content, most of it interchangeable and written to satisfy an algorithm. In that environment, content that clearly came from a real person with real experience immediately stands out. When buyers hear from someone who has hands-on expertise, like an engineer, a product leader, or a satisfied customer, they’re more likely to pay attention and trust what they’re hearing.

This approach works across a range of formats. We’re seeing strong performance from:

• Written case studies that go beyond surface-level metrics and include expert commentary on how and why results were achieved
• Video case studies where customers or internal experts speak plainly about challenges and outcomes
• Engineer-driven blogs that explain architectures and the reasoning behind decisions
• Founder or executive POV pieces with anecdotes that reflect lived experience
• Original research with new takes and insights

Credibility is what wins today. When customers are looking for reasons to believe, the most persuasive marketing isn’t louder—it’s grounded in real expertise and feels more specific and human.

By Guy Schoonmaker, Andrea Swangard

Image by Emily Zheng

A client recently came to us with a familiar request: they wanted a sizzle video to improve the effectiveness of a product landing page. After adding one of our sizzle videos, they noticed a lift in performance and wanted to repeat the approach.

They’re not alone in turning to video to boost engagement. Including video on a landing page can increase conversion by as much as 80%. Sites with video also tend to convert at higher rates overall, with one benchmark showing a 4.8% average conversion rate for sites using video, compared to 2.9% for those without.

So, what type of video should you use—and when? Here are three formats we recommend, each suited for different goals and stages of the buyer journey.

Sizzle videos: Build excitement and boost engagement

Sizzle videos are short, energetic, and designed to get attention. They’re great for product pages, campaign rollouts, or events where you want to create momentum and drive action. These videos usually combine animation, sound design, and fast pacing to create an emotional connection quickly.

That’s what our client experienced: after adding a sizzle video to their product page and seeing a clear lift, they came back to request more. It’s no surprise—when visitors stay longer and feel more emotionally invested, they’re more likely to take the next step.

Explainer videos: Clarify and convert

Explainers go deeper and often include common customer pain points, topline product benefits or features, and UI snapshots. They’re especially effective when addressing a known challenge or objection, like demonstrating cost-saving features or what’s changed in an update.

We’ve partnered with enterprise teams to create explainer videos that highlight key functionality and reduce friction during the decision-making process. These videos are a great fit for users further down the funnel who need reassurance before they commit.

Testimonial videos: Build trust with firsthand perspective

For buyers evaluating complex solutions, credibility is key. Testimonial videos let viewers hear directly from the source about the impact your solution had. They’re especially effective when paired with written case studies, giving added dimension to performance metrics and making success stories more relatable.

These videos work well on product pages and in sales enablement content, where they help build trust and spark engagement. Like this one, where the team at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, shows how a partnership with Amazon took the fan experience to the next level.

Video works because people remember it

Studies show that viewers retain about 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading text. Pages with video also hold attention longer, which correlates strongly with higher engagement and conversion rates.

If you’re considering ways to drive conversion with your audience, we’re well-versed in video and would love to show you what’s possible.

By Nora Bright, Andrea Swangard

Image by Nicole Todd

Contract roles are foundational to how large tech companies operate: entire teams and initiatives depend on contractors doing high-impact work. Yet despite how mission critical these roles are, many companies rely on vendor management systems (VMS) to find talent, often with subpar outcomes.

On the surface, these contractor hiring portals promise scale and speed. But in practice, they often strip away the context and care that good recruiting depends on. What you get is a system optimized for volume, not for finding the right person for the work.

Where VMS-driven hiring starts to break down

When roles are posted in a portal, staffing firms are competing against dozens, sometimes hundreds, of other agencies. With such low odds of placement, recruiters are naturally incentivized to move fast and submit often. Spending extra time deeply vetting candidates or digging into the nuances of a role rarely pays off.

To make matters harder, recruiters usually have little to no direct access to the hiring team. Without meaningful context about the role or team, even strong recruiters are left guessing. Volume becomes the safest bet, while candidate fit becomes secondary.

Scale over relationships erodes the experience

VMS portals tend to favor the largest staffing firms. Enterprises can’t realistically onboard every specialized agency, so size becomes the deciding factor. Many agencies that appear boutique in a portal are actually owned by large conglomerates and operate like one.

From the client side, agencies become interchangeable. That makes it difficult to understand how one firm might support the hiring manager during the engagement, or how contractors are treated once they’re on the job. Over time, this lack of differentiation removes the incentive to invest in better experiences.

Contractors feel this quickly. Large agencies often offer the bare minimum in benefits and route support through impersonal service desks with slow response times. Talented, experienced contractors notice and choose to work elsewhere. Poor support leads to higher churn, disengaged talent, and teams that are constantly backfilling instead of moving forward.

A more thoughtful way to hire contractors

Boutique agencies, like 2A Recruiting and Staffing, take a different approach. We build long-term partnerships with our clients and our contractors because thoughtful recruiting leads to better results. That starts with strong benefits, like our fully covered health, dental, and vision insurance, 4 weeks+ of PTO annually, and 401(k) with employer match. It also means regular check-ins, personal, responsive support, and staying engaged throughout the entire contract. Because of benefits like these, in 2025 more than 85% of our contractors completed or extended their engagements.

When contract roles are truly mission critical, they deserve more than portal submissions. If you’re ready to go beyond the portal and work with a firm that treats contractor hiring like the strategic function it is, we’d love to talk.

By Nora Bright, Andrea Swangard

Image by Nicole Todd

After years of recruiting for large, matrixed organizations where employees collaborate across functions and regions, we’ve noticed a consistent pattern. While technical skills might land someone the job, they rarely determine whether that person thrives long-term. What truly sets candidates apart is how they operate in complex, fast-changing environments.

That’s why our interview process focuses on core behavioral traits we’ve found to be strong predictors of success. Here’s what we look for, and why it matters.

1. Driving self-directed execution

In complex roles, candidates need the ability to take initiative and keep things moving. We look for people who can work through ambiguity without getting stuck. They’re comfortable getting started even when the details are incomplete, and they know how to break down fuzzy goals into clear, actionable steps.

They also keep stakeholders informed without needing close oversight. And when something stalls, they don’t wait; they know when to keep going and when to raise a flag. This combination of independence and judgment keeps work momentum going, even when guidance is limited.

2. Taking proactive ownership

In fast-moving environments with shifting priorities, success often comes down to mindset. The people who thrive are those who treat problems as theirs to solve, even if they fall outside their job description. Rather than waiting to be asked, they build cross-functional relationships, seek out context, and stay curious. When something needs doing, they step in because they see the broader value in helping the team move forward.

3. Communicating with clarity and context

In cross-functional, global teams, misalignment can create major downstream issues. That’s why clear, contextual communication is essential. We look for people who tailor their communication style based on who they’re talking to and what the situation calls for, whether it’s explaining a project to a non-technical stakeholder or looping in a team across time zones.

They make sure their work connects to broader goals and that they identify conflicting priorities early, which helps prevent misalignment that can slow things down later.

4. Staying adaptable and resilient

Change is a constant in complex organizations, and success depends on being able to roll with it. We look for people who maintain focus and productivity even when priorities shift, plans change, or teams restructure.

Resilient candidates recover quickly from setbacks and keep a constructive mindset under pressure. They don’t rely on certainty and know how to move forward without it.

Looking for candidates with these traits?

We’ve spent over a decade helping enterprise teams hire professionals who have the right skills and the behaviors that lead to long-term success. Our screening process is designed to surface these traits early, so you meet candidates who are ready to thrive in real-world complexity.

Want to see what that looks like? Explore our recruiting and staffing services, or reach out to us. We’d love to help!